Thank You for Your Input on the 2024 NETP

Just wanted to pass along this notice.  Note that virtual learning is mentioned once in the plan, online learning is mentioned 10 times, and digital learning is mentioned 26 times.

Hello,

On behalf of the Department of Education Office of Educational Technology, it is my great pleasure to share with you the release of the 2024 National Educational Technology Plan. As the lead on this project, I specifically want to thank you for your input as we developed the Plan.

From your contribution and that of others, the focus of this year’s NETP is on closing the Digital Divide across three critical dimensions: The Digital Access Divide, the Digital Use Divide, and the Digital Design Divide.

• Digital Use Divide: This divide addresses the disparity in how students are engaged with technology in their learning. While some students actively employ technology to analyze, build, produce, and create, others are limited to using technology for passive tasks. The plan emphasizes the need to shift towards more dynamic and creative uses of technology in the classroom.
• Digital Design Divide: Recognizing the importance of professional development, this divide highlights the unequal access to training and support for educators in integrating educational technology effectively in their teaching practices.
• Digital Access Divide: Focusing on the foundational aspects of educational technology, this divide underscores the inequitable distribution of connectivity, devices, and digital resources. It also emphasizes the importance of digital health, safety, and citizenship skills.

As Dr. Beth Holland from our Technical Working Group wrote, “Most critically, this plan urges schools and systems to ensure that meaningful learning happens within the instructional core. This is bold guidance from the federal government, and I’m hopeful to see the effects of its implementation in the field.”

And, so, I invite you to read the plan you helped us create. You can find it at tech.ed.gov/netp.

Finally, this NETP has key recommendations at the state and district level for realizing the potential impact of technology in support of learning and teaching. Over the course of the next month, OET is asking state and district education leaders to complete this survey to help us get a more complete picture of the field as well as how best ED can support this work. If you are a state or district leader, we invite you to click on the relevant link below and share the work from your space.

District-Level Survey

State-Level Survey

Again, thank you for lending your voice and ideas to the development of the NETP. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

Sincerely,

Zac Chase
Digital Equity Impact Fellow
Office of Educational Technology
U.S. Department of Education