School to Work
Integrating
Curriculum
Contents
Objectives
Definitions of
Curriculum
Interdisciplinary
Planning
Vocational Education
Program
Vocational Education and
Technology
In an era of increasing international
economic competition, the quality of America's secondary schools
could determine whether our children hold highly compensated, high
skill jobs that add significant value within the integrated global
economy of the twenty-first century, or compete with workers in
developing countries for the provision of commodity products and
low-value-added services at wage rates comparable to those received
by third world laborers. Moreover, it is widely believed that workers
in the next century will require not just a larger set of facts or a
larger repertoire of specific skills, but the capacity to readily
acquire new knowledge, to solve problems, and to employ creative and
critical thinking in the design of new approaches to existing
problems.
The Panel on Educational Technology
was organized in April 1995 under the auspices of the President's
Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology to provide
independent advice to the President on matters related to the
application of various technologies to K-12 education in the United
States.
Objectives
Their objectives are summarized
below.
- Focus on learning with
technology, not about technology. While computer related skills will unquestionably be
quite important and clearly best taught through the actual use of
computers, it is important that technology be integrated
throughout the curriculum.
- Emphasize content and
pedagogy, and not just hardware. The wide-spread availability of modern computing and
networking hardware will indeed be necessary. However the
development and utilization of useful educational softer are and
information resources, and the adaptation of curricula to make
effective use of technology, are likely to present the more
formidable challenges.
- Give special attention to
professional development. Only about 15 percent of the typical technology
budget is currently devoted to professional development.
- Ensure equitable, universal
access. Access to
knowledge-building and communication tools based on computing and
networking technologies should be made available to all of our
students, regardless of socio-economic status, race, ethnicity,
gender, or geographical factors.
- Technology can be used in
three distinct ways. (1)
It can be used as an aid. Teachers teach with technology and
traditional subject matter can be presented in new and exciting
ways by instructors skilled in using the emerging educational
technologies. (2) Technology for its own sake. (3) Technology as
an empowerment tool that changes the teachers role from being a
"saga on stage" to a "guide on the side."
Patricia J. McArdle / Mather High
School / 5835 N. Lincoln Ave. / Chicago, IL 60659/ CES Fall Forum
1997/ page I
Return to
Contents
Go to the CD-ROM Table of Contents
© 1998 Mather High School