Keith Krueger is with the Consortium for School Networking. He’s taking a global perspective on the changes in education and where the US fits.

Meta analysis of technology in education research: Metiri Group shows than when technology is done right it can be a powerful transformer of education. Tech is being over promised, thus the negative press. In most classrooms it is not integral to the education mission and it is used at the margins. Profound impact is changing the process. Consider the business community.

Teachers are saying their technology skills are improving. But the technology is more personalized use than actual use in classroom teaching. Students are finding classrooms and lessons lack the rich technology they use outside of the classrooms.

Where does the US fit it the policy context? With the current fear of global competitiveness, the dialog is driven towards Science, Engineering, and Math. Where’s Technology in the STEM? Technology is not producing adequate ROI, thus the drop in EETT funding. Education sits 55th in technology funding as a sector, below coal mining. Nonetheless, data-driven decision making is strong. COSN is looking at Value of Investment (VOI) on ed tech: www.edtechvoi.org

So what are other countries doing (for more details, visit his blog)? Hong Kong… impact where technology supported constructivist learning. and where leadership is supportive. In south Korea there is very high infusion of technology, highly open source, and has clear policymaker support. Singapore focuses on self-directed learning. On math and science they are high in PISA ranking. Despite their success, they have a new paradigm for education: “Teach Less, Learn More.” Australia has it’s Learning Federation focusing on digital learning. The collaboration is fundamental across the country. Britain has added personalization as a pillar to their educational reform strategy. Investment is significant, educators are moving along a growth continuum.

To bring it together, some themes emerge. Global competitiveness is leading the charge for 21st century skills. Leadership and vision matters. Rethinking pedagogy is essential. At the national level we need to keep up with increasing broadband access and invest in learning objects. We need to look at metrics for success for educational technology.

Action steps at the local level: Vision, Leadership, understand TCO and VOI, Community, and Advocacy. In a nutshell: Do something, don’t just stand there!