Michigan Prepares Itself for Technological Revolution in Education

by Bruce Umpstead, Director, Office of Educational Technology and Data Coordination, Michigan Department of Education

The debate in Michigan over the merits of technology in transforming teaching and learning has quickened. While some question the effectiveness—and fiscal responsibility—of schools spending money on items such as laptops and educational software, many others recognize the importance of technology in the classroom. Fortunately for Michigan teachers and students, our state is implementing several programs that will help prepare them for the increasingly techno-based world ahead.

Last year, Michigan became the first state to require online learning as part of its new, more rigorous set of high school graduation requirements known as the Michigan Merit Curriculum. To implement this requirement, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) formed the Office of Educational Technology and Data Coordination and charged it with infusing technology into the new Michigan Merit Curriculum and Grade Level Content Expectations. MDE is sponsoring, for example, a program to develop approximately 300 “Technology Integration Champions” statewide, by showing teachers how to use Universal Design for Learning to differentiate instruction through the use of technology. Another sponsored program provides support for teachers integrating Michigan Virtual School’s CareerForward™ course—a free online career-development course—into their instruction. Furthermore, MDE is initiating Michigan Schools Online, a program that will provide professional development for teachers who want to teach online. It will also provide free resources for teachers who choose to integrate their classroom courses with online content.

Last spring, the Michigan House of Representatives proposed funding “21st Century Digital Learning Environments,” a program emphasizing professional development in technology for teachers. While this program appears to be a casualty of the current state budget crisis, it is a strong indication that educational technology has the Michigan legislature’s attention and support.

On the national scale, Congress recently proposed a program titled, “Achievement Through Technology and Innovation,” a $2 billion investment in educational technology, as a complement to No Child Left Behind’s (NCLB) reauthorization. While the future of these programs is not certain, this acknowledgement by our state and national leaders is evident. Technology is key to engaging Michigan’s children in the rigorous learning required to succeed in today’s global economy. Our society must do what it can to properly equip teachers and students today and to ready itself for the technologies of tomorrow.

Bruce Umpstead joined the Michigan Department of Education in January 2007 as Director of the newly formed Office of Educational Technology and Data Coordination. He previously worked on the Promoting Rigorous Outcomes in Math and Science Education, or PROM/SE, project at Michigan State University, his alma mater. He also served as an adjunct online instructor for Lansing Community College. For more information, contact: Bruce Umpstead, Director, Office of Educational Technology and Data Coordination, Michigan Department of Education, (517) 355-2957, UmpsteadB@michigan.gov. To learn more about the programs listed above, visit www.michigan.gov/edtech.

To see a copy of the proposed Achievement Through Technology and Innovation legislation, visit www.washingtonwatch.com and search for H.R. 2449.