UC Educator Joins Planning of National Technology Standards

Joyce Pittman, University of Cincinnati assistant professor of educational technology, was elected at-large representative on the national board of directors for the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). She will formally take office in June. Pittman says she is joining the ISTE Board at a critical time as development of a new U.S. Department of Education National Educational Technology Plan gets underway.

The ISTE is a non-profit, professional organization that promotes and supports teaching and learning through technology. Pittman was a member of a key writing team selected by the ISTE to create a national set of guidelines on how to incorporate technology into the nation’s classrooms to best support student learning. Those guidelines became the standard in 2002 for developing teacher licensure competencies in technology for over 41 states including Ohio.

The ISTE and the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) are currently working on outreach programs regarding development of the new federal National Educational Technology Plan, in conjunction with the plan’s primary contractor, the American Institutes for Research (AIR). Pittman says each organization will be working closely with the U.S. Department of Education to coordinate public input and to communicate the development process of the National Educational Technology Plan.

In Greater Cincinnati, Pittman is leading that process and is currently planning a public town hall meeting to discuss development of the new plan. The date for the town hall meeting has not yet been scheduled. For more information, contact Pittman’s office at (513) 556-0388.

Pittman leads the UC College of Education’s Comprehensive Educational Restructuring and Technology Infusion Initiative (CERTI²). The $2.7 million, three-year initiative, first launched in 2000, incorporates technology in the professional development of UC faculty and students, as well as UC partners in K-12 schools.

Pittman is a nationally honored educator who has dedicated her career to bridging the digital divide affecting the urban schools. She has also worked to bridge the digital divide on the international level, presenting at conferences around the world.

Pittman says that central to the successful implementation of technology systems is a “high quality standards-based curriculum and well-designed assessment systems that propose multiple pathways to help teachers determine learning outcomes for each student. In addition, a well-prepared technical-support leadership team and funding is necessary to support localized initiatives to promote and sustain high-quality education in schools and in teacher-preparation systems. Instructors, administrators, technical researchers and students must be prepared to develop and evaluate software content and hardware in relationship to performance and achievement.

“Foremost to achieving the vision of the federal No Child Left Behind Act is sound and research-based methods to infuse technology effectively in teaching and learning, to close the education and digital divides in our homes, schools and communities,” Pittman says. “As visionaries, we must help school leaders and teachers understand the dynamics of new technology and how it creates an expanded pathway to high quality teaching and learning for all people.”