Task Force on Instructional Technology releases 'Invent The Future: VT 2020'
Virginia Tech’s Task Force on Instructional Technology has just released "Invent The Future: VT 2020," an interactive report that presents a vision of best uses of instructional technology in the next decade and beyond.
The 18-member task force was charged in the fall of 2010 by Erv Blythe, vice president for information technology and chief information officer, and Daniel Wubah, vice president and dean for undergraduate education.
Tony Bates, a leading thinker on transforming education and co-author of "Managing Technology in Higher Education: Strategies for Transforming Teaching and Learning," describes the most important part of the report — the process.
"However, for me what is more important is the process they have followed, which has engaged a wide range of faculty and administrative staff," writes Bates. "Although the report has many recommendations, what matters is what’s happened within the brains of those that participated. This will affect all their thinking from now on about the possible ways in which technology might be used for teaching and learning."
Extending the collaborative and interactive nature of the task force’s work, the report has been released as a blog, soliciting input from interested teachers and learners.
"A wealth of information resides on the interactive site that may serve as a resource for thinking, discussion, planning, and action for any institution," said Anne Moore, associate vice president, Learning Technologies, and co-chair of the Task Force on Instructional Technology. "A dynamic outcome of the task force’s work, the website is designed to allow anyone to join the conversation and ongoing activities."
To read more on Bates' thoughts on Invent the Future: VT 2020, visit his e-learning and distance education RESOURCES website.
