Last week I had the pleasure of participating in the State Educational Technology Directors Association‘s (SETDA) fall Leadership Summit and Education Forum. This organization brings together the technology leaders of each state and a body of public, corporate, and associational sponsors, partners, and supporters to share ideas, best practices, and plans for elevating the importance of technology in the classroom and in student success and preparedness. Two of these partners-the Partnership for 21st Century Skills and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) joined with SETDA to produce and release a new report on the importance of technology in 21^st century education. A synopsis and a downloadable copy of the 15-page report, Maximizing the Impact: The Pivotal Role of Technology in a 21^st Century Education System is available at the SETDA site.

The report is exciting in its content and inspirational in its provision of a cogent vision of what 21^st century education should be: “To be ‘educated’ today, students must master core subjects, 21^st century themes, and 21^st century skills.”  Likewise, student actions do not happen in a vacuum: Educators need a support system that helps them strengthen their own skills and capacities to aid students and colleagues. The Framework for 21^st Century Learning graphic provides a window into the report’s various aspects.

A review of these subjects, themes, and skills has strong resonance with the very things we seek in espousing the importance of GIS and geospatial technology to the areas of personal scholarship, citizenship, and artisanship as well as global and societal stewardship and interdependency. During last week’s presentation that launched the report, I found myself thinking of a slide from a recent presentation I gave to a group of European geographers: Similar themes, issues, and imperatives.

We need to greedily consume and cite this report’s content and recommendations and utilize it and them as part of the messages we deliver.

- George Dailey, ESRI Education Manager