New initiatives at Department of Defense schools are aimed at improving students' technological literacy and adapting lesson plans to a variety of learning styles. The Department of Defense Education Activity director, Marilee Fitzgerald, told the Armed Forces Press Service that tools like laptops and virtual learning environments allow students to work on a number of different subjects at their own pace and in the same room as their peers.
"It's about 21st century learning," Fitzgerald said. "And 21st century learning is infused with technology."
A teacher has a better chance of connecting with a variety of students by implementing a laptop, interactive whiteboard or HDMI projector into his or her lesson plan.
Fitzgerald also noted the particular success of virtual learning centers, which track a student's progress regardless of how many times he or she changes schools, a particular concern for military families, who are often forced to move frequently.
For example, Fitzgerald told the news source, a student may be forced to move three years into a foreign language curriculum at one school only to find the language isn't offered at his or her new school. With virtual learning technology, the student can complete advanced coursework in his or her original language rather than start from scratch with a new language.
