President Obama announces multi-billion dollar education technology initiative

The use of technology will continue to help educators implement the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) now that President Barack Obama has announced his administration's commitment to education technology. Learning software, mobile devices and other educational equipment play important roles in today's classrooms and are tools instructors can use when teaching the Common Core. President Obama, the Federal Communications Commission and several private companies believe that extensive funding for education technology will level the academic playing field for many young American students. They aim to make learning about science, mathematics and English language/arts easier for millions of people. 

Organizations involved in the commitment to education technology
In one of the most progressive moves of his administration, the president facilitated a $2 billion commitment to education technology from the FCC and an additional $10 million from the Department of Agriculture. According to documents released by the White House, both agencies plan on providing previously unavailable learning tools to children in urban and rural areas. The FCC will offer broadband Internet access to 15,000 schools while the DOA will provide distance-learning grants.

A number of multinational corporations also pledged to support the president's movement toward ubiquitous technology use in American schools. Classrooms across the country will receive more than $750 million from technology companies like Verizon, AT&T and Microsoft in the next five years. Verizon, one of the largest mobile network operators in the U.S., will increase access to high-speed Internet in classrooms and provide hardware like tablets, laptops and other mobile devices to certain school districts. Microsoft, in addition to offering grants that support the promotion of the Common Core, will give more than 12 million units of its Office software to academic facilities. Sprint, another major telecommunications corporation, will likely follow suit and provide access to 50,000 underprivileged students. Apple has pledged to give $100 million worth of iPads, MacBooks and other devices to schools in impoverished urban and rural areas.

Linking education technology to ConnectED
In the summer of 2013, the president began the ConnectED program, which aims to provide American students with the best education in the world. The program's purpose is to develop college- and career-ready individuals who can perform at high levels in a global economy. With his education technology initiative underway, President Obama hopes to create an opportunity for millions of young Americans to perform well academically and lead industries like business and technology in the future.