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oactive leadership in developing a shared vision for educational technology among all education stakeholders, including teachers and support staff, school and district administrators, teacher educators, students, parents, and the community Empowered Leaders  Stakeholders at every level empowered to be leaders in effecting change Implementation Planning A systemic plan aligned with a shared vision for school effectiveness and student learning through the infusion of information and communication technology (ICT) and digital learning resources   Consistent and Adequate Funding Ongoing funding to support technology infrastructure, personnel, digital resources, and staff development Equitable Access Robust and reliable access to current and emerging technologies and digital resources, with connectivity for all students, teachers, staff, and school leaders Skilled Personnel Educators, support staff, and other leaders skilled in the selection and effective use of appropriate ICT resources Ongoing Professional Learning Technology-related professional learning plans and opportunities with dedicated time to practice and share ideas Technical Support  Consistent and reliable assistance for maintaining,  renewing, and using ICT and digital learning resources  Curriculum Framework Content standards and related digital curriculum  resources that are aligned with and support digital age  learning and work  Student-Centered Learning  Planning, teaching, and assessment centered around  the needs and abilities of students  Assessment and Evaluation  Continuous assessment of teaching, learning, and  leadership, and evaluation of the use of ICT and digital  resources  Engaged Communities  Partnerships and collaboration within communities to  support and fund the use of ICT and digital learning  resources  Support Policies  Policies, financial plans, accountability measures,  and incentive structures to support the use of ICT  and other digital resources for learning and in district  school operations  Supportive External Context  Policies and initiatives at the national, regional, and  local levels to support schools and teacher preparation  programs in the effective implementation of technology  for achieving curriculum and learning technology (ICT)  standards

Proactive leadership in developing a shared vision for educational technology among all education stakeholders, including teachers and support staff, school and district administrators, teacher educators, students, parents, and the community

As universities shift toward competency and institutions cater more closely to learners’ specific needs, the distinctions between high school, undergraduate college, and graduate programs will dissolve. “Incentives will be given to students and institutions to move students through at a faster rate [and] the home school movement will lead to a home-college movement” (Dunn, 2000, p. 37). As leaders in the effort to cater to learners’ needs, distance education programs may be a dominant influence in this trend.

Accreditation and program approval will be based more on educational outcomes. Testing programs will be put in place by discipline organizations, federal and state governments, corporations, and testing companies. Large corporations will develop their own approval systems. By 2025, there will not be one national accreditation system, although the U.S. Department of Education will provide a basic safety net for quality. (p. 37; see also Pond, 2003) Distance educators must plan to accommodate this emphasis on accountability if they are to maintain accreditation and meet consumer demands.

Much of distance education programs’ success or failure can be attributed to how it is organized.

There are three primary components in the Quality Matters Program: The QM Rubric, the Peer Review Process and QM Professional Development. If you are new to QM and wish to learn more, download the Overview and Introduction Presentation and Guide.

The stance taken in this paper, then, is constructivist – that conversation is learning in the making.

Any conversation, that is, draws on heteroglossia (Bakhtin’s neologism) – pools of different ideas whose elements, when exchanged, foster learning. According to Bakhtin, every utterance has a double significance. It is an expression of a 'unitary [common] language' used to conduct the conversation and, at the same time, it builds on the 'social and historical' differences embedded in the heteroglossia (1981, p. 272).

Yuri Lotman,