Department of Education announces new ed tech chief

Karen Cator, former director of education leadership and advocacy for Apple and a long-time education technology leader, will serve as the new director of the Office of Educational Technology (OET) for the Department of Education. Cator served as chair of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills from September 2006 to September 2007. She also was in charge of technology planning and implementation in the Juneau, Alaska, school district before joining Apple in 1997. OET is responsible for coordinating the development and implementation of ED's education technology policies, research projects, and national technology summits. The office's main goal is to maximize technology's contributions to improving education. The announcement coincides with the development of a new National Education Technology Plan that will provide a vision for how information and communication technologies can help transform American education. The plan will provide a set of concrete goals that can inform state and local ed-tech plans, as well as inspire research, development, and innovation. A draft of the new plan is expected in early 2010.