National Education Technology Plan

Well, here I am... after week 1 of my 3rd year of teaching, I am faced with 2 grad classes (both online), which are requiring me to read long articles and "reflect" on them...  I am completely exhausted at this point, so if it doesn't make sense, forgive me :)

Questions:
1.  What options do low income schools have to also gain access to technology to provide their students with necessary educational benefits for the future?

2.  When a new president is elected, will this plan continue, or will a new president put it to the side and focus on other non-education related issues?

3.  Is technology developing and evolving faster than we, as humans and educators, can keep up with it?

After reading and watching the video, I feel that while this plan has great ideas, some of them are not feasible or accessible by people who are in low income areas.  In addition, as I currently work in a low income school, I am finding that many of my students do not have access to something as basic as a computer in their home, let alone a smart phone, or internet access.  This creates an issue when it comes to providing a 21st century to my students.

In addition to working in a low income school, I also work with teachers who have been teaching without technology for 20+ years, who are very reluctant to use or learn about new technology that could benefit our students, but also do not WANT to learn how to use such technology because they "never used it before".  With this being said, programs should be developed to help teachers learn the basics of new technology to assist them in utilizing such things in their classrooms.

In the reading, it states that states and local governments need to work to provide meaningful learning experiences which can involve technology.  When states are barely making ends meet for basic needs, how will the states be able to provide such funds for schools?  Many places in the United States are struggling just to pay their teachers for the jobs they do day in and day out.  In addition, the states and school districts have been closing schools, combining schools, etc., in an effort to reduce budgets.

With a plan that is proposed to be 5 years long, what happens when we do not accomplish all the goals or ideas listed in the plan at the end of 5 years?  Does the government continue funding for this plan that has not yet been accomplished, or is all of the work that was done in those 5 years become useless and forgotten?  In my 3 years with the company I work for, just this year (my 3rd year) did I see new technology being brought into the school, which was not paid for by our school, but rather a grant for educating day students through ACCESS funds.

In my humble opinion, keeping our students and teachers current and up-to-date on new technologies will only be beneficial if we have the training and materials necessary to do so.  If we cannot fund or provide the necessary pieces of equipment to do so, we are doing a disservice to our students by not providing them access to a 21st century education, which they will need to be successful in an ever technology filled world.