How do planning and standards help us know? How does a state help assist a district in knowing what students and teachers should know and be able to do?
The 2010 Progress Report on the Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2010 provided valuable insight into the progress and goals of technology usage in Texas classrooms. The report showed significant gains in a number of areas and pointed to the fact that many teachers are open to advancing in their knowledge and implementation of technology. Planning and standards help us to have a clear goal in mind as we advance in our use of technology in the classroom. Technology is constantly changing and evolving, so having a set of standards that does not change can give teachers and administrators the vision to succeed in an ever-changing environment. Standards also help to ensure that students are presented with technology that is pertinent and goal-oriented rather than simply keeping them up to speed on the latest and greatest technology gadgets.
The goal of ensuring “ongoing integration of school technology into school curricula and instructional strategies in all schools in the State, so that technology will be fully integrated into the curricula and instruction of the schools…” was of particular interest to me. (Texas Education Agency, 2010) I appreciate the fact that the state of Texas is not changing the focus to simply using technology but is aware of the fact that technology should be used to support the current curriculum. In my opinion, technology with no foundation of basic skills in the four major content areas would be a step backwards for our students.
The report goes on to site a number of standards that our 21st century students must be able to master in order to graduate from Texas schools. It also notes a number of key findings such as the fact that our minority and low-socio economic students tend to struggle more in the area of technology than do their classmates. The discussion of available programs and grants to help school districts improve and sustain their technology implementation is also of great interest. The state of Texas is doing what it can in light of the recent budget crisis to provide school districts with the resources they need to improve in the area of technology. This is especially true in rural and low-income school districts. The addition of online and distance learning opportunities will also serve to help districts across the state to improve in the area of technology. Furthermore, these are great ways to address the budget shortfall and meet the needs of all learners. Along those lines, the implementation of open source textbooks can be an effective cost-saver as well as a way to provide students with the most current research available in their courses. The report provides a thorough overview of the current status of technology implementation in the state of Texas. It addresses goals and standards in the area of technology and discusses opportunities for school districts across the state. The report shows areas in need of improvement as well as ways in which the state plans to address these weaknesses.
Texas Education Agency, (2010). 2010 progress report on the long-range plan for
technology, 2006-2020 Austin, Texas: Texas Education Agency. Retrieved from
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=5082&menu_id=2147483665es/default
/files/NETP-2010-final-report.pdf
(The last lines of my citation are indented on my editing page but are not showing up as such on the actual post.)
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