Reflection on the 2010 Progress Report for The Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology

The 2010 Progress Report for the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology summarizes the improvements in the implementation of technology in Texas classrooms since 2008. The Progress Report outlines how the state is providing the technology necessary for the 21st century learners. The first section of the Progress Report discusses the effects of technology in the key area of Teaching and Learning. This is the section that I am most interested in and so my comments below will apply to this section of the Progress Report.

Over the course of the two year period under review in this Progress Report, the number of teachers who have reported increasing from developing tech to advanced tech on the STaR Chart has increased. I think that teachers are becoming increasingly more comfortable with the level of technology required to teach today’s students. In addition, the revisions in the Technology Applications TEKS helped define the necessary content for students. The state has also provided a number of grants to help schools implement technology and to research the impact of technology on student achievement. I would have liked to have been invited to participate in the Technology Immersion Pilots (TIP) program. Every student was given a laptop to use at school and to take home. The teachers and the students reported an increased student learning level that they attributed to the availability of personal technology options. But I was disappointed to read of these grant opportunities of which I was not aware. The report listed so many ways to get additional technology funding that I did not know about. Where do we find this kind of information? Our district has a grant writer but I don’t think that we applied for these grants listed in the Progress Report. Our district does not participate in the Texas Virtual High School Network. I don’t think that anyone has discussed the opportunity with the school stakeholders. I could see the benefits for some of the students but I’m just not sure about the advantage to taking a complete high school sequence at home alone. Our district does collaborate with the community college that many of our students will attend after high school. We offer dual credit courses over an Interactive Television Conferencing network. We also offer math and science courses but they are on-campus courses taught by high school teachers as adjunct professors. In the past, we offered calculus by ITV and found that many of the students needed more tutoring that could be provided using this format. The state continues to search for new ways to provide the best information to our students in ways such as online databases, digital textbooks, open source textbooks, and online tutoring programs. I am beginning to worry that teachers will be extraneous soon!

The report continues with updates in the key areas of Education Preparation and Development; Leadership, Administration, and Instructional Support; and Infrastructure.

Education Preparation and Development is provided in large part by the twenty regional Educational Service Centers (ESCs). Each region is tasked with finding quality professional development for the schools in their area. In addition, Project Share has been developed to assist teachers to collaborate in professional learning communities, join in professional development courses, and find technology assets for use in the classroom and for continuing learning themselves.

Texas has advanced in the area of Leadership, Administration, and Instructional Support by using the STaR Chart to assist with needs assessments and budget decisions for technology. The Educational Technology Advisory Committee (ETAC) stands ready to assist the Texas Education Agency with revisions to the Long-Range Plan so that the plan will remain valid for state and local leaders. The school leaders must maintain a vision of improved student achievement using the implementation of technology.

The Infrastructure of Texas school systems has also improved in the two years since the last Progress Report. The number of schools at the Advanced level has increased over the two year period between 2008 and 2010. Many schools have taken the opportunities provided by many different grants for the purpose of increasing technology tools in schools. But more work remains to bolster the connectivity with high-speed access for all schools and to replace equipment that is breaking down after extensive use.

References

The Texas Education Agency. (2010). 2010 progress report on the long-range plan for technology, 2006-2020. Retrieved from: http://www.tea.state.tx.us.