EDLD 5352: Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020

The Texas Long Range Plan for Technology is to make available digital tools for all stakeholders and increasing student learning to included the capacity to be members of the ever-changing world as impacted by the continuous stream of technological advances. The incorporates four major areas of implementation which are Teaching and Learning; Educator Preparation and Development; Leadership, Administration and Instruction; and Infrastructure for Technology. The area that I feel is critical and often lagging behind the others is Educator Preparation and Development. As students of today have grown up technology as a staple, many educators are still quite unfamiliar with its use. Teachers must be able to integrate technology in the classroom in various levels in order to meet the needs of the students. Professional development and training must be an ongoing avenue in order for teachers to be able to positively impact education by means only offered through technology.

Over the years, more educator programs are including programs that show teachers the best instructional methods which incorporate technology. Nationally, NCLB has lead to the push for more access to technology in order to teach all students. This has trickled down to the state level where more awareness and learning about integrating technology in the classroom has occurred. At all levels, more opportunities for online learning have been accepted and are readily used for students who may not learn in the traditional way. High speed access to the internet are being made more readily available and many tools can be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is seen across the country.

In my district and school, all classrooms have internet access and teachers have many digital tools at their disposal such as smart-boards, airliners, laptop carts, and document cameras. Many more resources may be checked out from the library. Unfortunately, many teachers are not using the resources at their full potential from a lack of training. Luckily our campus has an instructional technologist who offers trainings on a regular basis and assists teachers and students in the classroom. Currently the training is optional, but as we move forward I feel that professional development in the areas must be required. Teachers should have to show how they are using the technology at an advanced level in order to opt out training. The use of learning communities and further collaboration will also help in the spread of digital use in the classroom to increase student achievement. As I leader I want to not only foster a climate that embraces technology, but be able facilitate the use of technology in the classroom.