Blog Posting #1

I chose to look deeper into the "Teaching and Learning area of the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020". This area focuses on students being fully engaged in a variety of technology opportunities, no matter what district or part of the state the student is located in. Technology will bring the world to each student and classroom. This area encourages distance learning so that all have opportunities to be engaged in technology that will prepare them to be learners, and leaders of the 21st century. Technology will need to be accessible to all learners twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Since we are a diverse state, technology can help improve individualized instruction with the use of different programs and technologies. For this to happen, all teachers need to use technology effectively in their curriculum. Teachers will need to change from the traditional method of standing in front of students delivering the teaching to instead become a co-learner by working beside the students and facilitating and mentoring their work. I feel that this part of the area is the main challenge. This concept has not been accepted by all teachers and will take staff development, learning cadres, and observation of other classrooms (in person or online) that are seamlessly combining TEKS and curriculum with 21st century technology. Without teacher buy-in, this area will struggle to be on target. I believe that there are two ways that this will happen. The first is by seeing real teachers perform these expectations. The second way I feel that this will occur is by administrators. The Teaching and Learning area in my school (Bradfield Elementary School, Highland Park ISD) went from Developing Tech in 2006-2007, and in 2007-20098/2008-2009 it improved to Advanced Tech. I feel the reasons were because of an additional computer lab, and a classroom set of laptops available to each grade level. It has been easier to access the computers, so it is easier to use them. Our campus also went from having a solitary computer class one time a week, to an open lab concept where we are allowed the flexibility to use the computer labs whenever we need to for whatever concept. This has made some teachers happy in the school, but some as I mentioned earlier some teachers have not “bought in” to this change yet and are not ready to take on this technology role. As all new things do, there needs to be time for this change to sink in and to change all.
The overall trends in Texas on this area in 2006-2008 were as follows: there was a decrease of 1% in Early Tech, an increase of 4% in Developing Tech, a 5% increase in Advanced Tech, and no increase or decrease in Target Tech. Hopefully in the years to come, when technology and accessibility becomes more frequent we will all be on Target Tech.
Nationally, the data that was reviewed was from 2004-2005, (U.S. Department of Education, 2007) and it stated some shocking findings. It said that one-fourth of fourth grade students had teachers that used computers at least one time per week to create assignments. It mentioned that fewer students had teachers that integrated technology into mathematics. It also suggested that in 2004-2005 almost half of America’s students were sitting in classrooms where teachers do not have access to technology in any type or form of professional development or technology for general class use for instruction.

Texas Education Agency. (2006). Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020:Teaching and Learning. Retrieved from http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/technology/lrpt/lrpt_lrpt.html

U.S. Department of Education. (2007). National Educational Technology Trends Study State Strategies Report: Vol. 2. Retrieved from
http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/netts/netts-vol2-exec-sum.html