Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020: Teaching and Learning

To reach the goals of this Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020, strategies must be put in place that can be accomplished and measured over time. The recommendations for Teaching and Learning will help realize the overarching vision of the plan by 2020. The area I am most interested in is Teaching and Learning.
The key to success for all students is the assurance that they are all fully engaged in their learning processes and that there are opportunities in their schools, libraries, homes, and communities that stimulate and initiate this engagement. In this era of learning teachers must be able to understand the methods of communication that students are utilizing. Information travels so fast that the topic a teacher is teaching on minute in the classroom may change within the next hour. Due to the rapid exchange of information it is important that teacher are consistently assessed based on their knowledge and skills of these various forms of communication. The most popular among them now are email, Youtube, Facebook, and Twitter. Familiarity with these mediums will strengthen any teacher’s ability to relay information within classroom. Texas faces growing challenges in meeting the needs of an increasingly diverse student population All Americans belong to a nation that has become heavily reliant on technology and the rapid pace of its use in our daily lives will impact all Texans. The pros to consistent assessment will keep the educator on their toes as to the innovation of technology. It will also make sure that teachers are held to a little accountability within the realm of technology. The cons are that some teachers may fall a little behind the curve due to a lack of professional development opportunities and may feel inferior to their colleagues due to their being behind. There was an older teacher on my team, a few years away from retirement that consistently expressed her disgust with the innovative forms of teaching with technology however after several years of mentoring and professional development she has begun to utilize it daily and even teach other educators on how to use it in the classroom. As a result her students have benefited greatly. As a future leader I learned that all leaders must develop, implement, budget for and monitor a dynamic technology plan that align resources to improve student learning and support school operations. This new learning will allow me to use data effectively and appropriately in decision making. I will follow the plan accordingly as technology is integrated statewide.