In the 21st Century, the way people communicate has drastically changed. Cell phones are used for texting, and computers are used for emailing and instant messaging. Another way of communicating is through the use of blogs. Blogs provide a way for people to communicate at all times through the use of a computer. One of the biggest benefits of having a blog is the opportunity to communicate with people who share your same interests. I set up this blog approximately one year ago to tell others about my experiences as a pre-service teacher. That stage of my life is now finished, and I now use this blog to share my experiences as a graduate student in the field of educational technology. If you plan on working in this field, you have to become familiarized with the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology 2006-2020.
The Texas Long Range Plan for Technology 2006-2020 is a plan for the implementation of technology in schools. This plan is divided into four key areas. These are: Teaching and Learning; Educator Preparation and Development; Leadership, Administration and Instructional Support; and Infrastructure for Technology (Long-Range, 2006). I will focus on Educator Preparation and Development.
Educator Preparation and Development focuses on preparing today’s educators to become proficient in the use of today’s ever changing technology. This key area is divided into four focus areas. These are: Content of Professional Development; Models of Professional Development, Capabilities of Educators; Levels of Understanding and Patterns of Use; and Professional Development for Online Learning (Texas STaR Chart, 2006).
According to the Texas STaR Chart findings,the latest trend in Educator Preparation and Development has been a steady decrease in the past three years. In the 2006-07 school year, 0.7% of schools performed at the Target Tech level. In the 2007-08 school year, this percentage decreased to 0.6%. In 2008-09, the number of schools performing at the Target Tech level remained the same at 0.6% (Texas STaR Chart Statewide, 2006). At the local level, the trend in performance has been to go up and down. In the 2006-07 school year,schools performed at Developing Tech. In 2007-08, schools progressed to Advanced Tech, thus drawing them one step closer to Target Tech; however, in 2008-09, school performance regressed to Developing Tech (STaR Chart, 2006).
To improve in the area of Educator Preparation and Development, more funding is needed for professional development and technology tools. A lot of times, teachers are provided with the latest educational tools for their classroom, however, they are not trained enough on how to properly incorporate them into their curriculum or vice versa. These two things go hand-in-hand; the state cannot provide one without the other. If teachers are expected to use new technology tools in the classroom, they need to be continuously trained on how to use them. Just one professional development is not enough; they need to be continuous. In order to reach Target Tech, educators must take at least thirty hours of professional development per year. For this to occur, more state funding needs to be allocated toward the development of new professional developments. Also, in the 21st century, professional development needs to become more widely available to educators. A wider variety of online professional developments must be created so that all teachers can have access to them. Once school stakeholders become aware of these needs and work on meeting these before-mentioned solutions, schools will get closer to reaching Target Tech in the Educator Preparation area.
References
Texas Education Agency. (2006). Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020. Retrieved from http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/technology/lrpt/LRPTCompleteDec06.pdf
Texas Education Agency. (2006). STaR Chart Campus Data. Retrieved from http://starchart2.esc12.net/
Texas Education Agency. (2006). Texas STaR Chart. Retrieved from http://starchart.esc12.net/docs/TxCSC.pdf
Texas Education Agency. (2006). Texas STaR Chart Statewide Summary Data. Available from http://starchart.esc12.net/statistics.html
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