Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology

The high expectations that are required for students of today place a demand for greater educational practices. The Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology outlines how the Texas education system can improve, provide, and foster the technology needs for our students. The vision for the plan is to bring students, employees, parents, community members, and school board members into the 21st century when it comes to communication, efficiency, participation, tools and resources, and knowledge. The plan intends for technology skills and education to reflect a more global and information age era. It also accounts for the professional development needs for a variety of experienced versus inexperienced teachers. The needs for change are driven by global economics, a state of urgency among nations, and societal change. The economy of today requires skills such as agility, self-reliance, self-motivation, problem-solving, collaboration, and life-long learning.The sense of urgency comes in that two countries who are leading the world are producing college graduates who are empowered to live and learn in a continuously changing world. The societal change shows that longer life spans coupled with an increase in immigrants has caused a diverse population and an increased reliance upon technology for day to day tasks.
The students of today are heavily reliant upon technology, and have very strong opinions about its use. The learner of today needs to be taught to his/her unique learning style, while also utilizing a variety of resources. Basic skills which were once reading, writing, and arithmetic have now evolved. Analytical skills, problem-solving skills, reasoning skills, and critical thinkers are a must for the communicators of the future.
Teachers are already using a variety of technology, and they see it as being an important impact on student performance. E-mails, search engines, news websites, and specific websites are the reported uses for technology by teachers. Lack of time during the school day, lack of computers at both home and in school, and not enough planning time were the primary concerns teachers faced.
The students of the 21st Century are no longer held back by inability to be mobile. Technology can bring the world to the student, differentiate learning styles, allow collaboration around the world, and meets the No Child Left Behind requirement for full infusion of technology into the classroom curriculum. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) should provide support and encouragement of technology professional development, school programs, resources and access to studies and practices.The State Board of Education, local education agencies, regional education service centers, higher education centers, and parents, communities and private sectors are also pushed to support, collaborate, and encourage the 21st Century technology curriculum.
Today’s educators have higher standards to meet when it comes to technology in the classrooms. Teachers are required to graduate from a program that models technology in educational practices. The educators must use technology efficiently and routinely. It is also required of students to collaborate and interact with others while diversifying instruction to meet each learner’s needs. Each institution (TEA, higher education, regional and local service centers, parents, communities, schools, and private sectors) are encouraged to collaborate, support, encourage, and provide a technology rich curriculum for the students of today.
Administrators are key components to the implementation, support, modeling, and changing the way technology plays a role in the classrooms. On both the district and school level, administrators are seen as the ones who push for change. A shared vision, funding, and an assessment of current technology need to be an intricate part of the technology plan. Preparing students for college and the future will be part of the technology plan. Without it, students will not be successful. By forming a committee, understanding the requirements of both federal and state laws regarding technology, and requiring business continuity plans to recover technology, leaders can successfully implement the technology change necessary for student success. It is not just an idea, it is a school reform that will require flexible environments, innovation, time allocation, and visionaries.
The infrastructure for technology is one that supports data-driven decision making, allows for the data capacity to support the vast amounts of software necessary to teach and learn, technology specialists to support assistance in a timely manner, equal access by all students and staff, and funding to continue meeting the technology needs as they grow and change. Distance learning will need to be part of the technology curriculum. High-speed connectivity is necessary to deliver the data in both quantity, time, and security. Keeping the data and students secure is also a mandatory component to the infrastructure.
The most important need is for a solid and ongoing partnership between the state, local education agencies, regional centers, and universities. Those relationships will foster the growth of funding, leadership and support, qualified professionals, measures of student progress and teacher progress, continual telecommunication discounts, and software standards.
As a new leader, it will definitely be a daunting task to renovate our current educational system. I know that by having support from federal, state, and local agencies, I can be more successful. By forming the right committee, providing research to support my stance on technology in education, and keeping the students' needs first, I am confident that I can succeed.