The Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology (Week 1, part 3)

The state of Texas has done an outstanding job of analyzing the need for a plan for technology. The plan encompasses every facet of technolgy acquisition and education. I was unaware of the details of this plan until I analyzed it for this assignment.

The areas of the plan describing the teaching styles necessary to implement the plan and the preparation necessary for new and veteran teachers were interesting. I think the classroom described in the plan, one of student-centered, problem-based learning, is an ideal classroom environment for any content area. This environment is the ideal which teachers should aspire to attain. It is, however, a difficult environment to maintain in reality. The preparation of educators also needs to change if we are to attain this ideal learning environment. Technology is advancing at such a rapid pace it seems that there must be an ever-changing educator preparation program, based on actual classroom experience. The current teacher preparation plan I see on my campus through the eyes of the student teachers we have is very similar to the teacher preparation plan I experienced more than a few years ago.

The one thing that kept going through my mind as I completed my analysis was the thought that this plan is difficult to fund. There seems to be almost no way to ensure that every school in Texas is able to receive the necessary funds to successfully implement this plan. In my own school district, there is a wide range of socio-economic levels in various schools. Currently, there is disparity between the assets, technological or otherwise, of schools in the same part of the city. It is hard for me to imagine how that issue can be resolved.

As an instructional leader, I will look for ways to increase the skills of the staff on my campus. I will utilize distance, or online, learning and courses designed to increase the expertise of staff. I will look for creative ways to schedule time and staff to increase the availability of qualified personnel to assist teachers in restructuring their classroom environments to more closely match the ideal classroom environment described in the Long-Range Plan. As students and staff become more accomplished I will empower them to assist other students and staff in increasing their skills. Finally, I will closely monitor funding and the existing inventory of technology devices present on my campus.