Teaching and Learning: A part of Texas Long Range Plan for Technology

The Texas Long Range Plan for Technology is made up of four parts: Teaching and Learning, Educator Preparation and Development, Leadership & Support, and Infrastructure for Technology.  I will summarize the first section.  The Teaching and Learning Section of the Texas Long Range Plan assures that all stakeholders in education have the necessary tools to use technology to increase student achievement.  The students should be led by their educators in creating their own education through the use of technology.  The teachers must educate students on how to use technology to collaborate with others and find resources to enhance their learning.  Teachers must also use technology to make engaging lessons and modify lessons to meet the needs of the 21^st century learners. Our campus, Klein Intermediate, has made steady gains in this area. The rating for Klein has gone from a 13 out of 24 to 15 out of 24.  This has changed the classification of our campus from “Developing Tech” to “Advanced Tech.”   This is a result of the Klein school district pushing the implementation of technology in all classrooms. Klein has been working tirelessly to achieve a 1 to 1 ratio with student tablets so that all students are prepared for post secondary education.  This trend towards “Advanced tech” is also seen in the State ratings for the Teaching and Learning section.  Texas schools when from 20% being in the “Advanced tech” classification to 25% reaching this classification. (Region One Education Service Center, 2008) I believe that if teachers are given proper professional development on how to incorporate technology in the classroom, schools will continue to move towards the “Target tech” classification.

Reference:

Region One Education Service Center.  (2008). Progress Report on the Long-Range Plan for Technology 2006-2020.