Long Range Technology Plan Analysis

The long range plan on technology in Texas schools titled Vision 2020 is a comprehensive explanation and plan for growth in technology of the 21st Century school system. Vision 2020 begins with an explanation of why there is a need for change in the way curriculum is delivered to the students. The goal in teaching and learning must be to empower young citizens to to live and learn in a continuously changing 21st Century environment and to enable them to interact in a global marketplace.

The study lays out a plan to achieve goals, where basically every student in Texas will have access to all digital tools and resources available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week appropriate to individual strengths, needs, and learning styles. It describes how current teachers must change and how new teachers must be trained to facilitate this 21st Century technology approach to teaching and learning. It explains that their must be change from the top down as administration and leadership must model the practices of technology use. The infrastructure of the schools must be addressed for the entire vision 2020 to take place.

After studying the Vision 2020 long range plan I have a better understanding of how I must embrace new ideas and become an expert of sorts in new ways of using technology to deliver learning to an increasingly diverse population of students. As an administrator I will have to find ways to provide proper training and development of all educators.

Texas Education Technology Surveys

Every time I take a technology survey, which is at least once a year, I come away feeling inadequate. When I took the Technology Applications Inventory it was much the same feeling. Even though I was able to give affirmative answers on 40 of the 58 survey questions I felt that many of those yes answers were at the minimum range for saying yes. I use a significant amount of technology in the classroom in comparison to my practices only two years ago. The SETDA teacher survey was somewhat less ominous. This survey does not ask quite as specific and technical questions as the Technology Applications Inventory. I felt like I might have been a little above the curve after completing the SETDA. I am lucky to currently be at a school district that is taking a serious approach to increasing technology in the education of its students. The school board is currently providing i-Pod touches for each high school student. The faculty is currently training to prepare to use these instruments as learning tools.
Even though I did not really enjoy taking the Technology Applications Inventory I can see where it can be a useful assessment to see specifically where Texas educators are in their journey on the technology super-highway. I would rank myself somewhere above average , but I still have a lot to learn, and will continue to do so.