Progress Report on the Long-Range Plan for Technology

The Texas Education Code, Section 32.001, has required the State Board of Education to develop a long-range for technology. The Progress Report provides documentation of the States’ progress towards meeting the goals set in the Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2008-2020. The Texas Long Range Plan for Technology is composed of four parts: Teaching and Learning, Educator Preparation and Development; Leadership, Administrations, and Instructional Support; and Infrastructure. The goals of the plan are to give students access 24/7 to the digital tools and resources that are tailored to their own individual needs and learning styles. The plan wants to provide parents with a more direct participation in the education of their children as well as access to student information. The plan also works towards providing educators with on demand student information that will help individualize instruction, increase communication and collaboration with parents and the community, and provide 24/7 professional development opportunities.

The Teaching and Learning section shows how technology can impact student achievement by providing the tools and resources for administration, teachers, librarians, and students. The areas of Technology Applications TEKS for Grades K-12 are: Technology Foundations, Information Acquisition, Work in Solving Problems, and Communications. The plan has recommended that TEA continue to support the implementation and revision of TEKS in all of the content areas. The Educator Preparation and Development section focused on educator prep programs, on-line assessments, and distance learning. I feel that I have worked towards this goal as I complete my Lamar Master’s Program online. In the area of Leadership, Administration, and Instructional Support, the focus was placed on embracing technology by budgeting and using technology for daily tasks. For the Infrastructure section, focus was placed on a 1:1 ratio of student to computers in the school, secure and accurate data, and on broadband 24/7 connectivity for all users.