5352 Week 2 Blog Posting #2
The Texas Long Range Plan for Technology is composed of four parts: teaching and learning; educator preparation and development; leadership, administration, and instructional support; and infrastructure for technology. The report explains that today’s students are different because they have grown up with technology and are comfortable using it in their daily lives. The goals of the plan are to give students 24/7 access to digital tools and resources tailored to their own individual needs and learning styles. It wants give parents more direct participation in their children’s education and access to student information. The plan seeks to provide educators with: on demand student information to individualize instruction, 24/7 professional development opportunities, and increased communication and collaboration between school, homes, and the community.
The Long Range Plan wants to create a dynamic and diverse learning community presenting information in a variety of media formats from a wide range of sources. It seeks to create students who can excel in the global economies of the 21st century. This requires students to develop critical thinking and complex decision making skills.
The teaching and learning section recommends continued support for teaching and using technology. However, I did not see any specific technologies or strategies mentioned in the report. It was rather a broad and general overview. The educator preparation and development section focused on educator prep programs that modeled current technology, distance learning, on-line assessments, and electronic portfolios. It seems the Lamar Master’s program is in alignment with this goal.
Leadership, administration, and instructional support focused on embracing technology for daily tasks and budgeting for technology. One of the biggest areas of need mentioned later in the report dealt with a lack of realistic and dependable funding for the project and cited that additional funding is needed. This problem will only get worse in the current budget crisis. The infrastructure for technology section focused on broadband 24/7 connectivity for all users, secure and accurate data, and a 1:1 ratio of students to computers in schools. I do not think the 1:1 ratio will be achieved without additional funding for technology. On the whole the Long Range Plan for Technology sounds incredible, but the question is if the budget will be available to make it a reality.
Citation:
Progress Report on the Long-Range Plan for Technology. 2006-2020
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/technology/EktronAttach/FinalCombinedLRPT2020.pdf
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
5352 Blog Posting #1
EDLD 5352 Week 2 Blog Posting #1
I picked Infrastructure for Technology as my area of focus from the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology. The Connected Texas Initiative was created to provide broadband coverage statewide. It provides grants for broadband access, hardware, and software purchases. The results of the 2010 update indicated that only 1% of schools rated as early tech which entails: 10+ students per computer, dial-up connectivity, and no web-based learning. Thirty percent of schools were in the developing tech category. This includes 5-9 students per computer, internet in 50% of classrooms and the library, WAN/LAN access in most classrooms, and one teacher computer per classroom. Sixty-one percent of schools rated as advanced tech with four or fewer students per computer, internet connection in 75% of classrooms and the library, and web-based learning availability. Only 7.6% of schools have reached target-tech level with on-demand access for every student, direct connectivity in all rooms, web-based resources in multiple rooms, and all rooms connected to a WAN.
My school has a teacher computer in every classroom that is connected to the internet and the WAN/LAN. However, we have too many students for too few computers. Therefore, we are in the developing tech area simply because of our high student to computer ratio. Within the next two years, the freshmen class will be moved to a ninth grade center. This will reduce the number of students per computer and should place our school in the advanced tech area.
It seems that broadband connectivity is improving in the state of Texas and across the nation as telephone, cellular phone, satellite, and cable television providers compete for market share to provide internet to every home possible. This will increase infrastructure outside of the schools to include potentially every home in the school district. My district is very fortunate to have so much access available. The local city government is even trying to increase its free wireless access to many areas in my school district. Some members of my school administration are worried about students having access to wireless internet connections over their phones when this service expands far enough to reach our school. I think that would be a blessing for our school. We have a very limited wireless network which cannot support all of the mobile computer labs we currently have. Having extra support from the city wireless would allow all of the laptops to work and would allow students to use their own smart phones to increase learning in the classroom. In my opinion, we need more advances in infrastructure to ensure that students are using technology to the maximum extent possible to support learning.
Citations:
Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/technology/EktronAttach/FinalCombinedLRPT2020.pdf
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=5082&menu_id=2147483665
I picked Infrastructure for Technology as my area of focus from the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology. The Connected Texas Initiative was created to provide broadband coverage statewide. It provides grants for broadband access, hardware, and software purchases. The results of the 2010 update indicated that only 1% of schools rated as early tech which entails: 10+ students per computer, dial-up connectivity, and no web-based learning. Thirty percent of schools were in the developing tech category. This includes 5-9 students per computer, internet in 50% of classrooms and the library, WAN/LAN access in most classrooms, and one teacher computer per classroom. Sixty-one percent of schools rated as advanced tech with four or fewer students per computer, internet connection in 75% of classrooms and the library, and web-based learning availability. Only 7.6% of schools have reached target-tech level with on-demand access for every student, direct connectivity in all rooms, web-based resources in multiple rooms, and all rooms connected to a WAN.
My school has a teacher computer in every classroom that is connected to the internet and the WAN/LAN. However, we have too many students for too few computers. Therefore, we are in the developing tech area simply because of our high student to computer ratio. Within the next two years, the freshmen class will be moved to a ninth grade center. This will reduce the number of students per computer and should place our school in the advanced tech area.
It seems that broadband connectivity is improving in the state of Texas and across the nation as telephone, cellular phone, satellite, and cable television providers compete for market share to provide internet to every home possible. This will increase infrastructure outside of the schools to include potentially every home in the school district. My district is very fortunate to have so much access available. The local city government is even trying to increase its free wireless access to many areas in my school district. Some members of my school administration are worried about students having access to wireless internet connections over their phones when this service expands far enough to reach our school. I think that would be a blessing for our school. We have a very limited wireless network which cannot support all of the mobile computer labs we currently have. Having extra support from the city wireless would allow all of the laptops to work and would allow students to use their own smart phones to increase learning in the classroom. In my opinion, we need more advances in infrastructure to ensure that students are using technology to the maximum extent possible to support learning.
Citations:
Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/technology/EktronAttach/FinalCombinedLRPT2020.pdf
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=5082&menu_id=2147483665
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