Back in December of 2006, Mr. Rick Perry, the honorable governor of Texas felt -and I quote- "(...) compelled and obligated -on behalf of the students of Texas- to present the Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020 (...)" This important document was not only signed by him, it was also andorsed by each member representing the 15 encompassing districts of the Sate Board of education, along with the members of the 80th Texas Legislature, and also the executive members of the Teaxas Education Agency. This ongoing plan is the child of a much earlier Long Range Plan for Technology that started back in 1988.
To put things into perspective, 1988 is just a year before the business world started looking at the World Wide Web as a viable project for business. To view our Texas Long Range Plan for Technology in perspective, please visit one of many interesting time lines available online. You will find some time lines more technical than others, but I chose the time line about the internet. I believe that the internet offers a strong point of reference for our Texas Long Range Plan for Technology for two reasons: One is that the internet is centered-stage of all endeavors related to technology, and it gives a pretty good idea of how this idea born in the craddle of the Cold War branched out to become the single most visible technological project in the world. The second reason is that, perhaps as a result of how complex the internet has evolved; planing and implementation need constant revamping and collaborative work in educational technology.
The actual document of the Long Range Plan for Technology 2006-2020 is worth reading. It is a comprehensive and strategic plan for technology in education divided into four domains: Teaching and Learning; Educator Prepration and development; Leadership, Administration and Instructional Support; and Infraestructure for Technology.
I will now focus on the first of the four domains: Teaching and Learning. In my next blog I will address the second domain, and so on. Please visit the blog or subscribe to its feed for updates.
Generally speaking, the Teaching and Learning domain is based on two premises: One is that all students in Texas can benefit from a teaching process that integrates technology, no matter their level of skill. This means that Johnny will greatly benefit from the use of technology in the history class, as well as Sue. Both students will benefit and make progress in spite of their different reading-proficiency levels.
The second pillar to this domain is the importance to incorporate technology in every-day teaching that;
• is rich and engaging educational content;
• contains constant communication among students, teachers, administrators, parents and community members;
• allows relevant collaboration from experts in the educational process as well as in specific group projects; that provides 24-7-365 access to online resources; and
• ensures effective access to online and distance learning opportunities.
There is a list of 13 recommendations speciffically addressed to Texas Education Agency inside the Teaching and Learning Domain. The eighth recommendation reads: "(To) encourage and support the continued development of innovative programs (...) designed to increase access to online learning (...)". This point deserves special attention, especially to those involved in technology in education.
Those of us monitoring the evolution of online options in education, we have seen a massive explosion of technology solutions and offers in all grade levels from both Open Source developers and commercial developers. We now have four-year institutions of higher education enrolling high school students in online dual credit courses in Missiouri; and in Texas (as soon as in september of 2009) among many offers in almost every state in the nation. It is also easy to find summer cybercamps for grade school children, cutting-edge e-labs for high school science, and many other options.
All these offerings should be carefully considered by students, teachers and parents. After all, we are only experiencing the begining of a new era: “The Unimaginable Annales of Technology Revolution in Texas Schools”.
To put things into perspective, 1988 is just a year before the business world started looking at the World Wide Web as a viable project for business. To view our Texas Long Range Plan for Technology in perspective, please visit one of many interesting time lines available online. You will find some time lines more technical than others, but I chose the time line about the internet. I believe that the internet offers a strong point of reference for our Texas Long Range Plan for Technology for two reasons: One is that the internet is centered-stage of all endeavors related to technology, and it gives a pretty good idea of how this idea born in the craddle of the Cold War branched out to become the single most visible technological project in the world. The second reason is that, perhaps as a result of how complex the internet has evolved; planing and implementation need constant revamping and collaborative work in educational technology.
The actual document of the Long Range Plan for Technology 2006-2020 is worth reading. It is a comprehensive and strategic plan for technology in education divided into four domains: Teaching and Learning; Educator Prepration and development; Leadership, Administration and Instructional Support; and Infraestructure for Technology.
I will now focus on the first of the four domains: Teaching and Learning. In my next blog I will address the second domain, and so on. Please visit the blog or subscribe to its feed for updates.
Generally speaking, the Teaching and Learning domain is based on two premises: One is that all students in Texas can benefit from a teaching process that integrates technology, no matter their level of skill. This means that Johnny will greatly benefit from the use of technology in the history class, as well as Sue. Both students will benefit and make progress in spite of their different reading-proficiency levels.
The second pillar to this domain is the importance to incorporate technology in every-day teaching that;
• is rich and engaging educational content;
• contains constant communication among students, teachers, administrators, parents and community members;
• allows relevant collaboration from experts in the educational process as well as in specific group projects; that provides 24-7-365 access to online resources; and
• ensures effective access to online and distance learning opportunities.
There is a list of 13 recommendations speciffically addressed to Texas Education Agency inside the Teaching and Learning Domain. The eighth recommendation reads: "(To) encourage and support the continued development of innovative programs (...) designed to increase access to online learning (...)". This point deserves special attention, especially to those involved in technology in education.
Those of us monitoring the evolution of online options in education, we have seen a massive explosion of technology solutions and offers in all grade levels from both Open Source developers and commercial developers. We now have four-year institutions of higher education enrolling high school students in online dual credit courses in Missiouri; and in Texas (as soon as in september of 2009) among many offers in almost every state in the nation. It is also easy to find summer cybercamps for grade school children, cutting-edge e-labs for high school science, and many other options.
All these offerings should be carefully considered by students, teachers and parents. After all, we are only experiencing the begining of a new era: “The Unimaginable Annales of Technology Revolution in Texas Schools”.
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