Week 2 Post #2 (Progress on the Plan)

According to the progress report on the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology, as a state, we have made progress towards our end goal. The first area of the plan is Teaching and Learning. According to the progress report, teachers are implementing technology more into their curriculum and are providing students with more advanced technologies. “Through planning and the implementation of those plans by district, Education Service Centers, and the TEA, districts have increased access to important 21^st Century resources such as online learning, digital content, and online professional development.” (The Texas Education Agency, p. 9) According to the 2009-2010 STaR Chart Summary, Texas went from 30.5% Advanced Tech in 2008 to 37.8% Advanced Tech in 2009-2010. We are making progress towards our goal in this area. The second area is Educator Preparation and Development. According to the progress report, districts are making it a priority to help teachers prepare and implement technology into their teaching (The Texas Education Agency, 2010, p. 75). According to the Texas STaR Chart Summary, Texas went from 23.8% Advanced Tech in 2008 to 26.8% Advanced Tech in 2009-2010. We are seeing a little progress toward our goal in this area. The third area is Leadership, Administration, and Instructional Support. “The process of using technological resources in schools is complex and requires school-wide innovation such as vision-building, administrator commitment, and skilled leadership to play pivotal roles in success.” (The Texas Education Agency, 2010, p. 91) According to the 2009-2010 STaR Chart Summary, Texas went from 50.2% Advanced Tech in 2008 to 55.0% Advanced Tech in 2009-2010. We are slowly making progress towards our goal in this area. The fourth and last area is Infrastructure. This is the most critical element of the plan because it allows teachers and students to use the skills they have in technology (The Texas Education Agency, 2010, p. 101). According to the 2009-2010 STaR Chart Summary, Texas went from 60.2% Advanced Tech in 2008 to 61.0% Advanced Tech in 2009-2010. We didn’t make much progress in this area, but we are higher in this area than the others. According to this progress report, we are making progress in all the areas. Some may be slower than the others, but the important thing is that we are progressing.

References:

The Texas Education Agency. (2010). 2010 Progress Report on the Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020. p. 1-110.