The Teaching and Learning component of the Texas Long-Range Plan, 2006-2020, requires that students be engaged in learning and must have access to relevant technologies, tools, resources and services for individualized instruction 24/7. On my campus, the majority of teachers fall in the Developing Tech level of progress at approximately sixty percent. While this percentage seems high, it is an improvement over the last few years. Scores have decreased from 65.7 percent the preceding year. The Advanced Tech level has increased almost eight percent. This means that many teachers who were in the Developing Tech level have progressed to the Advanced Tech. Much of the improvement can be attributed to an increase in technology media for teachers on all campuses, but on the campus where I teach most of all. There has been a slight increase in the Target Tech level, the level at which teachers serve as facilitators, mentors, and co-learners. I believe as we increase our knowledge and plan our lessons to include technology, this target area will increase.
Distance learning and the opportunities it offers such as more advanced course selection and in-credit recovery are vital for students who live in areas with small school districts that may not be able to offer all of the courses that larger districts may offer. With the advent of a serious budget crisis in our state, I foresee an ever greater need for distance learning to ensure that our students have the courses they need to complete academies of study to get ready for the challenges of higher education.
Students must also be able to use information and communication technologies to collaborate in a global society with the available technology. They must be able to solve real-world problems and assess and acquire knowledge that is beneficial for their own individual learning. Students must be able to adequately and authoritatively research in all subject areas to improve academic achievement. They must be able to meet the challenges of our ever-changing global marketplace and must be able to communicate across many spectrums and in a variety of methods using technology. It cannot be about getting kids in front of a computer. We as educators must teach students to develop quality products that showcase their abilities to think on a global scale and to use the available technology to forward their thinking and that of their classmates. We also must work to make sure that technology is seamlessly integrated into all core areas.
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