Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology: 2006 – 2020

The components of the STaR chart dealing with educator professional development continue to rank lowest. Analysis indicates that less than 1% of educators report sufficient technology development training to place their school in the “target” zone. Additionally, less than 20% of all educators report that their school operates within the “advanced” stage of training. Close to 75% of Texas schools are operating within the “developing” range of educator preparation when it pertains to technology integration. My current school is reflective of these results. Of all the components necessary for technological advancement, I feel this component is the most important.
Educator Preparation activities should be geared toward integrating technology into the curriculum and affording students opportunities to learn in a variety of ways while producing differentiated products using real-world applicable technology tools. In order for a school to reach the “target” zone concerning professional development, teachers must have multiple opportunities to participate in relevant, affordable, convenient, and goal-oriented trainings that can be specifically applies to teaching and learning. Training should be supported and encouraged by school leaders and result in teachers having the ability to create customized technological lessons that foster student and community collaboration, interactive products, and real-world applications. Finally, to expand the realm of learning to outside school walls, teachers must be trained to create, use, and implement distance learning opportunities using on-line formats. If teachers are to promote learning to meet the needs of 21st century students, they must have the tools to interact with the various components of the infrastructure and know how to create meaningful learning activities. To accomplish these goals, school leaders must support teacher learning by providing relevant training and allocating necessary funds to support this training.
As the technology infrastructure continues to improve, I believe teacher preparation opportunities will increase in number and effectiveness. Schools have to require teachers to become more technologically proficient and support training that is applicable, in specific, goal-driven ways to the classroom/curriculum. Many teachers attend training and cannot use the tools they were supposed to be requiring or don’t have the necessary resources to fully implement the ideas presented. School leaders have to follow the lead of the TEA/SBEC and provide a clear vision and roadmap concerning the implementation of technology and then model the usage as a mode to increased student performance.