Long-Range Plan Progress Report...

The first Long-Range Plan for Technolgy was adopted in 1988 and set goals for technology through 2000. Due to the rapid advancement of technology, a new plan was created and adopted in 2006. This plan set goals for 2020 with the ultimate goal of producing students who are successful using technology with the ability to interact in the ever-advancing 21st Century.

The Progress Report also includes interim reports on the Technology Immersion Pilot (TIP) and the Texas Virtual School Network (TxVSN). In the TIP, each student and teacher is given a wireless mobile device, along with internet access aimed at targeting middle school students. The most promising results were from the campuses who had the highest immersion in technology. The TxVSN is a virtual network of alternative learning that offers many classes for students by trained educators with course content that aligns with the TEKS.

The next few sections of the Progress Report address areas from the LRPT including: Teaching and Learning, Educator Preparation and Development Leadership, Administration and Instructional Support, Infrastructure for Technology, and progress by Education Service Centers. Each of these section offers data on the progress made and future goals.

Reflection: I enjoyed the portion of the report about TxVSN. I believe that online courses can be extremely beneficial. In fact, the deciding factor for my choice of graduate school was whether it was entirely online or not. One thing I think we should be careful of is not recreating the classroom setting, but broadcasting it online. If we're having to find new methods of engaging students due to technology, then offering a teacher lecturing but accessed online will not cut it. I thoroughly believe that one of the best ways to increase technology within classrooms is through Project-Based Learning. By developing projects that incorporate the TEKS required for one unit through an advanced project requiring students to exhaust their technology resources will produce reliable and independent researchers.

Retrieved from: http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/comm/leg_reports/2008/08pr_to_lrpt.pdf