Week 2, Part 2

Educator Preparation & Development is the area that I would like to address from this week’s work dealing with the Long-Range Plan for Technology. What this area talks about is that, a “one size fits all” approach to teaching and learning does not meet the educational needs and goals for all students. Texas students are all different from each other; they are very diverse in nature. All students can benefit from the rich content, communication with other students, experts, and form access to online instructional resources, distance learning courses, all different ways of building knowledge and skills through using technology. The plan in this area sets guidelines for strategies that will involve curriculum, instruction to strengthen the education process through using 21st century tools. We are definitely making improvements in this area, as the state, districts, and schools strive to meet this challenge. The state did its part by coming up with the plan, but they need to put funding into it also. The districts need to understand that the state means what it says and that if they don’t meet these new standards there will be a punishment. There is the obvious one that their students won’t be able to compete with others in the state. Last but not least the schools need to realize how important it is, and the teachers can help this by showing how they could use the new technology. If teachers stand together and demand the technology for their students, and they get the community to buy into it, then it will get done.