Monday, November 23, 2009
Texas Long Range Plan for Technology 2006-2020
Description - Roles of teacher and learner must continue to change. Students must become active participants in the learning process and not just passive recipients. They must know how to acquire accurate information while ensuring their educational journeys are safe. This area must focus on connecting to students' lives and reflect what research reveals about how people learn. There is not a "one size fits all" learning for all students.
Progress - Progress is being made in this area but there is room for improvement. Teachers must continue to embrace technology in their lessons and get away from the traditional teaching methods such as lecturing and continue the move toward student learning centers. Teachers are starting to provide collaborative real-world projects for their students and must continue to do so.
Trends - The trends in this area include:
- more learners have access to relevant technologies 24/7
- collaboration, analyzing and problem solving in real-world situations using information and communication technology
- using research-based strategies in all subject areas
- effective communication in a variety of formats for diverse audiences
The teacher's role is changing to a facilitator, mentor, and co-learner. Students are becomeing active participants in the learning process. We must continue to recognize that we have diverse learners and utilize technology in the classroom to ensure that all students learn.
Recommendation - Students must be computer literate by 8th grade. First and foremost that includes mastery of the keyboard. I have students every year in BCIS that do not know how to use a keyboard. They type with 2 fingers and are not familiar with basic word processing, spreadsheet, or presentation programs, or using search engines. They must learn these skills in elementary school. Research shows that children as young as first grade can learn touch keyboarding. By the time they finish 8th grade, they should already possess these skills. Students without these literacies are very frustrated in high school and have a high failure rate. We also need to provide opportunities for and prepare our students for technology certifications available, such as Microsoft Certified Applications Specialist. Students must continue to work on distinguishing what information is credible and what is not from all the information available to them.
