EDLD 5352 Blog Posting #1: Texas Long Range Plan for Technology-Educator Preparation and Development

Educator Preparation and Development is an area of the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology that I believe is vital to the success of the mission of Texas public education today. This area of the plan addresses the need for all educators to acknowledge that we are living in a technology based society and we must equip our professional educators with the knowledge and skills necessary to engage and prepare the 21st Century learner for an information rich environment. On the local level, my district has employed campus technology specialists, to assist with the training of teachers with the integration of technology into their teaching and learning. Once a month, professional development trainings are held in the computer lab for teachers to learn and apply strategies they can implement to enhance learning opportunities of the 21st Century learner that would not have been possible without technology. In addition, I believe my campus is moving in the right direction, whereas, both beginning and veteran teachers are participating in more online preparation courses which ensure that they receive a variety of experiences and competencies which enable them to teach the technology-savvy students of today. A present trend at my school is the monthly meetings administrators and department chairpersons have with the campus technology specialist. As a result of these meetings, collaboration takes place, in identifying the technological needs of the campus staff in facilitating, managing and supporting the move from traditional schooling to 21st Century schooling. To adequately prepare and develop educators to meet the needs of this generation, I agree with the technology plan, that in order to promote 21st Century learning, educators must be competent in 21st Century skills. I would recommend that an innovative approach be taken to ensure the full integration of appropriate technology throughout curriculum and instruction. For example, the staff could be surveyed by the technology specialist on their current technology integration skills, and based on the responses, online learning communities and staff developments could be developed, which models current technology in instructional and administrative practices, thus enhancing the teacher-learning process.