5306+Course+Embedded+Assignments

Vision 2020 recognizes the need for technology proficiencies for educators and students. Texas educators, including teachers, librarians and administrators, must master the State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC) Technology Applications Standards. Professional Development Twenty-four hour professional development opportunities focusing on lesson planning, classroom management and administrative tasks are a priority. Teachers can receive subject-area technology training based on individual skill levels. Students must show that they are capable of using technology to gather information, communicate and problem-solve. In addition, students must demonstrate mastery of the Technology Applications Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Technology planning and acquisition of resources is a vital part of Vision 2020. Technical support will ensure the educational system functions well into the 21st Century. Funding for the implementation of the technology applications plan must be provided at the state and local levels. Broadband access and a web portal should provide students, teachers, and parents with reliable information and tools for learning and decision-making. The // Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology // contains measurable expectations in three phases. Phase I of the plan is measured from 2006 through 2010. Throughout Phase I, Texas educators should continually align curriculum and standards to reflect the 21st Century workplace and higher education, and provide quality materials in print and digital formats that are aligned with content standards. Schools should provide access to technology, opportunities for professional development and implementation of new instructional strategies, technical support, and a $50 Technology Allotment per student per year from the Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund.  Following successful implementation of the // Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020 // Texas students will be global citizens and life-long learners who have unlimited access to current technology. They will access and evaluate information to produce compelling communication. Students will create their own learning and become life-long learners and problem-solvers. Texas educators, K-12 to the university level, will be prepared to incorporate technology seamlessly into the curriculum. They will use technology to encourage students and meet individual needs. Teachers will be communicators and co-learners of information when working with parents, co-workers and experts. Texas education leaders will develop data-driven plans for supporting technology-based teaching and learning. Leaders should develop a vision for alternative forms of instruction and provide required professional development opportunities for educators. Finally, education leaders should give attention and care to education. || Rapid technological and economic growth on a global level creates an urgent call to make Texas students a competitive force in the global job market. Texas leaders are charged with identifying the status of technology education and set a course for future success by providing schools with access to technology, resources and a clear vision. Demographics and technology availability in the state of Texas have changed rapidly in the recent past. Job opportunities for future employees will be affected by increased life expectancy and older workers, and increasing numbers of legal immigrants. Also affecting education are increases in economically disadvantaged students and minority students, and the addition of 80,000 students per year for the last few years (TEA, p.20). Technology has made its way into homes, banks, travel, shopping, and every other aspect of American life. Education must develop a plan to keep pace with changing technology to provide communities with a plan for future success.  || Course content must be relevant and presented to students in a variety of formats that engage the students’ individual learning styles. Content should also be presented and taught along with digital tools. A seamless presentation of both traditional content and new technology will provide students with the analytical skills needed for success in the digital age. Students in a global community will be confronted with unfamiliar cultures, languages, and ideas. Therefore, learning must also include the skills needed to act ethically, monitor their own actions, and set and reach goals. Cell phones and other portable digital devices enable students to communicate where ever and whenever they want. Improvements in portable technology will enable students to gather information, evaluate information, and collaborate as well as offering instant feedback about student achievement. || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Educators with 16 or more years of experience and with multiple subject areas participated. Texas teacher responses reflected national responses. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Teachers indicated that technology affects student performance mostly in student engagement, achievement, and collaboration and teamwork. Responses indicated that most teachers use some form of technology in the classroom, including desktop or laptop computers. Teachers are accessing work-related email, websites, search engines, news outlets, using blogs, podcasts, and other forms of digital information. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Ninety-nine percent of Texas teachers have a classroom computer, use email as a source of communication with parents and other educators, and have the resources to create a website. The majority of teachers consider their technology skills average or advanced, but also reported time and computer availability as major barriers in the use of technology in class. They indicated that professional development would help in the integration of technology in the classroom. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Educators reported that the effects of technology use include job ease, increased communication, incorporation of multimedia that improved the quality of lessons, and a fun learning environment. They also indicated that relevant school websites, student laptops, and computer science courses most impacted students. Finally, teachers indicated that wireless Internet access is a must in new school design. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Results of the survey provide valuable insight into the use of technology in schools and in future building plans. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">The Texas Long Range Plan for Technology includes a list of basic curriculum, instruction and assessment guidelines for using technology. The guidelines state that all learners should have access to relevant 24/7 technology, use communication and information technology that enables them to self-teach and solve real-world problems, use research-based methods to improve student performance, and communicate with a variety of audiences in diversified formats. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Traditional methods of instruction are no longer adequate in meeting these guidelines and the needs of 21st Century students. Students and teachers must become collaborative partners in education who extend learning outside the classroom and into the digital world. The Technology Applications curriculum supports the No Child Left Behind mandate of eighth grade technology literacy, but does face challenges when confronted with fully integrating technology into all instruction, and allowing time to adopt new teaching methods that incorporate technology. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">The Texas Long Range Technology Plan lists recommendations to state and local education agencies to ensure the success of the plan. Recommendations to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) include continued support of the Technology Applications Guidelines for Pre-K and the Technology Applications TEKS for K-12 through integration and improvement of the TEKS in all content areas. The TEA should also continue to provide technology instructional materials for classroom use, provide districts with methods to measure and report Technology Applications mastery in grades 2, 5, and 8, improve library standards, provide access to the Texas Library Connection for educators and students, and allow teacher access to new methods of technology integration and best practices. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">The recommendations to the State Board for Educator Certification(SBEC) include teacher, administrator and librarian mastery of the Technology Applications Standards, and the continued revision of technology certification standards. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Recommendations to the Regional Education Service Centers include overall support of the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, integration of technology, and employment of the Technology Applications TEKS. Regional service centers should also provide instructional support by previewing and providing instructional materials, assisting in the development of methods to monitor district technology integration and student mastery, providing distance learning opportunities, and by promoting best practices and technology planning. Other areas of assistance include the development of an online Texas Teacher Resource Center for the TEA, and supporting school library with media resources. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Recommendations to Local Education Agencies include a local level of support for the integration of Technology Applications TEKS in each grade level, and work with schools to develop and implement assessment methods for student master of the Technology Applications TEKs and report assessment data to the TEA. In addition, local agencies should provide support to teachers and school libraries by providing safe, 24/7 access to current and emerging technologies that will encourage student mastery of the Technology Applications standards and the development of student-centered learning in the school and through distance learning. Through the development of websites and online resources, local agencies should increase communication with parents and provide the community with access to educational resources. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">The recommendations to institutions of higher learning include incorporating Technology Applications Educator Standards in instruction, especially that of students in teacher preparatory programs, and providing researched instructional support for innovative change in the classroom. In addition, colleges and universities should partner with high schools to pursue grants for technology resources and offer dual credit, online, and distance learning opportunities for students. Higher learning institutions should also collaborate and partner with public and private entities to provide web-based teaching resources. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">The final recommendations for parents, communities and private sector encourage use, participation and support for technology initiatives in the schools. Parents are encouraged to use current and new networks to access information and support learning. Community members are encouraged to work cooperatively with teachers to offer students extend learning outside of the classroom, and partner with schools and other community members to share information about emerging workplace technology. The private sector is encouraged to partner with schools to offer internship and work opportunities for teachers and students to earn licensure or certification. || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">All Texas teachers should graduate from a teacher preparation program that models technology use, and graduate from preparation programs knowing how to integrate technology into teaching and learning, use technology to create alternative learning environments for individualized learning, and integrate technology into all course instruction. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">The role of professional development is to prepare teachers to modify traditional teaching and confidently use 21st Century skills and knowledge. Professional development should include new strategies based on current research and contexts that gives teachers the skills to seamlessly incorporate technology into the learning environment. Professional learning must stress the importance of educational technology and present opportunities for teachers to learn exciting new skills that will revitalize teaching and learning. Teacher training programs must offer new teachers diverse opportunities to prepare them for today’s technology-savvy students. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">In addition, distance learning opportunities for teachers will reduce the number of teachers teaching subjects outside their area of competency and reduce teacher shortages. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">The Texas Long Range Plan for Technology contains recommendations for teacher preparation and professional development to state and local education agencies. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">The plan recommends that the Texas Education Agency establish requirements for teacher technology training and support professional development to ensure integration of the Technology Applications TEKS and teacher mastery of the SBEC Technology Applications standards. Districts must be required to annually report the number of teachers who meet the Technology Applications standards. The TEA should also continue to work with adult literacy providers to create opportunities for professional learning, aid teachers in achieving the Target Tech level of the STaR chart, and encourage completion of the Master Technology Teacher program. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">The recommendations to the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) include continuous revision of certification and professional development requirements and standards for Technology Applications proficiencies, and support and revise the Technology Applications Computer Science and Master Technology Teacher certifications. The SBEC should also continue to revise the Technology Applications section of the Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities TExES to ensure that all new teachers master the SBEC Technology Applications standards, and include Technology Applications as a content area on all generalist teacher certificates for EC-8. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Recommendations to Regional Education Service Centers outline their primary role as a quality professional development provider to ensure that all SBEC Technology Applications standards are met and Technology Applications TEKS are implemented in all subjects. Service centers should also interpret student assessment data to help meet curriculum and assessment goals, and assist districts in fully integrating technology in instruction through distance learning. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Local education agency recommendations focus primarily on providing teachers, administrators and librarians with professional development opportunities and resources, including distance learning, to ensure that all Technology Applications standards are met by teachers, training is provided to assist with data-driven decision-making, Local agencies should also encourage teacher participation in the Master Technology Teacher program and provide instructional support for improving learning with technology in core subjects. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Recommendations to Texas institutions of higher education emphasize the implementation of technology standards for faculty and in teacher education programs to ensure that professors and new teachers meet state technology proficiencies. In addition, colleges and universities should encourage courses and certification programs that require technology applications skills and encourage the use of online and distance learning teacher learning and degree programs. Higher education institutions in Texas should also work with schools K-12 and other colleges and universities to open the lines of communication through online and distance learning technology. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">The plan also recommends collaborative efforts on the parts of parents, communities and the private sector. Parents, community and private sector members should create opportunities work with schools in technology training, planning staff development for technology and educational services, and to advance the use of technology in the classroom. || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">All leaders should construct, integrate and fund a plan for improving teaching and learning, encourage community inclusion in teaching and learning, offer online resources and distance learning for students, provide professional growth opportunities that utilize various formats, encourage appropriate use of technology in teaching and learning, and use data to make effective decisions. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Providing school leaders with necessary technology skills presents a challenge in the rapidly changing technology environment, but school leaders must learn to use and model technology. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Recommendations for the TEA focus on supporting school leaders to implement the technology plan. The TEA should provide leadership and vision, quality planning, information and data gathering technology, guidelines for online and distance learning for all districts, and encourage creative use of technology. In addition, the TEA must continue to review policies, make recommendations to state leaders, and preserve electronic student data for monitoring progress, and provide funding for technology advancement in all schools. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Recommendations to the Regional Education Service Centers include the provision of administrator training and assistance, technical support services, information on grants and funding opportunities, and information and technical help with business continuity. In addition, service centers should continue to provide expertise for technology implementation strategies, model the use of technology. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Local education agencies should support school leaders and administrators by assisting in developing a technology plan that includes community input, is completed before applying for E-Rate discount programs, and follows No Child Left Behind guidelines. In addition, local agencies must assist in professional development, both online and through distance learning, and monitor effectiveness, develop guidelines for community and parent access to campus technology resources and secure access to student data. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">It is recommended that Texas institutions of higher education work with the TEA and local education agencies to provide technology-based instructional assistance. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Parents, communities and the private sector should work with administrators and leaders in technology planning, sharing of resources, offer help in emergency situations, and provide financial and volunteer support of education agencies. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">An infrastructure that connects schools to universities, medical facilities, business, homes, and libraries will provide substantial resources for learners state-wide. This infrastructure must provide districts and campuses with dependable, guarded high-speed access to the vast digital community. A knowledgeable human infrastructure must be available to ensure dependability of network connections. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">The infrastructure system should provide 24/7 access to all digital learning tools through a broadband network, technical assistance, secure and precise data, and information standards to allow access for all users. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Both the federal and state governments encourage the creation of a solid digital infrastructure for current and future use in education, but connectivity has not reached all possible users. The current accessibility must be maintained and expanded simultaneously. Funding for network connectivity is a struggle for all Texas districts. Recent loss of funds, and a lack of funding in some districts, is preventing the construction of a powerful infrastructure. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">In addition to funding, human infrastructure is affecting the reliability of connectivity. Campus dependence on technology demands knowledgeable tech support that is simply not available in remote areas. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">The infrastructure must support vast amounts of data in addition to connectivity. As decision-making becomes more and more dependent on data, the state must establish federally compliant standards for accessibility for people with disabilities. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">The recommendations to the TEA regarding infrastructure include the promotion of the use of the technology infrastructure, team up with state agencies, universities, and public and private entities to develop a network of information available to all users at any time. The TEA should request network-ready personal computers for student, teachers and administrators, and encourage funding for regional service centers to support high-speed connectivity state-wide and funding for the implementations of the long range plan. In addition, the TEA should provide state-wide compatibility for the submission and exchange of educational data, encourage the continuous testing of timely recovery of technology applications, and examine emerging technology and the advantages of cost-saving, equitable delivery systems. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Recommendations for regional service centers include maintenance and expansion of regional infrastructures that utilize affordable networks and national and global resources. Regional service centers should provide a forum that encourages the exchange of information and ideas to take advantage of the infrastructure and provide schools with technical support in all aspects of network operations, and support state infrastructure initiatives. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> Local education agencies should support the technology infrastructure by developing and implementing a local technology infrastructure that is supported and used by the community on-demand. Design funding strategies that includes the input of public and private entities. Work to achieve personal computing technology for every student and educator while providing access to learning and teaching tools and data. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Texas higher education will provide infrastructure support by obtaining and maintaining technology for teacher preparation programs, create partnerships with Regional Service Centers and local education agencies to on-demand delivery of information and teacher learning. In addition, colleges and universities should establish access to global resources through a state-wide network and partner with the TEA and LEAs to develop and implement an intranet with access to global resources. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Parents, communities and the private sector should support on-demand access to networks and the accessibility for all users. They should partner with local agencies and communities to foster support for the technology infrastructure. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">According to the committee report, funding is the most prevalent issue in implementing the technology plan. A funding model that will continue to aid and maintain technology integration from the state level to the classroom is needed. Funding, from the TEA and the Educational Service Centers, to support educational technology in school districts is also needed. Telecommunications discounts for school districts are vital in order to provide technology access to support the plan, and the purchase of multifunctional and compatible software is needed to avoid unnecessary spending. In addition, the committee recognizes that districts must develop methods to measure student and teacher Technology Applications proficiencies. ||
 * <span style="color: white; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Long-Range Plan Section and Page Numbers
 * <span style="color: white; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Summary of Key Ideas ||
 * ** <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Vision 2020 (1-4) **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">  || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Vision 2020 of the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology education centers on creating an education system in which students, parents, educators, community members and school boards engage in efficient use of technology to learn, gather information and communicate. Vision 2020 also stresses that stakeholders have access to digital resources twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and that the traditional education system must change to provide industry-standard technology in a variety of non-traditional educational environments.
 * ** <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Defining the Need for Change (5-6) **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">  || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">The need for change in Texas technology education is dictated by the rapidly changing global community created by unprecedented change in technology use and availability. Teachers must tap into vast, ever-changing, constantly available technology resources while students must learn a new skills set to be successful future employees in a new information-driven global economy.
 * ** <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Introducing the 21st Century Learner (7) **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">  || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Technology has become a necessary and valued tool in the lives of 21st Century students. Prior knowledge and modified teaching strategies are necessary for today’s students.
 * ** <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Teacher Voices (12-14) **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">  || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Five thousand Texas educators, 30% of the nation’s 15,000 teachers, participated in the nationwide // NetDay Speak Up 2005 // technology survey. The majority of participants were classroom teachers; however, special ed, curriculum and technology coordinators, librarians, administrators, and all grade levels were represented.
 * ** <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Teaching and Learning (17-22) **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">  || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">The vision for teaching and learning states that the key to student performance is ownership of education and an individualized approach to teaching and learning is crucial. All students will benefit from the integration of technology in all classrooms in Texas. Technology provides equity of opportunity for students in urban, suburban, and rural districts. Distance learning, online resources, and software and assistive technology should be available to all students. Educators who incorporate technology into instruction provide students with higher level thinking skills needed or life in a digital, global community.
 * ** <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Educator Preparation and Development (23-28) **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">  || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Texas teachers must accept the rapidly changing world in which their students live and answer the urgent call to modify traditional teaching methods for the future of Texas students. Continuous professional development is necessary for teachers to purposefully integrate technology into teaching and learning. New teachers are required to meet the Technology Applications educator standards, while ongoing professional learning for veteran teachers must be utilized for mastery of the Technology Applications Standards.
 * ** <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Leadership, Administration, and Instructional Support (29-34) **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">  || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Administrators and leaders in Texas schools must eagerly receive and model the use of technology in education. Administrators must assist in developing a shared vision through which technological changes can occur. The creation of a technology committee of stakeholders will assist administrators in developing a technology plan that meets all state and federal technology requirements.
 * ** <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Infrastructure for Technology (35-40) **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">  || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Texas schools have advanced in the use of technology in the last 10 years. However, a more powerful infrastructure that supports rapidly changing technology is crucial to the success of the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology.
 * ** <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Study of Needs (41-42) **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">  || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">The Educational Technology Advisory Committee (ETAC) provides the TEA with recommendations for technology and assists in the development and implementation of the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology and in the development the District, Campus and Teacher School Technology Readiness, or STaR, Charts to assess progress in technology integration. Members appointed in October 2004 review the existing plan and report that technology integration in Texas schools is progressing; however, members agree that there are obstacles preventing effective implementation of parts of the plan. The committee provides information and data to school districts and gathers data to monitor technology progress. After gathering data from multiple sources of technology information, including school leaders and // The National Education Technology Plan 2004 //, the committee has identified essential elements for creating successful institutions of learning.