Target for Teaching and Learning of Texas Long Range Plan for Technology

The Teaching and Learning area of the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology is a document full of vision. It sets sights high for teachers and students and their use of technology, some would say too high.

The target area I chose is Educator Preparation and Development, as well as talking about how the infrastructure effects the Educator's role in prepping for the use of technology in the classroom.

While there have been significant gains since the TLRPT was first introduced, few campuses meet the target goals.

In my first year of teaching, I had a mobile laptop cart that lived in my classroom. It was 2002, and as a first year teacher I was so excited to have access to computers on a daily basis. That was, until I planned my first lesson utilizing the technology. The computers didn't hold a charge, so the room was covered in extension cords and chargers. The school's internet was shaky, so of course on a day when I needed it--the network was down. The last strike was that I had classes of 30+ students and maybe 8-10 working computers. After that, I gave up. The lab sat in the corner of the room and gathered dust.

On paper, the access to such items makes the school seem like they are working towards the goals in the Long Range Plan for Technology, but the reality was much different. I had no training on how to use computers in the classroom, nor did I know anything about how to utilize the few working computers to make collaborative lessons. I wasn't a facilitator for information, rather I shifted a boring lesson into another boring activity. It's the same adage that a "Smart Board" is simply a fancy chalkboard if all you do is write on it.

The TLRPT is great on paper, and the forward thinking is impressive. The only problem is that the plan lacks a dose of reality. Without instruction on how to best implement new tools in the classroom, we are simply using computers and other devices to create documents typed up on fancy typewriters. Having 1:1 technology would be fantastic, but we need to ensure that the devices can handle the load of a school day. What's the use of having an iPad or laptop in class if it can't hold a charge?

As educators, we need to think of ways that allow us to embrace the vision behind the TLRPT, but also create moments of authentic technology in the classroom.