Week 2, Part 2: Texas Star Chart

I believe that the Educator Preparation and Development area is one of the most important aspects of the four areas of the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology. I constantly try to provide students with access to new technologies and teach them how to use it. As the demand and the use of technology progresses, the innovative products are developed and become outdated in such a rapid pace. In addition, some schools are stuck with an innovative technology programs with no knowledge on how to effectively implement them into the classrooms. Teachers who are technologically savvy will achieve the desired results or even develop innovative uses of the programs,, while some teachers become frustrated on trying to learn how to bring new technology into their classrooms due to a lack of proper professional development.

The examples above are the reasons why professional development is critical. In order for all teachers to develop competency in integrating technology-supported/learner-centered instruction, administrators must ensure that teachers are receiving the proper professional development. For example, my campus administrators do a great job of providing professional development to our faculty. On our campus, professional development is a process. They will deliver methods and technology, model them, allow us to practice them in the classroom, and give us support if we need. In addition, we are given the opportunity to become creative, innovative, and provide them with any type of feedback. It is a firm belief that our campus is successful because our teachers are well-developed and trained.

The best kind of professional development is one where teachers are doing hands-on learning and actually applying what they have learned to their classrooms. Collaborating with teachers on how they are incorporating technology and new lesson plans. Professional development is not when you go to a lecture and listen. It is a collaborative process where teachers must get "down and dirty" and actually learn something.

The trends in our nation, state, and on my campus seems to be in the development stage of this area in the Long Range Plan of technology. As a whole, technology is budgeted for and used in the classroom. However, the ability of 24/7 access to online resources for learner-centered activities needs to become prevalent. Also, according to the Campus Statewide Summary by Key Area Report, only 19.9% of campuses reported that 60% of educators meet SBEC standards. All in all, I recommend that campuses develop plans and budgets to ensure that all teachers and administrators meet SBEC standards. With this in mind, campuses need to develop incentive programs and local standards to hold everyone accountable for meeting expectations.