2006-2020: Texas Long Range Plan for Teaching and Learning; Post #1

“The traditional model of schooling with the teacher choosing what is to be learned and then serving as the source of knowledge as the student acts as the receiver of that knowledge is not adequate for 21st Century” ( Long- Range Plan) As educators we are always looking for new ways to integrate technology and keep student’s motivated. Using technology to teach students moves toward a more project oriented learning, which can include more global and diversified learning. With No Child Left Behind putting a national standard on our technology literacy, it is a goal to have all students’ literate in technology by the eighth grade. As we look at our essential knowledge and skills and how they relate to the changing 21^st century, we need to make sure our students are graduating literate and competitive for a global economy.

At our campus we are advanced tech rated for learning and teaching. Our weakest area has always been online learning. Our student’s are still learning through a means of old style teaching. As we move toward our goal of being a international baccalaureate school, we have started to think more globally and I see a trend of improvement. We saw a decrease in two areas between the years of 2007-2008 and 2008-2009. These areas were frequency/design of instructional setting and student mastery of technology applications. As a state we are 59.3% in developing tech and less than 1 % reaching target tech in the area of teaching and learning. This is cause for great alarm and let’s me think we need to rethink our curriculum design to give student’s and teachers more creativity. Student’s need projects that help them learn how to research and present their learning on a topic that not only relates to the TEKS, but is also of interest to them. We need more project based instruction and less sit and get for our student’s to be competitive in the future.

As the Seven C’s article stated in our reading learning should be a 24/7/365 task. We need to be supplied as teachers and students to be able to teach and learn with this style. Our teaching and learning needs to be meet standards and caught up with the global society of learning.

2006-2020: Teaching and Learning; Educator Preparation and Development; Leadership, Administration and Instructional Support; or Infrastructure for Technology.

Richardson, W. (2007). The seven Cs of learning: A new c-change in education. District Administration, 43(3), 97.