It is imperative that we start making our educators more technologically prepared to develop the technology skills of students of today and tomorrow. The Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020 Educator Preparation and Development provides a foundation on how this must be accomplished. The plan describes focusing on teacher preparation programs and ongoing professional development throughout a teachers’ career to prepare and maintain the technology skills needed to educate the “digital students” of today (Texas Education Agency, 2006).
There has been great progress and many productive trends in the area of educator preparation and development. Due to these identified areas of need, campuses and districts are making greater strides to make technology available to educators, the state is documenting teacher progress through the STaR Chart and by requiring all new educators to be familiar with the Technology TEKS, and nationally No Child Left Behind (NCLB) determines some of the funding schools will receive to fund technology improvements. Some of the new trends in educator preparation and development include: campuses building technology teams to provide professional development on site to the educators, districts and other agencies providing technology distance learning, and higher education and teacher preparation programs are being required to provide the educator with 21st century skills.
Methods to improve educator preparation have been well thought out in the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology. A recommendation that I would make to improve educator preparation and development would be to place requirements on the level of technology literacy that should be developed and maintained each year by all educators.
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