My response to the Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020
Call me the proverbial cynic, but I honestly do not see how the state of Texas can possible meet the standards set forth in their long range plan. It would be totally awesome if they could, and I applaud their effort, but as stated throughout the document, technology is changing so rapidly that it there is absolutely no way for Texas educators to stay abreast of all of the changes. Sure, the timeline is by the year 2020, but by the time a school district finally acquires new technology, it will become outdated and even obsolete. Financially, school districts and the state of Texas cannot keep up with the fast progress of change.
It is overwhelming to think about what the children of our future are going to have to be able to d0 - things that we as adults never even dreamed possible. I think of one of those futuristic movies that shows how technology has finally out-done itself, where there is nothing new to develop or create. Technology has become a saturated field, and society is worn out because there are no new developments. I then think about how, when technology fails, society is going to have to revert back to the “old ways” of conducting business. Those are the skills that need to be taught. Technology is just the icing on the cake to make the tasks easier; forgetting the basic of “how to” cannot be ignored.
Now, do not think that I am anti-technology. Quite the contrary. As my campus’s only technology instructor, I constantly strive to get other teachers to use technology in their classroom. I see that students thrive when they have it in their hands; I see them engaged in instruction; I see them learning independently by using technology. As an instructional leader, I am limited by what funding is available. At my current school, a school that is only 3 years old, we have had to start from scratch to build an inventory of a variety of technology equipment. With a budget of $4000 a year and 40 teachers, it will take us many, many years to be able to outfit their classrooms with equipment needed to meet this long range plan. Even with the stimulus fund given to schools during this school year, we are still not even close to being on the same technology-playing field as other elementary schools in our district. While other elementary campuses currently have InFocus projectors, 3-4 student computers, document cameras, Smart boards, etc., in each and every teacher’s classroom, my campus is just now able to purchase enough projectors for each classroom. Next year, we will be able to purchase three or four new document cameras; the following year, maybe three or four more. As you can see, it will take many years for us to have the technology available for teachers to use in their instruction. By the time we get the basics, there will be new and different items to purchase; thus starting the cycle all over again. Unless the state of Texas helps with funding, there is no way for technology to be equally available to all students in Texas schools.
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$4000/year is so little! It's pretty amazing to me that your district didn't outfit the school to match all the other schools from day one. That doesn't seem fair to all the students who were zoned into the new school.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I have also wondered what would happen if something apocolyptic came and took away all our technology. Would folks be able to feed themselves? I think about that briefly every time I consider getting rid of my encyclopedias, how to make a living on 5 acres, or how things work books. I put them back on the shelf, just in case...
What's frustrating is that a new high school is being built, and each and every classroom will be outfitted with a projector, document camera, and SmartBoard. All wiring is done during constructions, too. I just recently learned that my campus - when it was being built - had original plans to wire each classroom for future technology. BUT, that money was "taken away" and used elsewhere, leaving us with nothing. Even with the new equipment we plan to purchase, we have an added expense just to get the rooms "wired" the way they need to be wired. Quite frustrating!
ReplyDeleteWe struggle with a limited budget as well. We hardly have enough money to buy new light bulbs (at over $300 a pop) to our existing, outdated projectors.
ReplyDeleteWe also have student computers that are almost 10 years old now. We were supposed to be on the "cycle" for replacement but I have yet to see it happen. Our district has a 10% budget cut across the board, it is hard to know where the money will come from for the next big technology need.