Classrooms are changing rapidly, not only in Texas, but worldwide. Teachers today are using technologies in the classroom that were not invented when they were the age of their students, yet those students have grown up with those same technologies. Advancing technologies in education is imperative. One of the primary goals of our education system is to prepare students for their lives beyond school. Obviously the use of technology is a big part of those lives.
Not only is it mandated that schools have a plan to advance the use of technology, the progress of that advance is required to be monitored. The most recent report indicates that while we have come a long way in the advancement of technology, there is much work to be done. The vision of the 21st century school, for example, is that infrastructure is provided for an "always on" infrastructure that is always available to students and teachers. Many areas are not anywhere near this vision.
Another area that needs to be addressed is simply how we conduct the business of learning. A traditional view of "seat time" may need to be revisited, and innovative ways to bring curriculum to students need to be explored. Never before has it been so important to find innovative ways to bring information, regardless of subject matter, to students.
Todays students have been raised in a technological world. How these students assimilate knowledge is different than students a generation ago. Progress has been made toward the vision of the 21st century school, but we have much work to do to make this vision a reality.
The link below is the latest progress report by the TEA:
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/comm/leg_reports/2008/08pr_to_1rpt.pdf
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