Progress Report on the Long-Range Plan for technology in Texas

Reading the progress report on the long-range plan for technology in Texas, for me, was frustrating. Frustrating because clearly there is a well thought out plan for implementing technologies needed for the 21st century learner, but from my vantage point, there is a huge loophole. I believe that the STaR chart, while it is a remarkable tool, is only as good as the people who are supposed to use the data. So while the data exists and the plan is in place, unless districts and campuses are held accountable, the data is useless. Each year, our campus is told that there are thousands of technology dollars that need to be spent. I believe after reading this progress report, that it's money being misspent. I have never once attended a technology training for teachers, nor have I been asked to create a technology component in my curriculum writing. I believe that districts are so overtaxed, which trickles down to administration, then campuses, then teachers that there is no room for improvement. Until there is accountability by the state or a district policy is put into place regarding training and allocation of funds, 90% (if not more) of the focus will simply be on putting hardware and software into place and merely "hoping" that the district trains it's teachers. Until there are more time and resources for training during a contractual year, then there will always be a large deficit where technology pregress, effective use of technology in the classroom, is concerned.