STaR Chart Brazoswood High School

The Texas STaR Chart is a vital tool used in understanding the technologically current status of schools in Texas. The Chart also aides in determining what funding levels are needed to enhance technology on various campuses. The goal of every campus is to become student - led in the teaching environment. Brazoswood High School is predominantly a "developing tech" campus, meaning that although progress has been made, there is additional room for both teacher and campus improvement and advancement.

STaR Chart Brazoswood High School

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Lamar University, Week 2, Blog 3

The five areas of learning covered by the National Education Technology Plan (NETP) are learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure and productivity.

The report highlights the many benefits of online testing such as speed of testing, availability of an expert in the field being tested to “grade” the student’s work, and the fact that online records will be available to the student his entire lifetime.

There are a few downsides associated with online retention of records and sharing of information. Privacy issues arise when certain data is shared. Additionally, there may be compatibility issues among various systems.

Employing technology into education to perform currently existing functions does not increase learning if the existing functions themselves were, themselves, in need of revamping.

The report concludes with recommendations for all five areas of learning covered by the NETP. Some of these recommendations include bringing learning standards current with the 21^st century, assessing what really matters in education, and not just what a student has “learned,” using assessment data to improve instructional practices, supporting teachers with relevant technology, providing internet, adequate bandwidth, and open educational resources, all while managing spending and complying with the guidelines of many federal programs (E-Rate, for example).

The NETP raises a valid point that most data regarding how well an educational system is performing is gathered after the fact, after a particular program or set of standards is set into place, and after there is time to make changes in the program. If the government and the private sector could pool their resources and attempt to redesign our education system before rolling out a new product or standard, America might truly become a leader in revamping the way students of the 21^st century learn.

Lamar University Blog 2, Week 2

The goal of the Long Range Plan for Technology 2006 – 2020 is for schools in Texas to produce well educated and technologically savvy students who are able to be productive in the high paced technology driven world in which they will live. The 2008 update show statistics that still have room for improvement. The majority of students still only use technology, in particular computers, to download music, play video games, and send emails. Parents were surveyed as well, and the technical skill levels of Texas parents mirrored those of other states.

Texas was awarded funding for a Technology Immersion Project. This program produced better communication between all stakeholders in the community. The TIP program also produced higher TAKS scores, especially in math and reading.

The report states that the Virtual School Network allows students at all levels of intellect a way to recover credits, take advanced courses that might not otherwise be available to them, and allows access to highly qualified teachers who live in more populous areas.

The Electronic Course Pilot (eCP) was one of the earliest (2005) attempts at incorporating online learning. eCP was followed by TxVSN (2007), which is a virtual school network that provides online courses. The TxVSN courses were made available online in 2009. Demographics and enrollment trends of these two programs are included. Funding for virtual schools continues to be a problem.

The report breaks down and updates all areas of the Texas STaR Chart. In the Infrastructure for Technology section information on specific school district’s implementations is detailed.

Lastly, there is information regarding all 20 regional educational service centers in Texas, including their locations and services offered.

Lamar University Blog Post 1

Description: The Technology and Learning area of the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020 focuses on “how technology can impact student achievement by providing necessary tools and resources for administrators, teachers, librarians, and students. Progress Report on the Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2010 A Report to the 81st Texas Legislature from the Texas Education Agency © 2008 by the Texas Education Agency. Retrieved from http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/comm/leg_reports/2008/08pr_to_lrpt.pdf

Progress: Of the Texas schools monitored, most campuses considered themselves to be at the Developing Tech stage (70%). This stage is more geared toward teacher’s using technology than the student. Statewide figures for 2008 – 2009 showed 65.7% of campuses surveyed at the Developing Tech stage for Teaching and Learning. http://starchart.esc12.net/docs/campusSWSummarybyKA20082009.pdf For Brazosport Independent School District, I looked for any sort of trend regarding campus level and level of progress, but there did not appear to be any correlation. Some elementary campuses were progressing toward Target Tech at a much faster pace than the high schools. http://starchart2.esc12.net/campusSearchlist.aspx?foryear=20082009&district=Brazosport&campus= Trends from 2008 to 2009 data show that progress is being made toward Target Tech.

My recommendations for improvement in the area of Technology and Learning is to truly educate the teachers about what strides can be made when technology is meshed into their lesson plans. It is not enough to simply show an educator a hypothetical situation. They need to see exactly how incorporating technology into their classroom would both enhance interest and speed of disseminating information.