Through the strategic implementation of key legislation, grant funding, and educational technology programs, substantial progress has been made in the last biennium in the area of Teaching and Learning. Students and teachers statewide have been significantly impacted and classrooms are increasingly infusing technology into their curriculum to most effectively reach today’s learners. Providing students with more advanced technologies, educational technology programs and practices, and well-trained teachers enable schools to use innovative teaching strategies designed to engage students and promote critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, and college and career readiness. (TEA, 2010).
This Progress Report shows how the necessary tools and resources for administrators, teachers, librarians, and students are being provided for our 21st Century classrooms. At the highest level of the STaR Chart for Teaching and Learning, the Target Tech level, the teacher serves as facilitator, mentor, and co-learner. Students have on-demand access to all appropriate digital resources and technologies to complete activities that have been seamlessly integrated into all core content areas, providing learning opportunities beyond the classroom that are not otherwise possible.
Through the implementation of the NCLB, Title II, Part D the goal of technology literacy is “To assist every student in crossing the digital divide by ensuring that every student is technology literate by the time the student finishes the eighth grade, regardless of the student's race, ethnicity, gender, family income, geographic location, or disability” (TEA, 2010).
Providing students with more advanced technologies, educational technology programs and practices, and well-trained teachers enable schools to use innovative teaching strategies designed to engage students and promote critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, and college and career readiness.
