July 2004 — SETDA
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Texas: Meeting the Technology Integration Challenge in Texas Schools
Technology applications and the integration of technology throughout the curriculum are key components of the state's "2002 Progress Report on the Long-Range Plan for Technology, 1996-2010," and are articulated in the "Teaching and Learning" and "Educator Preparation and Development" sections of that plan (visit the report online at www.tea.state.tx.us/technology). Technology standards and integration strategies extend to the teaching corps as well. The Texas State Board for Educator Certification has adopted technology requirements for all teachers based on the TA TEKS. In addition, there are new certification areas in Technology Applications for teachers who want to be experts in the use of digital technology, while building expertise in applying digital technology in the core curriculum areas.
Digital Instructional Materials
While there are high expectations for the use of technology in teaching and learning, there is a realization that students and teachers need instructional materials to provide lessons and activities to acquire the needed knowledge and skills, as well as to make connections with the core curriculum. One exciting effort was made when the State Board of Education called for instructional materials for Technology Applications. Instead of traditional print textbooks, Technology Applications instructional materials are subscription-based with a focus on electronic components, including online and/or CD-ROM lessons and activities. The ability to call for and adopt materials at the state level allows for all students and teachers in every classroom to have access to instructional resources that are aligned with the state standards and customized for Texas classrooms.
The advantages of subscription-based electronic materials include the encouragement to publishers to consider content changes through the six- to eight-year adoption cycle as technology changes and current events warrant. Provisions have also been included for increases in the subscription price over time to support such changes. The response to this call has been significant. Most of the adopted materials have online components, some with supporting CD-ROM and/or print materials. Publishers included traditional textbook companies as well as a variety of software publishers new to the adoption process. A list of the adopted materials is available at www.tea.state.tx.us/textbooks/materials. These materials are scheduled to be in classrooms in the fall of 2005.
Teaching digital technology knowledge and skills through the use of digital instructional materials provides opportunities for the integration of evolving technologies that transform the teaching process by allowing for greater levels of interest, inquiry, analysis, collaboration, creativity and content production. To meet the requirements of NCLB that all students must be technology literate by the eighth grade, Title II D competitive grant funds have been targeted toward preparing Texas classrooms to use the Technology Applications instructional materials when they become available. Grants from the Technology Applications Readiness Grants for Empowering Texas (TARGET) resulted in more than 60 awards, totaling approximately $48 million for the first two years of the program.
