Into every administrator's planning book, several meetings must fall. In these times--with the publication of a new Long Range Plan for Technology--those meetings include the following:

1) Meeting with Curriculum & Instruction to explain how things are changing. I've mentioned earlier that Technology is No Longer Optional. The challenge--and it's great to have it--is that there hasn't been a mandate for so long. For example, consider these points from the recently released Texas Long Range Plan for Technology:

• The expectation is that Texas Students become proficient in the Technology Applications TEKS. These TEKS are to be taught integrated into core subjects. A statewide accountability measure isn't available yet, but Districts in Texas are considering how to best track student progress on the TA:TEKS. Fortunately for SAISD, the Connected Tech curriculum has built-in assessments. The question is, how do you match those activities that build the skills to be assessed into the EXISTING district scope and sequence which only provides cursory or superficial technology connections?
• Teachers are expected to possess the same level of technology skills as all 8th-grade students, plus skills for teaching and using technology as a part of classroom instruction and administration. How do you require this from teachers without changing the scope and sequence? And, how do you change the scope and sequence to reflect what it should look like with transparent technology use?
• There is no official formalized statewide process that measures and reports the SBEC technology applications competencies of existing veteran teachers. A consistent statewide process that will assure all students have access to teachers who are proficient in the SBEC Technology Applications competencies is needed. SBEC should establish criteria for a Technology Applications Supplemental Endorsement for all teachers and approve statewide and local assessment programs that meet that criteria. The question is, how do you get districts to mandate such a Technology Applications Supplemental Endorsement?

The meeting with C&I really has to address the questions highlighted above. For me, I can boil it down to:

1. Blend content and technology attainment in such a way that if you lack the technology, you don't get the content, and vice versa. This should be reflected in the scope and sequence.
2. Provide training for all teacher specialists in C&I on the Technology Applications so that they can revise the content area scope and sequence. It's silly to consider--as I have in the past--that Instructional Technology can review ALL different content areas. We cannot be masters of all content. So, Instructional Technology really needs to go to the source of scope and sequence--the teacher specialists--and facilitate change there.
3. Equip all teachers with the technology they need (e.g. digital projector, modern computer, access to electronic textbooks) and then,
4. Require them to complete a course of study.

In regards to this last item, a course of study, Instructional Technology has several ideas for professional development...which can also leverage our existing learning management system. These include the proposed executive summaries:

• Technology Integration Lead Teachers (TILT)
• Online Master's Program (under consideration for possible implementation in 2007-2008)
• Digital Projector for Every Classroom
• Digital Citizenship (under development)

In regards to the other items, such as #1, there is a meeting tentatively scheduled for January 4th with major stakeholders at the District level. The goals of the meeting are to address the following:

All districts are required to use the Technology Applications:TEKS electronic textbooks. However, there exist TWO separate resources SAISD teachers use--the 1) Curriculum Scope and Sequence and 2) Grade-specific TA:TEKS Electronic Textbooks. The following needs to happen:

a) Core content area teacher specialists responsible for authoring scope and sequence need professional development in the required TA:TEKS Electronic Textbooks and resources. This needs to happen ASAP.

b) The TA:TEKS activities from the textbooks need to be embedded in the new 2007-2008 scope and sequence so that there is ONE resource with links to supplemental materials, rather than two primary resources that are not matched.

Lots of work ahead. What are your thoughts?