Progress Report of LRPT

After I read the 2008 report of the LRPT, I have gained a deeper understanding of how children learn with technology and the way how day use it on a daily basis. As they progress, students use a great variety of tools and technologies available for learning and entertainment. They embrace enthusiastically the rapid changes in technology in and outside the school. As they mature and gain a better understanding of how technology can support learning and their personal goals, students relay more and more on technology to finish projects, conduct online research and communicate effectively through web 2.0 tools. It is important to mention that the main obstacle perceived by students is the implementation of a school filter or firewall to block websites that they nee to access at school.
I observed that the majority of schools have moved from the DT area to the AT area. Less than 5% remain in the ET level. Also, less than 5% of schools moved to the TT. The current trend indicates that schools will continue to grow in the four areas of implementation of the LRPT in the following years to come.
Another important part of the report of the LRPT is the analysis of two pilot programs implemented in some schools in the state of Texas.
The Texas Virtual School Network offers an opportunity to access online education. Online classes are offered through online education to provide an unparallel access to instruction. Student in remote areas where high qualified teachers and advanced placement classes are not available are benefited by this flexible means of instruction. Students can access course 24/7 at their own pace without limitation of schedules or geographical location.
The Technology Immersion Program allows teachers and students to use technology in aspects of the teaching and learning process. The objective of this program is to explore the relationship of between students’ performance and educational technology. Students obtain a wireless computer to support learning and extend it beyond school walls. The report provides a comparative list of traits in High Immersion Schools and Low Immersion Schools. Some of the differences that I found intriguing are:

· Experiences that changed teacher practices were promoted in HIS.

· Educators in HIS believed laptops improved students learning.

· Educators in LIS believed that laptops are useful for free time.

This program will continue to provide useful data until 2011 when parties involved will have to make a decision about TIP.

It is going to be very interesting to know the final results of this program and the data analyzed. I would like to know if this program will be implemented in more schools in Texas, especially with limitations in the budget of the majority of the school districts in Texas. Another area of concern would be the personnel needed to maintain the infrastructure. Also, more technology related training will be needed. In addition, teachers will have to be more knowledgeable about Technology Applications TAKS and the new communication and collaboration tools needed in the classroom.