Technology-Leadership+Summary

Andres Chavez EDLD 5306 September 15, 2011

I chose to follow the Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) Advocacy Network Blog. Attending their conference last year instilled an interest in how they were fighting to keep technology active and growing in the schools today. I started reading around February mainly because that is when the conference was held. While their blog varies in topics, the theme of school finance and legislature remains high. I learned that in February, many executives held what was known as “Texas Technology Day at the Capital” in which their goal was to help promote the overall quality of the educational system here in Texas (Bergland, February 2011). Fast forward a couple of months, and the author of the TCEA Blog mentions how House Bill 6 (HB 6) was closer to passing (Bergland, April 2011). Of all the issues and amendments that were listed on the bill, two of them stood out to me. The first one was that a district can have the authority to charge an insurance fee for students who are given a piece of equipment. As districts are purchasing equipment that is quite costly, (laptops, iPads, eInsturction devices, etc.) the idea of having students purchase insurance for them can ensure that all of the equipment is protected against damages. Another amendment that stood out was that a district could seek reimbursement from an employee who intentionally damages technology equipment. It is always good to hold employees accountable for their actions in the workplace. TCEA goes on to mention House Bill 1054 (HB 1054) and the fact that it is now requiring educators who are seeking professional development, take a training on “integrating technology into the classroom” (Bergland, April 2011). As a technology educator, this requirement will serve a tremendous long-term benefit not only to the teacher but also to the 21st century learner. The next few months of blog posts mainly talked about HB 1054 or SB 1, however it was not until the most recent posting which stood out the most. On August 3, 2011 Bergland posted a link of how the Instructional Materials Allotment (IMA) will be distributed over the next two years (Bergland, August 2011). I find this particular blog interesting largely because the subject of budgeting comes up a lot in our technology meetings. However, to see how these numbers are going to play out over the next two years really put things into perspective. According to the IMA, our district will be receiving $731,425 for the 2011-2012 school year and only $313,468 for the 2012-2013 school year. While $313,000 might sound like a sustainable amount, the cost of all of our programs, equipment, etc. may appear to be greater than that. It will be interesting to see how these next few years pan out.

Overall, I am very pleased with the information that was provided to me on the TCEA Blog. Having an organization like TCEA on your side really helps technology educators stay abreast with all that is going on and how it might affect me as an educator.

Bergland, J. (2011, February 22). TCEA Advocacy Network | Learning powered by technology. //TCEA Advocacy Network | Learning powered by technology//. Retrieved September 15, 2011, from http://tceaadvocacy.wordpress.com