Vision 2020

Settled in to tackle my Masters’ class assignment today. I had to summarize different parts of the Vision 2020 Texas Long Range Technology Plan. Wow. What an eye opener.

I’m a little bit freaked out to be honest with you…because if we are going to get to where we are going to be expected to be…we’d better get moving…from the Legislature in Austin to the livingrooms of our towns. There’s no time to waste…and no money at the moment. Some serious changes are going to have to happen. Big changes…in attitude, in priorities, in funding, in professional development, in staffing…big changes.

If you’ve not read the Long Range Plan for Technology – you can do so here. If you have anything to do with education, this is going to effect you.

After I waded through the first 15 pages of who did what and who’s who…sorry, I just can’t bring myself to care – let’s get to the meat of the matter, shall we? – I was a little frustrated.  I strongly believe every one of these people deserves recognition…but can we put it at the end? Could we put the relevant and interesting info up front? Guess I am a lot like our students that way. Don’t build me a clock – just tell me what time it is! I don’t have to know how it got made…I just need to know what it says.

But, I digress…

One of the sections that really caught my eye was the one describing 2020 roles:

“Learners
All learners engage in individualized, real-world learning experiences supported by ubiquitous access to modern digital tools; robust anywhere, anytime connectivity; and dynamic, diverse learning communities. They access, evaluate, manage, and use information in a variety of media formats from a wide array of sources, and they create knowledge, apply it across disciplines and creative endeavors, and purposefully communicate that knowledge, and the results of its use, to diverse audiences. Learning experiences take place in authentic settings and require collaboration and management of complex processes. These experiences involve critical thinking, global and local social responsibility, complex decision-making, and sophisticated problem-solving. Learners develop the self-directed learning skills and attitudes that enable them to learn effectively for a lifetime of global citizenship.

Educators
All educators, PreK-12 through higher education, are well prepared throughout their careers to use current digital tools, digital resources, and modern, effective teaching-learning processes to mentor, monitor, and motivate students. They leverage the technology and information-rich learning landscape of 2020 to provide flexible, seamless, and learner-centered environments that meet the individual and diverse needs of all students and communicate to learners and parents progress toward learning targets. They participate in communities of learning and inquiry, as co-learners and researchers, with students, colleagues, and other experts to ensure their own development and professional learning as both accomplished education professionals and content experts. All educators contribute to the education profession by informing policy, recruiting, and supporting colleagues, and they represent the profession positively within and outside of education.

Leaders
All education leaders create and secure adequate support for innovative, flexible, and responsive technology-rich environments and services to maximize learning and optimize teaching. They develop a shared vision for world-class learning in all instructional settings – face to face or virtual and for technology’s role in achieving that vision. They engage in data-rich planning for and evaluation of learning and management systems that leverage resources and opportunities throughout the community and around the world. Leaders provide and demand participation in sustained, relevant, engaging, and timely professional development that enables teachers and other instructional personnel to provide leadership for learning in 2020. Education leaders provide stewardship for universal education.

Infrastructure
An industry-standard infrastructure system supports all students, educators, and education leaders by enabling high quality access to learning, communications, and management systems anytime and anywhere. It ensures access to appropriate technologies, quality and relevant information, and effective just-in-time technical support for students, educators, and other stakeholders. Interoperability, accessibility, and ongoing upgrades as needs and standards change are characteristics of the infrastructure system for learning. Education infrastructure is benchmarked against other education entities in the state and the nation and against successful and progressive commercial information-based enterprises.

Well if THAT isn’t enough to get you excited and nauseous all at the same time…

It sounds like a great educational technology fairytale. The problem is that we have to make this fairytale a reality. And THAT is where I get worried. I’m not an overly negative person, despite blogging to the contrary. I like to consider all the pitfalls and roadblocks so I can try to prepare a way over or around them. I like to try to think of what the naysayers are going to naysay…and come up with a solution, rebuttal or response. While that can frustrate some people I work with, I think it’s foolhardy to charge headlong into situations without a firm idea of what’s lurking around the corner (under the stairs, in the lake, in basement). If we don’t look at potential problems, we’re no better than the dumb blonde in the slasher films who runs UPSTAIRS to get away from the killer….or goes into the creepy woods alone to see what that noise was. Just not smart. It makes me think of Miguel Gulin’s post on Web 2.0 - we have to think about sustainability, about maintenance, training, implementation, replicability, supportablity,  and effectiveness before we commit.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t commit to this vision of 2020 educational technology and our roles in it. It’s a fine vision – one that needs to happen. But is that all it is? A vision, a fairy tale? Are our state entities going to actually do what needs to be done to make this happen? Are they going to unfreeze their contributions to us (sitting where they sat back in 2006 – the start of phase one of this vision)? Are they going to pony up the money so that districts can have even a slight chance of making this vision a reality? Doesn’t look likely.

So while I thrilled at all of the exciting verbage about engaged learners, global citizenship, professional development models for 24/7 teacher access to improvement, and more…I’m a bit bitter. I feel like the State (as an ambiguous entity) is being hypocritical.  We must produce, perform, grow! We must advance, improve, engage, and compete globally! But we cannot do these things without funding, and as it is not coming, we are choking back – cutting loose – letting go – and laying off.

The plagues of Austin have struck. The State-imposed drought is upon us. Before long, there will be no more straw…and then no more chaff. What then shall we make bricks from Pharaoh?