Technology in Education: The Houston Landscape
Stephanie Sandifer, Technology Coach, Houston A+ Challenge
February 2012
“As educators, our challenge is to match the needs of our learners to a world that is
changing with great rapidity. To meet this challenge, we need to become strategic learners
ourselves by deliberately expanding our perspectives and updating our approaches.”
– Heidi Hayes Jacobs, Curriculum 21, 2010
In alignment with Houston A+ Challenge’s values of creativity, innovation and collaboration, and
within the scope of the work throughout the Challenge Network schools, this document provides an
overview of the current landscape of technology in education across the Houston area with
respect to the levels of technology integration, learner-focused activity, and “connectivity” as it
relates to pedagogy, andragogy, and professional collaboration activities. This document also
outlines a vision and potential “action steps” and policy recommendations for developing 21st-
Century "Connected Learning" – at all levels and among all stakeholders – using a variety of
emerging technologies.
Advancements in technology have impacted all aspects of our world. We have transitioned from an
industrial-based society to a globally connected information-based society. While many aspects of
our life, our work, our economy and society have shifted to include – by necessity – technology-
facilitated and technology-enhanced connectivity, the general structure, arrangement and pedagogy
of our classrooms have remained primarily “industrial” in nature. Based on an understanding of
these facts, Houston A+ Challenge is adopting and promoting models of and for “Connected
Learning” and “Connected Working/Collaboration” that leverage available emerging technologies.
We must “become strategic learners ourselves by deliberately expanding our perspectives and
updating our approaches” across all of our work, collaboration, and initiatives.
Observations, interviews, and teacher surveys conducted in Challenge Network schools for this
analysis indicate a relatively low level of technology use in the classroom that is primarily teacher-
centered, and a level of technology use for professional learning that is primarily limited to the use
of email for communications, the use of standard productivity software, and the use of district-
provided applications for administrative tasks (eg: gradebooks, SIS). These six campuses (which
span five school districts) are representative of many Houston-area schools in terms of available
resources, current state of technology integration, and instructional methods used in the classrooms.
Overall, the general landscape of educational technology across Houston is very uneven, with some
exciting pockets of innovation and promising pilots scattered across districts. However, these
pockets of innovation and pilot programs are few and far between. Many students in our
classrooms, especially in low-income areas, are not experiencing powerful, authentic, and
meaningful student-centered use of globally connected digital tools.
Teachers’ self-reported use of
technology was in agreement
with observations and
walkthrough data. The chart at
left shows how teachers' self-
reported use of dozens of
different digital tools indicates
that the uses of the tools are
limited primarily to teacher-
centered use such as
PowerPoint or SMART Boards
for lecturing or whole class
instruction. Student use of
technology is often limited to
skill-specific software or word
processing.
However, during interviews and within the teacher survey results, there is an expressed interest in
expanding the use of technology use for professional activities, professional learning, and student-
centered "connected learning" in the classroom at all campuses. This highlights the need for policy
changes that impact professional development and support for adult learning and access to a variety
of tools and resources.
Observed Potential & Existing Resources Observed Challenges
Standard classroom setup: teacher
workstation, ceiling mounted projector,
screen, document camera
Other available tech on campuses: Mobi
tablets, Smartboards, labs located in
library/media center or in other areas of
campuses, basic wifi connections
Campus Technologists on staff – specific
roles & responsibilities vary across
campuses
Leadership generally supportive of
increased use of technology, but may need
more support to fully understand next steps
and their role
Few or no student workstations in
classrooms, few or no mobile devices
available, limited wifi
District policies on use of personal mobile
devices varying, but generally prohibit use
even by faculty & staff
Level of observed teacher tech integration is
“Early Tech” – teacher-centered mirrored
after more traditional instruction (document
camera in place of overhead projector)
Awareness of existing pilots or innovation
“pockets” is very low
No central or shared “showcase” to highlight
promising practices across all districts for
purpose of sharing and learning from each
other
Funding & budgets
In order to achieve the goal of transformed classrooms and transformed schools, we must create a paradigm
shift to transform professional behaviors, practices, and habits among education professionals at all levels.
The diagram above provides an overview of a process to create this paradigm shift or transformation in
professional behaviors and practices.
The overall process requires a pathway that builds support for each successive step. For example, Classroom
2.0 cannot exist until teachers have been transformed or have shifted to Teacher 2.0. The transformation
process to Teacher 2.0 requires Leadership 2.0 – principals and technology specialists who have already
transformed into Principal 2.0 and Technology Coaches.
Some Characteristics or Behaviors of Educator 2.0 (Leadership 2.0 & Teacher 2.0)
Promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness
Model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with colleagues and others in
face-to-face and virtual environments
Demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new
technologies and situations; use 21st century tools in own learning and leading
Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a
variety of digital-age media and formats
Model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to collaborate and locate,
analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning
Participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to
improve learning; understand how to build a personal learning network
Exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology infusion, participating in shared decision
making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others
Evaluate and transparently reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to
make effective use of existing and emerging technologies
Adapted from The Connected Educator by Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach and Lani Ritter Hall (2011)
Recommendations
For Individuals
Change your language -- from “yes, but...” to “yes, and...” or even better: “What if...”
Become a learner first and an educator second – play, explore, connect, ask questions, reflect, and
collaborate within own personal learning networks and WITH students.
Explore use of Google Docs or a wiki as a better option for working on collaborative documents
(curriculum or lesson plans) with colleagues.
Stop waiting for policies to change or for test scores to improve – act now!
For Schools
Make this a priority and emphasize the urgency of moving forward now. Our Five-Year Plans do not
matter to the 11th grade students sitting in our classrooms right now.
Administrators & other campus leaders must model the use of digital communication, collaboration,
curation and creation.
Require the use of a wiki or Google Docs to develop and share all lesson plans.
Create webinars instead of “sit-and-get” faculty meetings.
Revise campus-based device policies to allow classroom use of student devices.
Provide flexibility in how, when and where professional learning occurs – encourage development of
PLNs (Personal Learning Networks) and implement Google’s 20% flex time (or a shorter version –
15%, 10%, 5%) during collaborative planning to allow free exploration of tools or strategies for use
in professional work or in classroom instruction.
Seek out “early adopters” and develop these teachers into “Peer Coaches” around innovation and
technology integration.
Increase student-centered use of technology – get technology out of the hands of teachers and into
the hands of students (even if only one device is available in the room).
Redesign learning spaces and classroom arrangements to model more innovative spaces that
encourage and spur creativity, collaboration, critical thinking and connecting. Think about space
design and how space can be used differently in order to change behavior and interaction patterns.
District-level Practices & Policy Recommendations
Revisit technology device policies to take advantage of student-owned devices for learning.
Revisit filtering and blocking policies that prevent easy access to powerful digital tools.
District leaders must become models of 21st Century Connected Learners & Leaders; change the
tools and practices that you use to lead, collaborate, communicate and curate information.
Redefine “Technology Specialists” as “Technology Coaches” and provide training to help those
individuals change how they coach & collaborate with teachers.
Scale up successful technology pilots and innovative practices to impact more students.
Recommended Reading
Personal Learning Networks: Using the Power of Connections to Transform Education by Will Richardson
and Rob Mancabelli
The Connected Educator: Learning and Leading in a Digital Age by Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach and Lani
Ritter Hall
Curriculum 21: Essential Education for a Changing World by Heidi Hayes Jacobs
Teaching 2030: What We Must Do for Our Students and Our Public Schools by Barnett Berry and
Teachersolutions 2030 Team