[TexasVSP] Digest Number 130

It has been a while since I have received one of these, but this showed up through my membership in the TexasVSP@yahoogroups.com group.

Texas Virtual School Program

1.

HOUSE APPROVES NEW SYSTEM FOR SCHOOL MATERIALS From: db_bearden

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1.

HOUSE APPROVES NEW SYSTEM FOR SCHOOL MATERIALS

Posted by: “db_bearden” d-bearden@att.net   db_bearden

Fri Jun 17, 2011 7:31 am (PDT)

Associated Press – June 16, 2011
The Texas House gave preliminary approval to a new system to pay for
school materials, including textbooks. The bill would combine the
textbook and technology allotments to public schools. In the past
lawmakers approved two different payments to schools based on the
number of students in attendance. One was for textbooks, another for
technology. If this measure passes, they will get one lump sum to buy
instructional materials. The amount spent per students will depend on
how much money is available in state accounts.
BILL ANALYSIS

Parsing The KBH And RP Education Proposals

Okay, so a couple of days ago I posted an entry entitled, Technology Tops Hutchison’s Education Plan.  Following up on that, another item from DB Bearden, via the Yahoo! group for the Texas Virtual School Program that showed up in my inbox yesterday.

Parsing The KBH And RP Education Proposals

Copyright November 25, 2009, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved

Last time education community rallied, they helped beat Grusendorf; the victor stood with KBH this week at her event in Plano. Gubernatorial candidate Kay Bailey Hutchison’s announced her initial education platform yesterday, and it was so similar to Gov. Rick Perry’s current initiatives that it was easy to conclude, at first blush, that this race will come down to who intends to stand with each candidate, rather than what they put down on paper. As for Hutchison, you can assume that many from former Pres. George W. Bush’s camp will stand with her, proving that Bushies have long memories. According to the Hutchison campaign, former Education Secretary Margaret Spellings is consulting on Hutchison’s education plan. And Rod Paige, who also headed up Bush’s education office, stood behind the candidate during her announcement. As to the specifics, Hutchison has hit the use of technology hardware in the classroom harder than the Perry camp, and she puts the state’s dropout issue front and center. Perry’s campaign on education, by comparison, has tended to dwell on the positive successes of his administration rather than the pending problems.

By Kimberly Reeves

Not really K-12 online learning related, but still sent out over the Texas Virtual School Program network.

Technology Tops Hutchison’s Education Plan

An item from DB Bearden, via the Yahoo! group for the Texas Virtual School Program that showed up in my inbox this morning.

Houston Chronicle – November 25, 2009

U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison said on Tuesday that if elected governor, her education plan would focus on bringing more technology to the classroom, recruiting and retaining teachers, lowering the high school dropout rate and helping school districts find ways to save money. Hutchison, who is challenging Gov. Rick Perry in the Republican primary for governor in March, unveiled her plans in a biotechnology lab at the Collin County Community College District in the Dallas suburb of Plano. “Now is the time for us to be really creative using technology,” said Hutchison, who said she has approached companies about developing an e-learning device, less than a laptop but more than an e-reader, that could replace conventional textbooks.

[TexasVSP] Creating A Decentralized Statewide Online Course Network

An item from DB Bearden, via the Yahoo! group for the Texas Virtual School Program that showed up in my inbox yesterday.

Final draft of a case study of the Texas Virtual School Network is available. This chapter in Emerging Technologies in Learning: Impact on Cognition and Culture will be published as an eBook in 2010 by the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education.

Abstract
The unique features of the Texas model for a statewide network of virtual learning are different from the statewide virtual school model adopted by other states. The decentralized administration of this network creates opportunities for every public school in the state to participate in a collaborative way in the creation of a repository of reusable learning objects and complete online courses that are financed by public education funds. This enables local education agencies to realize revenue streams for curriculum development and provides educational services to their students and the students in public schools across the state.

To download pdf. file of paper visit Publications and download section 2 chapter submission.

Research Study Of Technology

An item from DL Bearden, via the Yahoo! group for the Texas Virtual School Program that showed up in my inbox yesterday.  If you are a Technology Coordinator or Administrator in a Texas school district, please contact db_bearden@yahoo.com to see if you qualify to complete his survey.

You are invited to participate in a research study of technology (training, hardware, and software) needed by public schools in Texas to complete their Long Range Technology Plan through FY 2020. The study will provide academic practitioners, school administrators, and legislators with information concerning the technology funding planned by those charged with leading educational technology programs. You were selected through a random sampling process of possible participants because of your position as the Technology Coordinator or Administrator in your school district. Please read the information preceding the survey and ask any questions you may have before agreeing to participate in this study.

This study is being conducted by: D.L. Bearden, PhD, a virtual school practitioner and higher education faculty member teaching public school
finance at the University of New England. To take the 5 minute survey click the link below:

Survey URL withheld, please contact db_bearden@yahoo.com