A digital literacy update for Texas

Technology has the ability to help personalize the educational experience and teachers’ instruction of classroom material—matching students’ interests and goals with their abilities. A growing effort is underfoot to ensure that technology is used in such a way that every Texas student’s educational needs are being more fully met.

In this conversation between Jennifer Bergland, Director of Governmental Relations for TCEA, and Chad Cantella, an independent lobbyist whose firm works for TCEA and supports its mission of engaging students with technology, they address the state of digital education, computational thinking and blended learning in Texas, and the role that the Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) is playing in its advocacy of digital literacy in classrooms across the state.

Research shows that there is a growing “homework gap” that is creating a digital divide (of note—roughly thirty percent of Texas public school students don’t have adequate access to technology at home), which threatens to leave a large number of students behind.

TCEA is calling on legislative leadership to work with them and other partners to address this looming challenge in urban and rural Texas.

Chad Cantella and Jennifer Bergland

Texas Computer Education Association