New Mexico’s State Educational Technology Plan
“We are at an important time where we ask ourselves, ‘What will it take to
dramatically improve public education in New Mexico?’ As the Secretary of Education,
I call on every educator, student, parent, community member and public servant to
share in the responsibility for the success of our children and, ultimately, the future of
the great state of New Mexico.” - Hanna Skandera, NM Secretary of Education
1. Overview
The future of New Mexico depends on robust systems for learning. The essential question facing us as
we transform our education system is this: What should learning in the information age look like?
The short answer is it should look like it does in every other part of society outside of school: anywhere,
anytime, focused on meeting needs that matter to the learner. The goal of New Mexico’s State
Educational Technology Plan is to create an environment where the best learning experienced by
students anywhere in New Mexico becomes available to all students everywhere in New Mexico.
“The goal of education in the 21st century is not simply the mastery of knowledge. It is the mastery of
learning. Education should help turn novice learners into expert learners—individuals who know how to
learn, who want to learn, and who, in their own highly individual ways, are well prepared for a lifetime of
learning.” With this concise statement, the Center for Applied Special Technologies (CAST) sets out a
challenge that is particularly relevant to our task. Harnessing the power of digital age learning can allow
us to simultaneously create expert learners while constructing environments that support growth of
College & Career Readiness in all of our students. Our policies and practice "must be guided by the world
we live in, which demands that we think differently about education than we have in the past.
Technology and the Internet have fostered an increasingly competitive and interdependent global
economy and transformed nearly every aspect of our daily lives—how we work; play; interact with
family, friends, and communities; and learn new thingsi."
Our six guiding principles:
1. The appropriate application of educational technology results in positive student learning
outcomes resulting in college and/or career readiness.
2. Effective educators are fluent in the use of educational technologies that will help their students
reach learning goals and objectives.
3. All students should be provided with opportunities to gain the competencies and attitudes
required for success in a technology-rich society.
4. Learning styles and learning rates vary among children, requiring teachers to apply Universal
Design for Learning principles to provide educational experiences appropriate to the diverse
needs of individual children, and our educational systems must support such differentiation.
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page
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5. The effective use of educational technology should remove barriers to academic achievement
that have traditionally plagued students of color, in poverty, or English Language Learners.
6. It is the responsibility of educators, community leaders, and state leaders to provide all learners
with reliable and robust technology infrastructure that increases access to and use of digital
learning resources.
Providing a viable infrastructure for learning in the 21st century demands a systems approach, bridging
the many silos that impede alignment of efforts and reduce efficiency/effectiveness. This requires that
each of us does our part to remove any and all barriers that stand between students and the best
possible learning available today. Our challenge is to provide the conditions and support that can make
best practice become common practice.
Our plan is based on New Mexico’s State IT Strategic Plan, adapted for
learning. It presents goals, recommendations, and actions for a model of
learning informed by the learning sciences and powered by technology.
Advances in the learning sciences give us valuable insights into how people
learn. Technology innovations give us the ability to act on these insights as
never before. At the same time, New Mexico's deep and rich cultural
history and diversity demand that we honor the roots from which our
future will thrive. Our discussions in building this plan reveal that these
goals are actually in harmony: any future not based upon the wisdom of those who've gone before is
likely to be sterile. Any vibrant future draws its energy from the will to act upon our core beliefs.
The four Business Objectives shared among all state agencies have been linked to the work of the
NMPED:
1. Reduce District and School Operational Costs Through IT
2. Reduce IT Costs Through Enterprise Models
3. Enhance Delivery of Services to Clients (Students, Parents, Teachers, Communities)
4. Support Economic Development Through College & Career Readiness
New Mexico's plan aligns these four objectives with the Alliance for Excellent Education's Project 24
Planning for Progress initiative. Project 24 is an urgent call to action for systemic planning around the
effective use of technology and digital learning to achieve the goal of "career and college readiness" for
all students.
The "24" in Project 24 represents the next twenty-four
months, during which the nation's education landscape
will change greatly as states and districts implement
college- and career-ready standards for all students;
utilize online assessments to gauge comprehension and
learning; push for greater system and classroom
innovation; deal with shrinking budgets; and contend with
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demands of states' waivers from key provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act.
New Mexico joins a group of innovative states who've already used the Project 24 self-assessment to
help districts craft viable strategies for maximizing the impact of technology. The process includes
forming a team of district/school leaders and completing an online survey. "These are the best and most
powerful 2 hours we've ever spent" are the most frequent feedback from participants.
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Table of Contents
1.
Overview ............................................................................................................................................... 1
2.
Legislative Authority........................................................................................................................... 5
3.
Alignment with NM Strategic IT Plan ................................................................................................ 6
4.
Current State: Technology Readiness Footprint............................................................................. 12
5.
Recommendations for Focus Areas ................................................................................................. 16
5.1 Curriculum & Instruction ........................................................................................................... 16
5.2 Use of Time .................................................................................................................................. 17
5.3 Technology & Infrastructure ...................................................................................................... 22
5.4 Data Systems & Online Assessment ........................................................................................... 25
5.5 Academic Supports ..................................................................................................................... 27
5. 6 Professional Learning ................................................................................................................ 30
5.7 Budget & Resources .................................................................................................................... 34
6.
Minimum Standards for Devices & Bandwidth............................................................................... 35
7.
Resources and Research ..................................................................................................................... 38
7.1 National Educational Technology Standards ............................................................................ 39
7.2 iNacol National Quality Standards ............................................................................................. 40
7.3 Cognitive Rigor and Depth of Knowledge in Common Core .................................................... 41
7.4 Universal Design for Learning.................................................................................................... 42
7.5 Technological, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) ............................................... 44
7.6 Mayordomo Project .................................................................................................................... 46
Endnotes ..................................................................................................................................................... 48
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2. Legislative Authority
As the state of New Mexico’s provider for Information Technology services, the Department of
Information Technology is working across the state with all executive agencies to improve services
and better facilitate efficient and responsive government for New Mexicans. At its foundation, this
plan is a continuation and evolution of core information technology best practices. Several
additional tenets are emphasized:
 Pragmatic, cost‐benefit based, and consensus driven consolidation of information technology
resources that leverages shared services, mitigates redundancy, and continues to drive
economies of scale;
 The advancement of "smart government" via the application of emerging technology to
constituent‐ and stakeholder‐ facing systems, with an emphasis on delivering service in a
manner in which citizens have come to expect in a digital world;
 Leveraging systemic thinking as a means to better plan, deploy, secure, and meter the many
various information technology systems upon which the state builds its core business.
Since taking office in 2011, Governor Susana Martinez has always emphasized the need for state
government to spend taxpayer dollars wisely ‐ and investing in our state’s information technology
infrastructure does just that. Not only do we save New Mexicans millions of dollars annually through
pooled services to state agencies, we are also investing in a technological backbone that better improves
public safety, education and economic development that citizens will benefit from for many years to
come.
NEW MEXICO SMART GOVERNMENT INITIATIVE
A major tenet of Governor Martinez’s administration is substantial improvement in the transparent and
efficient operation of the state government. During her tenure, impressive strides have been made in a
number of specific areas, including improvements to the Sunshine Portal, the streaming and archiving of
open meetings, and substantial re‐designs of many executive agency websites.
With the rapid onset of mobile technology, social media, and constant internet access, constituent
expectations about the state’s ability to interact via these means will not only increase, but will be set
by rapid innovations in the private sector. Indeed, many constituents will have their expectation for
online interactions with the state set by services such as Facebook, iTunes, Amazon, to name only a few.
It is for the confluence of these evolutions of policy and technology that the State finds itself at an
unparalleled juncture to make a dramatic impact in the way online constituent interactions occur, and
not just in terms of transparency and efficiency.
Establishing the New Mexico Smart Government Initiative will be a way to coherently and
comprehensively advance the Governor’s vision for a more transparent and efficient government under
a single branding. Beyond branding, this strategy is also aimed at providing executive agencies with a
consistent path towards implementing smart government best practices as part of their operations.
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3. Alignment with NM Strategic IT Plan
The future of New Mexico depends on robust systems for learning that drive economic development
and help our citizens achieve their unique potential. A common thread that binds these systems
synergistically is the effective use of educational technology. This plan serves as a guide to all New
Mexico Public Schools in preparing the current and future generations for college, careers, and life.
In implementing this plan, New Mexico demonstrates its commitment to transform education and
learning. The plan consists of seven key focus areas:
1. Curriculum &
Instruction
2. Use of Time
3. Technology &
Infrastructure
4. Data Systems &
Online Assessment
5. Academic Supports
6. Professional
Learning
7. Budget & Resources
The essential question
facing us as we transform
our education system is
this:
What knowledge, skills and
experiences do our children
need to gain as they
progress through our school
systems?
By embedding processes that drive high expectations, equity, resource management, and innovation,
New Mexico responds to the inevitable changes which occur as new technologies are deployed.
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The Strategic IT Plan developed by the New Mexico Department of Information Technology (DoIT)
includes 10 Goals for all State Agencies. These translate to technology initiatives within the NMPED and
the LEAs it serves as follows:
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Building Upon New Mexico’s Broadband Project Strategies
After reviewing the challenges to ensuring Internet broadband access to all throughout the state, New
Mexicans are calling for a range of reforms. These proposed reforms were developed during the
Statewide Broadband Summitii, held August 3, 2012 in Albuquerque. Summit participants requested
coordinated digital literacy training statewide, an
infrastructure strategy and financial resources for
deployment that is critical for economic
development, equitable access to digital educational
resources, an empowered regional structure to
achieve broadband service involving the private and
public sectors, a coordinating entity and shared infrastructure to advance healthcare related technology,
and regional network solutions to satisfy needs of under-served communities and provide culturally
relevant content. With approximately 150 attendees, the event included people from all corners of the
state. Participants came from urban, rural, and tribal communities – and they included librarians,
educators, technology providers, advocates, business people, as well as public and government officials.
An Overview of Broadband
Defined as “a transmission medium that enables high speed internet access,” broadband is faster than
dial-up, which uses a modem connected to a computer to access the internet. Unlike dial-up, broadband
is always on. Various technologies are used to transmit broadband, including:
 DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) using copper wire (much of which already exists for telephone
service)

Cable modem using existing coaxial cable, which delivers cable TV service

Fiber optic, which converts electric signals to light that can be sent along transparent glass fibers

Wireless broadband, which uses either a radio link or microwave technology


Mobile broadband using cell phone networks
Satellite broadband, which sends and receives signals from satellites orbiting the earth
Broadband Access in New Mexico
According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the national average for broadband use is 80%. By comparison, 58%
of New Mexicans use broadband at home, ranking our state 46th out of 50. Additionally, slightly more
New Mexicans use dial-up services compared to the national average (5% for New Mexico versus 3% for
the national average). Regarding those who do not use the Internet at all, New Mexico is also higher
than the national average (26% for New Mexico versus 20% for the national average).
WHY DIGITAL INCLUSION IS IMPORTANT
Ultimately, digital inclusion is an issue that has the capacity to either widen the socio-economic gap or
help close it. According to the Social Science Research Council, “Broadband access is increasingly a
requirement of socio-economic inclusion, not an outcome of it – and residents of low-income
communities know this.”
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Rural, low-income, or indigenous people are particularly impacted by a lack of broadband access. In
remote locations, this problem is mainly caused by the economic and engineering challenges of laying
conduit across remote terrain. Another challenge is the lack of line density, which refers to the number
of customers served by a given section of broadband wire (usually measured in miles). The same
amount of infrastructure that would serve thousands in urban areas serves only hundreds when built in
more remote locations. While the majority of our state’s land is rural, the majority of residents live in
urban areas. Of the roughly two million people living in New Mexico, 77% are located in urban areas
while 23% are located in rural areas. This translates to roughly 500,000 New Mexicans who have
potential challenges accessing broadband due to their location.
“While broadband will not bring immediate economic transformation to rural America, regions that lack
broadband will be crippled,” explained Sharon Strover, an expert in economic impacts of
telecommunications, especially in rural communities. Digital inclusion determines how easily a person
can access job opportunities, information, healthcare, and educational opportunities.
Summit Recommendations:
DIGITAL LITERACY



Promote value of digital literacy.
Provide comprehensive training statewide.
Coordinate approach to resource and service deployment.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT



Develop public awareness and political action.
Develop financial resources for deployment.
Establish a task force to develop an infrastructure strategy.
EDUCATION



Increase access to educational resources.
Coordinate equitable access for broadband resources.
Pass legislation for open-access statewide network.
The New Mexico Department of Information Technology’s (DoIT) Broadband Program, funded by the
Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP), serves as a coordinating agency of statewide
initiatives to broaden the availability and promote adoption of high-speed Internet in New Mexico. As
part of this effort, DoIT has contracted UNM’s Bureau of Business & Economic Research (BBER) to
provide an analysis of patterns and barriers to broadband adoption in New Mexico.
The findings of this study can be summarized as follows:


New Mexico lags behind other states in the rate of home Internet adoption, and specifically
broadband subscription. The 2011 US Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS)
th
placed New Mexico 50 of the states plus the District of Columbia in home Internet
adoption.
In New Mexico, households with higher incomes, higher levels of educational attainment
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page
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
and individuals either working or studying full time are more likely to have home Internet
access. Young and early middle age adults are much more likely to have home Internet
access than older persons. Likewise, households with children and those living in more
urbanized areas are more likely to have Internet.
In urban areas, the barriers to home Internet adoption and broadband subscription are
more closely associated with affordability and a perception that the Internet is of little
value, and less closely associated with limited access. In tribal and rural areas, concerns for
affordability and interest follow similar patterns as in urban areas but lack of access is much
more often a barrier to home subscription.
The study reveals distinctly different patterns of method of access depending on age. Mobile
devices are much more prevalent among younger users, a finding with strong implications for Bring
Your Own Device (BYOD) programs for schools.
Recommendations to Promote Home Broadband Subscription and Internet Use in New
Mexico
1. Improve broadband infrastructure in tribal areas
While the results of the survey indicate that in most parts of the state lack of interest is a greater
barrier to home Internet adoption than lack of access, the opposite is true in tribal areas. Overall,
the rate of home Internet adoption in tribal areas is barely one of half that in other parts of the
state (38% vs. 75%). The comparison in terms of broadband adoption is even more unfavorable
(26% vs. 57%). To explain not having home internet, persons in tribal areas are more than three
times as likely as those in other areas of the state to explain non-adoption as ‘not available in the
my area’ (20% vs. 6%).
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2. Develop public outreach and awareness programs to educate the public about the growing
importance of digital access in our society
The data in this study and from national studies indicate that a large share of those without a
broadband subscription in home fail to see value in Internet access.
3. Promote the provision of computers or other internet-accessible devices to low-income
households.
The lack of a computer was the most commonly cited reason for not having home access to the
internet. The variable can be ambiguous, as it interpreted as either an economic constraint or an
expression of a lack of internet in the digital world. Among higher-income we can assume that the
lack of a computer in the home is an expression of no interest – as is an unwillingness to pay for
service. But for lower-income families, the cost of a computer is more likely to be a barrier,
especially given the high up-front cost.
The New Mexico survey data indicates that digital literacy (‘know how to use the internet’) declines
with income, from 88% for those with incomes greater than $50,000 to just 68% for those with
incomes less than $15,000. While literacy programs are important to support internet access for
low-income households, the broader goal of promoting regular use and greater competency should
begin with making access to a computer part of everyday life. With a computer in place, low-income
will be better motivated to seek out cost effective internet access.
4. Support internet access among low-income households with children as educational necessity
Increasingly, educational success is tied to internet access. “Advances in information and
communications technology means that education is no longer confined to the classroom. Those
students with limited or no access in their formative elementary school years are falling behind. The
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 11
earlier every student in America is connected to high speed Internet, the brighter our country’s
future will be.iii”
4. Current State: Technology Readiness Footprint
In an effort to proactively assist Local Education Authorities (LEA) in planning and implementing
strategies to ensure their schools are technology ready for supporting computer-based and on line
assessments, Common Core State Standards instruction, and learning in an increasing 21st Century
digital environment, the Public Education Department (PED) has designed a Technology Readiness
Footprint for each LEA who submitted data within the Technology Readiness Tool (TRT).
The Technology Readiness Footprint [see www.ped.state.nm.us/TechFootprint] is compiled from data
New Mexico schools and districts provided to three sources:



The Technology Readiness Tool (to assess the availability of “test ready” computing devices)
The Electronic Superhighway School Speed Test (to assess available bandwidth)
Project 24 Self-Assessment (to assess the quality of school plans for digital learning)
Overall, New Mexico has an adequate number of
devices capable of taking the PARCC online testing for
year 1 (2015). However 50% of these machines will
need to be replaced by year 2 (2016) as the Windows
XP operating system will no longer be supported.
Mac OS machines are 89% PARCC test ready.
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 12
Bandwidth Readiness – For Online Assessments
Based on initial reporting by 503 of 839 New Mexico Schools, from 87 of 89 School districts taking a
combined 15,527 school speed tests, results vary by locale and school size:
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 13
School bandwidth requirements per Student (kbps) will approach the average American home’s use:
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
School
Home
As this Educational Technology Plan guides policy and practice for the next several years, it is important
to also assess bandwidth adequacy in terms of digital learning needs. From this perspective, there is
work to be done:
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 14
Schools completing the Project 24 Self-Assessment, as Aztec Municipal School District has done for its
most recent Educational Technology Plan, are provided with the following readiness assessment:
Districts completing the Project 24 self-assessment receive in-depth reports to guide their planning, and
to compare their current state with other similar districts, both in New Mexico and nationally. Here is a
sample regarding Curriculum and Instruction topics:
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 15
5. Recommendations for Focus Areas
[Note: the recommendations that follow are aligned to the Project 24 Framework. NETP indicates
specific elements from the National Educational Technology Plan, while NM DOIT Goal indicates
elements from the NM IT Strategic Plan]
5.1 Curriculum & Instruction
Goal: All learners will have engaging and empowering learning experiences both in
and out of school that prepare them to be active, creative, knowledgeable, and
ethical participants in our globally networked society.
Through a more flexible, consistent, and concentrated approach to academic
content design and accessibility, teachers will have robust and adaptive tools to
customize the instruction for groups of students or on a student-to-student basis to ensure relevance and
deep understanding of complex issues and topics. Providing multiple sources of high-quality academic
content offers students much greater opportunities to reflect on their own work, think critically, and
engage frequently to enable deeper understanding of complex topics.iv
Education experts have long held that “essentially, only three types of change are possible if the intent is
to increase learning and performance: (a) increasing the knowledge and skill of teachers, (b) changing
the content, or (c) altering the relationship of the student to the teacher and the content (Elmore,
2012). A shift to a digital supported classroom accomplishes all three types of change, but must also be
supported by a transformation of practice by the district and the state.
The teacher’s role is vital in leveraging technology to create learning activities that will create an interest
or need that encourages students to be actively engaged in their learning. Students may play a key role
in defining the technology they believe will help them reach the goals in the learning activity.
Recommendations
5.1.1 College and career ready, deeper learning/21st century skills, Integrating 21st century skills
NMPED will support sharing among districts as they continue to revise, create, and implement standards
and learning objectives using technology for all content areas that reflect 21st-century expertise and the
power of technology to improve learning. [NETP 1.1]
5.1.2 Leveraging technology
NMPED will facilitate districts, and others in developing, implementing and sharing learning resources
that use technology to embody design principles from the learning sciences. [NETP 1.2]
5.1.3 Personalized learning
NMPED will facilitate districts, and others in developing, implementing and sharing learning resources
that exploit the flexibility and power of technology to reach all learners anytime and anywhere. [NETP
1.3]
5.1.4 Collaborative, relevant, applied
NMPED will facilitate districts in using advances in learning sciences and technology to enhance Science,
Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM), including creativity and the arts (STEAM), learning and
develop, adopt, and evaluate new methodologies with the potential to inspire and enable all learners to
excel in STEM/STEAM. [NETP 1.4]
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5.1.5 Rules Update to Reflect Digital Best Practice
5.1.5.1 NMPED will research and develop rules similar to those that have been implemented in
other states like Florida, where half of all instructional material purchases will be digital by 2014
and 75% by 2018.
5.1.5.2 NMPED will update and align the various educational rules and definitions, including NM
HS redesign, Cyber Academy act, Educational Technology Act/Notes, adopt iNacol definitions of
blended and online learning, and create eligibility, quality, and accountability standards for all
digital content, courses, and providers that assure quality at the lowest possible cost.
5.1.6 Digital Resources
The state will provide a content repository of state owned, developed and OER digital content for use in
all schools across NM and provide online professional development for teachers and administrators on
the effective use of these digital tools by 2014
5.2 Use of Time
Goal: The NMPED will expand access for students and teachers to high quality
teaching and learning resources by developing and distributing digital content,
updating and aligning educational rules and encourage flexible use of time in
school through the school A-F grading system
Time is perhaps the only resource that is equally distributed: each of us gets only 24 hours each day.
Turning time into expertise results from how we choose to invest our efforts. Dr. K Anders Ericcson, who
is widely recognized as one of the world's leading theoretical and experimental researchers on
expertise, has revealed that becoming an expert in any field takes 10,000 hours of practice. Our current
model of schooling provides students with 1,000 hours a year (after subtracting for lunch, days off, noninstructional activities). The amount of time students spend developing their abilities to Communicate,
Collaborate, Critically Think or Create (aka the 4 C’s) demanded by their future employers varies
tremendously. The greatest power technology provides is its ability to extend time for learning.
Using Time to Prepare for Common Core: Depth of Knowledge
The new assessments are based on new modes of instruction that address more rigorous content
explored at greater depth. The chart below compares the cognitive rigor of present instruction and
assessment depths of knowledge (DOK) which are mainly DOK 1 & 2 with Common Core levels, half of
which are at DOK 3 & 4 that the legacy model rarely addresses.
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 17
Teachers must design
instruction that:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Integrates and
demonstrates student
knowledge and skills
Measures student
understanding,
research skills, analysis,
and the ability to
provide relevant
evidence
Requires students to
plan, write, revise, and
edit
Reflects a real-world
task
Allows for multiple
points of view
Is feasible for classroom environments
This means moving instruction to higher levels of Webb’s Depth of Knowledge model, specifically from
Levels 1 & 2 to Levels 3 & 4.
Suggested Minimum Daily Requirements (SMDR): One Hour Per Day
In the health field, minimum daily requirements (MDR) are the daily human requirement of nutrients for
health and for prevention of a deficiency disease. Students who leave school (either through graduation
or dropping out) without the abilities to Communicate, Collaborate, Critically Think or Create experience
the equivalent of a deficiency disease that limits their life choices. What are the minimum daily
requirements for developing digital fluencies that expand these choices?
New Mexico schools are preparing for computer based assessments that will take place in two phases:
Performance Based Assessments will happen at the 75% point in the year and End of Year Assessments
will happen at the 95% point. Together, they represent four weeks, or 10% of the year. Since students
spend about 1,000 hours per school year in learning activities, what we do with the other 90%
determines whether they will be prepared to use computers effectively on these assessments. Inability
to use computers with facility prevents students from being accurately measured on academic
performance and diminishes their ability to build on The Four “Cs”. Students who get the opportunity to
invest one hour per day (total, across all subject areas) in use of technology will have a minimum of 150
hours of deliberate practice using technology to address the deeper levels of knowledge designed into
the Common Core assessments.
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Examples: Using Technology to Extend Learning Beyond Time and Place Limits
Education360 (ED360) transforms public schools from the inside out by removing limits to when, where
and how learning can occur, so that school reaches out to meet students where they are at and at their
need - a 360° approach to learning.
Its process includes: redesigning the learning environment; expanding access to teaching and learning
resources for students, teachers, and parents; and committing to real partnerships with families and the
community.
The ED360 model provides an alternative to the century old Legacy Education Access Model, in which
school is viewed as a PLACE you go to learn, and academic resources are available 182 days - 7 hours a
day (limiting availability of school to student to only 14% of the time). ED360 reverses this Legacy model:
instead of kids going to school, SCHOOL is viewed as Learning Opportunities that reach out to the
learner, parents, and community, and meets them at their need, wherever they are. This model is not
about technology or creating an online school - it is about transforming teaching and learning in a school
or district using a highly interactive environment.
The types of digital learning resources required to support this work are categorically different than
those designed to sustain the legacy model of education. While the goal of helping each student fully
develop their knowledge and skills is shared with both models, the context, content and processes used
to act on these good intentions are markedly different.
Focus on Student Learning: Content is organized by student performance levels (rather than “birth year
based” grade levels) in order to meet every student at their need. This design facilitates “mixing and
matching” to provide appropriate entry points for students at any level. Project assessments are
formative in nature, both to guide instruction and to allow for continuous improvement of module
effectiveness by adjusting and differentiating as required to meet the needs of all students.
Pedagogical Quality: eLearning design prepares teachers to differentiate based on Universal Design for
Learning principles (providing alternate means of expression, representation and engagement). Every
educator in an ED360 school completes rigorous ten-week PD to become confident and capable
teaching and learning in online and blended environments, including challenge-based learning and
embedded assessments of Common Core Standards and 21st century skills to module design.
Embedded assessment. Technology allows designers to use the branching capabilities of assessment
options in the eLearning development environment to assess learner levels of knowledge and
understanding, and create differentiated pathways through the content and activities that adaptively
respond to student performance.
Taos Academy (a State Charter School) expresses and practices the belief that every learner deserves
access to excellence in educational opportunities regardless of his or her abilities or location. They
employ a hybrid educational delivery model which uses a unique combination of direct classroom and
digital instruction with proven curriculum to address each learner’s individual needs. Flexibility in
scheduling allows for the student to work in the
technology labs or wherever a high-speed internet
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 19
connection is available. Students attend the Taos Academy facility for tutoring, workshops, and classes
in the media arts lab or in the science/ math/ engineering lab. Check out their new STEM Academy.
Competency Based Learning is modeled by eCADEMY, Albuquerque, NM
eCADEMY started training staff and building a redesign plan in the fall of 2008. By 2009, four online
courses were offered, 10 online courses and 20 sections were opened in the spring of 2010. By the
summer of 2010, 400 students were taking courses with a 90% pass rate and a higher course completion
rate then realized in their traditional face-to-face courses. Two years after starting their first class there
are over 70 sections offered and enrollment is near 200. For the summer of 2011, 900 students are
taking blended
courses in a new
school building.
Click this link for a
video interview
detailing the
eCademy
implementation of
the Education360
model that generated
the results shown at
the right:
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 20
Recommendations
5.2.1 Learning is flexible; anytime, anywhere
NM educators will have full access to technology-based content, resources, and tools where and when
they need them. [NETP 3.1]
5.2.2 New pedagogy, schedules, and learning environment for personalized learning
NMPED will work with the NM Department of Information Technologies and other partners to use
technology to provide all learners with online access to effective teaching and better learning
opportunities and options in places where they are not otherwise available and in blended (online and
offline) learning environments. [NETP 3.3]
5.2.3 Competency-based learning
NMPED will work with districts and researchers to validate the efficacy and comparability of student
mastery developed in competency-based blended and online learning against traditional
instructional/assessment models.
5.2.4 Strategies for providing extended time for projects and collaboration
NMPED will facilitate sharing of innovative strategies for scheduling, managing and supporting online
and blended learning that results in improved student growth.
5.2.5 The state will implement a digital learning repository designed to support customized learning
environments for students and teachers by 2014.
NMPED will use IDEAL-NM and other appropriate means to organize an initial digital learning repository,
measure usage and results and conduct analysis to develop recommendations for subsequent efforts.
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 21
5.3 Technology & Infrastructure
Goal: All students and educators will have access to a comprehensive
infrastructure for learning when and where they need it.
Infrastructure includes people, processes, learning resources, policies
and sustainable models for continuous improvement in addition to
broadband connectivity, servers, software, management systems, and
administrative tools. Technology includes the set of learning platforms and applications
targeted to actively engage students and enhance teaching methods.”
“It is a simple fact that access to high-speed broadband is now as vital a component of K12 school infrastructure as electricity, air conditioning, and heating. The same tools and
resources that have transformed our personal, civic, and professional lives must be part of
learning experiences intended to prepare today’s students for college and careers. College
students rely on technology for academic success and to improve personal productivity. In
the workplace, everyone from mechanics to accountants to physicians depends on
technology to conduct their work, grow their businesses, and collaborate with their
colleagues – both locally and globally. v“
Digital Acequia Strategy New Mexico has a centuries’ old tradition centered around acequias, and how
they are used to manage precious resources of water. In its Declaration of Core Values, the New Mexico
Acequia Association states, “We honor the connection between water, land, life, and communities. We
believe that our acequias express the values of our culture and identity as a land-based people. Just as
our herencia came from
generations before us, we now
have the responsibility of
passing on our traditions to
youth and future generations.”
The mayordomo, or ditch boss,
is essential to the practice of acequia irrigation. Today the old mayordomos are dying and taking their
knowledge with them, and they are not being replaced by younger individuals who know how to
manage and deliver the water and maintain the ditches in a given community.
Inspired by the NMAA Mayordomo Project, the Digital Acequias Strategy seeks to help New Mexico’s
rural communities draw upon proven practices that have allowed communities to thrive in challenging
environments through collaboration, and extend these practices to ensure that their communities
derive the full benefits of participation in today’s digital world. In turn, the model of shared social
responsibility carried through centuries by mayordomos can enrich the lives of all New Mexicans.
In rural communities, bandwidth is as scarce as water. Our rural communities need the equivalent of
Digital Mayordomos, to help them create vibrant community networks and make sure these resources
are well managed. While we can’t increase the amount of water coming into New Mexico, we can over
time increase the available bandwidth to serve our communities, but this will take sustained effort and
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 22
investments over years. The Digital Mayordomos can guide us through the transition period until the
day when everyone enjoys universal access to the benefits broadband connections can provide.
Keeping pace with technology advances is a never-ending challenge. Only a few years ago, a school
getting its own T-1 line was cause for celebration. New Mexico is in line with national trends regarding
growth in the need for access to broadband, as shown on this chart:
The same type of growth is reflected
by Albuquerque Public Schools,
whose Internet connection has
doubled every 18 months for the
last 10 years.
As schools move from traditional
books and shared laptop carts to a
ubiquitous 1:1 learning environment
where each student has their own
device for classwork use, the
requirements for network
bandwidth and response times
inside the school and into the school
will change dramatically, driving
solutions both for data connectivity and data caching.
Exponential
growth in data
demand
Proper planning of in-school and to-school networks will result in the most efficient use of our
networking infrastructure. The amount of needed connectivity will vary based on the degree of cached
data available on-school-site/on-device. Where possible, caching of content on the student’s device, by
network routers, or on a school server can eliminate a large portion of network utilization as compared
to the option of having
each device retrieve
common content
independently from the
cloud.
Schools that adopt local
caching solutions and
network optimization for
heavily used content
achieve the most
economical use of their
networks.
The shift to digital is not a passing fad and requires a comprehensive plan for education. This shift to
digital will provide an opportunity for a complete redesign of our educational environment. Digital
learning should therefore be considered as the future on education, and not as a technology integration
program.
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 23
Recommendations
5.3.1 Adequacy of devices; quality and availability
NMPED will gather data and make recommendations to the Legislature to ensure that every student and
educator has at least one Internet access device and appropriate software and resources for research,
communication, multimedia content creation, and collaboration for use in and out of school. [NETP 4.2]
5.3.2 Robust and cost efficient network infrastructure
NMPED will coordinate with DOIT to implement and maintain a high quality technology infrastructure to
ensure that students and educators have broadband access to the Internet and adequate wireless
connectivity both in and out of school. [NM DOIT Goal 3, NETP 4.1]
5.3.3 Adequate and responsive support
NMPED will facilitate the work of district technology leaders to build state and local education agency
capacity for evolving an infrastructure for learning. [NETP 4.4]
5.3.4 Formal cycle for review and replacement
NMPED will coordinate with DOIT to implement and maintain a high quality technology infrastructure to
serve resident and government clients, resulting in computers being refreshed on a five-year cycle. [NM
DOIT Goal 3]
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 24
5.4 Data Systems & Online Assessment
Goal: Our education system at all levels will leverage the power of technology to
measure what matters and use assessment data (both formative and summative)
for continuous improvement.



What We Should Be Assessing:
Assessing Complex Competencies Through Technology
Using Technology to Assess in Ways That Improve Learning
Assessing in the Classroom & During Online Learning
How Technology Supports Better Assessment
 Adaptive Assessment Facilitates Differentiated Learning
 Universal Design for Learning and Assistive Technology Improve Accessibility
 Technology Speeds Development and Testing of New Assessments
In the 2014–2015 school year the current Mathematics and English Language Arts/Literacy components
of the Standards Based Assessment (SBA) will be replaced by accountability assessments developed by
the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC). New Mexico is a
governing state within the 20 member PARCC consortium, one of two national consortia, funded by the
U.S. Department of Education to develop next generation student assessment systems. The PARCC
assessments, which will be provided on a computer-based platform to students in grades 3–11, will
inform students, educators, policymakers, and the public whether New Mexico students are on track
toward college and or career readiness based on the Common Core State Standards, which were
adopted in the Fall of 2010. We are working with PARCC to build a K–12 assessment system that:
 Builds a pathway to college and career readiness for all students
 Creates high-quality assessments that measure the full range of the Common Core State
Standards
 Supports educators in the classroom
 Makes better use of technology in assessments
 Advances accountability at all levels
Recommendations
5.4.1 Culture of evidence-based decision-making
5.4.1.1 Develop and use interoperability standards for content and student-learning data to
enable collecting and sharing resources and collecting, sharing, and analyzing data to improve
decision making at all levels of our education system. [NETP 4.5]
5.4.1.2 Develop and use interoperability standards for financial data to enable data-driven
decision making, productivity advances, and continuous improvement at all levels of our
education system. [NETP 4.6]
5.4.1.3 NMPED will work with districts, and others to revise practices, policies, and regulations
to ensure privacy and information protection while enabling a model of assessment that
includes ongoing gathering and sharing of data for continuous improvement. [NETP 2.5]
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 25
5.4.2 Online assessment and data systems support the data culture
NMPED will work with districts, and others to design, develop, and implement assessments that give
students, educators, and other stakeholders timely and actionable feedback about student learning to
improve achievement and instructional practices. [NETP 2.1]
5.4.3 Data- and assessment-literate staff
NMPED will work with districts to build the capacity of educators, educational institutions, and
developers to use technology to improve assessment materials and processes for both formative and
summative uses. [NETP 2.2]
5.4.4 Adaptive learning—analytics inform instruction
5.4.4.1 NMPED will seek opportunities to participate in research and development that explores
how UDL can enable the best accommodations for all students to ensure we are assessing what
we intend to measure rather than extraneous abilities a student needs to respond to the
assessment task. [NETP 2.4]
5.4.4.2 NMPED will seek opportunities to participate in research and development that explores
how embedded assessment technologies, such as simulations, collaboration environments,
virtual worlds, games and cognitive tutors, can be used to engage and motivate learners while
assessing complex skills. [NETP 2.3]
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 26
5.5 Academic Supports
Goal: All students will have access to high quality teaching and learning content,
courses, and support services regardless of geographic location.
Services and resources must be available inside and outside the school buiding and
the traditional school day to ensure that students’ academic needs are being met.
This may involve social services, connections to afterschool programs,
opportunities for remediation or enrichment, and access to resources. The very nature of academic
support and resources must be personalized to meet the needs of the district community and individual
studentsvi.
The Education360 model, as implemented in eCademy in Albuquerque, represents a next generation
learning approach, particularly with respect to academic supports and broadened engagement.
eCademy, a blended learning school, started the redesign process in fall 2008 and soon after piloted
four online courses. By spring 2010 there were over 200 students and three years later, in spring 2013,
over 3570 courses were being taken. For fall 2013, eCademy will be opening a new 9-12 grade program.
eCademy's growth has been impressive but its accomplishments are amazing. eCademy has greatly
reduced operating costs by moving all instructional materials to a digital format. All courses are now
textbook independent. This has greatly reduced many operational costs such as paper, copiers, paperrelated supplies and associated operational staff such as book room clerks and clerical positions. Money
saved from operations was allocated to hire more online teachers.
Being more efficient is a good thing, but increases in effectiveness are what have attracted so many
students to the eCademy program. In its first year, eCademy increased the pass rate of students by 20%.
Their summer school program boasts pass rates between 88% and 93%; this is especially impressive
since 100% of the summer school students previously failed the traditional school program. Over 1000
seniors took courses from eCademy in the 2012/13 school year allowing them to graduate on-time.
Education 360 [ED360] is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to transforming education through
creative and effective blended learning environments. Most educational reform has focused on
teachers, students, and content. Yet the learning environment has remained virtually the same for over
200 years. ED360 takes advantage of both the existing brick and mortar buildings and 24/7 digital
learning resources creating a learning environment that can be flexible to learner needs, providing
choice to students, parents, and teachers.
ED360’s Mission and Principles: Transform public schools from the inside out by: redesigning the
learning environment; expanding access to teaching and learning resources for students, teachers, and
parents; and committing to real partnerships with families and the community. The key principles
supporting this mission are:
● Transformation will succeed when the entire school community commits to a new
framework.
● Given the right access, resources and support, all students learn.
● The traditional educational system has barriers that hinder student success and limit
educator opportunities to teach, which must be removed so all students can thrive.
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 27
● All students and families have the right to high quality teachers, content and a
comprehensive array of classes.
● An environment that engages families, communities, and businesses as key partners is
essential to student success and academic achievement.
Reaching out to meet students where they are and at their need is the founding principle of the ED360
initiative. Meeting students where they are means providing high quality learning resources on the
school campus and also at home. Meeting students at their need means designing school resources that
recognize and address the enormous diversity and challenges our students bring to the educational
environment.
Digital Learning and the Role of Individualized, Personalized, and Differentiated Instruction
These terms have become buzzwords in education, but little agreement exists on what exactly they
mean beyond the broad concept that each is an alternative to the one-size-fits-all model of teaching and
learning. For example, some education professionals use personalization to mean that students are
given the choice of what and how they learn according to their interests, and others use it to suggest
that instruction is paced differently for different students. These considerations take on increased
importance as we expand teachers’ repertoire beyond reliance on lecture and direct instruction to
include to project based learning, student ownership, and the use of feedback as a tool to improve
learning with the use of digital technologies. Throughout this plan, we use the following definitions:
Individualization refers to instruction that is paced to the learning needs of different learners. Learning
goals are the same for all students, but students can progress through the material at different speeds
according to their learning needs. For example, students might take longer to progress through a given
topic, skip topics that cover information they already know, or repeat topics they need more help on.
Differentiation refers to instruction that is tailored to the learning preferences of different learners.
Learning goals are the same for all students, but the method or approach of instruction varies according
to the preferences of each student or what research has found works best for students like them.
Personalization refers to instruction that is paced to learning needs, tailored to learning preferences,
and tailored to the specific interests of different learners. In an environment that is fully personalized,
the learning objectives and content as well as the method and pace may all vary (so personalization
encompasses differentiation and individualization).
Successful implementation of each is dependent upon educators’ effective skills at data analysis and
responsive decision-making.
Digital Citizenship
Digital citizenship is a key concept which includes media, information and digital literacy. While these
vital skills need to be taught within any course content, they also need to be taught by a professional
who is trained in these areas – the library/media specialist. A collaboration between the library and
classroom teachers should be encouraged so that students are learning digital, media and information
literacy within the content so that it becomes relevant to their lives. Another approach is to have
teachers trained by library teachers so that they can find and use teachable moments to include digital,
information and media literacy into their classes seamlessly. Digital citizenship can be supported by
providing forums for discussion and information on best practices for how community members can
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 28
be included in the development and ongoing evaluation of systems for community engagement and
outreach for individual communities.
Recommendations
5.5.1 Community engagement and outreach
NMPED will support schools and community partners in creating digital Learning Communities for
families, educators and students. This includes sharing strategies for access to devices and Internet for
all students at the home level. Students will have the opportunity to teach parents and take ownership
of their learning; educators can collaborate in their schools and statewide to build lifelong partnerships.
5.5.2 A digital learning environment
NMPED will continue support and seek ways to expand the reach of IDEAL-NM to provide a free,
statewide eLearning program to schools and related community partnership outreach initiatives.
5.5.3 Collaboration and teamwork
NMPED will use Enterprise models to extend venues for online collaboration and teamwork among
districts and school leaders.
5.5.4 Parental communication and engagement
NMPED will model and highlight successful strategies for using digital media to increase meaningful
engagement of parents and families in supporting the academic growth of their children.
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 29
5. 6 Professional Learning
Goal: Professional educators will be supported individually and in teams by
technology that connects them to data, content, resources, expertise, and learning
experiences that can empower and inspire them to provide more effective
teaching for all learners.
Teaching today is practiced mostly in isolation. Many educators work alone, with
little interaction with professional colleagues or experts in the outside world. Professional development
typically is provided in short, fragmented, and episodic workshops that offer little opportunity to
integrate learning into practice. A classroom educator’s primary job is understood to be covering the
assigned content and ensuring that students test well. Many educators do not have the information, the
time, or the incentives to continuously improve their professional practice from year to year.
Our efforts to provide professional learning for teachers working to integrate tech into classroom
learning need to follow what we are learning about highly effective Professional Development (PD). The
traits of effective PD include:





Job embedded
Intensive, Ongoing
Connected to practice
Builds strong working relationships among teachers
Connected to other school initiatives
(Darling-Hammond, L., Wei, R., Andree, A., Richardson, N., & Orphanos, S. (2009). Professional learning
in the learning profession: A status report on teacher development in the United States and abroad.
Retrieved from http://www.learningforward.org/docs/pdf/nsdcstudy2009.pdf.)
Strong working relationships are key to effective professional learning. Put another way, collaboration
among teachers is critical. Feedback and input from teachers is critical if they are to take ownership of
their professional learning and have pride in their work. The importance of collaboration among
teachers was recognized in the US National Ed Tech Plan in 2010. http://www.ed.gov/technology/netp2010
As the National Ed Tech Plan notes, online learning for teachers, and online professional learning
communities can be two powerful collaborative tools that prepare teachers to integrate technology.
But neither of these is really designed to help a school develop its capacity to integrate technology in
meaningful ways. These approaches are too focused on individuals.
One professional learning methodology that aligns with these traits of effective learning and has proven
effective at helping teachers improve teaching and learning, and integrate technology in ways that
enrich and enhance learning, is peer coaching. Garmston and Wellman remind us that collaboration is a
learned skill. Coaches, prepared with communication, collaboration and lesson design skills, and an
understanding of how technology enriches and enhances learning, have proven that they can be a
catalyst to promote effective collaboration. (Foltos, L. (2013) Peer Coaching: Unlocking the power of
collaboration. Corwin Press: Thousand Oaks, CA.) Coaches can help teachers throughout their school to
develop the capacity to use tech in ways that enriches and enhances student learning.
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 30
Job-Embedded Professional Development (JEPD)
Job-Embedded Professional Developmentvii (JEPD) is professional development situated in schools that
is always about the current work of schools, in which the majority of teacher learning takes place in the
course of their school day. Only when PD is focused on the immediate work of teaching the students to
whom the teachers are assigned can it be considered job-embedded. The closer the learning activity is
to the actual work of teachers in classrooms with their current students, the more job embedded it is.
Compare this with traditional PD, which takes place in or outside the school, removed from instruction,
away from students, and centers on issues of likely practice. By integrating PD within the same systems
students use for learning, truly JEPD becomes possible for the first time. This plan leverages the New
Mexico Public Education’s program Innovative Digital Education and Learning-New Mexico (IDEALNM), a statewide eLearning program, as a venue for JEPD.
Communities of practice support professional development situated in schools that is always about the
current work of schools, in which the majority of teacher learning occurs in the course of their school
day. Although JEPD can be undertaken by a teacher alone, professional knowledge is best developed
when it is collaborative, social, situated, and distributed among colleagues. Teachers’ professional
development results from formal and informal social interactions among teachers, situated in the
context of their school and the classrooms in which they teach and is distributed across the entire staff.
When implemented and supported effectively, it contributes to the growth of all teachers within a team
or school by generating conversations among teachers about concrete acts of teaching and student
learning (Wei, Darling-Hammond, Andree, Richardson, & Orphanos, 2009).viii
NMPED advocates a coaching model to help teachers develop collaboration skills and team effectively to
develop their capacity to improve teaching and learning. Multiple technology-centric coaching models
have been supported by recent NMPED efforts. These include the Laptop Learning Initiative, the Building
Blocks Project, and IDEAL-NM. Use of blended learning strategies that leverage our existing IDEAL-NM
learning network extends the effectiveness of Communities of Practice by combining the power of faceto-face with the reach of online collaborations, linking teachers from schools or districts addressing
similar challenges, to share and build upon successful practices. This process brings efficiency to
continuous professional learning, by helping districts build capacity to “insource” their JEPD by training
facilitators to support teachers in conducting inquiries, team collaboration, and strengthen the
connection of teacher learning to student growth through:


connecting the knowledge and the need, at all levels, on demand
reducing negative impact of teacher absence on student achievement and budget drains due to
PD related substitute and travel costs
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 31
Peer Coaching Through Facilitator-Led Implementation
The NMPED will encourage teacher leaders to participate in peer-coaching training so that they can play
a role in helping their schools build the capacity for both effective collaboration and meaningful
integration of technology. Our research into what has worked well in other states led us to the Peer
Coaching model (see peer-ed.com), a highly collaborative professional development experience that
assists teacher leaders to develop the skills they need to coach colleagues: critical skills in
communication, lesson design, and technology integration. Research and experience show coaches need
these skills to be successful as they work with colleagues.
This training has proved highly effective. In Wisconsin, for example, program evaluators found that 71%
of participants in Wisconsin Peer Coaching program felt coaching made a significant impact on their
ability to promote critical thinking and problem solving, engage students in learning, and improve
academic curricula. The diagram below outlines how Arizona scaled Peer Coaching in three years.
Peer Ed trained 175 facilitators
175 facilitators trained 2,500 coaches
2,500 coaches collaborated with 7,000 teachers
7,000 teachers help 210,000 students develop 21st
Century skills each year.
Necessary Conditions for PD Success in Professional Learning
Expanded teacher opportunities to learn: While all learners (students and teachers) benefit from
multiple opportunities to learn, the school’s professional culture significantly affects teachers’
opportunity to learn. IDEAL-NM PD is designed to support school leaders seeking to foster an
organizational culture of continuous learning and teamwork. Our design is informed by research-based
knowledge about how adults learn, empowering them to be self-directed, to build new knowledge upon
preexisting knowledge, and to connect with the relevance and personal significance of what they are
learning.
Professional Learning in and as a community: Teacher isolation limits professional growth. Evaluating
and solving problems of practice in order to improve a teacher’s practice requires sustained
collaboration in identifying and supporting the implementation of evidence-based instructional
practices. IDEAL-NM PD can help educators gain new skills that lead to positive outcomes of
collaboration, by providing teachers with guided opportunities to develop their collaborative skills,
including conflict resolution, problem-solving strategies, and consensus building.
Facilitator Skills: IDEAL-NM PD is designed to help districts build capacity to “in-source” their JEPD by
preparing facilitators to serve as catalysts for professional learning, supporting teachers in conducting
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 32
inquiries and team collaboration while strengthening the connection of teacher learning to student
learning. In addition to having expertise in instruction, facilitators receive targeted professional
development in effective interpersonal and group-process skills.
Preparing New Educators and Ongoing Professional Learning
Measureable goals will be reflected in teacher journals, that are part of every IDEAL-NM PD offering,
leading to evidence of:
 Connecting With Exemplary Practices
 Connecting With Other Professionals
 Career-long Personal Learning Networks
 Growing Demand for Skilled Online Instruction
 Closing the Technology Gap in Teaching
Recommendations
5.6.1 Skill set for the digital age
NMPED will work to expand opportunities for educators to have access to, and the ability to use
technology-based content, resources, and tools where and when they need them. [NETP 3.1]
5.6.2 Diverse opportunities for professional learning
5.6.2.1 NMPED will work with the NM Department of Information Technologies and other
partners to use technology to provide all learners with online access to effective teaching and
better learning opportunities and options in places where they are not otherwise available and
in blended (online and offline) learning environments. [NETP 3.3]
5.6.2.2 NMPED will encourage teacher leaders to participate in peer-coaching training so that
they can play a role in helping their schools build the capacity for both effective collaboration
and meaningful integration of technology.
5.6.3 NMPED will work with school districts to develop a suite of online/professional
development courses for all schools starting in 2014
5.6.2.4 NMPED will support districts and schools of education to develop a teaching force skilled
in online instruction. [NETP 3.5]
5.6.3 New responsibilities for collaboration
NMPED will work with districts to leverage social networking technologies and platforms to create
communities of practice that provide career-long personal learning opportunities for educators within
and across schools, preservice preparation and in-service educational institutions, and professional
organizations. [NETP 3.2]
5.6.4 Broad-based participative evaluation
NMPED will work with districts to build the capacity of educators, educational institutions, and
developers to use technology to improve assessment materials and processes for both formative and
summative uses. [NETP 2.2]
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 33
5.7 Budget & Resources
Goal: New Mexico will realize operational efficiencies and improved effectiveness through
the development of standards, digitization of instructional materials, and strategic
alignment of the statewide technology plan.
Shrinking or stagnant budgets and growing college- and career-readiness demands require that districts
and schools approach budgeting and resources in creative, systemic, and often new ways. Digital
learning and technology, while often seen as separate line items or additions to the typical funding
streams and expenses, should be integrated into the budgeting process in a smart and streamlined way.
This includes ongoing maintenance and support as well as a comprehensive view of how technology and
digital learning can support administrative and instructional needs and goals.ix
5.7.1 Efficiency and cost savings
5.7.1.1 NMPED will coordinate with districts and schools to ensure that Information Technology
drives efficient delivery of high quality educational services that will benefit constituents and
support economic development. [NM IT Goal 1]
5.7.1.2 NMPED will assist schools to reduce the cost of operations through effective
development, implementation and management of IT technical and application architectures,
programs and services, including facilitation of sharing eRate best practices. [NM IT Goal 4]
5.7.1.3 NMPED will coordinate with districts and schools to recruit, sustain, retain the best IT
workforce to effectively deliver excellent IT services. [NM IT Goal 10]
5.7.1.4 NMPED will develop Open Educational Resource (OER) eBooks and/or work with nonprofits like CK12 to adopt eBooks currently developed, to provide a significant reduction in
instructional material costs.
5.7.2 Alignment to district- and building-level strategic and tactical plan
NMPED will align data systems to streamline reporting and correlate system performance data with
district technology use.
5.7.3 Consistent funding streams
NMPED will gather and share data on best practices specific to requirements of current and emerging
funding streams to assist in funding requests and program development.
5.7.4 Learning return on investment (metrics tied to student results)
NMPED will implement an Educational Data Dashboard system that includes metrics tied to student
results, learning trajectories for cohorts of students and uses of technology that result in observable
student gains.
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 34
6. Minimum Standards for Devices & Bandwidth
In order for New Mexico districts and schools to develop technology readiness for upcoming online
assessments and digital learning requirements, New Mexico adopts recommendations from the State
Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) for computing device and bandwidth adequacyx.
These standards are consistent with both the PARCC and online SBA assessment requirements that will
be launched in the spring of 2014. The recommendations for computing devices are as follows:
Desktop, Laptop, Netbook, and Thin Client1/VDI Computers
Operating System
Windows
Mac OS
Linux
Chrome OS
3,4
Minimum Specifications2
Windows XP – Service Pack 3
Recommended Specifications
Windows 7 or newer
Mac OS 10.5
Mac OS 10.7 or newer
Ubuntu 9-10, Fedora 6
Linux: Ubuntu 11.10, Fedora 16 or
newer
Chrome OS 19 or newer
Chrome OS 19
Memory
512 MB of RAM
1 GB RAM or greater
Connectivity
Computers must be able to connect to the
Internet via wired or wireless networks.
Screen Size
9.5 inch screen size or larger
Computers must be able to
connect to the Internet via wired
or wireless networks.
9.5 inch screen size or larger
Screen Resolution
1024 x 768 resolution5 or better
1024 x 768 resolution5 or better
Input Device
Requirements
Keyboard
Keyboard
Mouse or Touchpad or Touchscreen
Mouse or Touchpad or Touchscreen
The input device must allow students to select/deselect, drag, and highlight text, objects, and
areas. The input device must allow students to enter letters, numbers, and symbols and shift,
tab, return, delete, and backspace. To meet security guidelines, each Bluetooth/wireless
keyboard must be configured to pair with only a single computer during assessment
administration.
Other assistive technologies may be needed for students requiring accommodations. PARCC
will release Accessibility Guidelines and Accommodations Guidelines in June 2013.
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 35
Headphone/Earphone
and Microphone
Requirements
Headphones/Earphones
Headphones/Earphones
Microphone
Microphone
Headphones/earphones are required for all students for all PARCC assessments. Some
student accommodations may also require headphones/ earphones (e.g., text to speech).
Microphones are required for all students taking the Speaking and Listening Assessment.
Some student accommodations may also require microphones (e.g., speech to text, voice
controls) for other parts of the PARCC assessments.
Additional Guidance
1 Each
computer operating in a thin client environment must meet or exceed
minimum hardware specifications, as well as bandwidth and security
requirements.
2 Computers
meeting only the minimum specifications for the 2014-2015 assessment are
not likely to be compatible beyond the 2015-2016 assessment. PARCC recommends that
schools upgrade from the oldest operating systems and lowest memory levels as soon as
possible.
3 Windows
XP will no longer be supported by Microsoft after April 8, 2014, presenting
security and support risks for schools. (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/endsupport-help)
4 Computers
running Windows XP-Service Pack 3 may require a web browser other
than Internet Explorer due to HTML5 compatibility limitations. PARCC will issue
specific web browser guidance by October 2013.
5 Computers
must accommodate the 1024 x 768 screen resolution minimum without
panning. PARCC recognizes that some netbook computers may have screen resolutions
slightly less than the 1024 x 768 minimum, yet may meet all other minimum
requirements. Depending on netbook model specifics, school technology administrators
may be able to reset screen resolution to meet PARCC guidelines. By October 2013,
following final test design, PARCC will establish a means for schools to evaluate if
particular netbook devices are able to display PARCC assessment items without requiring
Teaching,
Learning,
2014-15 School
2017-18 School
students to scroll or pan.
Broadband Access for
and School Operations
Year Target
Year Target
An external Internet connection to the
Internet service provider (ISP)
At least 100 Mbps
per 1,000 students/
staff
At least 1 Gbps per
1,000 students/staff
Internal wide area network (WAN)
connections from the district to each school
and among schools within the district
At least 1 Gbps per
1,000 students/staff
At least 10 Gbps per
1,000 students/staff
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 36
Tablets
Operating System
Minimum Specifications
Android
Recommended Specifications
Android 4.0
(with 512 MB RAM or greater)
Android 4.0 or newer
(with 1GB RAM or greater)
Apple iOS
iPad 2 running iOS 6
(with 512 MB RAM or greater)
iPad 2 or newer running iOS6 or newer
(with 512 MB RAM or greater)
Windows
6Windows 8
6Windows 8 or newer
(with 512 MB RAM or greater)
(with 1GB RAM or greater)
Memory
By operating system
By operating system
Connectivity
Computers must be able to connect to
the Internet via wired or wireless
networks.
Computers must be able to connect to the
Internet via wired or wireless networks.
Screen Size
9.5 inch screen size or larger7
9.5 inch screen size or larger7
Screen Resolution
1024 x 768 resolution5 or better
1024 x 768 resolution5 or better
Input Device
Requirements
Keyboard
Keyboard
Touchscreen or Mouse
Touchscreen or Mouse
Due to the onscreen space occupied by a tablet’s virtual keyboard, PARCC assessments will
require external keyboards for test takers using tablets so as not to limit or obscure the view
of test item content and related functionalities when text input is required. Research studies
to be conducted by PARCC in Spring 2013 are intended to yield data on students’ use of virtual
versus external keyboards. PARCC will refine this guidance as needed based on these results.
External keyboards must allow students to enter letters, numbers, and symbols and shift, tab,
return, delete, and backspace. Tablet touchscreen interfaces can be used for student
interactions with the assessments other than text input, including to select/deselect, drag, and
highlight text, objects, and areas. To meet security guidelines, each Bluetooth/wireless
keyboard must be configured to pair with only a single computer during assessment
administration.
Other assistive technologies may be needed for students requiring accommodations. PARCC
will release Accessibility Guidelines and Accommodations Guidelines in June 2013.
Headphone/Earphone and
Microphone Requirements
Headphones/Earphones
Microphone
Headphones/Earphones
Microphone
Headphones/earphones are required for all students for all PARCC assessments. Some
student accommodations may also require headphones/ earphones (e.g., text to speech).
Microphones are required for all students taking the Speaking and Listening Assessment. Some
student accommodations may also require microphones (e.g., speech to text, voice controls) for
other parts of the PARCC assessments.
Additional Guidance
6PARCC has not yet evaluated the compatibility of Windows RT for 2014-2015.
Further information will be issued on Windows RT in Version 3.0 of the PARCC Guidelines.
7Smaller tablets (screen size less than 9.5”), e-readers, and smart phones will not be
supported and will not be compatible with PARCC assessments for 2014-2015.
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 37
7.
Resources and Research
7.1 National Educational Technology Standards
7.2 iNacol National Quality Standards
7.3 Cognitive Rigor and Depth of Knowledge in Common Core
7.4 Universal Design for Learning
7.5 Technological/Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK)
7.6 Mayordomo Project
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 38
7.1 National Educational Technology Standards
The NM State Ed Tech Plan adopts the following professional standards developed by the International
Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) for Students, Teachers and Administrators.
ISTE's NETS for Students (NETS•S) are the standards
for evaluating the skills and knowledge students need
to learn effectively and live productively in an
increasingly global and digital world.
Simply being able to use technology is no longer
enough. Today's students need to be able to use
technology to analyze, learn, and explore. Digital age
skills are vital for preparing students to work, live, and
contribute to the social and civic fabric of their
communities.
ISTE's NETS for Teachers (NETS•T) are the standards
for evaluating the skills and knowledge educators need
to teach, work, and learn in an increasingly connected
global and digital society.
As technology integration continues to increase in our
society, it is paramount that teachers possess the skills
and behaviors of digital age professionals. Moving
forward, teachers must become comfortable being colearners with their students and colleagues around the
world.
ISTE's NETS for Administrators (NETS•A) are the
standards for evaluating the skills and knowledge
school administrators and leaders need to support
digital age learning, implement technology, and
transform the education landscape.
Transforming schools into digital age places of learning
requires leadership from people who can accept new
challenges and embrace new opportunities. Now more
than ever, the success of technology integration
depends on leaders who can implement systemic
reform in our schools.
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 39
7.2 iNacol National Quality Standards
The mission of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) is to ensure all students
have access to a world-class education and quality online learning opportunities that prepare them for a
lifetime of success. The NM State Ed Tech Plan adopts these standards for online and blended learning.
Measuring Quality From Inputs to Outcomes: Creating Student Learning
Performance Metrics and Quality Assurance for Online Schools
Susan Patrick, David Edwards, John Watson, Matthew Wicks, October 2012
With the growth of U.S. K-12 online learning enrollments rising each year, this
report outlines how policymakers and education leaders might thoughtfully
approach implementing new student learning performance metrics and quality
assurance for these increasingly popular school environments.
Measuring Quality From Inputs to Outcomes underscores the need of the field
to truly take advantage of innovative new learning tools and practices to
personalize education for every student, and emphasizes that policy discussions must address
measuring success toward outcomes-driven models.
iNACOL National Standards for Quality Online Courses, version 2
iNACOL, October 2011
National Standards for Quality Online Courses is designed to provide states,
districts, online programs, and other organizations with a set of quality
guidelines for online course content, instructional design, technology, student
assessment, and course management.
iNACOL National Standards for Quality Online Teaching, version 2
iNACOL, October 2011
National Standards for Quality Online Teaching is designed to provide states,
districts, online programs, and other organizations with a set of quality
guidelines for online teaching.
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 40
7.3 Cognitive Rigor and Depth of Knowledge in Common Core
Click this link to see a video explaining how Bloom’s Taxonomy looks different at each level of the
Depths of Knowledge used to develop Common Core Performance Tasks.
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 41
7.4 Universal Design for Learning
The goal of education in the 21st century is not simply the mastery of knowledge. It is the mastery of
learning. Education should help turn novice learners into expert learners—individuals who know how
to learn, who want to learn, and who, in their own highly individual ways, are well prepared for a
lifetime of learning. - CAST
With this concise statement, the Center for Applied Special Technologies (CAST) sets out a challenge that
is particularly relevant to our task. Harnessing the power of digital age learning can allow us to
simultaneously create expert learners while constructing environments that support growth of College &
Career Readiness in all of our students.
CAST identifies three characteristics shared by expert learners that are essential for us to
consider as we work to strengthen creative behavior and habits of mind in our students:
1. Strategic, goal-directed learners.
They formulate plans for learning and
devise effective strategies and tactics
to optimize learning; they organize
resources and tools to facilitate
learning; they monitor their progress
toward mastery; they recognize their
own strengths and weaknesses as
learners; and they abandon plans and
strategies that are ineffective.
2. Resourceful, knowledgeable
learners. They bring considerable
prior knowledge to new learning; and
they activate that prior knowledge to
identify, organize, prioritize and
assimilate new information. They recognize the tools and resources that would help them find,
structure, and remember new information; and they know how to transform new information into
meaningful and useable knowledge.
3. Purposeful, motivated learners. Their goals are focused on mastery rather than performance; they
know how to set challenging learning goals for themselves and how to sustain the effort and resilience
that reaching those goals will require; they can monitor and regulate emotional reactions that would be
impediments or distractions to their successful learning.
By designing learning environments and experiences that apply these skills in authentic contexts, your
path will take a significant departure from the “decontextualized” teaching of “subject area” knowledge
that forms the bulk of traditional instruction. Universal Design for Learning, when combined with Project
Based Learning (described in greater detail later on), provides you with powerful strategies for creating
meaningful activities.
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 42
Not surprisingly, it turns out our brains play an important role in becoming expert learners. CAST has
done incredible work in revealing how we can align our instruction to work with the natural processes
our brain uses to accomplish learning tasks. Since experience, environment and heredity combine to
make everyone’s brain different, this means providing multiple means of:
 Representation: Presenting information and content in different ways
 Action and Expression: Differentiating the ways that students can express what they know
 Engagement: Stimulating interest and motivation for learning
Each of these techniques supports a particular learning network in the brain.
Experience this for yourself by completing the “Your Three Brain Networks” activity at:
http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/tools/main.cfm?t_id=10

Recognition Networks govern the “What” of learning (how we gather facts and categorize
what we see, hear, and read. Identifying letters, words, or an author's style are recognition
tasks.) Multiple means of representation allow all learners to find ways to tap into their
recognition networks.

Strategic Networks govern the “How” of learning (how we plan and perform tasks, how we
organize and express our ideas. Writing an essay or solving a math problem are strategic
tasks.) Multiple means of action and expression allow all learners to find ways to tap into
their strategic networks.

Affective Networks govern the “Why” of learning (how learners get engaged and stay
motivated, how they are challenged, excited, or interested.) Multiple means of engagement
allow all learners to find ways to tap into their affective networks.
Click this link to learn more about the brain’s Three Networks and implications for learning design.
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 43
7.5 Technological, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK)xi
Since educators tend to teach in the ways they themselves have learned, it is essential to design for
success in making the transition to digital learning environments. Fortunately, a process for
accomplishing this goal by designing effective instructional activities has been developed by Judi Harris
and Mark Hofer, based upon the Technological, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) model
(Koehler & Mishra 2008). TPACK happens where teachers’ knowledge of curriculum content, general
pedagogies, and technologies intersect (see diagram).
Root cause analysis seeks answers to difficult and
persistent questions. One of these is why greater
academic gains have not resulted from two decades and
billions of dollars of educational technology investment.
The answers may be surprisingly simple: many
educators do not use technology based solutions in
their everyday work because they don’t feel they need
to do so to accomplish their pedagogical goals.
The types of activities that will most effectively help
students learn vary with both the age and
developmental levels of students, but also vary
fundamentally across the disciplines. While
communication and collaboration are important for
everyone, for example, they don’t help students learn
to solve mathematical equations. There are key areas of each discipline which must be addressed, and
not all of these are addressed by the commonalities many educational technology reformers prefer to
focus on. Recent research suggests a way beyond this impasse.
In the abstract for their paper, Harris and Hofer report, “successful technology integration is rooted in
curriculum content and students’ content-related learning processes primarily, and secondarily in savvy
use of educational technologies. When integrating educational technologies into instruction, teachers’
planning must occur at the nexus of standards-based curriculum requirements, effective pedagogical
practices, and available technologies’ affordances and constraints.”
TPACK (appearing in the diagram’s center) is also comprised of three particular aspects of knowledge
that are represented by the other three intersections:



Pedagogical Content Knowledge: How to teach particular content-based material
Technological Content Knowledge: How to select and use technologies to communicate particular
content knowledge
Technological Pedagogical Knowledge: How to use particular technologies when teaching
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 44
Judi Harris and Mark Hofer report, “planning a particular learning event can be described as the end
result of five basic instructional decisions:




Choosing learning goals
Making practical pedagogical decisions about the nature of the learning experience
Selecting and sequencing appropriate activity types to combine to form the learning experience
Selecting formative and summative assessment strategies that will reveal what and how well
students are learning
 Selecting tools and resources that will best help students to benefit from the learning experience
being planned”
TPACK is such a rich and deep model, that in the scope of this plan it is only possible to provide an
introduction and strong recommendation that educators explore it further at:
http://activitytypes.wmwikis.net/
Harris and Hofer’s model has been
developed by teams of researchers
examining hundreds of activities in
multiple disciplines at multiple levels,
and has revealed a surprising result:
the pedagogical content knowledge is
so specific to each discipline that the
categories for activity types are not
“hot-swappable.”
Click this link for a short video
introduction to TPACK.
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 45
7.6 Mayordomo Project
In September 2008, the Mayordomo Project was spearheaded by a collaboration between the New
Mexico Acequia Association and the UNM Ortiz Center for Intercultural Studies. Its purpose is to address
a situation the NMAA calls the “mayordomo crisis,” involving knowledge loss, attrition, and inadequate
replacement of New Mexico’s mayordomos de las acequias. The Mayordomo Project seeks to
investigate and record the practical local knowledge of living mayordomos in order to develop a method
and program for the transmission of this knowledge to a new generation of mayordomos. It aims to
identify, describe, understand, and transmit knowledge that is common among all mayordomos as well
as particular to a specific individual and location. The methodology of the project is community-based
participatory action research (PAR), whereby a community of interest defines a problem it faces and
seeks to solve through a collaborative, group process of investigation and action.
DECLARATION OF CORE VALUES (2010 Congreso de las Acequias)
1. We honor the connection between water, land, life, and communities. We believe that our acequias
express the values of our culture and identity as a land-based people. Just as our herencia came from
generations before us, we now have the responsibility of passing on our traditions to youth and future
generations.
2. For generations, the well being of our
communities has been sustained by sharing
for the benefit of the common good, a
tradition known as the repartimiento.
Through our acequias we have shared scarce
water, between our families we have shared
food and seed, and through our labor we
have helped one another. The acequia
cleaning, sacando la acequia, is an example of
the shared work inherent to our way of life.
About NMAA: The mission of the New Mexico
Acequia Association is “to protect water and our
acequias, grow healthy food for our families and
communities, and to honor our cultural heritage.”
In its vision, acequias flow with clean water,
people work together to grow food, and
communities celebrate cultural and spiritual
traditions. People honor acequias as part of our
heritage and express querencia through a strong
connection to land and community. Knowledge and
experience about growing food, sharing water, and
saving seed are passed on from generation to
generation.
3. We view water as a don divino or divine
gift from God and as a common resource that sustains all life. Making a profit from selling water rights is
a form of disrespect to our ancestors, our core values, our way of life, and our children and
grandchildren.
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 46
4. Water rights should remain connected to the acequia to nurture agricultural traditions, to replenish
aquifers, and to support the green ribbons of life along our rivers.
5. We respect the traditional knowledge of our elders which guides the day-to-day operation of
acequias, the cultivation of ancestral crops, and the care of our animals.
6. The worldview that treats land, water and food as commodities threatens the continued life of our
communities. The pressures to move water out of agriculture threaten to unravel acequias and the
fabric of our communities.
7. We believe that we have the power to grow our own food locally rather than importing most of our
food through the industrial food system and that this local food should be available and affordable to all
our families not only the wealthy.
8. We believe that our ability to grow our own food with the water from our acequias, the lands of our
families, and the seeds of our ancestors make us a free people. Our self-determination depends on
retaining our ancestral lands and waters under the stewardship that we inherited from our parents and
grandparents.
9. We believe that our acequias will remain resilient by remaining rooted in centuries of traditions while
also involving new community members who embrace the culture and customs intertwined with our
acequias.
10. We seek to strengthen and revitalize our acequias so that we can build vibrant and healthy
communities in which we grow more of our own food and we govern and manage our waters for the
benefit of our communities
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 47
Endnotes
i
National Educational Technology Plan 2010 http://www.ed.gov/technology/netp-2010
ii
FINAL REPORT: Statewide Broadband Summit www.nmfirst.org
iii
http://www.speedmatters.org/benefits/
iv
Project 24 downloaded 8/8/13 from http://digitallearningday.org/partners/project24/gears/curriculum-and-instruction/
v
The Broadband Imperative, downloaded 8/7/13 from
http://www.setda.org/web/guest/broadbandimperative
vi
Project 24 downloaded 8/8/13 from http://digitallearningday.org/partners/project24/gears/academic-supports/
vii
Croft, Andrew, et al. "Job-embedded professional development: What it is, who is
responsible, and how to get it done well." (2010). Downloaded from
www.tqsource.org/publications/JEPD%20Issue%20Brief.pdf 10/19/12
viii
ibid
ix
Project 24 downloaded 8/8/13 from http://digitallearningday.org/partners/project24/gears/budget-and-resources/
x
The Broadband Imperative, downloaded 8/7/13 from
http://www.setda.org/web/guest/broadbandimperative
xi
Harris, J., & Hofer, M. (2009). Instructional planning activity types as vehicles for curriculum-based
TPACK development. In C. D. Maddux, (Ed.). Research highlights in technology and teacher education
2009 (pp. 99-108). Chesapeake, VA: Society for Information Technology in Teacher Education (SITE).
New Mexico State Educational Technology Plan - Page 48