Bump on the Blog

I decided, this year, to throw my hat into the ring and run for a Director position on the Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) Board of Directors.  If you are a member of TCEA, you can click on the image to be directed to the voting website. If you are unfamiliar with TCEA, it is one of the largest statewide educational technology organizations in the U.S., “dedicated to the improvement of teaching and learning through the use of computers and technology”.  Not only does TCEA put on one of the best annual educational technology conventions each February, but it also provides its members with numerous resources, workshops, and collaborative opportunities throughout the year.  I am, specifically, running for the Board Directorship representing Area 19 in Texas.  This area includes the following school districts:

• El Paso ISD
• Ysleta ISD
• Socorro ISD
• Clint ISD
• Canutillo ISD
• Anthony ISD
• Tornillo ISD
• Dell City ISD
• Sierra Blanca ISD
• Fabens ISD
• San Elizario ISD
• Fort Hancock ISD

While there are numerous kudos I could bestow upon TCEA , its membership, and their accomplishments, it’s the future direction of the organization, as I’d like to see it, that has motivated me to run for this position.  Five areas where foresee TCEA heading (on a statewide and local level) are:

1. Playing a greater role in the area of technology integration at a local level. While I am sure that past area Directors have done their fair share of work to increase TCEA’s visibility and influence within Area 19, the truth of the matter is there are still far too many educators  out there that are unaware of what the organization has to offer and how TCEA can serve as a support for the integration of technology into their schools.  I envision a cadre of TCEA members working collaboratively to offer guidance, resources, and training –at a regional level- to educators that are member of the organization, as well as to those that are not but potentially could be.
2. Increased Membership. Through a focused membership drive campaign, I will be working hard to increase TCEA membership in Area 19.  There is strength in numbers, and while I don’t have exact figures as to what current Area 19 membership is, I believe an increase of 10% is quite achievable with my first year in office.
3. Greater Collaboration Among Members. With increased membership, also comes the opportunity for educators to collaborate more with one another.  I have been a member of TCEA since 2003, and to this day, I still have no idea who in Area 19 is a member of TCEA.  An Area 19 (or statewide for that matter) directory/wiki is desperately needed.  With contact information, a brief biography, areas of expertise, and topics of interest, the logistics of collaborative projects among TCEA members is made easier by tenfold.
4. Open, Transparent, and Accessible Communication. Communication between the TCEA Board of Directors and its membership has to be made more accessible, open, and transparent.  Feedback from TCEA membership has to be gathered before, and after, major Board decisions are made.  Too many technologies (blogs, wikis, podcasts, videocasts) are freely available at our disposal for this not to be currently happening.  A prime example is the lack of an RSS feed on the TCEA website, a simple solution to distributing information to TCEA membership in a way that is more accessible.
5. Greater Advocacy. TCEA must do a better job making their voice heard, advocate for its membership, offer guidance and support, and lobby for legislative measures on a statewide and national legislative level.  As one of the largest instructional technology organizations in the U.S., it is remiss that more time and resources are not being dedicated to this endevour.

If you are a member of TCEA, I encourage you to visit the website and vote for your Board of Directors. If you are a member of TCEA within Area 19, I’d like to ask for your vote. If you are an educator in the state of Texas and currently are not a member of TCEA, I’d encourage to join at the TCEA Membership website, annual dues are $30.

The deadline to submit your vote is December 1.

If you’d like to support my efforts, please feel free to display the above image, with a link to the TCEA Board of Directors voting site, on your webpage.  Just copy and paste the following bit of code:

<a href="http://www.tcea.org/vote/PreVote.asp"><img src="http://bumpontheblog.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/tcea.jpg" alt="" /></a>