EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY is the focus of 3 new publications:
> a report on Internet access in public schools
> a webpage of federal resources for education technology
> the May issue of a newsletter, "Community Update."
Excerpts are below.
LAST WEEK, SECRETARY PAIGE hailed the House of
Representatives' 384-45 vote that passed H.R.1, a bipartisan
bill that advances the four pillars of "No Child Left Behind,"
President Bush's education plan. "As a result of H.R.1," he
said, "schools, districts, & states will have more flexibility
& control; parents, teachers, schools, & states will have more
information about student performance & what works in the
classroom; parents & communities will be able to hold schools
accountable for providing a quality education to every child;
& children trapped in persistently failing schools will for
the first time ever have more choices & more chances to
succeed." The Secretary's full statement & details about
H.R.1 are at
http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/05-2001/05232001b.html
http://edworkforce.house.gov/press/press107/hr1ph52301.htm
---------------------------------
Internet Access in Public Schools
--------------------------------- "Internet Access in U.S.
Public Schools: 1994-2000," released May 9 by the Department's
National Center for Education Statistics, tells...
* How much progress have public schools made in connecting
to the Internet?
* What is the ratio of students to instructional computers
in public schools?
* How are public schools connected to the Internet?
* To what extent are public schools making the Internet
available to students outside of regular school hours in
2000?
* How are public schools preventing students from accessing
inappropriate material on the Internet in 2000?
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2001071
------------------------------------------------
Federal Resources for Using Education Technology
------------------------------------------------
"Education Technology: Selected Federal Information &
Resources" is a webpage of links organized around 5 questions:
* What teaching & learning resources are available on the
web from the federal government?
* What support is available from the federal government
that can help my school or family use technology for
learning?
* What information is available from the federal government
that can help my school or family use technology for
learning?
* What information & resources does the federal government
support in my region of the country that can help my
school or family use education technology effectively?
* Where can I find information and resources in my state
can help my school or family use technology for learning?
The webpage was developed as a companion to the May 15
Satellite Town Meeting (STM).
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OIIA/STMResources/index.html
Archived webcasts of this month's STM, "Enhancing Education
Through Technology: New Tools to Close the Achievement Gap" --
as well as previous STMs -- can be found at
http://ali.apple.com/events/edgovseries/
The next STM is June 19. The topic is "Standards &
Accountability." For details, please see
http://registerevent.ed.gov/downlink/event-flyer.asp?intEventID=140
To receive email updates about upcoming STMs, you can
subscribe to STM-LIST (please see
http://www.ed.gov/inits/stm/stm-list.html).
----------------
Community Update
---------------- The May issue of "Community Update," a
newsletter designed to help communities learn from each other
as they improve their schools, features education technology.
Excerpts are below. The full issue, back issues, & an online
form for subscribing to this paper-based newsletter are at
http://www.ed.gov/G2K/community/
NOTE: Community Update is produced by the Department's
Office of Intergovernmental & Interagency Affairs (OIIA)
& edited by Nicole Ashby (OIIA) with assistance from
Julie Black (OIIA).
******************************************
Excerpts from "Community Update," May 2001
U.S. Department of Education (ED)
******************************************
========================================
Parents Encouraging Information Literacy
========================================
With the increasing use of the Internet by students of all ages,
the following tips adapted from the recommendations of Educational
Resources Information Center (ERIC) are useful to parents for
teaching their children how to effectively use information from the
web:
Encourage & guide your children in exploring their interests.
Point them to various resources -- such as printed materials,
videos, & computers -- that they can use to find out about the
things that interest them.
Use "The Big Six" to help your children with their homework.
Help them (1) determine what is expected from their homework
assignments, (2) identify the necessary resources for the
tasks, (3) locate the needed resources, (4) read or use the
information, (5) apply the information to the tasks, & (6)
evaluate the quality of their final product.
Show your children how to evaluate information. Teach them to
ask the following questions: Who or what is the authority?
How current is the information? How might different people
perceive this message? What is omitted?
Teach your children about authors. Point out the authors of
the books they read. Explain to them that they must
acknowledge other people's ideas, & show them how to document
their sources.
Instruct your children to consider the reliability of
information from the Internet. Explain to them that anyone
can put information on the Internet. Teach them to look for
the author's qualifications & sources. Ask them to consider
whether the information on a web site is being used to sell a
product.
Discuss information literacy with your children's teachers.
Ask them how they encourage information literacy & what you
can do to help. For more information about teaching
information literacy, visit
http://www.accesseric.org/resources/parent/infoltrcy.html.
To order print copies of the most recent titles, call
1-800-LET-ERIC (1-800-538-3742).
=====================================
Tips for Technology Success
By Bruce Whitehead, Missoula, Montana
=====================================
I remember vividly my days as an elementary school principal trying
to get my technology program off the ground. I also remember
trying desperately to get reluctant staff members to accept & use
networked computers in their classrooms, as well as find the
dollars to fund the program.
Through trial & error -- actually more error than trial -- I
learned hard & fast lessons that I call "The Seven Golden Nuggets."
These are tips I developed during planning & implementation of a
program that helped my school, Hellgate Elementary in Missoula,
Montana, become a National Blue Ribbon School & a national
demonstration site for the effective use of classroom technology.
The first lesson is that technology should not drive curriculum but
just the opposite -- curriculum should drive technology. We work
to make technology transparent & fit our existing curriculum, in
which teachers use computers, LCD projectors, scanners, & other
technology, much like they would an overhead or VCR.
Second, I came to realize that the key to using technology
successfully is the teacher. Only teachers can make technology
happen effectively in the classroom.
Third, I find that money follows success. Our district makes
technology a major funding priority & has technology as a line item
in our budget, which represents at least 5 percent of the general
fund. This provides a stable source of revenue for technology each
year & helps to ensure success.
Fourth, I decided to put at least five high-speed networked
computers with a printer in each classroom, & more if necessary to
achieve a student-computer ratio of 5-to-1. This enhances a
cooperative learning environment for each classroom, where students
& teachers have access to computers & the Internet all day.
Fifth, I formulate strategies on how to reach the "reluctants" --
those teachers having difficulty fully integrating technology into
their classrooms. I now use a mentor program, whereby I pair a
teacher having difficulty in using technology with a master
technology teacher. I send both, as a team, to conferences &
schedule their prep periods together in order for them to practice
computer applications. I believe in providing staff development
via "teachers teaching teachers" & in using a combination of
student early outs, rotation of substitute teachers, & extended
teacher contracts to build in time for professional development.
Sixth, I find that it is easy to measure & evaluate success with
technology by monitoring the amount & quality of student writing;
enhancement of cooperative learning; awareness of student learning
styles; application of student technical tutoring; & the level of
e-mail communication among teachers, parents & administrators.
Finally, I have found that an effective public relations program
develops community awareness. When parents & community leaders
understand why classroom technology is so important to the future
of their children, they are more willing to support it.
If these golden nuggets can work for a rural school in Montana like
ours, they can work for just about any school across the country.
Note: Bruce Whitehead is the principal of Hellgate
Intermediate School & an associate professor at the University
of Montana. He designed & implemented a model for classroom
technology centers that earned him the National Distinguished
Principals Award from the National Association of Elementary
School Principals.
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===========================================================
John McGrath, Nicole Ashby, Lindsey Kozberg,
Peter Kickbush, & Kirk Winters
U.S. Department of Education
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