educational innovation and digital opportunity presented to: ftaa joint government-private sector...

Educational Innovation and Digital Opportunity

Presented to:

FTAA Joint Government-Private Sector Committee of Experts on Electronic

Commerce

24/10/01, Panama City, Panama

Lee M. TablewskiNorth-South CenterUniversity of Miami

PublicFTAA.ecom/inf/104/Add.1/Rev.1

October 25, 2001

Original: English - Spanish

Current Situation in the United States

Innovative programs exist in the U.S. to broaden the use of informational technology and the Internet in schools and libraries.

These programs have caused substantial growth in recent years (example: 98% of public schools now have Internet access)

There is a need to broaden research and development programs to improve and broaden the implementation of technology in educational environments.

Typical Problems Arising Related to Use of Technology in the Classroom

Some teachers do not have enough time to learn, practice and create lesson plans using computers and the Internet.

Student classroom time does not include sufficient time to use computers in the classroom.

There aren’t enough computers in the classroom. There isn’t enough good educational software. There is a lack of support for integrating information

technology into the classroom curriculum.Source: national teacher survey, April 2000


There aren’t enough teacher training opportunities. Computers available are obsolete or incompatible. Lack of technical support. Lack of filters to restrict access to materials or

information innapropriate for students. It isn’t easy to access the Internet. There is a lack of administrative support.


1. Lack of release time for teachers to learn/practice/plan ways to use computers or the

Internet

82%

2. Lack of time in schedule for students to use computers in the classroom 80%

3. Not enough computers 78%

4. Lack of good instructional software 71%

5. Lack of support regarding ways to integrate technology into the curriculum 68%

6. Inadequate training opportunities 67%

7. Outdated, incompatible, or unreliable computers 66%

8. Lack of technical support or advice 64%

9. Concern about student access to inappropriate materials 59%

10. Internet is not easily accessible 58%

11. Lack of administrative support 43%

Public and PrivatePrograms and Initiatives

1. President George W. Bush’s “No Child left Behind” Initiative stresses the following points:

More money allocated to schools for technology Less paperwork and bureaucracy Local standards for academic excellence in the use of

information technology Use of matching funds to create access centers in high

poverty areas of the country.


2. Department of Education National Goals:I. All students and teachers will have access to

information technology in their classrooms, schools, communities, and homes.

II. All teachers will use technology effectively to help students achieve high academic standards.

III. All students will have technology and information literacy skills.


2. Department of Education National Goals:IV. Research and evaluation will improve the

next generation of technology applications for teaching and learning.

V. Digital content and networked applications will transform teaching and learning.


3. “Generation www.Y”

4. “Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to Use Technology” (PT3)

5. Programs of the Dante B. Fascell North-South Center, Univ. of Miami. Student-centered learning.

Artisan Enterprise Network Dominican Republic: IT in the Classroom Brazil: IT and small entrepreneurs


6. National Educational Technology Standards for students and teachers, NETS. Its goals:

Define educational standards for students and teachers. Integrate IT into existing programs of study. Technical support Standards for evaluating the impact of IT on students.


7. Parents can deduct from their income taxes the cost of purchases of computers, educational software and Internet access.

$6.5 billion in purchases over 10 years 5 million computers reaching K-12 students

8. Reducing the cost of technology through cooperative purchases by companies, associations, and educational groups (universities, schools, foundations).

Conditions for Effective Use of Technology in Education

Vision with support and proactive leadership from the education system.

Educators skilled in the use of technology for learning.

Content standards and curriculum resources. Student-centered approaches to learning.


Assessment of the effectiveness of technology for learning.

Access to contemporary technologies, software, and telecommunications networks.

Technical assistance for maintaining and using technology resources.

Community partners who provide expertise, support, and real-life interactions.


Ongoing financial support for sustained technology use; and

Policies and standards supporting new learning environments.

Links from this Presentation

The E-rate program for schools and libraries is described at <www.sl.universalservice.org/> .

Center for Children and Technology, “Effective Technology Use in Low-Income Communities: Research Review for the America Connects Consortium.” April 2001.<www2.edc.org/CCT/cctweb//public/default.asp>

Pres. George W. Bush, “No Child Left Behind”: <www.ed.gov/inits/nclb/partx.html>.


U.S. Department of Education Goals: <www.ed.gov/Technology/elearning/index.html>.

Generation www.Y:

<www.genyes.org/genwwwy/>. Larry Cuban, Oversold and Underused:

Computers in Classrooms (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2001). <www.hup.harvard.edu/reviews/CUBOVE_R.html>


For 5-year statistics on Internet access in U.S. schools, see <nces.ed.gov/pubs2001/2001071.pdf>

2000 survey on barriers to teachers’ usage of IT in the classroom: <nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2000090>.

For an example of student-centered learning, see <www.artisanenterprisenetwork.org>.


For the NETS standards, see International Society for Technology in Education, National Educational Technology Standards for Students: Connecting Curriculum and Technology (Eugene, Ore.: ISTE, 2000). <http://cnets.iste.org>

For the U.S. Department of Education’s “The Teacher’s Guide to International Collaboration on the Internet” see

<www.ed.gov/technology/guide/international/index.html>


For the PT3 teacher training program, see <www.ed.gov/teachtech/>

For background on the program of tax deductions for parents for IT purchases for their students, please see the webpage of its author: <allen.senate.gov/PressOffice/AllenEducationTaxReliefPassesCongress.htm>.

Lee Tablewski: <[email protected]>

educational innovation and digital opportunity presented to: ftaa joint government-private sector...

Documents