| Technology, Equity,
and Access
Technology is a powerful equalizer by
providing students and teachers with access to high
quality educational resources that extends beyond
the limitations of physical space.
Here are some best practices:
| • |
Students without access to computers and other
technologies at home benefit from school-provided
portable devices that they can take home and use
for learning. Seventh- and eighth-grade students—and
particularly at-risk and special needs children—in
Maine’s Learning Technology Initiative,
for example, were more engaged in learning and
motivated to learn, thanks to school-provided
laptops, according to their teachers. Further,
ninth graders who no longer have the laptops reported
that they get less work done without the laptops—and
the quality of their work declined. (Silvernail
& Lane, 2004) |
| • |
“Alaska particularly relies on education
technology to connect rural and urban centers
with relevant and current programs. Some districts
encompass over 22,000 square miles spanning glaciers,
mountains, and sea where technology becomes the
crucial linkage for our students, staff, and communities.”
For 17 Alaska school districts that belong to
the Re-Inventing Schools Coalition (RISC), educational
technology is the “glue” that keeps
administrators, teachers, students and communities
together—and enables schools to focus on
student achievement. “The use of Web-based,
relational databases to analyze processes and
results is central to achieving systemic and successful
reform,” says Wendy Battino, executive director
of RISC. |
Technology Enables All Students and
Teachers to Access Quality Educational Services
Technology is leveling the playing field,
giving students and teachers who are challenged by
their circumstances access to the education they need
to succeed in the 21st century.
Here are some best practices:
| • |
A multimedia science curriculum that serves
approximately 25,000 teachers and one million
students gives all of them access to complex scientific
concepts. The JASON Multimedia Science Curriculum,
also known as the JASON Project, is aligned to
state science, math, language arts, geography,
and educational technology standards. Each year,
students learn about a unique research expedition
site and use a print curriculum, video, live satellite
broadcasts and online activities, including digital
labs and electronic journals, to interact with
scientists and experts as they explore scientific
content and concepts.
At-risk, mainstream, and gifted and talented students
in grades 4-8 all learned scientific content,
content and technologies, according to an evaluation
of the project. At-risk students, including economically
disadvantaged students on an Indian reservation
and English language learners, gained these advantages: |
| |
| • |
First, the project “opens up the
world” for these students, whether
it is through exposure to different cultures,
different people or even different climates.
|
| • |
Second, the hands-on and multimedia activities
help these students learn and remember complex
scientific concepts. |
| • |
Third, the project exposes students to
the language of science. Because their reading
abilities are, for the most part, below
grade level, building their knowledge of
scientific vocabulary is important if they
are to have any chance of academic success
in the upper grades. |
|
| • |
The U.S. Department of Education cites the
Wyoming Education Gateway, or WedGate, as a promising
practice for professional development. WedGate,
which is part of a statewide intranet that provides
data access to every school building in the state
(and also an interactive video to every high school),
mitigates the challenges of connecting rural schools
scattered over wide distances in a state prone
to inclement weather. WedGate is a key component
of Wyoming’s Reading First Initiative. Through
WedGate, teachers, parents and students have access
to K–12 resources geared specifically toward
Wyoming education standards. This customized network
of online communities not only helps educators
reach their goals and meet local academic standards,
but also helps families be a part of their children's
education. A few highlights of WedGate for teachers
include: TaskStream (a comprehensive, electronic,
unit planning guide), HPR*TEC (an education consortium
containing tools for teachers), MarcoPolo (a gateway
to free content in each curricular area, teacher
resources, professional development, and measurement
data), EdClass (a matrix that allows teachers
to search for lessons and units submitted by Wyoming
teachers and tied to Wyoming standards) and SchoolKit
(a resource for teachers to take courses online). |
| • |
Some 328,000 students in U.S. public
schools enrolled in distance education courses
in the 2002-–03 school year, according to
a 2005 report from the National Center on Education
Statistics. This number is escalating and is continuing
to do so, as schools choose to offer courses online
because they are not otherwise available to students
at school. A prime example: Advanced Placement
courses, which provide students with the kind
of rigorous curriculum that educators and business
people agree will better prepare students for
college and work. |
Citations
Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
(2003). Connected to the Future: A Report on Children’s
Internet Use from the.
http://www.cpb.org/pdfs/ed/resources/connected/03_connect_report.pdf
National Center for Education Statistics.
(2005). Distance Education Courses for Public Elementary
and Secondary School Students: 2002–03.
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2005/2005010.pdf
Center for Children & Technology.
(2003, September). JASON Multimedia Science Curriculum’s
Impact on Student Learning: Final Evaluation Report
Year Three. Goldenberg, L. B., Ba, H., Heinze, J.,
and Hess, A.
http://www2.edc.org/CCT/admin/publications/report/JASON_03_FinalReport.pdf
Maine Education Policy Research Institute.
(2004, February). The Impact of Maine’s One-to-One
Laptop Program on Middle School Teachers and Students:
Phase One Summary Evidence. Silvernail, D. L., &
Lane, D. M.
http://mainegov-images.informe.org/mlte/articles/research/MLTIPhaseOneEvaluationReport2004.pdf
Wyoming’s Reading First Program.
The Wyoming Department of Education.
http://www.k12.wy.us/ep/rf/rf_plan.pdf.
Web Sites
http://www.cosn.org/about/press/032205.cfm
http://www.reinventingschools.org/
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2005/03/09/26distance.h24.html
http://www.teacherquality.us/Public/PromisingPractices.asp?PPCategoryID=6#{FC02815D-9E07-4DE5-A02E-26F711834B92}
|
