NELMS Technology Toolkit

Think Again - Internet Lessons from the Global Economy
Michael J. Rudnac, Electronic-School, March 2000

Schools -- unlike the business world -- tend to think of technology not as a catalyst for change but as a threat to the status quo. Traditionally, the school's mission has been to pass along facts to students -- a practice that hardly prepares them for the lifelong learning the Information Age requires. This author suggests three keypoints for consideration 1) Begin by examining your mental models, 2) Think of a different way to think, 3) Continuously improve and refine the role of technology.

The Role of Online Communications in Schools: A National Study
Conducted by:CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology) This study demonstrates that students with online access perform better. The study compared the work of 500 students in fourth-grade and sixth-grade classes in 7 urban school districts (Chicago, Dayton, Detroit, Memphis, Miami, Oakland, and Washington DC) - half with online access and half without.

Network Science, A Decade Later
Alan Feldman, Cliff Konold, and Bob Coulter with Brian Conroy, Charles Hutchison, and Nancy London
Hands On!, Fall 1999, 22 (2) Candid reflections on how the Internet has contributed to classroom learning. This report is based on four years of research. It examines the role of technology in fostering inquiry-based approaches to teaching and learning. The researchers pass along six recommendations to apply toward educational uses of technology generally and toward the use of the Internet in science education specifically.

Falling through the net II: New data on the digital divide
July 28, 1998. Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Washington, D.C. At present, the definitive study detailing the exact nature of the "digital divide" in the United States. This study correlates technology access to income, race, locale and other factors.

Assessing the Role of Educational Technology in the Teaching and Learning Process: A Learner-Centered Perspective
Barbara L. McCombs, University of Denver Research Institute, White Paper for the The Education Secretary's Conference on Educational Technology, Summer 2000 Numerous studies exist demonstrating that (a) educational technology appropriately applied can enhance learning and achievement compared to traditional teaching methods and (b) the benefits of educational technology cannot be adequately separated from other variables that impact learning in the larger instructional context. In spite of these findings, however, many school systems are being asked to justify the use of computer-based technologies to enhance learning in school. Much of the pressure to assess the benefits or "value added" by technology are the costs associated with this medium and the concern about whether teachers are being adequately trained to use technology effectively.

Technology: How Do We Know It Works?
Eva L. Baker, National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards and Student Testing, CRESST, UCLA, California, White Paper for the The Education Secretary's Conference on Educational Technology, Summer 1999. The vision is enticing. Computer technologies become the norm in schools that are equipped with multimedia, graphics and animation, access to Internet and handheld and remote devices. There is seamlessness of learning activities among home, school and community settings. Students use technologies like they use pencils, books and manipulatives to learn content in all of the subject areas. Learning goes beyond skills and facts, and students develop thinking and problem solving skills. The world is their classroom. Where are we in relation to this vision?

New Directions for Evaluation of Technology and Student Learning
Walter F. Heinecke, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Leadership, Foundations & Policy, Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, 1999. White Paper for the The Education Secretary's Conference on Educational Technology, Summer 1999 This paper discusses recent changes in evaluation theory and practices, by clarifying some definitions of evaluation, technology and student learning. It highlights what the authors believe are instances of promising practices and conclude with a list of recommendations concerning the evaluation of the effectiveness of technology in teaching and learning.

Developing Assessments for Tomorrow’s Classrooms
Barbara Means, Bill Penuel, and Edys Quellmalz, Center for Technology in Learning, SRI International White Paper for the The Education Secretary's Conference on Educational Technology, Summer 2000 Hands-on science has a whole new meaning in an era of educational technology in which students in an inner-city high school physics class in Chicago can examine computer images of galaxies and nebula captured by automated telescopes. Developed at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Berkeley Lab with support from TERC, the Hands-On Universe project involves students in reviewing images from space.

Beyond Hardware
Michele M. Norman, The American School Board Journal, July 1999 When Harold Wenglinsky looked at how classroom computer use affects kids' achievement in math, he turned up some interesting results -- not just about computers and student achievement, but also about the value of professional development in technology. He found that students whose teachers used computers primarily for simulations and applications that support higher-order thinking performed better than students whose teachers used computers mainly for learning games. And he found that kids whose teachers had professional development in technology outperformed those whose teachers didn't.

Testing On Computers: A Follow-up Study Comparing Performance On Computer and On Paper

Testing Writing on Computers: An Experiment Comparing Student Performance on Tests Conducted via Computer and via Paper-and-Pencil
Michael Russell, Boston College, Walt Haney, Boston College, - White Papers for the The Education Secretary's Conference on Educational Technology, Summer 1999 Computer use has grown rapidly during the past decade. Within the educational community, interest in authentic assessment has also increased. To enhance the authenticity of tests of writing, as well as of other knowledge and skills, some assessments require students to respond in written form via paper-and-pencil. However, as increasing numbers of students grow accustomed to writing on computers, these assessments may yield underestimates of students' writing abilities.

Laptop Learning: a Model for 21st Century Education? The Reality, Process, and Results of Instituting a True School-Wide Laptop Program
Jerry Crystal, Director of Technology Integration, Carmen Arace Middle School, Bloomfield, Connecticut, 1999 This paper outlines, in an in-depth manner, how a high minority middle school, transformed itself from a under achieving school with “bright flight” and very little technology into a nationally recognized technology innovator in which every student and teacher uses the specially designed NETSchools Laptop System through a school-wide infrared network.

The Leader's Guide to Educational Technology
EDvancenet 1998. EDvancenet has developed resources to help school leaders and policymakers address the issues surrounding the use of technology in K–12 education. These resources enable school leaders, policy makers, and the people who work with them to make a difference in how schools improve teaching and learning with technology.

Learning and Leading With Technology: A Presenters Toolkit
EDvancenet 1998. EDvancenet has designed this presentation to help you work with school leaders and policymakers to better understand education technology issues. When you meet with school leaders and policy makers, these materials are for you to use as is, or customized for your audience.

Association for Educational Communications and Technology
AECT provides leadership in educational communications and technology by linking professionals who hold a common interest in the use of education technology and its application to the learning process.

Center forEducational Leadership & Technology
CELT is a nonprofit educational service agency whose primary mission is to integrate current education reforms and research with effective uses of technology.

CEO Forum on Education and Technology
The CEO Forum on Education and Technology helps ensure that America’s schools effectively prepare all students to be contributing citizens and productive workers in the 21st Century by preparing an annual assessment of the nation’s progress toward integrating technology into American classrooms through the year 2000.

Consortium for School Networking
CoSN, a non-profit organization, promotes the use of telecommunications in K-12 education to improve learning. Members represent state and local education agencies, nonprofits, companies, and individuals who share their vision.

Education Commission of the States
The Education Commission of the States is a nonprofit, nationwide interstate compact formed in 1965 to help governors, state legislators, state education officials and others develop policies to improve the quality of education.

Education Leadership Toolkit
The Education Leadership Toolkit is a collection of tips and pointers, articles, case studies, and other resources for education leaders addressing issues around technology and education.

Institute for the Transfer of Technology to Education
ITTE, and its Technology Leadership Network, are committed to the wise use of technology to prepare our children to prosper in a technological world. They believe that technology, used appropriately, can create a more effective education system and are dedicated to helping primary and secondary schools share information about effective uses of technology in the classroom.

International Society for Technology in Education
ISTE is the largest teacher-based, nonprofit organization in the field of educational technology. Its mission is to help K-12 classroom teachers and administrators share effective methods for enhancing student learning through the use of new classroom technologies.

MCI’s MarcoPolo
MCI’s MarcoPolo is an Internet-based learning initiative for teachers, students, and parents searching for the best educational resources the Internet has to offer.

Milken Exchange on Education Technology
The Milken Exchange on Education Technology advances innovative and effective uses of technology in elementary and secondary schools across the nation.

National School Boards Association
The National School Boards Association fosters equity and excellence in public elementary and secondary education in the United States through school board leadership.

The Northeast Regional Technology in Education Consortium
This site accommodates the contributions of diverse partners, working on different aspects of educational technology and technical assistance, and constructs an environment for these contributions that is simultaneously compelling and friendly, principled and useful.

Regional Technology in Education Consortia (R*TEC)
R*TEC is a program established to help states, local educational agencies, educators, and other educational entities successfully integrate technologies into K-12 classrooms, library media centers, and other educational settings, including adult literacy centers.

School.net
A website full of educational information, links to schools, Internet help, and more-- perfect for teachers, students, and parents.

US Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology
The Office of Educational Technology is committed to bringing technology into the classroom. On their Web site are links to publications and research, federal resources, state contacts and descriptions of programs that they administer.

www.refdesk.com
Refdesk.com is unique in it's variety of essential and interesting Internet links. In particular, are the educational resources page, links to Internet help and online tutorials and the exceptional listing of 260+ Internet search engines broken down by category.

Technology Toolkit compiled by Jerry Crystal, Director of Technology Integration,
Carmen Arace Middle School, Bloomfield, CT, jcrystal@blmfld.org

NELMS RESOURCE CENTER