Under P.L. 103-382, the Improving America's Schools Act, the Secretary of Education is charged with the development of a "long-range national plan for technology in education," with substantial input from stakeholders at the national, state, and local levels. The plan is intended to describe how the U.S. Department of Education, in concert with other Federal agencies, will encourage the effective use of technology to achieve educational goals; how Federal agencies will support technology for learning, and how they will collaborate to this end; and how the Department will work with educators and state and local educational authorities to facilitate the effective use of technology in education. In short, it will be a Federal blueprint for supporting the infusion of technology into education.

As part of the process, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology is holding a series of regional forums around the country to solicit input into the national plan from educators and other practitioners, school administrators, representatives of higher education, researchers, state and local policymakers, parents, business and community leaders, and others. The sixth of these meetings was held in White Plains, New York on June 6, 1995.

The half-day forum was attended by over 150 persons from the Northeast region of the United States (including residents of New York, New Jersey, the District of Columbia, and Virginia), and was organized around two topical sessions identified to be critical to the infusion of technology into education:

• Implementing Issues, including use, infrastructure, professional development, access, and equity; and

• Implications for Publishing, including content, software standards, intellectual property rights, privacy, and other issues.

The meeting was opened by Gwen Solomon of the Office of Educational Technology who challenged participants to speak boldly about what the Federal government could and should do to infuse technology into education. Panel presentations began each session followed by statements from audience participants.

What follows is a summary of participant insights and opinions, as those insights and opinions relate to the substance of a national plan for technology. For purposes of clarity, the summary is divided into three main sections:

• The vision for technology from the Northeast, which relates the varying perspectives that educational policymakers and administrators, teachers, students, parents, and members of the business community have on the potential impact that the use of technology in schools can have;

• Barriers to the effective use of technology in education, which describes some of the problems participants have experienced in their uses of technology, and some of the problems they expect to experience, as the nation moves to ensure that technology in education becomes more widespread; and

• Implications for a national plan, which offers suggestions for the Federal role in the national plan.

The list of participants is attached.

Technology, in and of itself, is not a magic wand. Technology is not going to fix the problems associated with schooling, but, at the same time, the problems that plague our educational system are not going to be remedied without the presence of technology.
- Margaret Honey, Associate Director, Education Development Center/Center for Children and Technology

The participants of the Northeast regional forum held powerful views about the value and potential benefits of the use of technology in education. Through their testimony they argued that it enhances educational opportunities, encourages improvements in teaching strategies, presents lifelong learning opportunities, and is the sine qua non of school reform. What follows is a discussion of the visions for the use of technology in schools from the varying perspectives of educational policymakers and administrators, teachers, students, parents, and members of the business community.

Educational Policymakers and Administrators

Educational policymakers and administrators participating in the forum stated their beliefs quite passionately that the new tools of education -- computers with word processing, database, spreadsheet, telecommunications, graphics, electronic research, and multimedia capabilities -- have the potential to:

• Motivate teachers to improve their instructional techniques to impart higher-order thinking skills to students;

• Broaden the types of educational experiences that can be offered to students;

• Increase student motivation and self esteem;

• Increase parental and community involvement in the lives and education of their children; and

• Reduce barriers to inclusive classrooms.

One superintendent's comment summarized what many of his peers were communicating:

The implications for the future of children who do not have the learning experiences technology can provide is most clear -- they will be at a horrific competitive disadvantage in this technological society and work place.
- Marc Bernstein, Superintendent of Schools, Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District

Teachers

While many teacher participants testified that the introduction of technological tools into their classrooms was among the most exciting developments in their careers, they also expressed that it was among the most intimidating. That is to say that teachers recognize the important role technology can play in educating students, as well as that the responsibility to effectively integrate it into their instructional repertoires is theirs.

Teacher participants who were already facile with technological tools described how those tools have helped them to empower students to learn higher order thinking skills, even those students they never expected to reach:

It's usually the students that don't succeed in a variety of other classes who are successful at this type of...[multimedia] project.
- Paula Reddy, Computer Teacher, Allen-Stevenson School, NY

Members of the Business Community

Members of the business community believe that a quality educational system paves the way for a strong economy, and they are anxious to support initiatives in education that will improve the skill level of their future employees:

The global competitive challenge is real. Our nation's educational system isn't doing enough to prepare students to compete. A technology infrastructure can play a pivotal role.
- Bob Regan, Division Manager, AT&T Technology & Infrastructure Group, NJ

As a way to improve the results of education, members of the business community expressed a vision for the tremendous potential for the cost-effectiveness of technology in the delivery of instruction to remote sites, as well as for the delivery of advanced instruction on demand. One participant even shared his vision of a future where the best teachers would attract large national audiences via distance learning technologies and where interactive networks would give students the opportunity to take classes that would never have been offered before because of low enrollment or budget constraints.

Additionally, the Northeast regional forum offered a special opportunity for representatives from book and electronic publishing companies to contribute their views on the role of technology in education. Publishers described how interactive, on-line publishing creates a new relationship with and among their customers. For example, on-line communication services now allow students, parents, and educators increased access to information and each other. They are able to play an active role not only as consumers of publications, but also as producers and publishers of their own knowledge and information. Publishers argued that this interactive process of information reference, knowledge building, and feedback is the cornerstone of lifelong learning.

Parents

All parents want to see their children be independent and successful. They recognize the opportunities that arise from technological skills and know-how and believe it is the role of the schools to teach their children with and about state-of-the-art technological tools. With technological literacy and skills, parents related, their children are more productive and engaged. They learn more effectively and have a better chance at getting a good job when they enter the workforce. For some children, however, access to technological tools is even more crucial:

Technology makes us all more productive but it is an academic, social, and vocational "life line" for children like David [a child with Cerebral Palsy].
- Priscilla Sheeky, Parent

Students

Exposure to computers have changed both the type of student I am and my methods for attacking problems. I now learn from multiple media, gain a far greater concept of the topics I pursue, and discover links and connections between them. My computer skills placed me in job market doing work far removed from typical teenage job opportunities. I'd like to see every student get the same opportunities I have had.
- Brian Sullivan, Student, Academy for the Advancement of Science and Technology, Bergen County Technical Schools, Hackensack, NJ

Students spoke about their changing perspectives on the use of computers in the classroom and their approach to learning based on these perspectives. With access to technological tools, they were able to gather information for projects easily, communicate with experts, analyze and synthesize information, and then publish their findings for others. Technological tools, students believe, can also play an increasingly important role in communicating with others across the country and world.

[Technological tools]...are not rocket science. Teaching kids and learning is!
- Nancy Heckinger, Pantecha, Inc.

In order for the widespread infusion of technology in education to occur, participants shared their concerns about a number of issues they felt would have to be addressed, including issues related to:

• The physical condition of existing educational facilities;

• The lack of expertise in -- and emphasis on -- planning for the acquisition and use of technological tools;

• Securing unbiased technical support and advice;

• Reduced support for other institutions of public learning, such as libraries; and

• Long-distance fee structures that provide disincentives for schools to invest in telecommunication technologies.

Other issues participants raised included those related to:

• The enormous cost of planning for and acquiring technological tools;

• The professional development needs of teachers;

• The tension between "edutainment" and educational software; and

• The difficulty of copyright and licensing issues in education.

Each of these four issues -- as assessed by participants -- is elaborated below.

The Enormous Cost of Planning for and Acquiring Technological Tools

Participants were in agreement that the widespread infusion of technology into education will cost a tremendous amount of money that cannot be supported by current levels of spending on education. Peter Reilly, Assistant Director of the Lower Hudson Regional Information Center in New York, argued that educators should "get away from the myth that you can do it for little or no money or freebies."

Yet, we must find the money, argued one superintendent:

If we, as a society, [are]...concerned about spending inequities and their effects on student opportunity, technology's proliferation will compound these inequities beyond our comprehension.
- Marc Bernstein, Superintendent of Schools, Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District

The Professional Development Needs of Teachers

Participants were undivided in their belief that teachers need to master new skills and change the way they teach to effectively integrate and use technology in their classrooms. Indeed, participants asserted that all teachers must now address issues of curriculum integration and computer use. Those issues can no longer be handled outside the classroom by computer and curriculum experts.

Participants argued that a national plan for technology in education will not succeed unless there is a significant increase in the amount of both preservice and inservice training in the effective use of technological tools. Comments like the following demonstrate participant interest in improving professional development:

Equipment without training for specific implementation is a waste of money.
- Nancy Miller, Teacher, Science and World History, Hackenstown High School, NJ

Teachers will only be able to teach their students if they have been given the tools they need -- and that means training on up-to-date computers with state-of-the-art software.
- Michael Johnson, Vice President, NJ Education Association

The Tension Between "Edutainment" and Educational Software

Some participants noted that students are demanding "flashy" new, interactive applications that incorporate video, text, sound, and graphics. These applications often only operate on more powerful computers -- computers that are expensive to purchase.

This trend, however, is one of which Peter Kelman clearly disapproves:

One siren call that educators should not heed is the claim that "Schools are fighting against Nintendo and thus need to beat Nintendo at their own game with programming as attractive as MTV." Students need to learn to use technology, not be used by it. Students need more opportunity to think critically, not more opportunity to be entertained.
- Peter Kelman, Managing Director, Pantecha, Inc.

Other participants related that the "flashy" programs are not necessarily the most effective. Tool-based software such as word processors, spreadsheets, and databases, they asserted, represented some of the finest and most cost effective educational programs on the market.

The Difficulty of Copyright and Licensing Issues in Education

While participants were excited by the potential of technological tools to empower individuals to collect, use, and publish information, they recognized that those tools do not necessarily authorize one to do so. As Paula Reddy expressed:

The tools are there to create terrific multimedia products, but the materials are not [accessible].
- Paula Reddy, Computer Teacher, Allen-Stevenson School, NY

Participants described a number of situations which serve to illustrate the hard lessons that have been learned about copyright and licensing issues in education. For example, one school counselor loaded a scheduling program she found particularly useful onto the district telecommunications network. Within a week, the program was in use by counselors, resource teachers, and others throughout the district. Unfortunately, this illegal dissemination and subsequent use was considered software piracy by the manufacturer and the district was forced to purchase legitimate copies of the program for all those who had downloaded it. Other examples shared by participants highlighted the difficulty of obtaining copyright permission for photographs, video clips and other components of interactive media from publishers.

Computers and other forms of technology are the modern day tools of America's society and culture, and as such, are as much needed in classrooms as books, periodicals, maps, tape recorders, VCR's, blackboards, pencils, papers, and even teachers. It is no longer possible for a teacher and a textbook to be the sole sources of information.
- Leonard Margolis, Director, Academy for the Advancement of Science and Technology, Bergen County Technical Schools, Hackensack, NJ

While forum participants shared their vision for technology as a catalyst for change and as a powerful new tool for students and educators, they continued to grapple with a number of issues that they believed our nation must confront if technological tools are to become ubiquitous in education. For example, one teacher warned that before educators will take technology for education seriously, they must have an answer to the question, "Where is all this money going to come from?" Another teacher cautioned that although most people think about computers when they talk about technology in education, there are a number of "low-tech" tools that teachers are not using effectively including the telephone, television, and VCR.

It is no wonder, then, that Margaret Honey of EDC asserts that technology will not be effectively used in education until significant changes can be made:

Integrating technology into the old model of schooling in which teachers dispense information and students memorize it, in which the bell rings every 39 minutes and history books are closed and math books are opened, has little lasting effect on student learning or teachers teaching.
- Margaret Honey, Associate Director, Education Development Center/Center for Children and Technology

With regard to the national plan, participants warned that the plan should not advocate a single solution or "cookie cutter" approach. Rather, a developmental approach is needed -- reflecting the realities of the market and the speed of technological innovation. Their own experiences have taught them that complex technology issues do not usually have simple answers. Members of the publishing community agreed. Representatives of that industry expressed, for example, that they were unsure as to how to protect their copyrights and still turn a profit in an environment where people can freely access, download, and use these materials.

Participants recommended several roles for the Federal government to play to encourage the widespread infusion of technology into education. They include:

• Establishing a national clearinghouse for objective technical information and assistance on topics such as infrastructure development, telecommunications, hardware and software products, and professional development guidelines;

• Facilitating the development of a national network of organizations and individuals qualified to provide schools with unbiased information and technical advice;

• Working with the public service commissions to address regulatory issues and otherwise advocate for free or minimal cost telecommunications access for education;

• Working to restrict student access to inappropriate materials and services accessible with technological tools;

• Establishing regional summer institutes for teachers on the effective use and integration of technological tools; and

• Working with publishers to establish and communicate fair guidelines for non-commercial, educational use of multimedia and text materials.

A principal, having recognized both the benefits of electronic publishing and the difficulty of exploiting it, perhaps best summarized the task at hand:

Important aspects of student learning will occur when students become electronic publishers themselves. After centuries of predictable instructional strategies we now face the challenge of limitless access to information. Teaching students to process that information will be no small task.
- Linda Batz, Principal, Hunterdon Central Regional High School, Flemington, NJ

List of Participants | Other Forum Reports