Fostering the Use of Educational Technology: Elements of a National Strategy,Used

Product Description Assesses current classroom use of technology and proposes a strategy for incorporating technology in America's schools. Review Presents useful strategies for increasing funding for computers in schools.Computing ReviewsMy bookshelf contains several...reports on the use of educational technology, but none has the scope and immediacy of this book.Educational Testing ServiceA recent report by the RAND Corporation provides strong support for using educational technology resources. The RAND group reports that much of the current impetus to bring more technology into schools is not motivated merely by a desire to necessarily improve the learning of students in academic areas. It is also motivated by the sense that information and computational technology has become so ubiquitous in our lives, that schools must develop basic skills in students so they can function in further schooling and work. Increasing the level of technology enables fundamental changes in pedagogy. In the information that students can use, and in the manner in which they use their time. These changes then result in significant improvements in their learning.Michele Sokoloff From the Publisher Since early 1992, at the direction of the president and vice president, federal officials have been exploring ways to encourage greater and more effective use of modern technology in the nation's schools. As part of this effort, RAND's Critical Technologies Institute (CTI), in support of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, conducted analyses of existing federal research and development activities related to technology for education and training and participated in the planning activities of the Committee on Education and Training of the National Science and Technology Council.In 1994, the Goals 2000: Educate America Act directed the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education to develop a national longrange technology plan for actions promoting higher student achievement through the use of technology in education. The CTI was asked by the Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Office of Technology of the U.S. Department of Education to undertake a number of activities to support the development of this plan.The CTI held four workshops dealing with important policy areas to be considered in the national plan. These have been documented in four papers:Technology and Teacher Professional Development, James Harvey and Susanna Purnell (eds.), DRU1045CTI, RAND, Santa Monica, CA, March 1995. Planning and Financing Educational Technology, James Harvey (ed.), DRU1042CTI, RAND, Santa Monica, CA, March 1995.The Market for Educational Software, James Harvey (ed.), DRU1041CTI, RAND, Santa Monica, CA, May 1995.The Costs and Effectiveness of Educational Technology: Proceedings of a Workshop, Arthur Melmed (ed.), DRU1205CTI, RAND, Santa Monica, CA, November 1995.In addition, the CTI analyzed the technologyrelated costs of a set of schools making extensive use of technology. The results of these analyses appear inThe Cost of SchoolBased Educational Technology Programs, Brent Keltner and Randy Ross, MR634CTI/DoED, RAND, Santa Monica, CA, 1996.This report draws on the discussions in these workshops, the analysis of costs, and reviews of existing literature to identify key elements of national strategy and federal policy that will contribute to effective use of technology by the nation's schools. It should be of interest to federal policymakers concerned with education and technology policy as well as educators and others concerned with the use of technology in elementary and secondary education.CTI was created by an act of Congress in 1991. It is a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) within RAND. CTI's mission is toprovide analytical support to the Executive Office of the President of the United States help decisionmakers understand the likely consequences of their decisions and choose among alte