| Building A Collective Vision |  |
| This Critical Issue focuses on the importance of building a collective vision and mission. Schools are likely to be more successful in achieving in-depth learning when leaders work with staff and the community to build a collective educational vision that is clear, compelling, and connected to teaching and learning. This collective vision helps focus attention on what is important, motivates staff and students, and increases the sense of shared responsibility for student learning. |  |
| Step 2: Questions To Consider In Technology Planning | |
| The University Service Administrative Company have posted a set of review questions to consider when engaged in technology planning. While these questions were designed for schools applying for the E-Rate, they can be used in a process of reviewing and suggesting changes in the district technology plan. | |
| Enough To Go 'Round? | |
| The Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Model refers to the life cycle of costs for technology, including both direct and indirect expenses. TCO includes costs incurred by capital (hardware, software, and facilities); administration and operation (planning, upgrade, replacement, and technical support); and end-user operation (staff development and user downtime). This resource helps in identifying, planning, and managing TCO, so that schools and districts can maximize their technology investments and get the best for students. | |
| Empowering Parents And Building Communities: The Role Of School-Based Councils In Educational Governance And Accountability | |
| This article builds and explores the hypothesis that parent and community participation in school governance can have positive impacts on community development by fostering improvements in school performance and school-community relations and by acting as a catalyst for collective action around community-development issues. It does so through case studies of reforms for school-based management that have led to the creation of school-site councils that include parents and community representatives in Kentucky, Hawaii, Chicago, and El Paso. The article finds that the hypothesized outcomes can occur where parents are given meaningful decision-making authority in schools, nongovernmental organizations provide training and advocacy for parents, and principals actively facilitate parent involvement. | |
| Best Practices Case Studies: Downer's Grove School District 58 | |
| This short case study is about a school district who felt that collaboration around technology was a necessary practice; it eventually became standardized into formal committees. The author mentions how the district measures and extends its successes. | |
| Roles In Technology Planning | |
| Part of the Education Leadership Toolkit. This web page describes the roles of school boards, superintendents, principals, and districts in the phases of technology planning. | |
| CoSN Essential Leadership Skills Series | |
| CoSN's Essential Leadership Skills Series from the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) provides a set of Professional Development monographs for the District Level Technology Decision Maker. The monographs collective covers the responsibilities of a district level director of technology. While the monographs need to be purchased, there are short briefs in PDF format that summarize critical issues for leadership. | |
| A Technological High | |
| Access to computers, multimedia labs and advanced software engages students at this San Diego charter school. | |
| Voters Urge Teaching Of 21st-Century Skills | |
| Poll suggests 'back-to-basics' approach to education is not enough for nation's citizens | |
| Hoosiers Go High-Speed | |
| City leaders in Fort Wayne, Indiana plan to infuse the city with new life by convincing Verizon to wire the entire city as a business investment. As part of this effort, all of the schools were also linked with broadband. | |
| How To Make Great Teachers | |
| The author discusses important education policy questions facing Americans today: what does a good teacher look like, how do we create good teachers, and how should they be rewarded appropriately? This questions are important to consider in the quest to find and retain high-quality teachers. | |
| Are Schools Inhibiting 21st Century Learning? | |
| The idea of technology in education is to enhance learning, not limit it. Yet a large portion of students say teachers and school IT departments are doing just that: throwing up barriers to learning with the very technology that's supposed to facilitate it. And teachers, administrators, and parents seem to be largely unaware of this, according to the results of the 2007 Speak Up survey released Tuesday by Project Tomorrow. | |
| Focus On K12: 21st Century Skills | |
| The new mandate for schools is simple: Be relevant to students while giving them the latest skills to compete globally. Here's who's doing this and how they are accomplishing it. | |
| States Heeding Calls To Strengthen STEM | |
| Equipping students to succeed in science, technology, engineering, and math holds economic appeal. | |
| Vision To Know And Do: The Power Of Data As a Tool In Educational Decision Making | |
| This new paper focuses on the successful practice of school districts that have transformed their organizations to respond to the needs of all students and provide community accountability. It highlights those school districts using data analysis systems to improve student outcomes; identifies factors for successfully integrating data into decision making processes, and; calls for more emphasis on data-driven decision making as a way to prepare students for the 21st century. There is a cost for these resources that varies depending on your membership to COSN. | |
| Perceived Educational Technology Needs Survey | |
| This is a survey that a CTO could distribute to teachers to solicit feedback from them about "their own perceptions of technological needs with respect to specific responsibilities and working situations." Their answers could provide the data/feedback that a CTO could refer to when making leadership decisions. | |
| Telling The Technology Story: PR Strategies For School Leaders (PDF) | |
| In small districts, as in larger ones, ensuring effective communication with all stakeholders (students, staff, parents and community members) is an essential part of the role of the district technology leader. However, most smaller districts do not have a dedicated public relations person or staff, so the technology leader must be sure that the vision, progress, success stories and ongoing challenges of implementing technology are communicated to both internal and external stakeholders. | |
| Fact Sheet On Technology Attitudes | |
| This guide speaks directly to the needs of Executive Directors but will be helpful to anyone involved in nonprofit organizations. Use it to guide you as you think about working with technology within your organization. It will be particularly helpful as you design, implement, and analyze research about staff and other stakeholder attitudes about technology. | |
| SETDA's National Trends Report 2007 | |
| The No Child Left Behind, Title II, Part D, Enhancing Education Through Technology (NCLB II D) program requires that states and schools focus their uses of technology on closing the achievement gap. While currently most states are implementing Round 5 (FY06) of the funding cycle, this report provides insights into the program implementation for Round 4 (FY05) and documents trend data across Rounds 1, 2, 3, and 4. | |
| Cover the Material--Or Teach Students To Think? | |
| To move beyond rote memorization and use a full range of thinking skills, students need to tackle issues straight out of the complex world in which they live. | |
| Technology Puts More Pupils In The Mainstream | |
| This article profiles disabled students in Boston schools who use special technologies. Their schools are part of a movement in education to integrate technology into mainstream curriculum and general classrooms so students with disabilities such as mental retardation, autism, cerebral palsy, blindness, and dyslexia can join their peers. | |
| 'Probeware' On Increase In Schools' Science Labs | |
| Turning students into apprentice scientists has long been a goal of K-12 science educators. But it's been many years since real scientists used the paper logs, alcohol thermometers, balances, stopwatches, meter sticks, and other gear that remain staples of many high school science labs. | |
| Whiteboards At Your Service | |
| Interactive whiteboards can assist teachers, students, trainers, and distric office personnel. Some ideas for integrating this technology into the classroom are discussed in this article. | |
| Digital Identity Management For K-20 Education (PDF) | |
| Higher education leaders with expertise in this increasingly important field share suggestions, explanations and "lessons learned" with their K-12 colleagues. | |
| Technology Demands Educational Changes | |
| According to a new study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, there's a long way to go before adults embrace interactive online media to the degree that teens have. | |
| A Commentary On The Future Of Education | |
| A commentary on the future of education in an increasingly flat world. | |
| Promoting Technology: 13 Ways To Do It (PDF) | |
| An article listing 13 effective ways to promote technology use and support among educators, students and community members. | |
| Six Tech Trends For The Next Five Years | |
| What's going to be the next big thing to influence education? | |
| Assistive Technology: Enabling Dreams | |
| Technology can be a lifeline for disabled students. Assistive Technology is developing at the same pace as other technologies; however, it is not always implemented in schools because people involved in planning and administration are not always aware of what is available. This video provides examples of Assistive Technologies in use within many different learning environments. | |
| Which Technologies Will Shape Education In 2008? | |
| The report focuses on the six key technology areas that the researchers identified as likely to have a major impact on "the choices of learning-focused organizations within the next five years," broken down into the technologies that will have an impact in the near term, those that are in the early stages of adoption, and those that are a bit further out on the horizon. | |
| Crisis Preparedness: Leadership For IT Disaster Recovery (PDF) | |
| This two-page document outlines tips for small district technology leaders to create a disaster recovery plan. It includes topics such as Protecting Your Data, Determining Critical Services and Operations, and Plan for Ongoing Communication. | |
| Visions, Views, And IT Plans (PDF) | |
| An article discussing the quick-changing and multi-faceted nature of IT planning on higher ed campuses. Topics include catching up on network infrastructures to strategic planning. | |
| No More Flying Blind (PDF) | |
| Although schools often appear to lack navigational instruments to guide them in promoting 21st century learning, the typical educational enterprise has access to large quantities of data on which to base decisions. | |
| Benefits Of And Lessons Learned From Linking Teacher And Student Data | |
| Increasingly, federal and state leaders are using longitudinal data systems for both policymaking and school improvement. In response, states are investing more resources in the systems' design, development and use. The Data Quality Campaign (DQC) has championed the development of state data systems based on 10 essential elements. | |
| The Data Primer: Using Data For Instructional Decision Making | |
| The Data Primer is an instructional website designed to help educators become more comfortable with thinking about and using data for the purposes of instructional decision making. | |
| Continuous Improvement: It Takes More Than Test Scores (PDF) | |
| Article about the analysis of state assessment results and improving the process | |
| Keeping Pace With K-12 Online Learning (PDF) | |
| This report explores policies and practices governing online education with a particular focus on policies aiming to provide students with high-quality online learning experiences. The report looks specifically at two areas: state-level policies governing online education, and statewide online programs (i.e., programs created by legislation or by a state-level agency, and/or funded or administered by a state department of education or another state-level agency to provide online learning opportunities across the state). Online learning has developed explosively over the past five years. As of July 2005, 21 states have statewide online learning programs, and cyberschools and/or district-level online programs operate in almost every state. Both statewide programs and cyberschools report rapid growth, with registrations and enrollments typically experiencing double-digit percentage annual increases. Despite the explosive growth, relatively little is known about the programs that conduct online learning. What percentage of students passes the courses they take? What is the quality of their learning experience? How much does it cost to provide online courses, and what are the best methods for paying that cost? Questions like these raise complex issues of policy, practice, and philosophy. While online-learning practitioners have been grappling with such issues for years, state policymakers have moved much more slowly; and the concern raised four years ago by the National Association of State Boards of Education--that online learning developments would outpace the capacity of policymakers to shape these developments in constructive ways--has turned into an increasingly accurate prediction. | |
| Strong Medicine: Scientifically Based Research And School Practice (PDF) | |
| In passing No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the legislation that reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Congress has instructed that funding decisions and practice should adhere to scientifically based research (SBR). | |
| Making The Grade: Accountability And Assessment Under No Child Left Behind (PDF) | |
| The shift to evidence-based education set in motion by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation raises the stakes for education technology leaders. Accountability has been redefined, with schools being required to answer on the basis of results rather than inputs, outcome rather than process. Students in all subgroups -- including those who are economically disadvantaged, speak only limited English, or have disabilities -- must show evidence of progress in reading/language arts and mathematics, as well as other measures such as graduation rates. | |
| Internet2 (PDF) | |
| The majority of U.S. states now offer K-12 schools access to the new, high-capacity network via a partnership with the colleges and universities that started it. What is Internet2 and how can schools benefit from the connectivity being offered? | |
| Maximizing The Impact (PDF) | |
| In a new report, Maximizing the Impact: "The Pivotal Role of Technology in a 21st Century Education System", the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA), the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and the Partnership for 21st Century Skills urged renewed emphasis on technology in education. | |
| Building Bridges: Accessible Technology For ALL Students (PDF) | |
| This resource is the executive summary of the final monograph in the 2004 CoSN Compendium that focuses on forging a relationship between the special education and the technology worlds. The key question that runs throughout the 2004 CoSN Compendium is: "What do we, as technology leaders, need to know and do in order to support our schools and districts in today's changing world?" | |
| Contemporary Literacy: Redefining The Basics (PDF) | |
| Technology is the Big Bang that has propelled literacy into an expanding universe. The challenge of keeping up with the information explosion that is having such a profound impact on all our lives can only be met through the development of a new set of literacy skills. | |
| Partnering For Success: IT And AT Together (PDF) | |
| This article discusses the relationship between general and special education technology that, when used together, can encourage a positive school culture and technology-rich environment. The author includes input from approximately 20 national, state, and district leaders with insight into Instructional Technology (IT) and Assistive Technology (AT) about the benefits and challenges they have faced in trying to forge this relationship. | |
| CITEd EdTech Locator: Using Technology For Differentiating Insructions (PDF) | |
| The EdTech Locator and its related materials are designed to help you evaluate where you stand in the technology-integration continuum. The materials can help you Identify key points along the way towards reaching a target level of technology integration, and map a course for further integration. Unique versions of the Locator were created specifically for Teachers, Administrators, Technology Coordinators, and Professional Development Coordinators. Each version is tailored to the specific responsibilities of that role. | |
| GIS And Geographic Inquiry | |
| This is a collection of news stories, best practices, and other resources--all designed to help you integrate GIS and other geospatial technologies into your classrooms and district offices. | |
| Home: Part Two (PDF) | |
| The rapid evolution of mobile technologies, such as smartphones and other handheld or laptop devices, provides unique ways for schools to expand learning opportunities beyond the time and spatial boundaries of school. Mobile devices that connect to networks or the Internet enable students to access learning material anytime and almost anywhere. By leveraging these tools, teachers can provide core, enrichment, and/or remedial information and experiences that students can access as needed from home, in the community, or even on the bus ride to and from school. Supported by technology, we can work collaboratively to construct a learning ecosystem that links home, school, and community. | |
| How To Spark Remote Learning | |
| Second Life, the online world that brings players together from across the globe to socialize, shop and even fly, is developing a second career as a hot spot for learning English as a second language (ESL). |