President-Elect Obama Applauded for Classroom Technology Investment Plan

President-Elect Barack Obama was praised today by four major education and organizations business -- CoSN, ISTE, SIIA and SETDA -- for his proposed plan to spend budget dollars on enhancing classrooms with new technology equipment.

 

The intended investment is part of the forthcoming economic recovery package and urged targeted action by Congress.

 

According to the President-Elect, his goals are to "equip tens of thousands of schools, community colleges, and public universities with 21st century classrooms ... [and] provide new computers, new technology, and new training for teachers" to not only prime the nation's economic pump but also allow "students in Chicago and Boston [to] compete with kids in Beijing for the high-tech, high-wage jobs of the future."

The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) and State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) have suggested that Congress agree to distribute these new classroom technology grant funds through the existing Enhancing Education through Technology (EETT) program in order to make sure the

that the funds quickly reach the most deprived schools and are used for their intended purposes.

"We're very encouraged by the economic stimulus proposal now under consideration," said Don Knezek, CEO of ISTE. "It puts a world-class, future-focused education front and center while also preserving and creating jobs now."

The four groups represent more than one-hundred thousand educators and hundreds of high-tech employers. They believe that a major spending infusion on education technology will create jobs within the education, education services and technology sectors, as well as allow for more innovative instructions in America's classrooms. This will also help meet the needs of today's digital-native students.

 

A federal expenditure of $9.9 billion would guarantee that every classroom in economically-disadvantaged Title I schools has updated technology. Schools that are considered to be “technology-rich” are well-equipped with computer hardware, software, electronic whiteboards, rich digital and online curricular resources and its teachers receive the necessary professional development and support.

"Stimulus funding to create technology-rich classrooms and broadband access will help ensure that our students receive a 21st-century education, delivering both immediate job creation and preparation of today's students for tomorrow's high-end jobs," stated Keith Krueger, CEO of CoSN.

 

Kruegar strongly encourages Congress to fully adopt President-elect Obama's promising plan for 21st-century learning.

"After working with the Obama transition, we are extremely optimistic about their commitment to boost classroom instruction into the 21st century through technology, and to achieving that goal through targeted stimulus investment," said Ken Wasch, SIIA President. "Providing meaningful funding for education technology is a win for students, for the economy, and for America's global competitiveness."

"The fact is, America's schools are lagging in the use of technology and it's hurting our students' ability to learn and compete in the global economy," said Mary Ann Wolf, SETDA's executive director. "Our position as a world leader in innovation can be dramatically enhanced through this extraordinarily cost-effective investment to modernize our curriculum and instructional practices, creating a globally competitive 21st century learning environment."

CoSN, ISTE, SETDA and SIIA recommended adding separate, additional broadband and technology infrastructure support for schools in other school construction and broadband components of the economic recovery package, because a jump in classroom technology will require increased bandwidth.

 

The groups also suggested that further investments in broadband would improve the nation's unemployment status, mentioning a recent study by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation that said a $10 billion investment in broadband would create close to one-half million jobs.

The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) is the country's premier voice in education technology leadership, serving K-12 technology leaders who through their strategic use of technology, improve teaching and learning.

ISTE is a membership association for educators and education leaders improving teaching and learning through the effective use of technology. Home of NETS and NECC, ISTE represents more than 100,000 professionals worldwide.

The State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) is the principal association for state directors of technology and their staff members providing professional development and leadership around the effective use to technology in education to enhance competitiveness in the global workforce.

The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) is the trade association for the software and digital content industry. SIIA provides global services in government relations, business development, corporate education and intellectual property protection to more than 500 leading software and information companies, including many serving education. SIIA and our member companies have long collaborated with educators, policymakers and other stakeholders to improve education through the use of innovative learning technologies.