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Education Technology News: Economic Stimulus Needed to Drive Education Technology
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Education Featured Article

March 10, 2009

Economic Stimulus Needed to Drive Education Technology

By Erik Linask, Group Editorial Director


There has been much debate over President Obama’s economic stimulus package — and specifically, the broadband portion of the plan. In fact, Tom Keating’s (News - Alert) blog post back in January drew a number of comments debating the plan’s impact and viability.

 
The inclusion of a rural broadband component, of course, regardless of individual reasons for agreeing with the plan or not, does come with the potential to create as many as 500,000 new jobs. But, as always, there is debate — and confusion ­— over exactly how the funds will be allocated. 
 
Included in that discussion, as it always is in budget issues, is the impact on education. The attention on education increased with the introduction of President Bush’s “No Child Left Behind Act” back in 2001, but its impact only continues to grow with the development of technology. Specifically, how can and should funding be allocated to enhance technology in educational institutions?
 
The benefits of IP Communications technology, which are now commonplace in the business world, can have as great an impact in our schools — as long as the appropriate funding is unilaterally available. There’s the rub.
 
The $1 billion that was originally earmarked for the federal Enhancing Education through Technology program was cut to $650 million, which prompted the Consortium for School Networking and International Society for Technology in Education to suggest that, “The funding falls short of funding in the House and Senate bills, and far short of what is needed by our students to compete in today’s digital age.”
 
That debate will continue, as the implications of a national broadband policy and the general economic stimulus won’t be fully realized for years. But, even if the new figure does fall short of some expectations, it is a starting point.
 
What Simba Information says in its recent report, K-12 Technology Tools & Trends 2009, is that the economic stimulus — along with a larger discretionary budget for the U.S. Department of Education — will drive technology in our schools overall. It specifically suggests a wider adoption of a range of presentation tools, including computers, interactive whiteboards, and handhelds, as well as digital management and Web 2.0 solutions.
 
The findings are a result of analysis of the technology already is use in schools today, and feedback from educators and administrators on which they find both appealing and effective — and which they are likely to integrate into their systems in the coming years.
 
“The Simba/MDR survey found that management systems, for instance, are being used in more than half the schools or districts, as educators turn to technology for solutions to promote individual student achievement most efficiently,” said Kathy Mickey, senior analyst/managing editor of Simba’s Education Group.
 
The technology that is already being implemented in today’s schools includes a range of applications as varied as the communications space itself — and it’s not a new phenomenon. Back in 2006, the School District of Philadelphia opened the doors of what it called the School of the Future. At its heart is a wireless network from Meru Networks (News - Alert), which drives other enhanced deployments, like smart card-enabled lockers, a bookless library, and smart classrooms.
 
More recently, a telepresence system was deployed in middle schools in Ridgefield, Connecticut to facilitate the continuation of a Mandarin Chinese language program.
 
In January, Scholastic Education, a developer of reading intervention programs, launched a new system to help challenged readers with an intensive, engaging instructional software application that helps children reach their target reading levels.
 
Even the iPhone (News - Alert) can now be used to introduce children to technology, as learning games are now available on the App Store designed to help toddlers learn about colors, shapes, sounds, body parts, and more.
 
So yes, the applications of technology in the education space run the gamut, from basic wireless networking to telepresence to administrative systems to the latest student-focused PCs. But, it needs to be deployed in schools across the board. 
 
Today, technology is not merely a tool for displaying materials and making school-wide announcements — though there are plenty of innovations in those areas as well. Rather, technology is a critical component of the entire educational process — and it’s a process that needs the support of local, state, and federal governments in order to be effective.
 
During his December address, President Obama said: “Here, in the country that invented the Internet, every child should have a chance to get online. And they'll get that chance when I’m president, because that’s how we'll strengthen America’s competitiveness in the world.”
 
At the very least, that’s a start — but only a start. The hope, as the Simba report suggests, is that this stimulus will drive increased interest in launching technology projects in schools on a nationwide level, so all our children can enjoy the benefits of the latest innovations in technology.
 
To keep up with the latest technology in the education space, visit TMCnet’s Education Technology site daily.

Erik Linask (News - Alert) is Group Managing Editor of TMCnet, which brings news and compelling feature articles, podcasts, and videos to nearly 3,000,000 visitors each month. To see more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.

Edited by Erik Linask


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