nationaledtechplan/

1. http://www.nationaledtechplan.org/ What is the Plan? The National Education Technology Plan for the U.S. Department of Education is being developed as part of a long-range national strategy and guide for using technology effectively to improve student academic achievement—either directly or through integration with other approaches to systemic reform. Background The No Child Left Behind Act charges the Secretary of Education with developing the nation’s third National Education Technology Plan. The Plan will establish a national strategy supporting the effective use of technology to improve student academic achievement and prepare them for the 21st century. It provides an opportunity to reflect on the progress our nation has made as a result of a decade of increased federal, state, local and private investments in connecting classrooms to the Internet, providing students with computers, and equipping teachers with the skills they need to use technology as an instructional tool.read more>>> What's New? Click here for recent press coverage, featured events, and new resources! Press: Department Seeks Broad Input for New National Education Technology Plan May 23, 2003 Event: National Educational Computing Conference Seattle, Washington | July 1, 2003, 2:00-5:00 pm Resource: Education News Parents Can Use: Preparing Students and Parents for the Digital Ag http://www.ed.gov/Technology/evaluation.html

2. Distance LearningK-12Exploring Virtual SchoolsThe U.S. Department of Education's Office of Innovation and Improvement began the first of many sessions of the Innovations in Education Exchange Series. Virtual schools, whether they are part of traditional public schools, charter schools, or through cooperative programs, provide students with innovative opportunities that can improve their education.Virtual EducationOn October 21-22, 2002, the Office of Educational Technology at the U.S. Department of Education and Converge Magazine hosted a national policy forum on virtual education in Denver, Colorado. The purpose of the meeting was to help inform and shape a national virtual school agenda and bring together key stakeholders from the virtual school community to identify issues and challenges around virtual education. Work groups debated and discussed four specific sets of issues: accountability, equity, funding, and quality. The work group discussions focused on: 1) what are the barriers to virtual learning and 2) what roles can and should the federal government play in overcoming these barriers?Paige Touts Technology, E-Learning on His No Child Left Behind Tour Across America "By harnessing technology, we can expand access to learning and close the achievement gap in America," Paige says on the 15th stop of his cross-country tour.Friendship Through EducationThe Friendship Through Education initiative was launched by President Bush at Thurgood Marshall Elementary School in Washington, D.C. on October 25, 2001. Friendship through Education is a consortium of non-governmental organizations and private groups committed to connecting children from different nations in an effort to bridge cultures and broadenThe E-Language Project The E-Language Learning System (ELLS) will be designed to apply Web-based technologies to provide quality language resources, initially in English and Chinese, free of charge on the Internet. The target population is for students 12 to 18 years of age. Eventually, this system will be expanded to provide electronic language resources to support students in learning many other languages and other age groups. ELLS was announced by President Bush at the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) forum in Shanghai in October 2001. Higher EducationNew Information on the 12-Hour Rule Press Release and Report (7/2001)Over the years, concerns were expressed about fraud and abuse in the Federal student financial assistance programs, especially the Federal Family Education Loan Program and the Federal Pell Grant Program. In response to these concerns, in 1990, the Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) held hearings and, in 1991, issued a report that included 29 recommendations to the Department. A number of the recommendations made by PSI were adopted during the reauthorization of the HEA in 1992. In 1993 and 1995, PSI held related hearings concerning proprietary schools' fraud and abuse under the Federal Pell Grant Program. General InformationCongressional Web-Based Education CommissionThe Internet is in the process of transforming American business, culture, and society. Its potential as a learning tool is just beginning to be tapped. As educators turn more attention to online learning, individuals and organizations develop more Web content, and government supports these efforts with additional resources, leaders are searching to understand the real potential of the Internet, and the obstacles that inhibit students from realizing that potential.Learning Anytime Anywhere PartnershipsLAAP is a grant program for asynchronous, innovative, scalable, and nationally significant distance education projects. Eligibility requirements for LAAP include at least two partners and a one-to-one matching of requested federal funds.Star SchoolsThe U.S. Department of Education's Learning Technologies Division awards grants to telecommunications partnerships to operate Star Schools projects that deliver distance education courses and services. Partnerships include local school districts, state departments of education, public broadcasting entities and other public and private organizations. U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige issued the following statement on FED UP legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.http://www.ed.gov/Technology/distance.html

3. Office of Educational Technology (OET) Feature -Grant Competition: Evaluating State Education Technology Programs-ED Seeks Input for New National Education Technology Plan-TV Show, Webcast Spotlights Education TechnologyThe Office of Educational Technology (OET) was established under section 216 of the Department of Education Organization Act.Provide leadership to the nation in using technology to promote achievement of the National Education Goals and to increase opportunities for all students to achieve State content and challenging State student performance standards, by supporting the overall national technology policy and consulting with other Federal departments or agencies.Recommend policies to promote increased use of technology and technology planning throughout all programs and training functions administered by the Department of Education.http://www.ed.gov/Technology/ U.S. Department of Education's1997 Improving America's Schools Regional ConferencesIAS Education Reform Institute: Mastering the Foundations of Mathematics GOALSDESCRIPTIONPRESENTATIONSONLINE RESOURCES  CONTACTS INSTITUTE GOALS The goal of this institute is to promote high expectations and achievement in mathematics for all PK-8 students by reviewing research and sharing promising practices related to improving mathematics instruction. The institute will focus on three elements: High-quality, standards-based mathematics curricula Teacher professional development aligned with the curricula Ensuring that all students have the opportunity to learn challenging mathematics. DESCRIPTION Round-table discussions interspersed between segments of informative presentations will allow participants to consider the applications of research findings and promising practices to their own environment and explore needs, potential solutions, and next steps as well as seek further information from presenters. PRESENTATIONS/PROCEEDINGS San Diego AgendaOctober 17, 1997 Dallas AgendaNovember 17, 1997 Washington, DC AgendaDecember 15, 1997 ONLINE RESOURCES NOTE: The U.S. Department of Education does not control the contents of the sites pointed to below. The currency of data, comprehensiveness, and relevancy of the information on all other site pages are entirely the responsibility of the webmaster of the site visited. http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/iasconferences/archives/1997/institutes/math/index.htm

4. U.S. Department of Education's1997 Regional Conferences on Improving America's Schools  A Call to Action:  Working Together for Equity and ExcellenceSAN DIEGO, CAOctober 16-18DALLAS, TXNovember 16-18WASHINGTON, DCDecember 14-16Participants in the three 1997 IAS Regional Conferences learned about practical strategies and models for improved teaching and learning, and gained a better understanding of the Department of Education's vision of collaboration.Links to online resources, background materials, and selected presentations from the conferences are included below. You can also use the conference's original home page to navigate this site if you prefer. For all those unable to attend the conferences, key sessions are available for viewing in RealPlayer or Netshow format through the IAS Webcast site. About the Improving America's Schools Act (IASA)General SessionsOpening Session: A Call to Action: Working Together for Equity and ExcellenceLuncheon Session: The State of American Education Department of Education's Seven PrioritiesThe America Reads ChallengeMastering Challenging Mathematics by the 8th GradeGetting Ready for College EarlyStrong, Safe, Drug-Free and Disciplined SchoolsStandards and AccountabilityA Talented, Dedicated, and Well-Prepared TeachersAmerica's Technology Literacy ChallengeEducation Reform InstitutesSetting and Reaching High StandardsCreating a Better School EnvironmentAssessing Student AchievementMastering ReadingMastering the Foundations of MathematicsExploring Public School OptionsPromoting and Managing Change in Schools & CommunitiesRecruiting, Preparing and Retaining Excellent TeachersInvolving Families and Communities in EducationUsing Technology as a Tool for Education ReformFacilitating Higher Education, Work Transitions, and Lifelong LearningTechnical Assistance WorkshopsCross Program WorkshopsProgram-Specific WorkshopsTechnology, Media & Resource Center"Check it out" - Hot topics on the web.

5. EQUITABLE, SUPPORTIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTEdExperts: School Environment a listing of individuals and companies that offer consulting and training services to the education community. URL: http://www.america-tomorrow.com/menu/experts/environ.htmERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools provides information about education and schooling. ERIC/CRESS focuses on Rural Education, Small Schools, Migrant Education, Native Americans, and Mexican Americans. URL: http://www.ael.org/erichp.htmOffice for Civil Rights (OCR)at the U.S. Department of Education. URL: http://www.ed.gov/offices/ocr/Subject Index: School Environment listing of web resources relating to improving school environment. URL: http://weblib.sask.net/subject/s/school_environment.shtmlTeaching Tolerance an education project dedicated to helping teachers across the nation foster respect and understanding among their students. URL: http://www.splcenter.org/teachingtolerance.htmlUrban Education Web an ERIC Clearinghouse (ERIC/CUE) dedicated to urban students, their families, and the educators who serve them. URL: http://eric-web.tc.columbia.edu/U.S. Department of JusticeURL: http://www.usdoj.govU.S. Office of Justice ProgramsURL: http://www.ojp.usdoj.govBack to: Creating a Better School Environmenthttp://www.ncela.gwu.edu/iasconferences/archives/1997/institutes/environment/online.htm

6. The Premise:New electronic tools and information might - if combined strategically with the best of classic tools and techniques - enhance the ability of students to explore to reason to invent to communicate to persuade The Danger:The opposite might be true if we acquire lots of equipment but use it in powerpointless ways spawning the growth of mentalsoftness, glib thinking and a cut-and-paste mentality.The Antidote:The best defense against technology for technology's sake is a rigorous learning-focused program firmly grounded in the best traditions of schooling. We concentrate our efforts on reading, writing and thinking. We make literacy the centerpiece of our program. We emphasize student performance and learning. We prune and shed silly and fashionable distractions that might waste time or undermine performance.Foundations:Underpinning the learning programs we offer our students, we must provide certain crucial elements such as robust professional development for staff. We must also offer opportunities for unit and lesson development so that teachers have a clear sense of how to translate theory into practice.Here and Now:The fact that you are participating in this three day professional development challenge is an indication that you and your school recognize the importance of adult learning and the development of much more than technology or software skills. While you will depart with an impressive new array of such skills, this workshop will focus more particularly on how to wield these skills in service to thinking and learning. The emphasis will be upon literacy and the development of classroom lessons.Outcomes:You should emerge from these three days with the following:A well defined personal sense of how to use new technologies efficiently, effectively and comfortably in combination with more classical resources like books. An enriched sense of how literacy can be the keystone tying together most effective program strategies and efforts. An expanded repertoire of teaching strategies. Concrete lesson plans to use with your students this school year. Growth of personal information problem solving skills such as prospecting, navigating, searching, interpreting, organizing and synthesizing. A set of strategies to teach information skills to your students. An increased comfort and skill level with software programs such as Inspiration™ and Office™. Greater confidence, comfort and enthusiasm with regard to the potential of new technologies to enhance student performance.Power Learning - OZPower Learning 1.0Power Learning 2.0OWLA River in Trouble?