January 2004 — Editorial
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Reflecting on the Past, Focusing on the Future
Dr. Jackie Shepperson is on temporary assignment as technology bond program manager in Richardson Independent School District in Texas. Recently, she was executive director of instructional technology at Richardson. Among Shepperson's many other activities, she was president of the Texas Computer Education Association.
Dr. Gilbert Valdez is chief officer of technology, mathematics and science, as well as the director of the North Central Eisenhower Mathematics and Science Consortium (NCEMSC) for Learning Point Associates/NCREL. He is the author of a variety of articles and research on technology and education.
Our editorial board members span from Massachusetts to Florida, the desert to the Northwest, cover preschool through graduate school, and beyond. More important, their collective experiences and perspectives will provide innovation, depth and quality to all aspects of T.H.E.'s content.
January is also the start of conference season for the year, with arguably one of the most exciting — the Florida Educational Technology Conference — being held January 22-24. Note Pages 10-12 for an overview of the conference, and if you are attending, go to www.theconferenceplanner.com/fetc2004 to plan your time at FETC.
This issue of T.H.E. Journal includes the inaugural article in an important series on scientifically based research, a term mentioned in the No Child Left Behind Act no fewer than 170 times. Unfortunately, the definition(s) of SBR, how it will affect the purchase of products (if at all), and how the use of SBR will evolve over time are less exact than the number of times the term was used in NCLB. We hope this series will shine a little light on what is still a cloudy area.
We also are proud to announce the Sylvia Charp Award for District Innovation in Technology. We are creating this award in partnership with ISTE, as Sylvia was an ardent, life-long supporter of ISTE and its mission, as is T.H.E. Journal. While some have argued that the school is the unit of change for educational reform (and we don't disagree), we believe that the district is critically important in the successful implementation of technology. The district sets the vision for all children; the district ensures that the infrastructure is in place and functioning; the district ensures that there is equity of access and use among all students; the district ensures that there is equity of professional development and support across all schools; etc. Different schools may — and should — implement the use of technology differently, as teachers, children and the neighborhoods may vary among schools in a district. We want to find exciting, effective examples of district implementations of technology and recognize them. For details on the award, visit
www.thejournal.com/ISTECharpaward. Applications are due by the middle of March.On a final note, January marks the first in our growing efforts to provide a greater connection between our online and print content. This is why we are featuring a special article on getting your technology projects funded, written by Nickie Weaver and Sheila Fernley of Irving ISD in Texas, which appears exclusively on our Web site. As the article illustrates, you will see the highest quality content delivered by both media.
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