July 2005 — Editorial
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The Power In a Story
Fast forward to 2005. The loosely organized cabal is now a tight-knit professional organization known as SETDA, which has matured just as the use of technology has grown throughout education. One of SETDA’s primary purposes now is to provide networking opportunities for its members. The organization also supports its members through such activities as creating tools and products to help state directors better serve their districts.
In the last six months, SETDA has been working with professional organizations such as ISTE, CoSN, and SIIA to educate members of Congress about the importance of funding the EETT section of NCLB in two ways: 1) by explaining how crucial the funding is for states and districts, and 2) possibly more important, by showing members of Congress real examples, backed by research, of how technology is affecting education. One thing we in education and technology have not done well is to show, by more than anecdotal evidence, what impact technology has on students’ learning and upon the effectiveness and efficiency of running a school district or a state. Many of us—whether we are district technology coordinators, CIOs, or state department staff—have been called upon to answer the question: D'es technology work? I believe this is the wrong question to ask. A more appropriate question would be: Under what conditions can technology______? (Fill in the blank.) Together, this issue and SETDA’s testimony in Congress begin to answer that question.
Sharing Technology Success Stories
For this special July issue, T.H.E. Journal worked with SETDA to identify areas important to our readers and, not surprisingly, important to members of Congress and state legislators. The focus may seem overly NCLB-centric to some, but our collective sense was that these were the top-of-mind topics for educators who work with technology:
- Using technology to close the achievement gap
- Using technology to create and support highly qualified teachers
- Using data systems to address adequate yearly progress (AYP)
We then selected states that were making powerful strides in each of these areas, and asked them to describe what they did, as well as the results of their efforts. We also asked them to identify a school district in their state that was making similar efforts and receiving similar results. As you will read, these success stories involve much more than “throwing technology at a problem,” as a state legislator once said to me with a sneer. Technology is part of a much larger solution that always includes in-depth professional development for all educators involved in the program.
For example, the eMINTS (enhancing Missouri’s Instructional Networked Teaching Strategies) program involves multimedia technology integrated into student-centered, inquiry-based teaching practices. The professional development changing the instructional strategy from one that is teacher-centered to one that is student-centered is at least as important as the use of technology. The results from Missouri’s statewide studies, as well as those from St. Louis, clearly show the effectiveness of a fully implemented program.
These stories, and others from Nevada, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Vermont, as well as from other states and districts nationwide, clearly demonstrate how effective technology can be in education. They also show the importance of the EETT program, as this funding plays a vital role in all of the SEDTA stories.
The budget battles in Congress will not be completed until the fall, which gives all of us plenty of time to tell our stories to our senators and representatives in Congress and at the state level. Nothing is more powerful to a legislator than hearing from a constituent with a positive story to tell. So, take a few moments to tell your story, and have your students tell their stories. It can make a big difference—maybe a $300 million difference.
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