Rick:

I don't think the articles say schools were out to lunch in using grant
money for hardware. I believe what they are saying is schools should
have and should be investing their own monies in professional
development that enables teachers to be better teachers in classroom
settings. Leraning how to teach and meet the needs of all students is
the first step. Teachers that understand how learning takes place
usually understand the power of the technology to assist in the learning
process. Too few schools across the country have invested local monies
for the improvement of instruction. Too few schools have invested local
monies to insure that the school leadership know good instruction when
they see it. VISMT's process of helping school leaders know good
matematics and science instruction when they see it is very important.

Seeya!

Frank
Thu, 20 Jul 2000, Richard G. Shover, Jr wrote:

> Bill - I appreciate the information and will use it as a tool to convince
> school boards that they need to address this.  But as you know and I am sure
> many others are aware, schools actually had two choices with the last few
> years of grants.  Either purchase hardware or do not apply for the grant.
> In the last round, the Fed's finally said 25% has to be spent on PD and that
> is great as we do have all this equipment and it is now time to train
> people.  But I do not believe that for one minute that OENSU, or any other
> district in this state, was in a position to pass up the TLC Grants because
> they did not have a solid PD plan in place.  I know that we were not.  It
> seems that in both cases, the horse was before the cart.  The restrictions
> of the grants a few years ago, and the government understanding the need for
> PD around technology.  I guess I look at these articles and feel like our
> hands are being slapped for taking advantage of the hardware grants and not
> having a solid PD plan in place.  I have seen a number of these articles
> lately and have had teachers say to me that we did it all wrong here in
> OENSU - "We should have had the training first."  Well, first of all what
> would you do the training on, and secondly, where would the money come from.
> I think that it is now getting straightened out.  PD money is in many of the
> schools budgets, and there are grants available for it.  But these articles
> and presentations telling teachers that their districts are "out to lunch"
> for purchasing hardware with grant money are out of touch with what is
> actually happening or happened.  We got the message.
>
> Jumped off my soap box - thanks for the info. - I will use it.
>
> Rick Shover
>
> North Troy Consulting Services
> Where you and technology come together.
> 134 Highland Ave.
> North Troy, Vermont 05859
> Phone 802-988-4351
> Fax      802-988-2684
> [log in to unmask]
> www.northtroyconsulting.com
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: School Information Technology Discussion
> > [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Bill Romond
> > Sent: Thursday, July 20, 2000 11:04 AM
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: FW: Annotated; Communications-related Headlines for 6/28/2000
> >
> >
> > Hi all -
> >
> > An interesting new report has just been published by the CEO Forum. It
> > clearly and strongly aligns with the directions you have all been taking
> > relative to planning for your technology. In a nutshell it says " Its NOT
> > the technology... its the LEARNING that we need to focus on!"
> >
> > There's a link in the message below.
> >
> > Hope this helps.....
> >
> > Bill Romond
> >
> > *********************************************************************
> >
> > Subject: FW: Annotated; Communications-related Headlines for 6/28/2000
> >
> >
> >
> > MORE PLANNING NEEDED FOR SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY
> > Issue: EdTech
> > The CEO Forum has released a report that warns that the new computer
> > hardware flooding into schools may go to waste unless educators
> > take time to
> > develop clear plans for how the technology will be put to work
> > for students.
> > "You have to set the educational goals first," said Anne Bryant,
> > co-chair of
> > the CEO Forum and executive director of the National School Boards
> > Association. "I'm looking at the overall goals and objectives. It is a
> > combination of content, training and connectivity." Internet-enabled
> > computers should not be the goal, the report warns, educators should focus
> > the
> > use of technology on clear outcomes -- such as training students in the
> > skills they need to compete in an information-based economy.
> > "Technology is
> > not a panacea and can only improve and increase learning when applied to
> > meet specific educational goals and objectives," the report says. "Schools
> > need to examine their educational goals and determine which ones will be
> > supported by digital content." [Find the report, The Power of Digital
> > Learning: Integrating Digital Content, at (http://www.ceoforum.org/)]
> > [SOURCE: CyberTimes, AUTHOR: Rebecca Weiner ([log in to unmask])]
> > (http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/06/cyber/education/28educa
> tion.html)
>