Those who work in schools understand the demands placed on teachers in the face of mounting pressures from parents, administrators, and standardized tests. It would be foolish to assume these demands do not overshadow aspirations to remain current in educational technology trends and tools. That is why it is more important than ever for ed tech…

Technology has changed people's lives. In fewer than 30 years, people have gone from barely hearing about cell phones, laptops, and MP3 players to almost not being able to live without them. Digital citizenship describes the norms of appropriate, responsible behavior with regard to technology use. In this article, the author presents nine elements…

Learning is becoming more personal, yet collaborative and networked, portable and situated, ubiquitous and durable--and increasingly at odds with formal education, as more and different types of learning are happening outside of the classroom. In this article, the author provides a glimpse of what the not-so-distant future of education might…

Standards are a reality in all academic disciplines, and they can be hard to measure using conventional methods. Technology skills in particular are hard to assess using multiple-choice, paper-based tests. A new generation of online assessments of student technology skills allows students to prove proficiency by completing tasks in their natural…

Excitement about handhelds must be tempered by an understanding of what is typically required when any new technology is introduced into classrooms. We know, for example, that to succeed, handheld initiatives will need clear educational objectives and a logical theory of action that guides implementation. We can anticipate that teachers will need…

Four years ago, the staff at our school (Marie C. Graham Elementary School in Harrison Township, Michigan) agreed to take an evaluative look at the use of technology in the classroom. Through a self-study process and a district technology initiative called Project 2000, teachers had the opportunity for change relative to technology integration.…

In 1999, funding from a federal technology innovation challenge grant and the state of Maryland enabled the creation of the Maryland Technology Academy (MTA). The MTA is a collaboration of Johns Hopkins University, Towson University, and the Maryland State Department of Education formed with the goal of developing a network of knowledgeable and…

Integrating technology into curricula requires more than just placing the latest and greatest hardware and software in a classroom. Effective integration requires leadership. In Part 2 of this series on essential resources, the focus is on resources related to leadership. As with Part 1 ("L&L," March 2004, pp. 10-13), these resources were compiled…

Provides a model for task computing for fifth graders that meets educational technology goals and challenges students to take full advantage of available hardware and software. Highlights include task rotation; assessment; benefits, including integrating technology into the classroom, computer literacy skills, peer tutoring, cooperative learning,…

Presents an instrument for planning for staff development to help identify how much teachers know about technology and its integration into the classroom. The Teaching with Technology Instrument's (TTI's) 46 items are grouped in three areas: writing and communication skills, information access and management, and construction and multimedia. The…

Discusses answers to four questions school districts should consider in assessing technology's contributions to education: How should students learn technology skills? Should technology-enhanced learning replace paper-and-pencil knowledge? Will appropriate student use of technology lead to higher test scores? How do we obtain or produce teachers…

In 1995, rather than require seventh-grade computer literacy classes, Texas allowed school districts to integrate technology skills into curricula. This article, the first of three, describes technology integration for sixth grade. Includes unit ideas on nations; the Holocaust; Olympic diving; Christmas; probability; organisms; Antarctica;…