A transformation is going on at Dunbar High School. Administrators, parents, teachers, students, and community partners are excited about the new opportunities offered to students enrolled in the award-winning technology programs. But this was not the case more than a decade ago. In the fall of 2000, Dunbar High School in Fort Myers, Florida, USA,…

In the impassioned debate about school reform, there is one point that all sides agree on: Classroom teachers have a huge impact on student success. Great teachers don't just teach. They inspire, they captivate, and they motivate their students to create, investigate, solve, and continue learning long after their school years are over. This…

In this article, the author discusses the Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning's (McREL's) Knowledge Taxonomy, which is a useful guide for any educational technology professional development plan. This taxonomy is based on the assertion that teachers need to know not only "what" to do to improve student achievement, but "why," "how,"…

The leadership of today's schools supports both students' academic success and their preparation for employment in a global work environment. As stimulus funds become available to U.S. school districts, it remains critical that technology leaders align technology acquired with those funds with system-, school-, and classroom-identified student…

When LoTi was first introduced in 1994 as the Levels of Technology Implementation framework, the intent was to create a tool to help district leadership quantify how teachers were using technology in the classroom. After serving the past 15 years as a research framework, self-reporting technology integration survey, and school improvement model,…

In 1999, Richard Lee Colvin published an article in "The School Administrator" titled "Math Wars: Tradition vs. Real-World Applications" that described the pendulum swing of mathematics education reform. On one side are those who advocate for computational fluency, with a step-by-step emphasis on numbers and skills and the…

In late February, 13 members of ISTE's Special Interest Group for Teacher Educators (SIGTE) participated in a global exchange, traveling to New Zealand on a SIG-sponsored study tour hosted by CORE Education (www.coreed.org), a nonprofit research and development organization that supports the use of educational technology across New Zealand through…

Educators know there is a disconnect between students' technology experience outside of school and what they use in the classroom. At home many students play and learn with an array of tools that are restricted, banned, or, in many cases, just not available at school. They also know that effectively infusing technology into the classroom does make…

For many states, it's been a long struggle to fund positions dedicated to helping schools integrate technology. But in Virginia, thanks to the state's forward thinking educational leaders and lawmakers, every school division has its own team of technology-integration specialists. It started with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and the…

Students are asked to complete projects every day--from a simple PowerPoint presentation to college applications and financial aid forms. Students are expected to complete these projects to certain standards. However, students are often not provided with the tools and skills needed to successfully manage projects, especially complex ones. As…

If technology can affect student learning, shouldn't it be considered in making decisions? Data-driven decision making models include data from curriculum, instruction, test scores, lunch programs, budgets, and transportation. None of the current models include anything about technology. The challenge with any type of data-driven decision making…

This article discusses three compendiums of Ed Tech research giving readers a fairly broad overview of where the field stands today. But, just as with technology, research is constantly moving forward. New and exciting ways to use technology and valuable data to support different kinds of technology use are continually being discovered. The texts…

Today, school administrators face many challenges. These include pressures to increase all students' achievement in core content areas and to prepare students to be technology literate. In addition to these academic needs, principals are concerned for the security and safety of their students and ultimately seek to provide a positive school…

Highlights research findings regarding technology's effects on student learning as determined by the Center for Applied Research in Education Technology (CARET). Topics include achievement in content area learning; higher-order thinking and problem-solving skill development; workforce preparation; and using technology in conjunction with…

Discusses visual literacy and its impact on school performance. Topics include rising scores on intelligence tests; the importance of visual literacy skills for university students; and implications for school practices related to technology, including teaching methods, teacher training, and equity issues. (LRW)