In spring 2020, the Office of Educational Technology (OET) hosted a series of listening sessions with state leaders--from state educational agencies (SEAs), state broadband offices, state libraries, and state economic development agencies--to identify what digital equity issues were magnified as a result of school closings, what immediate actions…

A state department of education (SDE) served by the Southeast Comprehensive Center (SECC) at SEDL requested information on state-run virtual education programs, specifically: (1) What are states doing to support districts through state-run virtual education (VE) programs? (2) What policies and procedures are necessary to support a successful…

The Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing's (MECDHH's) "POINT" (Providing Opportunities for Integrating New Technologies) project is implementing a telepractice, distance learning collaborative in Maine with eight hub sites and 18 end points using Tandberg videoconferencing technology. This network is planned to be a…

The "Local Technology Plan Guidelines" serve as the basis for the Department's annual technology data collection. This report takes a look at the data submitted by 344 school districts, examining the progress Massachusetts school districts are making in meeting the recommended guidelines. In doing so, it will gauge the degree to which…

People do not want to know the history, minutiae of policy, or operations, or even the political intrigues of a virtual consortium. People want to know if the consortium has value, whether it can help them, and if it is a threat. In this article, the author focuses on the operating principles and policies that have proven successful in the…

In November 1996, forty-five higher education technology leaders convened in Washington, D.C., to discuss the virtual university (VU). The Western Governors Association had announced establishment of the Western Governors University (WGU). As a result, VU initiatives were emerging from, or being contemplated by, almost every state-level higher…

Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) state virtual schools are growing, and so should their funding. Since 2005, when SREB first gathered data on the number of middle grades and high school students in SREB state virtual schools, enrollment has gone up sevenfold. For many of these students, access to these courses would not have been possible…

Anecdotal accounts from teachers have long suggested the possibility that virtual teaching experiences have a positive impact on face-to-face teaching practices, a so-called "reverse impact" phenomenon. Survey and focus group data collected as part of a statewide evaluation of a virtual school offered an opportunity to explore this impact.…

As Internet technology encroached on the public school classroom about a decade ago, Kim Ross, superintendent of the Houston School District in Houston, Minnesota, saw an opportunity. At first, he and his administrative team simply wanted to offer students in the district of 1,300 access to more classes via the web than what a district that size…

Discusses how information technologies and distance education are changing workforce development. Focuses on the Digital Dakota Network (DDN), a cooperative effort to make distance education opportunities available to residents. Examines the related issues and implications of trends in the labor market. Outlines four recommendations for realizing…

As an educational media, radio has a long and complex history in the United States, but its most extensive and important use in education took place during the School of the Air (SOA) movement. From approximately 1929 to 1975, commercial broadcast networks, state universities and departments or colleges of education, and local school boards…

This case study reviews the emergence and evolution of eCore (the University System of Georgia's electronically delivered undergraduate core courses) over eight years and summarizes the issues, ongoing challenges, and lessons learned from interinstitutional collaboration in offering and administering a "virtual" shared core. The bulk of…

The Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium (CTDLC) provides its 32 members with Information Technologies (IT) services including a portal Web site, course management software, course hosting and development, faculty training, a help desk, online assessment, and a student financial aid database. These services are supplied to two- and four-year…

This issue of "Legislative Review" takes a look at the news in higher education from February 2 to 6, 2009. This Legislative Review reports that: (1) HB 1447, a bill giving the Legislature authority to set tuition and fee rates, was heard in the House Education Committee Wednesday, February 4; (2) the Senate Finance and Taxation…

This plan provides a framework for incorporating technology into the educational lives of Mississippians. The recommendations set forth are based on the comprehensive needs analysis and statewide study of existing educational technology initiatives conducted by the Center for Educational Leadership and Technology in the spring and summer of 1995.…