Schools everywhere are facing a difficult conundrum. Parents and the government continue to ask them to educate more children at higher standards with less time and less money. On top of that, students must master a whole new set of skills--digital age skills--if they are to succeed. What's a school to do? This article presents strategies and…

Web-based applications offer teachers, students, and school districts a convenient way to accomplish a wide range of tasks, from accounting to word processing, for free. Cloud computing has the potential to offer staff and students better services at a lower cost than the technology deployment models they're using now. Saving money and improving…

Interactive whiteboards are all the rage in classrooms across the world these days, and for good reason. Like most technology, they hold students' attention much better than a traditional lecture-and-blackboard lesson ever could. They also solve the problem of having only one classroom computer for 30 students by projecting the screen at the front…

Proving that technology works is not as simple as proving that a new vendor for art supplies is more cost effective. Technology effectiveness requires both the right software and the right implementation. Just having the software is not enough. Proper planning, training, leadership, support, pedagogy, and software use--along with many other…

Technology leaders can often be heard talking about Return on Investment (ROI) and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) as they extrapolate complex formulas as documentation for their board of directors. This brief article argues that these metrics are merely indicators corporate CIOs use to rationalize the need for more money to grow their personal…

This second of a three-part series on grant writing for technology in education focuses on costs and benefits. Highlights include the cost of proposal writing, four categories of grant-writing situations based on cost and probability of funding, an implementation budget, and mathematical expectation. (Author/LRW)

Podcasting is an automated technology that allows listeners to subscribe and listen to digitally recorded audio shows. Once one subscribes to a podcast, the audio files are automatically downloaded to a computer?s media player by podcatcher software periodically throughout the day. Podcasting has been used primarily for disseminating recorded…

Describes MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) technology and music education; provides information on conducting a MIDI workshop for all ages; and offers guidelines for creating a MIDI workstation for the classroom. Hardware and software vendor contact information is provided. (PEN)

Describes the results of a study that examined the classroom dynamics in a K-12 technology-rich learning environment and also assessed the educational outcomes associated with intensive use of technology by teachers and students. Discusses changes in the teacher's role and whether this level of instructional technology is cost-effective. (LRW)

Considers five distinct issues that must be addressed in order to integrate technology into schools and plan for it effectively: infrastructure, including the National Information Infrastructure; professional development for teachers; content and software, including cost effectiveness; equity and access; and financing. (LRW)

Discusses the importance of integrating technology into elementary and secondary school classrooms and considers funding sources. Highlights include costs for technology integration, including hardware, software, professional development, and infrastructure; characteristics of schools that obtain grants; and ideas for cutting costs to reduce the…