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Assessment of and with Technology

Documenting the Effects of Instructional Technology: A Fly-Over of Policy Questions http://www.ed.gov/Technology/TechConf/1999/whitepapers/paper6.ht ml This is one of the white papers from the Secretary's Conference on Educational Technology, held July 12-13, 1999. Dale Mann of Columbia University discusses education policy and how evaluation research affects pedagogy, politics, and economics simultaneously. Promising Practices in Assessment Database (PPAD) http://assessment.WestEd.org/PPAD/ This database, hosted by WestEd, contains a variety of assessment-related materials developed by the 10 regional educational laboratories. It is fully searchable and includes materials relating to software, assessment instruments, activities for standards development, how-to guidebooks, and much more. National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP): The Nation's Report Card http://www.nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/site/home.asp NAEP tracks what America's students know and can do in a variety of subjects. Its Web site is easy to navigate and includes helpful information categorized by user profile or interest. An Educator's Guide to Evaluating the Use of Technology in Schools and Classrooms http://www.ed.gov/pubs/EdTechGuide/ This U.S. Department of Education handbook the is geared towards educators with little or no research experience who are charged with evaluating the impact of instructional technology on a school or district level. This type of assessment is usually required when schools or districts obtain funding through grants.

Funding

BellSouth edu.pwr3 http://www.bellsouth.com/education/ This two-year program will distribute $10 million in grants to help school leaders, teachers, and students make the best use of instructional technologies. eSchool News Technology Funding Center http://www.eschoolnews.org/funding/ This on-line component of eSchool News is updated regularly with new funding opportunities. It is free to all school technology professionals. The Foundation Center http://foundationcenter.org/ The Foundation Center fosters public understanding of foundations, in general, by collecting, organizing, analyzing, and disseminating information on foundations, corporate giving, and related subjects. This extensive Web site supports the Foundation Center libraries with tips, answers to frequently asked questions, and a wealth of resources for novice or expert grant seekers. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology Educational Technology Grant Programs http://www.ed.gov/Technology/TOCedgrant.html This site includes links to the many funding opportunities offered by the Office of Educational Technology.

Planning

Building the 21st Century School Now! http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/IDT/ This is a helpful decision support tool for school technology and facilities planning. The information is useful and timely for administrators and technology leaders alike. The site is funded by the North Central RTEC and developed by the National Center for Supercomputing Applications and the Integrated Technology Education Group. NCRTEC Resources for Guiding Questions for Technology Planning http://www.netc.org/cdrom/guide/html/gqres.htm The North Central RTEC has compiled this list of on-line articles and other resources across the Internet in a helpful format. This site poses common questions pertaining to technology planning and the resources, from across the Web, are presented in response. Revising the 1996 National Educational Technology Plan http://www.air.org/forum/default.htm The Office of Educational Technology is seeking input regarding the revision to the 1996 National Educational Technology Plan, Getting America's Students Ready for the 21st Century: Meeting the Technology Literacy Challenge. Due to rapid advances in the development and application of technology, the Office plans to complete a strategic revision of the original document by fall 2000. Taking TCO to the Classroom http://www.cosn.org/tco/about.html Developed by the Consortium for School Networking, this Web site highlights publications, tools, procedures, and other resources necessary for helping school and technology leaders understand the concept of the "total cost of ownership" so technology can be used in the most cost-efficient way.

Professional Development

Technology Management for School Leaders (TMSL) http://www.icsrc.org/TMSL/index.html The Institute for Connecting Science Research to the Classroom (ICSRC) achieved tremendous impact upon classrooms in every district in Virginia. Building upon that success, TMSL is a district-based approach for planning and implementing technology. Teams including administrators and technology leaders attend professional development and planning sessions with on-line content offered in support.