In 2000 a Hawaiian based organization called the Ohana Foundation commissioned researchers at Ball State University in Indiana to conduct a comprehensive study of the technology prowess in our nation’s schools.  The Ohana Foundation envisions a world in which all teachers and students have access to quality and emerging educational tools.  They believe that the digital divide “can be conquered through the collaboration of educators, researchers, business and opinion leaders” (Bossert, 61).  To be eligible, school districts had to have proof that they have successfully integrated a variety of technological tools in their school system as well as distance learning. Twelve school districts from our nation were selected as national finalists and the top four were showcased in this article.

            The winners were Wilson County in Wilson North Carolina, Central Columbia School District in Bloomsbuurg, Pennsylvannia, Anaconda School District in Anaconda, Montana, and Beaufort County School District in Beaufort, South Carolina. Not surprisingly the four finalists had the following in common: the belief that technology integration is the key to student success, the philosophy that networking is an important part of innovation, the willingness to take risks with technology, the importance of fully integrating technology into their curriculum, and most importantly, the understanding that teacher training was the most important role in technology implementation.

In Wilson, every summer teachers are paid to create technology based lesson plans that are aligned with North Carolina Standards. The teachers have created 11 volumes of multimedia lesson plans to date, all available on the Internet. The administration at Wilson recognized early on that “if educators were not comfortable using technlogy and didn’t understand how to use it, there was no way they would make technology part of their daily routine” (Bossert, 63).  In Central Columbia, the district spends $25,000 in staff development each year and each teacher has his or her own IEP for technology integration. In Anaconda, students and teachers are enrolled in a Cisco Network Academy that allows them to work toward certification. In Beaufort, every student and teacher has a laptop and and there is an extensive three phase plan for technology integration. The Beaufort County School District is “using technology to change the way its students learn and the way its teachers teach” (Bossert 64).

This article encompasses every aspect of Standard I. It shows how important continual growth in technology can be and the importance of continuous training in emerging technology.  It also shows that technology integration does not happen over night and needs a great deal of support and funding. It is not coincidental that the top four finalists all had extensive training for teachers; some even paid their teachers to create technology infused lessons during the summer. Districts have to relaize that they cannot expect to be outstanding in technology if they do not provide teachers with an adequate amount of hardware and software. They need to start reimbursing teachers for workshops and spend inservice days showcasing best practices in technology integration.

I was surprised about the location of the winners. I had expected a school in close range to Silicon Valley, California or New York City to be a finalist. The East and West Coasts are always seen as hubs for emerging fads and technology is definitely a fad.
Bibliography

Bossert, Philip J. Lessons Learned: An Inside Look at Four of the Top Technology Schools Districts in the Nation. Nov.2001, Vol. 29 Issue 4, p.62-65.