Special Online Issue
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Edited by Diane McGrath |
formerly Journal of Research on Computing in
Education
Volume 28 Number 5 Summer 1996
A Qualitative Evaluatino of Statewide Networking Infrastructure in
Education
(NIE) Project, Data-Appendix
Carol Scott Whelan, Carl Frantz, Juanita Guerin, and
Sylvia Bienvenu
University of Southwestern Louisiana, Lafayette,
LA
Introduction
Momentum is growing for educational reform that includes innovative
uses of
technology throughout the curriculum. Although the excitement for
using the
Internet and various forms of multimedia is widespread, translating
this enthusiasm
into a viable curriculum is not an easy task. This article reports on
findings
and conclusions of an evaluation of a state pilot program whose three
main goals
were (a) to develop pilot sites in five school systems in one
southeastern state
as models for the integration of Internet resources into the
curriculum, (b)
to have these models provide information for the development of the
state technology
plan, and (c) to develop and field test mathematics and science
lessons in K-12
instruction. It describes the nature of this Networking Infrastructure
for Education
(NIE) program funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), and
includes
the findings and conclusions drawn from site visit interviews and
focus group
meetings, an analysis of a pre- and postproject surveys of project
participants,
team leader journals, project reports, and publications on recent
program developments.
The paper also posits new conclusions and recommendations.
This program was a collaborative effort among the NIE program, the
state Goals
2000 organization, educators, business partners, community leaders,
and university
faculty in a southeastern state. It addressed five barriers to the
acquisition
and use of telecommunications identified in a National Center for
Educational
Statistics (NCES, 1994) study entitled Advanced
Telecommunications in U.S. Public Schools, K-12 . These are
(a) lack
of funds specifically allocated for telecommunications, (b) lack of or
outdated
equipment; (c) inaccessability of equipment, (d) lack of inservice or
training,
and (e) lack of knowledge of ways to integrate advanced
telecommunications into
the curriculum. Most of these barriers are considerably higher in the
state
we studied than in most other states. Overall demographics show this
state ranks
among the highest in illiteracy, crime, and teenage pregnancy; has one
of the
lowest per capita incomes; and has one of the lowest overall
performance rates
on the American College Test (Thomas,
1996). It is not surprising that the state has not made a
long-range multimillion
dollar investment in technology. Although there are pockets of
excellence that
exist in school technology projects, no equipment, poor equipment, or
inadequately
used equipment are common characteristics. The state has developed a
comprehensive
technology plan to bring the necessary access, skills, and knowledge
to the
state's educational system.
In October, 1994, the Louisiana Systemic Initiatives Program (LaSIP), in
conjunction
with the Louisiana Department of Education (LDE) and the University of
Southwestern
Louisiana, received a $564,000 NIE grant from NSF. The purposes of this
grant
were to develop a state educational technology plan and to implement
five pilot
sites to integrate Internet
resources into K-12 instruction. The the Louisiana Board of Education,
the Louisiana
Board of hHigher Education, Louisiana Public Broadcasting System, and
LaSIP coordinated
resources to develop the state's educational technology plan with the
Louisiana
Goals 2000 Technology Task Force. This state NIE grant is connected to a
larger,
$23 million state systemic initiative program whose goal is the systemic
reform
of mathematics and science education. (Davidson,
1994).
Copyright © 1996, ISTE (International Society for Technology
in Education).
All rights reserved.
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