Discusses connecting K-12 schools to the National Information Infrastructure. Presents four technology models and the estimated costs for each. Examines programs that could help reduce hardware, training, support, and retrofitting costs, and estimates potential savings. (JKP)

Kaestner is the TCO (total cost of ownership) project director for the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), a national nonprofit group that helps K-12 schools effectively use technology to improve both teaching and learning. CoSN, in tandem with Gartner, a research and advisory firm, has developed a free, vendorneutral, online tool--in the…

When a state makes the decision to award a small number of high-dollar grants, the stakes are considerable. For North Carolina's IMPACT Model School Grant applicants, professional development started long before a single dollar was ever awarded. In light of these conditions, the state decided to issue a high-dollar, highly prescriptive grant, the…

Describes how to plan and implement a school's technology infrastructure based on the experience of the Noblesville Schools Corporation (Indiana). Covers philosophical issues that will affect decisions; the need for computer labs and video over the network; and staff training. Presents an educational specifications checklist, and suggests steps…

Two years ago, Mandeville High School (http://mandevillehigh.stpsb.org/index.shtml) in Louisiana purchased a mobile wireless computer lab with grant funds from the state. This lab not only helped improve the writing and research skills of the school's ninth-grade students, but also improved its overall performance score to become one of the…

Discussion of the use of technology in schools focuses on a plan developed by the Nobelsville (Indiana) schools in cooperation with Indiana Bell. Highlights include decision-making criteria for the use of technology; policy; defining responsibilities; coordination; standards; program planning model; curriculum development; management; staff…

Describes how a realistic, down-to-earth approach is succeeding in bringing technology into a Delaware school district. A written plan featuring some strategic language, a concrete way to find funding for purchases and programs, and providing "change workshops" for personnel were key elements. Preliminary steps, the plan, and some of the…

Discusses the need for colleges to develop strategies for integrating information technology and allocating appropriate funds, and describes a study at Temple University that investigated student and faculty computer literacy and experience in the College of Allied Health Professions. Results of questionnaires were also used to identify faculty…

Discusses planning for the use of technology in education; explains a planning process model that includes needs assessment, creating and selecting goals, and implementing and evaluating the plan; and describes an application of this model in the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District (Pennsylvania). (LRW)

Describes how to restructure education to better prepare students for the future based on the plan developed at the South Huntington Union Free School District (New York). Topics include the need for a paradigm shift in education; technology as a tool for learning, including interactive courseware; inservice teacher training; the home-school…

Discusses technology-planning processes in schools and presents two case studies of districts who used data findings to support steps for technology implementation. Highlights include planning teams; system assessment; goals focused on student learning; teachers' use of technology; staff-development programs; student/computer ratios; changes in…

Discusses steps taken to initiate, implement, and complete the five-year technology plan of Florida's Lee County school district. The project was developed to provide computer access for the district's administrators, teachers, and students. Sidebars present project phases; inservice training opportunities for district staff; services provided by…