For the generation of people whose classroom memories consist of chalk squeaking on a blackboard, weather-beaten textbooks and a ready supply of sharpened No. 2 pencils, the resources available to students in many 21st-century American schools may seem unfamiliar, even amazing. Computer networks with access to the Internet--wired or wireless--have…

We report on an investigation into the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of an informational and instructional Website in order to generate guidelines for instructional designers of read/write Web environments. We describe the process of design and development research, the problem addressed, the theory-based solution, and the…

High school students spend much of their educational journeys immersed in "old" literacies of paper, pencil, and print books. But outside of the classroom, they are exposed to information and communication technologies--such as blogs, wikis, Internet browsers, multimedia, social networking sites, and a wide range of software--each of which demand…

Higher education institutions struggle with planning for future needs, growth, and, sometimes, contraction. As student populations expand and as faculty members adopt new technologies, universities struggle to support these needs. To the casual observer, it may seem that the technology planning process is haphazard. This article details a process…

Over the last 20 years, technology and education policy discourse in Alberta, Canada has been philosophically polarized and dominated by value-neutral ways of thinking about technology (Brooks, 2011). While technology policy implementation has significant ramifications for schools and systems, for much of this time, system leaders, specifically…

In this evidence-based practice article the authors investigate the challenges that leaders (administrators, staff, and teachers) face in high schools where personnel navigate technology reform. We studied an American comprehensive high school within a large school district in southeastern United States. School administrators and teachers faced…

The National Educational Technology Plan (NETP) presents a model of 21st century learning powered by technology, with goals and recommendations in five essential areas: learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity. The plan also identifies far-reaching "grand challenge problems" that should be funded and coordinated at a…

Why is a generation of teachers more knowledgeable about technology than any before it arriving in classrooms with little understanding of how to teach with it? It's a debate that, according to Ann Thompson, director of Iowa State University's Center for Technology in Learning and Teaching, has K-12 and higher education engaged in mutual…

When asked to weigh in on what might be the next best thing in educational technology, the author scanned the horizon for the next gizmo or software advance that would eventually grow legs, rise up, and utterly transform the library profession. But what he saw was more about evolution than revolution. Sure, Windows Vista will become Windows 7, USB…

With the rushing in of new technologies, facilities must be more flexible and adaptable to a variety of learning approaches. As personalized learning plans emerge with technology, new designs make learning possible anywhere at any time. In addition, the change from print to Web-based materials is creating an environment that focuses on…

Public school principals must meet many challenges and make decisions concerning financial obligations while providing the best learning environment for students. A major challenge to principals is implementing technological components successfully while providing teachers the 21st century instructional skills needed to enhance students'…

China is a huge country with a large population. Providing equitable and quality "e-education" or use of ICT (information and communications technologies) for teaching and learning in elementary and secondary schools across the country is a national priority. This article briefly sketches the context in China and the challenges relating…

Since laptop programs extend instruction beyond the campus, it is then a must for schools to try a variety of solutions to protect their machines--and their users. Combining high-tech safeguards with face-to-face user education is a must for schools whose laptop programs allow students to take the computers off-site. For a cautionary tale on the…

Purpose: This paper sets out to argue that the strategic implementation of technology is implicated in a range of crises or socio-economic disruptions, like peak oil, climate change and the rising environmental costs of energy consumption. It aims to argue that institutional technological implementation is contested, complex and should not be…

The Obama administration urged educators and policymakers last week to embrace a host of digital-learning approaches it says will make K-12 schools better, including putting a computing device in the hands of every student. Guided by an overarching goal set by President Barack Obama to raise national college-completion rates from 40 percent to 60…