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Volume 12, Number 1 2001/2002   Author: Maine Commission for Middle Level Education

Opportunities to Learn: Technology for Maine's Students A Position Statement of the Maine Commission for Middle Level Education Schools in the United States are spending roughly $7 billion dollars a year on educational technology. Some of it seems to be having an impact and some of it does not. Maine is in the beginning stages of investing several million dollars a year in technology for students across the state, and many educators and citizens are questioning if this is a wise investment. The Maine Commission for Middle Level Education (the Commission), charged with investigating, synthesizing, and then recommending a perspective of "best practices" for teaching young adolescents, strongly endorses and supports the Maine Learning Technology Endowment (MLTE), and it's plan to provide middle level schools with portable, wireless computers for use by all Maine seventh and eighth grade students and their teachers. Maine will be the first state to do this, but MLTE will also put Maine in the position to lead the nation in meeting the National Educational Technology Goals: Goal 1: All students and teachers will have access to information technology in their classrooms, schools communities and homes. Goal 2: All teachers will use technology effectively to help students achieve high academic standards. Goal 3: All students will have technology and information literacy skills. Goal 4: Research and evaluation will improve the next generation of technology applications for teaching and learning. Goal 5: Digital content and networked applications will transform teaching and learning. There is over twenty years of research into the effective use of educational technology. After reviewing the available research, the National Association of School Boards of Education Study Group on e-Learning (NASBE, 2001, available at http://www.nasbe.org/Organization_Information/e_learning.pdf) concluded "e-Learning will improve American education in valuable ways and should be universally implemented as soon as possible." The Educational Research Service document "Does Technology Improve Student Achievement?" (2001, available at http://www.ers.org) states, "Students need to learn to use technology to be part of the fast-moving, 'wired' world we live in, and this need will only grow as technology becomes a bigger part of our everyday lives. However, the true value of technology for learning lies not in learning to use technology, but in using technology to learn." The Commission agrees. The Commission recognizes that distributing computers, by itself, will not enhance and improve learning. "The Impact of Educational Technology on Student Achievement" (Schacter, 1995, available at http://www.mff.org/publications/publications.taf?page=161) reflects the analysis of more than 700 studies, and concludes that technology initiatives have to focus on teaching and learning, not the technology, in order to be successful. Further, Computer-Based Technology and Learning: Evolving Uses and Expectations (NCREL, 2001, available at http://www.ncrel.org/tplan/cbtl/toc.htm) concludes, "Technology offers opportunities for learner-control, increased motivation, connections to the real world, and data-driven assessments tied to content standards that, when implemented systemically, enhance student achievement as measured in a variety of ways, including, but not exclusively limited to, standardized achievement tests." The Maine laptop initiative has the potential to offer all Maine's students new opportunities to learn and to learn better. The Commission acknowledges that succeeding in reaching this potential will take hard work and attention to several key factors. Toward the success of the initiative, the Commission urges those responsible for implementing the initiative to pay close attention to the following aspects of the project: Providing adequate resources and support to teachers, technology coordinators and integrators, administrators, and State project staff. Raising adequate financial resources to complete the endowment and insure the continuation of the initiative. Keeping the focus on high quality teaching and learning, notwithstanding the importance of the technical and managerial aspects of this project. Supporting the continued capacity building and development of educators with respect to creating high quality learning experiences with technology. Keeping classroom practices and professional development focused on instructional and technological "best practices," and lessons learned from other educational technology initiatives. Remaining focused on equity, especially access to technology and educational opportunities. It will take all of us to move this initiative forward, and the Commission joins with educational technology pioneer Seymour Papert in asking each of us to ask ourselves what we can do to help it succeed. The Maine Commission for Middle Level Education supports practices and initiatives that promote the following: Assuring equity and access to learning opportunities and instructional materials (including technology) for every learner Engaging both learner and teacher in broad-based, up-to-date learning Focusing middle level education on learning that is student centered, student shaped, and student directed Forging learning activities that are multi-optioned rather than singular Integrating new work into existing curricular areas while making the entire enterprise transportable &emdash; learning follows the learner Accelerating the deepening of basic skills with hands-on learning that reinforces essential strategies Supporting broad options for practicing and attaining elements and performances of the Maine Learning Results by every learner   Back to Top