Technology presents school districts with a steep and often stony learning curve. But those who pick their way up it can find assistance from many willing hands. The following organizations, publications, and Web sites are selected from a wealth of resources--many available via the Internet--to help school leaders initiate planning, select hardware and software, review research on instructional effectiveness, and train staff members.
- The Center for Image Processing in Education is a nonprofit organization that provides training and other resources to improve science, mathematics, and technology education through the use of computer image-processing and other technology. For more information, write to CIPE at P.O. Box 13750, Tucson, Ariz. 85732-3750; (520) 322-0118.
- The Consortium for School Networking, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, offers nationwide on-line discussion groups on technical, curricular, and staff-training issues related to using networks in schools as well as other technology topics. Participation in most groups requires membership in CoSN. To find out more, visit the World Wide Web site at http://ericir.syr.edu/Projects/CoSN/online.html.
- EdWeb, a Web site devoted to exploring education reform and information technology, has links to on-line educational resources, discussions of trends in education policy, and success stories of computers in the classroom.For more information, make your way to http://k12.cnidr.org:90/resource.cntnts.html.
- The International Society for Technology in Education is a nonprofit professional organization dedicated to improving education through computer-based technology. ISTE provides publications, distance-education courses, conferences, and special-interest groups that host discussions via e-mail. Participation in many activities requires membership. For details, write to ISTE at 1787 Agate St., Eugene, Ore. 97403-1923; (541) 346-4414. Or visit the Web site at http://isteonline.uoregon.edu.
- The Internet Road Map for Educators, published by the Educational Research Service, offers teachers basic explanations of such technological applications as e-mail and Web browsers and addresses issues such as copyright and student safety on the Internet. The guide costs $20. For ordering information, contact ERS at 2000 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington, Va. 22201; (703) 243-2100.
- The Learning Technology Center at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., brings together a multidisciplinary group of researchers, designers, and educators to develop software and classroom strategies that use technology to teach math, science, social studies, and literacy. Information about the center’s work is available at http://peabody.vanderbilt.edu/ltc/general/ltcinfo.html.
- The National Center for Technology Planning is a nonprofit organization that supports the creation of technology plans by schools, school districts, and other agencies. The CTP Web site offers downloadable technology planning aids, relevant articles, and a repository of actual technology plans at the school, district, regional, and national levels. For more information, write to CTP at P.O. Box 5425, Mississippi State, Miss. 39762; (601) 325-2281. Or check out the center’s home page at http://www2.msstate.edu/lsa1/nctp/index.html.
- The National Teacher Training Institute for Math, Science, and Technology is a nationwide training program offered by more than 30 public television stations for area teachers. Master teachers show participants how to use television and other technologies in daily classroom instruction. NTTI, which is sponsored by Thirteen/wnet, Texaco, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, also offers a course via distance learning as well as lesson plans and other teaching resources. Visit the Web site at http://www.wnet.org/ntti/index.html.
- NetLearning: Why Teachers Use the Internet is a compendium of practical ideas on how teachers can integrate the Internet into classroom instruction. For ordering information, contact publishers Songline Studios Inc. and O’Reilly and Associates Inc. at 101 Morris St., Sebastopol, Calif. 95472.
- Teachers & Technology: Making the Connection, a report published in April 1995 by the now-defunct U.S. Office of Technology Assessment, describes teachers’ use of technology across the nation and includes a wealth of ideas and relevant data. For a copy, send a check for $19 to U.S. Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15250-7974. (Mention item number S/N 052-003-01409-2.) Or download the full report from the Web at http://www.wws.princeton. edu/ota/disk1/1995/9541_n.html.
- The 21st Century Teachers Initiative is a nationwide campaign to recruit 100,000 computer-savvy teachers during the 1996-97 school year to be mentors to their colleagues. More than 20 organizations and corporations sponsor the effort, including the National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers, the National School Boards Association, and the Software Publishers Association. The Web address, which includes a list of resources to enrich teachers’ technical knowledge and to help teachers communicate on-line, can be found at http://www.21ct.org.
