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Communications and media technologies have become important aids in meeting our society’s educational goals. The use of computers and the Internet as vehicles for learning enables young people and adults from all sectors of society to broaden their access to knowledge in a constantly changing learning landscape. Technology also is creating new learning opportunities for anytime-anyplace on-line learning and distance education. To create seamless learning environments through technology requires a full complement of services — from computers and connectivity to teachers skilled in the use of technology.
The Boston Public School’s (BPS) LINC Phase II plan set the following goals for June, 2004:
• Development and implementation of Phases 1 and 2 of MyBPS means that schools and central offices will have drastically reduced their use of paper to communicate; teachers and principals will use data readily available on MyBPS to inform improved teaching; all elementary schools will use an electronic report card; and all mainframe systems will be migrated to MyBPS, supporting improved efficiency in the various ways the BPS does business;
• 1,500 new computers will be purchased and in use, with appropriate curriculum and productivity software, replacing approximately 20% of the computers that are more than five years old;
• 89 schools will be fully networked with electrical upgrades, and 50 schools will have at least some networking. All 136 schools have network connections in every classroom and office, and 96 schools will have received electrical upgrades in addition to technology upgrades.;
• 88% of teachers will have participated in at least 50 hours of training and earned a computer for their desk;
• 1,500 teachers will have integrated technology with Citywide Learning Standards;
• Comprehensive technological support will employ a centralized Help Desk, and there will be Technology Support Teachers in each building stipended for after-school work, and student interns;
• Families in 14 schools will participate in Technology Goes Home@School and use MyBPS to communicate and collaborate with teachers concerning their children's classroom assignments.
In addition to these system-wide goals and achievements, the TechBoston program and TechBoston Academy (a pilot technology high school opened in the fall of 2002), are creating opportunities for students to turn their interest in technology into higher education and job opportunities. |
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