NEW PLAN CALLS
FOR MARYLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO MAXIMIZE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES TECHNOLOGY
PROVIDES
BALTIMORE, MD (3/26/02) --- With
Maryland expected to achieve its goal of wiring all public schools for technology use by
2003, a new plan presented today to the State Board of Education calls on the state to
shift its emphasis from improving the technology infrastructure of schools to the wide
range of learning opportunities technology provides.
"The Maryland Plan for
Technology in Education 2002-2005," prepared by the Maryland Business Roundtable for
Education (MBRT) and the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), calls on the state
to fully integrate and effectively use technology in all classroom instruction "in
order to create a dynamic and challenging learning environment," says MBRT Executive
Director June Streckfus.
"Maryland has made significant
progress in establishing a strong technology infrastructure, but we can’t regard
technology as an end in itself," notes Ms. Streckfus. "Our teachers must have
the necessary training to effectively use technology in order to engage and motivate
students to become independent, creative thinkers and effective communicators and
problem-solvers."
To that end, the new technology plan
recommends a number of specific actions designed to help teachers and administrators
become more proficient in using technology to help students meet rigorous academic
standards. These include: development of online tools that will allow teachers to assess
their own technology skills; alignment of teacher preparation curricula with Maryland
Teacher Technology Standards; and online-access to technology-infused lesson plans and
"digital content" (technology-based instructional materials).
The plan also calls for
technology-related knowledge and skills to be integrated into all grade levels in the
statewide curriculum recommended by the State Visionary Panel to be developed by MSDE. By
2004, recommendations for assessing technology-related knowledge and skills through the
state testing programs would be developed, according to the plan.
"The real purpose of public
education has never been to prepare students for the classroom, but for the world beyond
it," notes State School Superintendent Dr. Nancy S. Grasmick. "So, in these
terms, technology isn’t an add-on. It isn’t an adjunct to education. It is
education – central to the purpose and critical to the outcome."
Ms. Streckfus agrees, adding,
"While Maryland has made a tremendous investment in ensuring high-speed Internet
access for students and in reducing the ratio of students to high-capacity computers, our
overarching goal always must be to improve student learning, both in core educational
areas and in the technology knowledge and skills that are critical to our students’
ability to function in today’s technology-dependent society."
Although infrastructure improvements
do not receive as much prominence in the new plan as they did in the state’s previous
technology plans (published in 1995 and then revised in 1999), they still account for half
of the plan’s $196 million annual budget recommendations. The plan allocates more
than $44 million annually to the purchase of additional computers, upgraded file servers,
network gear, and software packages, and another $55 million to connectivity fees and
improved technical support.
"Because technology is
constantly changing and certain costs, such as computer and software upgrades and
connectivity fees, are unavoidable, technology funding must be viewed not as a one-time
capital investment, but as an ongoing operational expense," explains Robert Marshall,
Chair of MBRT’s Committee on Technology and Education (COTE) and President and CEO of
AWS Convergence Technologies.
Mr. Marshall emphasizes, however,
that much of the funding recommended in the plan is, in fact, not "new money",
but funds already being expended by the federal government (e-rate, Federal Title I Funds,
and Technology Literacy Challenge Funds), state funds earmarked for equipment, software,
instructional materials, and professional development, and matching local school system
funds.
The plan also calls for that more
than $40 million annually to be allocated for professional development in the use of
technology over the next three years. Another $24.9 million annually is recommended for
integrating digital content into classroom instruction.
"Universal access to technology
and digital content are of little value if teachers are not fully prepared to integrate
the material into their classroom instruction," says Ms. Streckfus. While much
progress has been made on basic technology skills, the new plan concludes that significant
professional development is still required if technology is to be completely and
seamlessly integrated into the curriculum of Maryland’s public schools.
To ensure continuous improvement in
the implementation and use of technology in schools, the technology plan recommends that
the state partner with MBRT and Maryland’s higher education institutions to analyze
how technology is being used in public schools statewide and its impact on student
learning.
Following endorsement of the new
technology plan by the State Board of Education, MSDE will work with Maryland’s 24
school systems to ensure that the technology plans being updated by the jurisdictions are
aligned with the overall state plan. MBRT’s Committee on Technology in Education will
monitor implementation of the plan’s multiple recommendations, evaluating the impact
and effectiveness of each.
The Maryland Business Roundtable for
Education is a statewide coalition of more than 100 major Maryland employers committed to
improving student achievement in the state.
MBRT’s Committee on Technology
and Education (COTE) drew upon a wealth of national reports and reviewed extensive
research on the use of technology in Maryland’s public schools in preparing "The
Maryland Plan for Technology in Education 2002-2005." Before the plan was finalized,
COTE also received feedback on the draft from education and technology experts in Maryland
and nationally.
The full technology plan, with
appendices, will be available at www.msde.state.md.us/technology
in the News Center.
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