SETDA's NLI Toolkit 2003 - Executive Summary


	1. About SETDA 2. National Leadership Institute 3. SETDA Initiatives 4. Additional State Examples

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Alabama Education Technology Association Position Statement

We believe that the use of technology

is vital to improve learning.
is effective in providing educational equity.
is critical for success in the work force and lifelong learning.
is essential for the management of schools.

State technology funding is essential for each district if we are to continue to manage technology resources to increase student achievement, to provide student and financial data, and to prepare students for life in today's society. Therefore, the state legislature must provide adequate funding for technology from a stable source for all LEAs for the following:

District Level Technology Coordinator
District Level Technology Staff (Instructional and Support)
District Level Technology Resources (Equipment, Infrastructure, Software, Etc.)
Technology Professional Development

Ways technology is used in our schools today:

Preparing students for higher education and a global, high-tech workplace
Delivery of Instruction in ALL curricular areas
Distance Learning
Online research (Alabama Virtual Library, etc.)
E-mail communication with administrators, teachers, parents, and students
Professional Development
District, School, and Teacher Web Pages
Library automation
Access to the Internet
Teaching students technology skills through the Alabama Technology Course of Study and Career Technical Education
Alabama On-Line High School
Student attendance, grading, report cards, and demographic information
Class scheduling
Student Incident Report (Discipline)
Special Education information (IEPs, etc.)
Child count for special education
Electronic fund transfers from State to LEAs
Financial records at all levels
Bills paid or salary checks printed
Telephone systems in many LEAs
Typed correspondence (most of the typewriters have long been gone)
Disaggregation of data for federal requirements (NCLB, etc.)
Calculation of Adequate Yearly Progress
Data for the reading initiative
Lunchroom automation
Purchasing at all levels
Automation of heating and air conditioning
Security and fire alarm systems

Talking Points

Most of these uses are now considered mission critical and we can no longer imagine conducting the business of schooling without the support of technology. There is NO money available for even maintenance of existing technology - much less for replacement cycles, new purchases, software, etc.

Examples: Individualizing instruction and remediation (especially for the Alabama High School Graduation Exam) are very important uses of technology in our classrooms. Software that can adjust to each student's instructional level is crucial for both ensuring the adequate yearly progress of our struggling students and in providing instruction for those students needing to move beyond grade level work and have enrichment type activities.

Communication via email is not only more cost effective but is quicker than sending memos.

Parents have come to EXPECT Web access to grades and attendance, computer generated progress reports and report cards that include not only every grade from the report card; but also, absence information and personal notes from the teacher.

Data collection in every area must now include almost immediate analysis or reporting - something just not possible with paper and pencil. Even lunchrooms cannot function without their online Web-based food ordering, point of sale software that tracks free and reduced students without everyone knowing who they are, or their inventory management databases.