Enter your email address to subscribe to SuperTECH NEWS SuperTECH NEWS is the bi-monthly newsletter of the BLE GROUP, which provides small- and medium-size school systems with supplementary technology management to produce high-quality educational results and efficient management. The purpose of SuperTECH NEWS is to provide education decision makers with concise information that allows them to make informed technology decisions to impact instruction, management and communication. This is information you can use on Monday morning. Editor, Susan DeMark Web Design, Charlene Polanosky Publisher, Eliot Levinson

Our November issue theme is handheld computers and software applications for these devices. Choose from the following articles. Note from Eliot—No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Assessment and Management Service. The BLE Group has launched a new service for small and medium-size school systems. We assess where school districts are currently and exactly what they have to do to implement NCLB. The service also provides school systems the supplementary management support they need to purchase and implement the new technology-delivered programs. Theme of the Month—The new handheld devices are more powerful and faster than their predecessors, and have integrated wireless connectivity and many more specialized applications for education. We describe recent developments in devices and applications. We also provide advice on purchasing and implementing handheld programs. Products and Applications—The newest handheld computers are much more instruction- and administration-focused. We look at four leading examples of hardware, explore a range of current applications suitable for use in K-12 schools, and examine, in depth, three examples of breakthrough applications in student assessment that are being used on handheld devices. The Scoop —Low-cost 1:1 computing in schools is getting close. Developers are working on breakthrough technology and applications for a wireless networked computing device that will deliver content at an unprecedented level. While they will not talk publicly about this big race going on, we give you an inside perspective of what to expect in the next two years. Best Practices — Administrators in Michigan use handhelds for data driven decision-making. Marion Ginopolis provides lessons from a major statewide initiative that teaches superintendents and principals how to use handheld computers and specialized applications to perform data-driven decision making and enhance their leadership capabilities. Conferences—Check out the relevant conferences coming in the next several months. We want to hear from you. What do you agree and disagree with on this issue (we will post comments from readers in the next issue). Please write us at eliot@blegroup.com. DID YOU MISS AN ISSUE? You can read past issues of SuperTECH NEWS relating to NCLB online: May 2003 - Focus: Data Warehousing and Data Management Solutions February 2003 - Focus: Web-based Assessment Products for High-Stakes Tests December 2002 - Focus: Student Information Systems August 2002 - Focus: Purchasing Hardware 2002 June 2002 - Focus: Web-based Applications for Early Reading May 2002 - Focus: Web-based Professional Development March 2002 - Focus: Technology of Accountability

THE BLE GROUP AND NCLB ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT SERVICE

WHO IS THE BLE GROUP? We're a group of 25 CIOs and curriculum directors of school systems who use technology to improve instruction and management. The BLE Group has three lines of business:

• We develop technology assessments and plans, and we provide management services in more than 40 school systems.
• We publish a newsletter, Super TECH NEWS, which offers senior administrators easy-to-understand information on making technology decisions.
• We conduct market research for technology firms on the appropriateness of technology products for K-12 school systems.
  

Eliot Levinson is the CEO of the BLE Group. Levinson founded the BLE Group (www.blegroup.com) in 1998. Levinson is known nationally for his work in technology planning and management for school districts. He co-authors "Tech from the Top," a monthly column that appears in Converge Magazine. Levinson has experience in education and technology as a teacher in California and Pennsylvania, a middle school principal in Massachusetts, and an assistant to the chancellor of schools in New York City. He has held research positions in educational change at the RAND Corporation and MIT's Sloan School of Management. Levinson holds master's degrees in Education and Anthropology and a Ph.D. in Organizational Studies from Stanford University. Levinson works as a strategic technology advisor to large school systems and consults with several firms in the education technology market.

THE BLE Group's principals, our leadership team, consists of:

• Eliot Levinson—CEO, BLE Group
• Rick Rozzelle—Former CIO, Charlotte-Mecklenberg Schools, North Carolina
• Charles Garten—Executive Director, Educational Technology and Information Services, Poway Unified School District, California
• Kenneth Eastwood—Superintendent, Oswego City School District, New York
• Ann Boyle—Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment, and Technology, Scottsdale Unified School District, Arizona
• Steve Finch—Former CIO, Oklahoma City Public Schools, Oklahoma

Back to top

HANDHELD COMPUTERS IN SCHOOLS

In our November issue, we focus on handheld computers in schools. Many tout handhelds as the great new hope for 1-1 computing because they can do much of what laptops do, but at a cost of $100 to $400. This is not your grandfather's PDA from the 1990s. In the past, handhelds were very limited in power, had narrow applications and were glorified electronic organizers. Not any more. The newest devices are much more powerful, with much advancement in processors, and have integrated wireless connectivity. They are becoming more like networked computers, are more focused on the education market, and are cheap relative to laptops and desktops. While the first generation of handhelds were machines for the business world, the coming generation of hardware and software applications are more targeted for school use.

It's crucial that you learn about the latest in handheld computer hardware and the software for these devices that are proliferating to serve K-12 schools. Personal digital assistants (PDAs) and other handheld devices are not going to completely take the place of laptops and desktops, but they are going to provide a significant part of the functionality and applications that are needed in schools. Therefore they merit your attention.

Handheld hardware is getting faster, while the cost of the hardware is holding steady. You can get a handheld computer loaded with applications in the range of $200 to $400, and devices are available at prices lower and higher than that, depending on your needs. Keep in mind that the new handheld devices:

• have much better functionality
• are networkable and wireless
• have the advantage of turning on immediately without needing to be booted up;
• are easier to maintain, more rugged, and durable than before;
• have longer battery life in many cases than laptops;
• have lower repair and replacement costs than laptops; and
• have many new multimedia capabilities.

The other big story is in software for handhelds. There is an exponential growth in specialized education software for handheld devices such as PDAs and graphing calculators, from student information system extensions, to integrated wireless that fosters students' collaborative projects and real-time testing tools. These applications are in assessment, instructional content, and administration. The new products and applications coming to market in the next 1-3 years could change the face of educational technology use in the classroom.

Handhelds are moving closer to true computer functionality in schools, and the combination of applications and hardware functionality has improved greatly. Handhelds are becoming standard operating devices for many administrators and lots of teachers as well, and in ways far beyond their original use as personal organizing assistants and calendars.

Because of the price points and the portability of handheld devices, "you can have every student have access to technology," says Kathy Schrock, administrator for technology for Nauset (Mass.) Public Schools. Schrock notes that handhelds allow students to share work easily and to collaborate, using infrared beaming, and that technology advances recently have made the handheld computer screen far more readable. Also, with a classroom set of handheld devices all synchronized to one classroom desktop, the installation of a single software program on the classroom desktop can be done while performing maintenance or updates of other software, she says.

However, handheld devices are still handhelds, and they are not laptops or computers. In exchange for lower cost and portability, they have limitations. The limitations include:

• screens and keyboards are smaller and harder for reading and large school-project work, relative to laptops and desktops;
• although changing, most handheld device-oriented applications are still narrow and specific;
• handheld devices have limited memory for handling large bodies of work;
• software glitches for handhelds can make the Web browsing experience less than ideal; and
• add-ons for certain services and connectivity can be costly.

Handhelds are not the educational technology panacea. But they can and should be a powerful, versatile piece of the educational-technology portfolio for your district.

No Child Left Behind Act's emphasis on accountability and early remediation for students combined with strained budgets are also pushing the drive for using handheld devices and appropriate software. Thus far, initial breakthroughs have come in real-time assessment using handhelds, and we describe three of these applications in depth. Moreover, companies are developing specific applications of student information systems for use on handheld devices and specialized apps that allow back-office and administrative tasks to be extended into the classroom.

Companies are working to create far more expanded educational content that can be delivered on handheld devices. The goal is curriculum suitable for handhelds that can be adapted for each student depending on his or her needs and level of achievement. These are early-stage applications, and look for major products evolving in 1-3 years.

Schools lack information about where to place handheld computers in their portfolios of computing devices. In this issue of Super Tech News, we

• look at three of the leading handheld devices in use in the K-12 education market;
• provide descriptions of representative applications that run on handhelds;
• examine in depth three assessment applications that represent how software for handhelds is breaking through;
• describe a Best Practices program in Michigan in which superintendents and principals are learning how to build their leadership skills using handheld computers; and
• give the inside scoop on where handheld devices are going in the next two years and discuss whether they will meet the need for 1:1 computing.

We break out many more specifics starting in our Products and Applications segment.

Back to top

Note: The BLEgroup does not endorse any of the products listed below. These products were chosen because they represent a range of the products available.

PRODUCTS: HARDWARE AND APPLICATIONS

Handheld devices are no longer just a Palm organizer for your contacts and appointments. The newest devices are far beyond the machines that were sold in the 1990s. The new handhelds are faster, easier to use and read, have longer battery life, and are better designed. Most crucial to K-12, they are much more instruction- and administration-focused. Not only has the hardware advanced, but the network connectivity and software applications created for these computing devices are now much more powerful and versatile. When we say "handhelds," we are not simply focusing on the hardware, but on the combination of hardware and educational and other software made for these devices.

Improvements in hardware and network connectivity have made it possible to develop the robust software. The accountability focus in schools had driven the development of new, assessment-oriented programs and applications that demonstrate the utility of handhelds in schools. This is just the cusp of more advancement, both in the devices themselves and in the applications.

In this segment, we will look at: 1) the hardware: three leading handheld devices; 2) representative applications that run on handhelds; and 3) three examples of breakthrough assessment applications used on handhelds.

• Hardware
• Current Applications
• New-Generation Assessment Applications

As handhelds begin to offer more educational applications and become more powerful and robust, they are rapidly becoming a more viable option as a computing device for administrators, teachers, and students. K-12 technology spending on handheld computers is projected to zoom upward in the next couple of years. Spending on handheld devices in the K-12 public schools is projected to go from $40 million in the 2003-2004 school year, to $175 million in 2004-2005 and $300 million in 2005-2006, according to IDC. Given this level of spending, competition is fierce among makers of these small computers, who will continue to promote handhelds as the 1-1 connectivity answer. There is a race to enhance what the handheld devices can do using multimedia, wireless-access capabilities, and hundreds of customized applications in instruction, administration, and assessment.

First, we are giving you concise and vendor-neutral descriptions of a selected number of leading handheld computers. This list is intended to guide you as you consider any purchase in this market. It provides baseline information about a number of the products and it will also help you understand what you should keep in mind when deciding on purchases of these products. We compiled these summaries from interviews with representatives of each company and from information they make available on their products, both print materials and on the companies' Web sites.

• Palm
• Microsoft
• Texas Instruments
  

Assessment Applications

The first major breakthroughs in instructional applications for handhelds have come in the area of assessment. We examine in depth four examples of these leading-edge applications: Classroom Wizard, Wireless Generation, eLearning Dynamics, and Discourse.

Classroom Wizard
http://www.scantron.com/products/wizard/index.asp

Classroom Wizard is a real-time assessment tool for Palm-powered handheld and other mobile devices. Using this technology, teachers can quiz their students, grade, and report data from the classroom, all in real time.

Scantron introduced Classroom Wizard at NECC two years ago; the company recently released a new version of the application, Classroom 4.0. The No Child Left Behind Act has been a driving force in pushing the need for timely, efficient data collection down to the classroom level. Classroom Wizard 4.0 combines the use of handheld devices and a Web-based application.

Using the application, a teacher first creates a test key with questions in the form of true-false, multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, short answer, or essay. Classroom Wizard allows for the importing of pre-generated quizzes with thousands of questions that are correlated to standards in a variety of subjects, when used in conjunction with Scantron's Skill Wizard. With their handheld devices, students enter quiz responses. They submit the quiz by beaming the data onto an infrared device. Quizzes are scored, and the scores are instantly available to teachers and students via a PC and/or through handheld computers. Detailed reports can be generated, and scores may be uploaded to key grade books. This system can also be used with a classroom scanner and scannable forms, if preferred.

With its real-time data reporting and analysis capabilities, Classroom Wizard is intended to allow teachers an immediate, convenient, and thorough standards-based way to evaluate their students' achievement levels and to tailor individual instruction and remediation, if needed.

Classroom Wizard 4.0 has word processing capabilities that allow for customization, and is made in a point-and-click format. It supports 802.11b wireless communication. The application can be used on handheld devices such as Palm Zire and Palm m125; Visor Pro; and iPAQ 3850 Pocket PC. It can also be used in conjunction with the Dana Wireless, which is a laptop alternative that has a larger screen than the typical handheld and integrated keyboard and runs on the Palm operating system.

Wireless Generation
http://www.wgen.net/web/

Wireless Generation has developed a reading assessment application for a handheld device. The mClass software application allows teachers and administrators to diagnose, track, synchronize, and report the reading progress of K-3 students individually by using handhelds.

Using the application, teachers can monitor a student's progress by performing an ongoing, classroom-based reading assessment and then use the results to customize instruction for each student's needs. Teachers using mClass get real-time feedback on the handheld device, complemented by expert suggestions about how to address a student's needs. The device also permits teachers to have instant calculations of the math that must be performed in reading assessments, such as frequency of miscues, error rates, and other measures. In addition, the data can be synched up via a local server or the Web so that it can be accessed at a classroom, building, district level, etc.

In its early research, the company, which has partnered with the Center for Technology in Education, conducted time-motion studies of teachers. Those conducting the research found that teachers in the elementary arena are on their feet 97 percent of the day. The company sought to have assessments that literally can go where the teacher is.

The company has done extensive research and fine-tuning of the product based on the types of assessments teachers and their districts use. During early product development, for example, those working on the project observed the prevalence of teachers' use of standard "running records" in tracking students' reading progress and adapted this type of record to a Palm. They then took the devices back to teachers, received their input, and continued to revise the application, based on educators' experiences.

mClass actually denotes the Mobile Classroom Assessment: Reading and is a package of assessments. A school district can customize the tools available so that they are tailored to the district's programs and needs.

Because the assessments are on a Web-based application, teachers and administrators can view them through any browser at home, at school, or anywhere. Reports also can be generated for parents. Also, since the assessments are real-time and are an ongoing instructional assessment, they can inform instruction immediately.

The application is sold on a subscription basis.

Wireless Generation offers other tools for mobile assessment of reading:

• MClass: TPRI - The TPRI is a leading observational reading inventory developed and researched by the Center for Academic and Reading Skills at the University of Texas at Houston (CARS) and the Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation and Statistics at the University of Houston (TIMES). It is used in more than 90 percent of Texas K-2 classrooms, and also in a growing number of districts outside of Texas.
• MClass: DIBELS - The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) are a set of standardized, individually administered measures of early literacy. mCLASS: DIBELS is a handheld version of the scientifically-based K-3 DIBELS assessment.
• MClass: QRI - The Qualitative Reading Inventory-3 is a widely used, scientifically-based reading inventory made in accordance with the Reading First guidelines.

eLearning Dynamics
http://www.elearningdynamics.com

eLearning Dynamics has developed two breakthrough teaching and assessment tools - Palm OS-based LearnTrac™ and Windows Pocket PC-based Pocket Classroom™, which are learning measurement, analysis, and administrative software that use wireless technologies with the objective of improving student performance. Using handhelds, this wireless network creates dynamic interaction, conducts assessments, and manages the classroom.

Starting in 2000, a group of educational leaders worked jointly with wireless technology experts from Consumer Dynamics, who have a quarter-century of experience in networked handheld experiences and audience diagnostics from the entertainment and political arenas. eLearning Dynamics was founded out of this collaboration in 2001, and research and development went on for two years before the product was unveiled.

The intent was to adapt the patented instant-response technology of Consumer Dynamics for cost-effective educational use, by bringing together wireless technologies, proven teaching methods, and valuable analytics in order to improve educational outcomes. The eLearning Dynamics system combines interactive observation, communication, and analytical tools using handheld devices in the classroom.

Through the eLearning Dynamics system, instructors can administer exams and quizzes to students, automatically grade them, and correlate pupils' grades with key data such as attendance and prior test results. This permits teachers to obtain real-time results on how students are performing relative to skills and outcomes.

Following is an anecdote that shows how LearnTrac and PocketClassroom work: a teacher decides to go over a homework assignment from the previous day. The teacher sends a question out to students, using the handheld devices. Within minutes, the teacher knows if the students have learned the material of the homework assignment. This outcome can shape how the teacher handles the material that day and helps instructors to know which students have grasped the material and which students have not and need remediation and targeted instruction. Through immediate feedback, teachers can use it to discover specific areas of student weakness, especially relative to standards and benchmarks, and pinpoint where additional review and work are needed.

As a classroom-management approach, the system ensures that there is 100 percent student participation and fosters classroom communication with all students. Teachers can choose either anonymous or attributed instant question-response. The system's real-time data collection and analysis features include individual and aggregate comprehension measurement; correlation with demographics and curriculum standards; assessment tracking; and reporting that can be generated for teachers, administrators, and parents. Its automated classroom-management features encompass attendance; test taking, grading, and review; syllabus management; content distribution; and messaging.

The company's applications are currently in two elementary schools, two middle schools, and nine high schools, in addition to seven colleges/universities, and the company is now working on larger-scale adoptions of LearnTrac and PocketClassroom. The system has been in use at some sites for as long as two-and-a-half years, while others have just begun deploying eLearning Dynamics' technology this fall. In June, the company announced the release of LearnTrac on WiFi, and also released a beta version for AlphaSmart's Dana. In the long term, the company aims to develop these applications across multiple devices, operating systems, and wireless standards.

Discourse® from Educational Testing Service
http://www.ets.org/discourse/index.html

Discourse was a pioneering product in the instructional delivery and real-time formative assessment software movement. Since its introduction 10 years ago, Discourse has evolved from an integrated software-proprietary hardware system, to one that will operate on PDAs or PCs over a wired or wireless network. Today, Discourse is an e-learning product from Educational Testing Service.

Discourse empowers teachers to:

• Pinpoint individual instruction: Discourse gives the teacher constant access to information about each student's performance in real time. Together with the messaging capabilities built into the software, it gives teachers the ability to always know what their students know. It can also aggregate this data over time and report performance trends.
• Conduct and compile polling data: Discourse allows teachers to poll overall class understanding of a topic, as well as student opinion. This lets teachers immediately change and tailor their lessons to class and individual needs.
• Increase time on task: The Discourse software seeks to increase individual and overall class attention over extended periods of time by continually engaging and interacting with the students in a class.

Discourse is a tool for instructional delivery and formative assessment that yields performance measures which can be used to guide instruction in real time. It can be used in a classroom, computer lab, or schoolwide network of PCs, tablets, or handhelds. In order for the Discourse system to work, the teacher must have the software installed and students need only a Web browser. Using the ETS Discourse software, teachers can gauge every student's learning through two-way feedback using multiple-choice and short-answer constructed-response questions. Teachers can determine what their students know, achieve 100 percent participation in class discussion, and adjust instruction to assure all students are learning. After instantly viewing student responses, teachers can choose to share selected answers with the class, send an instant private message to a student concerning the student's response, and save all student responses to evaluate later.

The Discourse teacher client will run on any hardware platform using Microsoft operating systems beginning with Windows 95 and including XP, CE, and ME. The student needs only a Web browser, thus it will also run on Macintosh systems 8.5 through OSX. Often, the teacher will use a desktop or laptop computer while the students use handhelds such as a PocketPC or Palm OS PDA. (A Discourse Client application must to be installed for these devices to be used.)

Discourse's two major software products include Discourse Classroom Edition and Discourse School Edition:

• Discourse Classroom Edition is designed and licensed for use in the individual classroom or computer lab. It brings the Discourse system to the individual classroom or computer lab. Discourse Classroom Edition costs from $75-$100 per installation on a PC, tablet, or handheld, with prices varying according to quantity purchased.
• Discourse School Edition uses a shared database server to expand the information database compiled in individual classrooms by student to an entire school or school district. This permits school administrators to track and compile databases and information on individual, class, and subjectwide performance. Teachers can also share lessons and report formats with this version. Discourse School Edition costs $14,900 per school.

In addition to these software products, Discourse technology has been integrated into two ETS content-based professional development products, both for mathematics: the Discourse Algebra Teacher Assistance Package Guides and the Discourse Mini-Lessons for Middle School Mathematics. Like the more general software tools Discourse offers, these content-based products focus on leveling the playing field in the classroom and making sure assessment and instruction reach all students, as ETS says on the Discourse Web site, "not just the few high achievers." Both of these content products are designed as content and assessment tools, allowing teachers to determine the level of participation and understanding for all the students in the class, while delivering content at the same time.

Back to top

THE SCOOP ON THE 1:1 EDUCATIONAL COMPUTING DEVICE:
HANDHELDS VS. TABLETS

Editor's Note: In preparing this newsletter, we talked with a lot of handheld computer designers and applications developers. It is clear that there is a lot of activity going on that will show up in schools soon. At this point, the players are not ready to talk about what is coming down the pike. This is an opinion piece based on our observations of the industry.

There is a big race going on between the developers of tablet and handheld devices to make a computing device in the neighborhood of $500 for schools that will allow many schools to have 1:1 computing. Within the next 24 months, there is a high probability that there will be a 1:1 wireless networked computing device for students that will supply much of the educational content that is needed in schools, beyond the devices and specific, more narrowly defined content that exists now.

This device will have one of three looks:

• a stripped-down laptop that has a core of functionality for students;
• a souped-up handheld with a bigger screen, keyboards, and lots of accompanying applications; or
• a hybrid device that is a combination of what we currently know as laptops and PDAs.

The race is on. Laptop and tablet device manufacturers are moving toward a stripped-down utility that will cost between $500 and $600, and the handheld manufacturers will increase the quality and quantity of applications, expand the functionality and durability of the handheld devices, and increase the size of screens and keyboards.

As we researched this issue of SuperTech News, people were willing to talk to us in general terms about product direction, but no one would discuss the exact nature of the devices under development. However it appears that a lot of development activity is taking place. Here are our predictions:

• Efforts are greatly expanding to enhance handheld screen size and networkability.
• The big push is for a new set of interactive applications for handhelds to address standards-based teaching and content delivery.
• The first application breakthroughs are in the area of assessment. We are seeing these interactive applications break out on the market now, and even more sophisticated ones are expected to happen within the year.
• There is an evolving set of educational applications that focus on areas such as homework, individualized standards-based instruction, large content delivery, and real-time classroom assessment. The goal: Deliver instruction that is totally individualized by leveraging the portability of handheld devices, the flexibility of computer technology, and standards-based content.

STN predicts that the 1:1 under $600 computing device will be available within 18 months.…So, keep your eyes open on how handhelds, laptops, tablets and instructional software are evolving.

- Eliot

Back to top

LEADing the Future
Marion Ginopolis, director

LEADing the Future, launched in September 2002, is a major, ongoing initiative that teaches principals and superintendents in Michigan how to use handheld devices and specialized applications to access and use data so they can make informed and quality leadership decisions. Its basic intention is to strengthen instructional, organizational, and public leadership through the development of technology-related skills and knowledge. Thus far, 1,600 administrators have participated in this training and case studies-integrated initiative.

According to Marion Ginopolis, the director of LEADing the Future, a collaborative effort of the K-12 education community in Michigan and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the program's main thrust is how to use technology to make leadership more accurate, efficient, practical, and of higher quality. The program incorporates face-to-face and online training. There is a focus on two key leadership areas. The first is accountability - using handheld technology for evaluation, and supervision of teachers. The second is continuous improvement - how to employ mobile technology, in this case handheld devices, to develop continuous school improvement plans.

LEADing the Future starts off with an eight-hour face-to-face training session, at sites throughout Michigan, on using Palm handhelds and particular applications and applying the use of them to build good decision making. Following this foundation, the principals and superintendents can then participate in other sessions that encompass accountability; continuous improvement; making technology standards work; advanced handheld technologies; and other components. LEADing the Future developed the curriculum using national technology standards for school administrators developed by the International Society for Technology in Education. The LEADing the Future program has 40 facilitators, including: principals, technology directors, and other administrators.

All of the program's training is integrated with case studies, so that skills learning does not take place in isolation, but rather helps the administrators apply what they learn to real-life situations, Ginopolis emphasizes. This ensures that the training will be "transferred to any situation in their real life," she says. In her view, the intensive program is the transformation from a traditional to a technologically supported way of getting things done in leading schools.

Why does the program use handheld devices? While those developing the program had considered laptops, Ginopolis notes that handheld computers are powerful technology tools that are portable, practical, affordable, and versatile. There are many excellent applications developed for the handhelds now that allow LEADing the Future's school administrators to perform their tasks and responsibilities more efficiently and easily. One example being used by administrators in the program: Using Documents to Go software (see Current Applications section for a description of this product) on a handheld device, a principal can go into a classroom, observe a teacher, take notes on the keyboard, get the notes immediately printed following the session, and deposit and sync up this document with other district database systems.

In other training, the administrators learn how to access and use particular Web sites, incorporating this analysis with their own district's data in order to make good decisions. This includes, for example, demographic information on their schools and schools throughout Michigan; assessment results; and other data through which they can perform comparative analysis. "We have them analyze the results and learn to set goals for teachers based on those results," Ginopolis says. The administrators learn strategies and methods for data-based decision making so that they use data to guide and back up their decisions and establish goals. The sessions are very much collaborative so that the administrators learn from each other and from their experiences.

How much have the administrators who come into the program used handheld devices before? Fewer than half of the administrators had used handheld devices at all, and the vast majority of those who had done so were employing handheld computers pretty much as organizers and calendars. "We have told them that these (devices) have a capacity far beyond being a date book and calendar," Ginopolis says. Following the training, the program has found that upwards of 90 percent of those who have participated are using handheld computers in a whole new way.

There are other important supports built into the LEADing the Future initiative that enhance and extend the program. One is an Internet forum through which the participants can become engaged in an online learning community. Through a special channel created for the program's participants, administrators can also have access on their handhelds to journal articles and research that have been culled for them by librarians. "They appreciate that this is portable and they can read them anywhere, and that someone has gone through and identified articles for them," Ginopolis says.

LEADing the Future is conducting very thorough follow-up with the administrators and their schools to determine the outcomes of the program and to inform the continued LEADing the Future initiative. It's important to keep on top of what is happening in the schools after administrators go through the program, Ginopolis explains, adding, "If people do not go back to their schools and use it, forget it."

One unanticipated and concrete impact: Many schools from which the administrators came are now purchasing and using handheld devices in the classrooms, for use by students and teachers. Thus far, the program has received very positive feedback from those who have participated. The only major negative feedback has been that there is not enough time to cover everything they hope to in the program, according to Ginopolis, who is a former schools superintendent.

Of course, Ginopolis notes that many of those who took part in the program during its first phases are the people who "raise their hands" to participate - meaning the eager volunteers - and that the challenge will come in the training and work with those administrators who are less inclined to learn and use this technology. The goal is to have 4,000 administrators from throughout Michigan take part in LEADing the Future by the end of 2004, or 80 percent of Michigan's principals and superintendents.

A $6 million State Challenge Grant for Leadership Development of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is funding LEADing the Future. This money comes out of a $350 million nationwide initiative of the Gates Foundation. As required by the Gates Foundation, various state associations and groups have provided a match to support the development and implementation of LEADing the Future.

In Ginopolis' view, it's critical to start at the top with using technology to develop educational leadership in order to improve schools and create positive outcomes. "If we don't have the leadership on board with using technology," she says, "then we will never see substantial change."

Back to top

Below is an annotated list of technology-related education conferences (complete with links) that you may wish to attend in the next few months.

Association of Educational Service Agencies: Annual Conference and Exposition
Policy makers, chief executives, and program experts examine dilemmas facing educational service agencies. Financial challenges and the mandates of NCLB are causing ESAs to look beyond their traditional focus and service. Includes workshops and state leaders' meeting.
Dec. 3-6, 2003
Marco Island, Fla.
http://www.esc4.net/AESA/index.htm

Florida Educational Technology Conference: FETC 2004
Annual conference draws educational leaders, educational technology coordinators, media specialists, and administrators to focus on technology-integrated curriculum strategies, training, and practices. Sessions, workshops, and hundreds of vendor exhibits provide a look at the latest trends and products available.
Jan. 22-24, 2004
Orlando, Fla.
http://www.fetc.org/

Texas School Administrators' Midwinter Conference
Sessions of this annual gathering address the No Child Left Behind Act, curriculum and instruction, assessment, staff development, technology, human resources, and administration and finance, among other issues.
Jan. 26-28, 2004
Austin, Texas
http://www.tasanet.org/learning_opportunities/conferences/midwinter/2004/midwinter.html

ICE 2004 Conference
Entitled "No Technology Left Behind," the annual conference of administrators, technology staff, teachers, and library and media specialists looks in depth into technology issues, standards, assessment in a standards-based classroom, student achievement, and more. Sponsored by Indiana Computer Educators.
Jan. 29-31, 2004
Indianapolis, Ind.
http://www.ptsc.k12.in.us/ice/

Georgia Educational Technology Conference
Participants have the opportunity to learn and to share innovative technology through exchange with peers who effectively use technology in education. Vendors provide exposure to the latest in hardware, software, and uses of technology.
Feb. 11-13, 2004
Macon, Ga.
http://www.gaetc.org/2004.htm

American Association of School Administrators: 2004 Annual Conference
"A Legacy of Pride, A Future of Responsibility": Annual conference for administrators addresses strategies and ideas for governance and management. Sessions address the redefinition of goals, No Child Left Behind mandates, school reform, achievement and learning, parents and community, the leader's role, and more.
Feb. 19-22, 2004
San Francisco, Calif.
http://www.aasa.org/nce/

National Association of Secondary School Principals Annual Convention
The 88th annual convention explores how principals and school leaders can improve their schools and enhance their leadership. Topics include: state and federal mandates, personalizing student learning, assessing learning for accountability, building supportive relationships, how technology can enhance standards-based instruction.
Feb. 27-March 1, 2004
Orlando, Fla.
http://www.nasspconvention.org/

Ninth Annual K-12 School Networking Conference
"Personalization and Empowerment: No Child Left Behind" is the title of this year's conference for school leaders focusing on the future of the Internet and information technologies in schools. Sponsored by the Consortium for School Networking. Educators, administrators, and education technology professionals participate.
March 2-3, 2004
Arlington, Va.
http://www.k12schoolnetworking.org/index.html

International Technology Education Association: 66th Annual Conference
This annual gathering considers the issues of teaching good decision making in a technological world. Includes: student assessment, professional development, and an examination of standards for technological literacy, and more.
March 18-20, 2004
Albuquerque, N.M.
http://www.iteawww.org/D.html

Back to top

* * *
SUBSCRIBE TO FUTURE ISSUES
If you would like to receive future issues of SuperTECH NEWS, click here to subscribe . If you would like us to send the newsletter to any of your colleagues, please let us know or feel free to forward this issue on.

Let us know if the SuperTECH NEWS newsletter is helpful to you and what you would like to read about in future newsletters. Let us know if there are good practices and people we should write about... Call us if you want to know more about the CIO-Time Share Service.

E-MAIL: eliot@blegroup.com
OR CALL: 202.281.1763

BLE GROUP
3936 Livingston Street, NW
Washington, DC 20015
202.281.1763 phone
202.363.9192 fax

www.blegroup.com

SUPERTECH NEWS © 2003 BLE GROUP. All rights Reserved. Do not copy or reproduce without written permission.
NOTE: The BLE Group does not endorse any of the products mentioned in this newsletter.
These were selected to illustrate the types of products currently available.