While no one can see into the future, we can make certain assumptionsbased on present realities and current rates of change. We can reasonably assume, for example, that children who are born in the next year or so will complete college around the year 2020. And although we cannot know what learning system will best prepare this generation for careers extending well into the middle of the next century, we can nevertheless say with some certainty that all the possibilities will include technology, particularly networking technologies.
The Clinton Administration is committed to infusing technology into our nation's classrooms and exploiting the power of information-age tools to improve teaching and learning. In his 1996 State of the Union Address, President Clinton said, "In our schools, every classroom in America must be connected to the information superhighway with computers and good software and well-trained teachers."
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 includes provisions to ensure affordable rates for access. It is expected that states and local communities will work with regulators and the Federal Communications Commission to help lower the costs of telecommunications services, thereby providing schools with access to the information superhighway. And local communities around the country are taking the lead in wiring their schools. On March 9, 1996, California's NetDay, over 20,000 volunteers, hundreds of high-tech companies, and thousands of schools pitched in and did the spadework to help bring connectivity to their communities and schools. This is just one illustration of the broad public interest in moving schools into the 21st century.
But we have a long way to go. A 1995 survey by the National Center for Education Statistics indicates that 50 percent of schools have some type of access to the Internet, but only 9 percent of all instructional rooms (classrooms, labs, and media centers) in public schools are connected to the Internet. So even schools with connectivity do not have the degree of access needed to integrate technology into their everyday classroom activities.
Even before all schools are connected to the Internet, we must think about how they can use this connectivity effectively. What kinds of new tools will students have access to? What materials will they find online? What possibilities will arise for students to learn and use information in new and untold ways? And how will networking technologies enable students to meet high standards of achievement?
The white papers compiled herein consider these issues and many more. We hope that you will find them informative and thought-provoking.
Linda Roberts, Director
Office of Educational Technology
U.S. Department of Education
lroberts@ed.gov
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Last modified May 1, 1996 (gls).