Science/Technology
PND Connections - The Sustainability Challenge: Taking Edtech to the Next Level
Over the last decade, the U.S. has spent more than $40 billion to put computers in schools and connect classrooms to the Internet, but that investment may now be at risk as budget cuts drain continued funding for educational technology, according to a new report from the Benton Foundation and the Education Development Center's Center for Children and Technology. The report, The Sustainability Challenge: Taking Edtech to the Next Level (74 pages, PDF), offers a top ten list of reforms that could help sustain and improve America's edtech infrastructure and ensure that previous investments continue to support student achievement. The recommendations include accelerating the professional development of teachers, bringing in info tech professionals to administer technology infrastructures, and adopting a national goal to bridge the digital divide in homes, communities, and schools. Supported with a grant from the Chicago-based Joyce Foundation, the report was based on fieldwork in three Midwestern cities and a series of roundtables held in New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.
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