District/School Administration Administration
The Board of Education Advisory Councils

Educational Technology Advisory Council

Charge from the Commissioner/Board of Education

The Advisory Council on Educational Technology shall advise the Board of Education and the Commissioner in three broad areas:

1. the development of policies guiding the use of information technology and educational support in the schools of the Commonwealth;
2. the identification of current and emerging issues involving technology, together with the concerns of educators, employers, higher education institutions and others; and the development of policies to address such issues; and
3. the management and oversight policies for the Department's educational technology programs.

Further, the Advisory Council shall advise the Board and the Commissioner on policies affecting educational technology in such areas as teacher preparation, certification and licensure; curricular standards and guidelines; and funding and incentive programs for school districts, including but not limited to:

• Implementation and assessment of the Department's technology program;
• Implementation and assessment of MassONE;
• Implementation and assessment of the statewide professional development plan with regard to the use of technology in instruction;
• Implementation and assessment of programs addressing accessibility and the digital divide; and
• The Department's capacity to address technological issues.

FY 2007 Council Statement

Vision/Rationale

By the year 2010, all schools in the Commonwealth have technology-infused environments for teaching and learning for all students across all disciplines and programs. Students, staff and faculty use state of the art technology to discover, create and communicate and are able to do that because they have universal access anytime anywhere through wireless portable equipment.

Schools are linked technologically to other (educational) institutions, to communities and to the world. The infrastructure, which is invisible, enables the academic uses of technology by providing management and other support functions including preservice training, professional development and student assessment..

Why technology in schools in Massachusetts?

1. To prepare students for 'their future not our past'¹.
   There is hardly a business person today, from cobbler to CEO, from architect to publisher, who does not require and depend on technology in some form to be profitable.

   We are living in a diverse community and a continually shrinking globe. Students must be prepared for that kind of a world. Sensitivity, understanding, knowledge--not intolerance and prejudice.

2. To teach students the skills and competencies they will need to succeed in a 21st century economy
   Students will be able to do research on the web, evaluate web resources, and demonstrate other skills for the 21st century workplace.

3. To empower students to construct knowledge; to give students power over their own learning, to be independent learners
   Students can access information without any obstacles. Students can tailor their studies, that is, learn through their strengths and accommodate for their weaknesses. In the end there may not be strengths or weaknesses any more--only differences. Students can find their learning style. They can be active learners. They can also be creative individuals as well as innovative individuals. Technology is clearly a tool which encourages both creativity and innovation.

4. To teach students responsibility
   Because students can access information without any obstacles, they must learn how to be responsible users of information and have a social conscience. They must learn the proper balance between commercialism and public policy.

5. To expand faculty teaching repertoires
   With technology faculty can organize their classes differently than they do currently: use the web, interact on line, provide instruction from a distance. Teachers can construct their lessons to provide differentiated instruction and varied learning activities to match student learning styles and student needs to instructional techniques.

6. To break down the current confining walls of classrooms
   With technology, such as MassONE, teachers can access world-wide resources and personnel, through the Internet, which are not available in many classrooms.

7. To improve management.
   Data bases, other people's experiences, research studies, comparative statistics, communications links, people's expertise all are easily accessed and easily interrelated for purposes of analysis and decision-making. Technology provides a vast array of tools for productivity in schools and systems.

8. To support K-12 educational reform and prepare teachers to deal with it
   No reform currently under consideration (including No Child Left Behind requirements) can be achieved without technology. Time and learning, professional development, relicensure, common core, curriculum frameworks, professional standards, the statewide database, site based management, all require the use of technology.

   (The Council's position paper    has been endorsed by the Board of MESPA [Massachusetts Elementary School Principals] and the Technology Committee of MASS [Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents]. Other endorsements pending.)

Massachusetts School Technology and Readiness (STaR) Chart

The proposed MA STaR Chart (School Technology and Readiness Chart) represents the work of ETAC to modify Texas' chart to align with Massachusetts expectations. The chart has been shared in several venues with a number of people whose help has been much appreciated. ETAC asks those who are reading this to review and give feedback to izimmerman@umassp.edu.

    Recommended Resources
When ETAC was first organized, one of the focus areas we chose to consider was the area of research. We are posting a list of research information on our web site. This is a work in progress and you may contribute suggestions. And you will see additions.

Educational Technology Advisory Council's Current Foci

1. Increasing the utility of MassONE

2. Exploring how to help school districts educate decision makers about the current deteriorating school technology conditions

3. Updating the STaR chart

4. Supporting MCAS Online Testing

5. Recommending changes in educator licensure to include technology competencies

6. The data-warehousing project of the ESE

7. One to one computing for students and educators in the Commonwealth

8. The importance of the IT specialist in schools

9. Exploring IT fluency as a goal for students and educators

Educational Technology Advisory Council Members

Meeting Schedule

Advisory Council Schedule

September 24, 2007
November 2007 (date to be determined)
January 28, 2008
March 31, 2008
May 19, 2008
June 23, 2008

Locations: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Malden or TBA . (Unless otherwise noted all meetings start at 3:00 p.m.)

Contact Information

Connie Louie
Instructional Technology Director
Phone: 781-338-6865
Email: clouie@doe.mass.edu

¹ David Thornburg (1996)