What do schools attempt to accomplish with their web sites (assuming they have one)? Do the intend to offer resources for parents, an outlet for student projects, the latest sports scores, or what? Do school web sites follow recommended design principles?
The technology plan is coming and various sources are “hinting” at what it has to say:
I was listening to “All Things Considered” on public radio and heard a report about a high school that had followed the launch of “Space Ship One” and made the images available to the general public. The Center made the images available to the general public despite the opportunity to sell the video. The Clay Center for Science and Technology offers programs for K-12 students.
This is not the K-12 experience I remember.
eSchool News offers a summary of school purchasing projections collected by Quality Education Data and Market Data Retrieval. Overall, it appears tech budgets are flat. Trends appear to focus on mobility and flexibility – wireless laptops moved about in carts (COWS – computers on wheels). Another trend, probably in response to No Child Left Behind requirements, is the purchase of instructional software/instructional management software.
You may have learned in the past months that several school districts and commercial providers were being investigated for violations of e-rate guidelines. In reaction to these abuses, the FCC halted e-rate funding. Delays and uncertainties in these funds, which go toward high-speed Internet and phone access for schools and libraries, have begun to cause significant problems (see New York Times analysis – requires free registration).