Ed leaders talk tech.

Unless every student is given his or her own computer in school, districts can't even be close to transforming education, according to one expert.

Seymour Papert, professor emeritus of MIT Media Lab, told an audience at the Consortium for School Networking's 10th Annual Networking Conference in Washington, D.C. recently that three conditions are needed for transformation: Recognize that districts have not transformed; recognize that when districts talk of access it's inflated; and recognize that districts must explore ideas of what should be learned at what age. "All our ideas about what children can learn at particular ages is based on experience in a pencil-and-paper kind of learning environment," Papert says.

More than 800 educators, from technology directors to superintendents, gathered at the conference to discuss how some districts are starting to transform education and how technology can be used to help schools meet the demands of the 21st century. "Some people say, 'This generation can't focus,'" says Chris Dede, professor of learning technologies at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education. "What I see is very sophisticated use.... We expose them to deep academic skills but it's so out of touch with their learning styles."

Dede adds that technology spending in districts is off the front burner, with a "been there, done that" mentality. "Our challenge is to help people see that technology is a part of the change" that is necessary to transform education.

The challenge, Dede says, is for teachers to learn how to take powerful interactive media and work in academic content. Dede said he'd rather have a child know only a fraction of content standards, which are so heavily stressed now, but who is "in love" with learning and high thinking skills.

Others, including Elliot Soloway, a University of Michigan professor and CEO of GoKnow Inc., mentioned the importance of integrating handheld lessons like Game Boys--using what children use every day. GoKnow is a company that makes educational software for curriculum and professional development on handhelds.

Others stressed the importance of the superintendent having a common vision and trust in their technology director. "The superintendent is only as good as the information he or she has," says Jude Theriot, superintendent of the Caleasieu Parish Public Schools in Louisiana. "You need to surround yourself with competent people."

Success Story

Seymour Papert pointed to one success story: Chugach School District in Alaska won the 2001 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. An individual work plan is developed for and laptops are given to each student who can work at his or her own pace, says Superintendent Richard DeLorenzo. In 1994, when DeLorenzo arrived, the average student was three years below grade level. Now, they are reading at the 71st percentile and doing math at 78th percentile.