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This report summarizes one of a series of workshops organized by RAND's Critical Technologies Institute (CTI), on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education, to learn from those already implementing new technologies in schools. This particular session explores the educational software market from the demand side and focuses on issues of cost effectiveness and evaluation. Five case studies of school-wide technology implementation and its benefits are presented, along with a chart comparing the costs incurred by the five schools to each other and to the national average. Synopses are provided for four presentations sampling the instructional effectiveness of educational software. The summary addresses issues of implementation such as teacher preparation, financing, rearranging the school day to allow computer time, focusing the technology into courseware and individualized instruction, and monitoring student progress. Participants also advise on prioritizing for successful technology plans and for choosing instruments with which to evaluate software tools. Appendices offer a workshop schedule and a list of participants. (BEW)

This report summarizes one of a series of workshops organized by RAND's Critical Technologies Institute, on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education, to take advantage of the experience of those already implementing new technologies in the schools. The workshop consisted chiefly of dialogues with educators and experts from the private sector who are working to apply emerging telecommunications systems for learning. This summary addresses questions on educational software development and serves as a primer on the market realities of the educational software business. Participants concluded that the market is weak for several reasons: schools have little money to spend on software; it was not always clear that educational materials dollars could be spent on instructional technology; manufacturers often shy away from the lengthy review processes and long-term commitments that many states require; and production values tend to be lower for school multimedia than for the more glamorized multimedia marketed for the home computer. In this regard, the advantages and disadvantages of the integrated learning system (ILS) are outlined. Besides being limited, the educational software market seems too unsettled to be accurately analyzed. The market is currently being driven by technological achievements for their own sake, but as people become more and more receptive to computers, the market will become propelled by consumer demand. In the meantime, school budgets for software remain: (1) controlled by only a few key figures; (2) too low; (3) tied to outmoded premises about learning; (4) concentrated on the elementary grades; and (5) subject to rising expectations placed on them by the visual sophistication of home "edutainment" software. An appendix lists the participants. (BEW)

This report summarizes one of a series of workshops organized by RAND's Critical Technologies Institute (CTI), on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education, to take advantage of the experience and insights of those already implementing new technologies in schools. The workshop consisted chiefly of dialogues with educators and experts from the private sector who are working to apply emerging telecommunications systems for learning. The summary serves in part as an overview of recent progress in the area of school connectivity; it gives specific examples of how schools have secured funding, built relationships with telecommunications providers, acquired necessary equipment, and nurtured the philosophy of making technology use part of larger instructional goals. The second part highlights the dilemma of purchasing stand-alone or networked computers, while part three is a discussion of cost issues. Conclusions drawn from the dialogue suggest that the transition to technology-rich schools has begun in earnest, often without federal aid or guidance. The government must remain neutral in the aspects of technology acquisition which pertain to private enterprise, but it could encourage schools around the country to plan for technology. Educators, for their part, should foster a driving vision for technology in their school communities. An appendix lists the participants. (BEW)