USA Today (3/18/03) By James Guthrie If Al Gore did indeed invent the Internet, it’s time for him to return and teach America’s public schools how to use it. Today, tens of thousands of underused computers, neglected Internet modems and turned-off TV sets gather dust in classrooms. Meanwhile, many teachers continue to rely on fill-in-the-blank workbooks, overhead projectors, chalkboards and 50-minute lectures. Electronic technology has revolutionized 21st-century work, but not 21st-century learning. In 60 poor, rural South Carolina schools, I recently counted more than 10,000 computers in 2,000 classrooms. Only twice did I see an elementary student in a classroom using a computer. I did see students using them in ”computer labs,” but almost invariably to learn low-level keyboarding skills. Students seldom used modern, interactive instructional software. I did see teachers get e-mail during their breaks and a library aide watching afternoon soap operas on a big-screen TV. I also visited 25 schools in Denver’s suburbs and in rural Colorado. Those pictures were similar. In my home state of Tennessee, little is different. Stanford professor Larry Cuban, author of Oversold and Underused: Computers in the Classroom, uncovered the same results in California’s Silicon Valley. More than nine out of 10 U.S. public school classrooms are connected to the Internet. The National Center for Education Statistics estimates that these schools have one computer for every five students. Yet few public school classrooms take advantage of this expensive electronic highway — but not because of a shortage of money and equipment. The ”E-Rate” tax paid by every phone user provides more than $2 billion annually for public schools to equip and wire classrooms. Federal matching grants have paid for more. Teacher advocates claim that teachers seldom are trained to use instructional technology. Even if accurate, this is not a satisfying answer. Public schools spend at least $20 billion annually on teacher professional development. If training teachers to use technology was a high priority, there is money available. Pay for it, and they will come? The problem has to do with strategy. America’s instructional-technology game plan has been simple: Stock schools with equipment and teachers will use it. This is not working. It is time to try something new. Properly used, computer-assisted instruction can enable students to learn more and faster. That already happens in a few schools today — usually, when there is an extraordinarily dynamic principal or superintendent. When it does, students benefit from interactive and online-linked instruction, and gifted teachers rely heavily on e-mail to communicate with students and construct creative, real-world spreadsheet problems and computer simulations for their classes. Add stick to the carrot But without strong local leadership and consequences for poor performance, there is little incentive for public schools to change. Here is a simple plan: First, stop the flow of E-Rate money to all but the most needy schools. Second, divert resources to competitive endeavors. For example: * Make it easier for high school students to take Advance Placement and college courses online. * Encourage innovations such as Florida’s online high school, where students can qualify for graduation without attending a conventional school. * Use E-Rate funds as venture capital for instructional software research and development, and provide fiscal incentives for charter schools that take advantage of technological innovations. * Offer subsidies to home-schooling parents to lease or buy software for their children’s instruction. The loss of revenue may eventually get the attention of the public school managers who now ignore technology. More importantly, more students may learn more. James Guthrie is a professor of public policy and education at Vanderbilt University. http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20030318/4956328s.htm