Tools for Teachers
Teaching,
Technology and the New Professional World
According to the National
Science Teacher’s Association’s position statement
on the The Use of Computers in Science Education,
"… computers should have a major role in teaching and
learning science. Computers have become an essential
classroom tool for the acquisition, analysis, presentation,
and communication of data in ways which allow students to
become more active participants in research and learning."
(emphasis added)
Technological advances in the last
20 years produced an unprecedented number of educational computer
programs for use in science classrooms. The US Department
of Education is committed to establishing computers as a presence
in classrooms, along with Internet access and computer software.
(Remarks by the former Secretary of Education Richard
Riley at the Conference on Educational Technology)
These recently released statistics
demonstrate the emerging importance of the computer in teaching:
Teachers & Computers in the
Public Schools 1
- 53% of teachers use the Internet
for classroom instruction
- 27% of teachers assign students
moderate to large amounts of research using CD-ROMs
- 53% of teachers assign projects
inside the classroom using computers
- 48% of teachers assign projects
outside the classroom using computers
Technology in Education 2
- 97% of schools provide CD-ROM technology
- 85% of schools provide Internet
access
- 75% of classrooms have access to
computers
- 99% of teachers report the use
of computers in school 3
Technology in the Workplace 4
Computer skills are increasingly more
relevant to job acquisition and career success.
Percentages of Employed Adults Reporting
Computer Use at Work:
- College teachers 80%
- Lawyers/judges 78%
- Secondary teachers 69%
- Elementary teachers 67%
- Physicians 62%
- Clergy 62%
"Let me state this as plainly as
I can: All of our students deserve well-trained teachers,
Internet access, and appropriate educational technology
in order to help them learn, to help them get to college,
and to help them succeed in 21st-century jobs."
– Former Secretary of Education, Richard Riley
References
- National Center for Education Statistics’ (NCES) report
on "Teacher Use of Computers and the Internet in Public
Schools for 1999"
- Market Data Retrieval’s report on "Technology in
Education 1998"
- NCES’ "Survey on Internet Access in US Public Schools
for 1999"
- The US Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey from
October 1997
September 2000
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