National Education Technology Plan - Baker School District

Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has a regional
technology program (eSPARC) that focuses on increasing in-home
access to computers and the Internet, particularly for high-need
families, in an effort to bridge the digital divide. Pennsylvania
received a $1.8 million grant from the U.S. Department
of Education to study the impact of computers on student
achievement. The study will examine the benefits of home access
for student learning and parental involvement. The evaluation will
explore a wide range of research questions that focus on whether
and how in-home computer and Internet access impact students
and parents, allowing for the promotion of “what works”. In
addition, PDE will produce and disseminate resultant research
methodologies and tools that will assist in measuring the impact of
technology initiatives across program areas, strengthening local,
state and national evaluative capabilities.
The Explosion in E-Learning
and Virtual Schools
Over the past five years there has been an explosive growth
in online and multimedia instruction (e-learning) and “virtual
schools.” At least 15 states now provide some form of virtual
schooling to supplement regular classes or provide for special
needs. 46 Hundreds of thousands of students are taking advantage
of e-learning this school year. 47 About 25 percent of all K-12
public schools now offer some form of e-learning or virtual school
instruction. 48 Within the next decade every state and most schools
will be doing so.
34
E-learning and virtual schooling are essentially the same product:
they provide individual online instruction. They are the 21 st
century version of distance-learning through correspondence