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This section provides a "snapshot" of technology support currently available to Indiana schools.

In Indiana, the Technology Plan Grant Program (doe.state.in.us/olr/tpgp), passed by the General Assembly in 1995, promotes planning for and funds implementation of fully integrated and coordinated resources of professional development, hardware, software, technical support, and telecommunications that support innovative and creative learning environments. By June of 1999, 58 percent of the school corporations, representing 42 percent of the students, will have been funded, beginning with the poorest districts receiving funds in 1996.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The Indiana Department of Education provides programs to assist local districts in developing their own capacity to create resources for professional development that is school- and corporation-based (www.doe.in.gov/olr).

Selected programs sponsored by Indiana Department of Education:

Technology Leadership Training (TLT),a five-day program for principals, directors of curriculum, library media specialists, and technology coordinators. In coordination with textbook adoptions, a new TLT program for math and science coordinators was offered in 1998. A two-day Technology Leadership Training program is available to superintendents in the Technology Plan Grant Program in the spring of each year. Over 1,500 administrators and other educators have participated in these programs since 1990 (doe.state.in.us/olr/tlt). 

The Technology Associates program with a cadre of over 150 educators provides technology-related workshops upon request. Although schools request training on topics needed at their sites, summer offerings around the state include Writing Across the Curriculum and the three-week Computer Art Discovery course for visual arts teachers. Over 2,000 teachers participate each year (doe.state.in.us/olr/tecassoc).

The Indiana Summer Institute for Technology (ISIT), a three-day summer program, provides 400 (elementary, middle, high school) teachers hands-on experience using technology to design student-centered projects with a curriculum focus for the classroom (doe.state.in.us/olr/isit).

The Indiana Technology Learning Center (ITLC), created in 1995 through a collaborative effort between the Department of Education, the Corporation for Educational Technology, and the College of Education at Butler University, offers a teacher leadership program, as well as one-day workshops on technology in the curriculum. Approximately 1,750 educators participate in these workshops each year. Webmaster's note: The Indiana Technology Learning Center was closed in 2001.  The resources from that web site can now be accessed at the following address: www.inelearning.com

Every two years, approximately 30 educators receive Teacher Technology Fellowships. The fellowships and support grants to the schools were awarded this spring to middle and high school science teachers. The program focuses upon the curriculum area that coincides with textbook adoptions.

The High Tech School projects present an important opportunity to improve teaching and learning in Indiana high schools. To date, 70 schools in 45 districts/consortia have received grants in 1997 and 1998 for use in high schools to enable them to bring together all available resources in a systemic plan of action for using educational technology to improve and support teaching and learning. Each recipient shows a well-developed plan for the implementation of technology into the high school curricula so that students will have the technological and academic skills essential for success in the 21st Century; the four pillars of technology are also a part of each.

Other professional development opportunities are provided by many other agencies and partners throughout the state. See the IDOE professional development page for links to programs offered by the Educational Service Centers (ESCs), state professional organizations, colleges and universities, the National Staff Development Council, online resources, courses, and virtual workshops.

HARDWARE

A survey completed by the Indiana Department of Education (doe.state.in.us) in collaboration with Harvard Information Systems in January of 1997 showed that of the computers in the Indiana schools, fewer than 13 percent are multimedia computers. Schools fund hardware primarily with local funds such as Capital Projects Funds (CPF).

Nationally, the student to computer ratio (all computers regardless of age) is 10:1. Students to multimedia computers: 19:1. (QED, 15^th edition; update due 9/98)

Project 4 R's, which began in 1990 as Project 3R's, funds kindergarten and first grade reading, writing, and mathematics and extends the use of technology for remediation. Funds may be used for hardware, software, and training. Requires local match. As of June 1998, eighty (80%) percent--977 of 1222 Indiana elementary schools--have been funded (doe.state.in.us/olr/projr).

The Buddy System Project, begun in 1987-88 with 5 pilot schools, provides computers in the homes of the fourth-fifth-sixth graders to extend learning beyond the school day into the homes of the children. Professional development is offered to 28 school corporations (61 schools). The project is managed by the Corporation for Educational Technology and is funded through a combination of public-private partnerships, including the Educational Technology Fund (through IDOE), parents, vendors, and foundations (http://www.buddyproject.org/).

CONNECTIVITY

Many schools, individual teachers, and administrators have dial-up, cable, satellite, and a few wireless connections to information providers. As of June 1998, 92 percent of the school corporations have a connection to the Internet via the Intelenet Commission's grant program for schools; local matching funds required.

Through the Vision Athena program of the Corporation for Educational Communications (CEC) (www.cilc.org), 166 sites have been funded for two-way, interactive video distance learning. Approximately 120 of those sites are secondary schools and area vocational centers; the other sites include elementary schools, educational service centers, universities, and content providers. (June, 1998)

CONTENT

Online resources and instructional activities are provided through the Access Indiana Technology Learning Center (AITLC) (tlc.ai.org), Vision Athena (www.cec.state.in.us) and Project CanalTrek (doe.state.in.us/olr/canaltrek/). In addition, the Indiana Department of Education arranged special pricing in 1997/98 for over 2,400 classroom teachers and school libraries for the Scholastic Network education services and, effective July 1, 1998, is offering H. W. Wilson's General Science Abstracts and Full Text Database site licenses. Curriculum proficiency guides and standards are online or are in development and include examples and scenarios of technology for teaching and learning (doe.state.in.us).

Inspire (www.inspire-indiana.net)--directed by the Indiana State Library (www.statelib.lib.in.us), managed by the Indiana Cooperative Library Services Authority (INCOLSA) (www.incolsa.net), and funded primarily by the Indiana General Assembly-- makes full text periodicals, journals, and encyclopedia material available for search and retrieval by all Indiana residents from home, school, library, business, or anywhere Internet access is provided to Hoosiers. Between 1/1/98 and 7/7/98, over 1.5 million searches occurred, approximately 20 percent from K-12 schools.

Educators' Technology Center of Indiana, operated by Indiana University at the IUPUI campus and funded by the Indiana Department of Education, serves as an information clearinghouse and preview center. Information and online resources are available electronically via email and web access for educators across the state; streaming video resources are planned for 1998/99.

State Instructional Materials Service (SIMS) provides high quality instructional materials to public and nonpublic elementary and secondary schools in Indiana at the lowest practical cost with more than 1,000 individual video programs plus numerous printed guides, computer programs, audiocassettes, laserdiscs, books, and CD-ROMs.

Revised 9/98