Through
the course of my work on this degree I was asked to participate
in a state wide research project. The project was the ISTE (International
Society for Technology in Education) / LOFTI (Learning Organizations
for Technology Integration) Teacher Performance Study. The study
was designed to discover how LOFTI participants perform relative
to the 2000 ISTE standards.
I
was part of a thirteen member interview team that was assigned
the job of interviewing educators across the state of South
Dakota. Each member took part in a training session that prepared
us for this endeavor. The training was designed to ensure
continuity
in the research process. Very specific directions were given
in how to contact potential interviewees, how to conduct an
interview and how to score the interviewee and finally how
to interpret the data.
The
whole process from training to interpreting the data took
approximately
four months. Each step of the process was very methodical and
served an important purpose. The results of the study would
ultimately be used for LOFTI project improvement and decision-making.
An article published in the August 2003 edition of MAPLE
titled A
South Dakota "Report
Card" <673 KB> highlights
the study and the results of the research.
In evaluating current trends in
technology in the State of South Dakota I studied the "Wiring of Our Schools"
project. This project was an important step in putting South
Dakota in the lead in regards to the use of technology in education.
In an interview with then Secretary of Education Ray Christiansen,
much of the credit for this project goes to then Governor Bill
Janklows' desire to "take away the distance problem" in
South Dakota.
In assessing the project I was able to identify
some of the pros
and cons
to
this massive
project. The students of South Dakota will reap the benefits
of this project many times over. For the first time in our
States history students are able to visit museums and experience
other cultures in a very significant way without leaving their
home towns.
