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"Report to the President on the Use of Technology to Strengthen K-12 Education in the United States," Panel on Educational Technology.

Date of Study:

1997

Basis of Study:

This panel was organized in April 1995 by the President's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) to provide advice to the President on technologies in K-12 education. Its findings are based on a review of the research literature and briefings from academic and industrial researchers, practicing educators, software developers, governmental agencies, and professional and industry organizations involved with technology in education.

Conclusions:

When best practices have been implemented in recent years, technology supports the following constructivist reforms:

Greater attention to the acquisition of higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills, with less emphasis on the assimilation of a large body of isolated facts;
Basic skills learned not in isolation but in the course of undertaking (often on a collaborative basis) higher-level "real-world" tasks whose execution require the integration of a number of such skills;
Information resources accessed by the student when useful and meaningful.
Fewer topics are explored in greater depth.
The student assumes a central role as the active architect of his or her own knowledge and skills, rather than passively absorbing information proffered by the teacher.

Technology has been demonstrated to serve as a powerful tool for teachers, who may:

use computers and computer networks to monitor, guide, and assess the progress of their students,
maintain portfolios of student work,
prepare (both computer-based and conventional) materials for use in the classroom,
communicate with students, parents, and administrators,
exchange ideas, experiences, and curricular materials with other teachers,
consult with experts in a variety of fields,
access remote databases and acquire educational software over the Internet, and
further expand their own knowledge and professional capabilities.

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