Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT; NCLB II-D)
Wisconsin Educator Comments
May, 2006
I have been a library media director for 32 years. I have seen first-hand the impact technology integrated into the curriculum and aligned with state standards has had on improving student achievement. Students are truly engaged in their learning with technology.
Ann Buehl, District Library Media Director, Parkview School District, Orfordville
Our district uses the EETT funds to provide a year long technology training course for selected teachers. I was a part of that program this school year, which enhanced my knowledge and use of technology in my classroom.
Beth Laggis, 2nd grade teacher, Rhinelander School District
Removing critical funding at this time does not just prevent moving forward but puts at risk all the progress we have made over the last ten years.
Bob Scidmore, Technology Staff Development Specialist, Eau Claire School District
For the past three years a consortium of three districts has recieved EETT grants. The money from these grants has been extremely important in enabling us to offer quality staff development in the area of technology integration. Many students have benefitted from the units their teachers have created as a result of this staff development.
Carol Ebel, Library Media Specialist, School District of Bonduel, Bonduel
In Wisconsin, almost all the public school districts use state-of-the-art video distance learning to share high school, technical college and university classes statewide. This technology has become an integral part of the curriculum delivery system, especially for rural schools. The distance network is also being used increasingly for elementary and middle school classes for curriculum enrichment, professional development for school faculty and staff, and for countless meetings and workshops. Use of the network is saving money in time and travel, and saving classes that would otherwise not run because of small class size or staff reductions. Technology funding is necessary to maintain the infrastructure and allow those schools not on the network to join.
Carol Popelka, WWLEARN Director, Cooperative Ed Service Agency #4, West Salem
We are a small rural school struggling to stay alive and provide our students with as many skills as possible. We need every dollar available to provide the everchanging technology to further our students future and ultimately our society.
Carolyn Wokosin, Bookkeeper, School Distrcit of Seneca
Children are living with technology. It motivates them to learn when other methods do not interest them. We need to keep funding to train teachers in the never ending stream of new technologies available to the public.
Chris Rogers, Technology Integration Coordinator, CESA 7, Green Bay
We have some technology (computers, wiring, digital a/v, etc.), and that's great. But with use over time, this technology needs to be constantly maintained and upgraded. Without funding to upgrade, add new resources, and properly train teachers and students to use it, we will not be able to produce students who are proficient users of current technology.
CJ Pfau, Library Media Specialist, Salem Grade School/Salem School District, Salem
As school districts in our state face reduced funding for all educational programs, one of the first areas hit is staff development. The power of the EETT funding is that it provides funding for staff development opportunities. With the advance of Information and Technology skills and resources, it is imperative that we strive to increase faculty knowledge and skills in this area. Studies have shown, nationwide, statewide and district wide that increased staff skills works to change educational practices leading to the key to success - improved student learning. As a district working in consortium with other urban school districts we have been able to support an extensive teaching and learning online experience for our students and staff. This opportunity to use technology and e-learning to expand beyond the walls of the classroom gives our students the opportunity to expand their horizons and strive to become contributing members of a global economy.
Constance C. Jaeger, Instructional Tech Coordinator, Mequon-Thiensville School District
Technology is what makes the world go round. One cannot teach technology without the technology. EETT is a critical piece in providing necessary technology for 21st century learners.
Daniel Honore, Director of Information Services, Kenosha Unified Schoold District
I urgently request that you maintain the curren tlevel of EETT funding to support critical technology training for teachers. Highly qualified teachers deserve to have the tools and skills necessary to help students achieve at higher levels. EETT funding provides just that. Please do not reduce it!
Diane Messer, District Administrator, Dodgeville School District
For students of rural schools to succeed in a global economy, it is necessary to utilize technology and e-learning opportunities that the EETT funding provides.
Dustin Schuhmacher, Tech and Curriculum Program Coordinator, CESA 3, Fennimore
Restoring funding for Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) is CRITICAL, as a necessary means to our student’s educational achievement and competitiveness in the 21st Century. Expecting a small school district to adhere to the mandates in NLCB REQUIRES funding beyond my school districts local revenue. Please reinstate the EETT funding!!!
Esther Frost, Library Media Director, Arcadia School District, Arcadia
It is critical that EETT continue at the present funding level or at an even higher funding level. What kind of message do we send to students when we tell them that they need to prepare for the global economy and then decrease e-learning and technology funding? This funding is critical to our students education.
Barbara Felde, Career Guidance Tech, Sheboygan Area School District, Sheboygan
We benefitted significantly from participation in an EETT-funded program two summers ago. The grant allowed us to offer high quality professional development to teachers from the 4 districts that participated in the grant. As a direct result of EETT funding, these summer workshops, with a focus on student outcomes, made an impact in every participating teacher's classroom and has served as a model for subsequent professional development in our schools.
Jeff Johnson, Director of Technology, Greendale School District, Greendale
We have used EETT funding in the last few years to develop teachers' skills in the use of electronic tools that enhance students' abilities to conduct research and inquiry tasks. Because of limited funding only about 20% of our teachers have been able to participate. While those teachers and their students have experienced much success, much still remains to be done to reach all teachers and students.
Jeffrey Gibson, Director of Technology, Wisconsin Rapids Public Schools
We belong to a consortia which allows us to spread our dollars even more. Through this grant, we have funded technology training for all teachers in our district.
Jenanne Anderson, Media Specialist, Randolph School District
Just because we have purchased equipment, does not mean we are done with technology education. Now we are getting down to the real education piece. We need continued financial support to educate our students in a way that will prepare them for the real world that is filled with technology.
Jim Kueht, Director of Pupil Services, School District of Beloit Turner, Beloit
Technology opens the doors of opportunity for our students to have access to rigorous courses otherwise unavailable.
Joel VerDuin, Director, Technology and Media Services, Wausau School District
School technology budgets can't keep up with the demands placed on them now. How are we ever going to make our kids competitive, and teach them what they need to know, if more funds are cut?
John Lacke, Technology Coordinator, Oostburg Schools, Oostburg
In addition to student access, teachers need to use technology in order to manage all the demands of teaching and data management that are required to do a quality job. I teach classes on how to use technology… so that teachers can use this with students to help improve instruction and student success. Teachers report that students are more engaged when they use technology or technology is used in the class instruction, and when the students are engaged they behave better and learn more. I have taught this kind of thing to more than 100 teachers this year, based in E2T2 fund. Don't take this needed resource away.
Jude Kesl, Literacy Coach, Science Technology support teacher, Milwaukee
The role of technology in our lives cannot be ignored! We need our young people prepared to work in the world of the future.
Judy Wahr, LMC Director, Wisconsin Heights High School, Mazomanie
EETT funding is critcal to my job of providing inservice training for the teachers in my district. With out this funding - educational technology training will be severly cut. With out the ablility to teach teachers - students will loose.
Julie Eiden, Technology Coordinator, School District of Waupaca
We now live in the 21st century. This is the digital age. Technology is no longer a frivolous extra. Our students must acquire information and technology literacy skills to successfully live and work today. Local school budgets cannot fully fund technology needs. Government must step up to the plate. The U.S. place in our global society tomorrow depends on the education we provide our students today!
Karen Reusch, Curriculum Director, School District of Cuba City
… Staff development is the one piece that cannot be ignored and needs to be funded and organized. If this does not occur the teachers will not embrace the full potential of the technology available to them and their students. EETT provides that funding. But that funding is being slashed at the worst of times. Our districts are slashing staff development dollars due to lack of funding resources. We not only need updated equipment but ongoing staff development or the technology will be a waste of valuable resources.
Kathy Boguszewski, Library Media & Instructional Tech, School District of Janesville
EETT funding is critical to the state of Wisconsin and effective use of educational technology in the schools. As we have state mandated caps on educational spending in Wisconsin, loss of these funds would severely impact the ability for educators to prepare our students for the 21st century workplace. I urge you to restore full EETT funding so we as a nation prepare our students to participate fully in a global society and economy. In our school district technology is a critical component for implementing our curriculum and evaluating student learning. We use online assessment to help individualize for unique student learning needs. The use of technology has helped students learn who wouldn't through traditional means. We have seen our overall test scores go up over the last five-year period, and technology has played an important role in bringing that about. . . .
Kathy Sanders, Library Media and Tech Specialist,
School District of Monona Grove, Cottage Grove
Technology is a necessary means to our student’s educational achievement and competitiveness in the 21st Century. We need the EETT funding to achieve our NCLB goals and requirements as well as to educate our students.
Kathy Tuschl, Technology Coordinator, Manitowoc Public Schools
Technology is booming and leaving our kids behind. We are trying to teach them what they need to know to succeed, but we don't have the proper equipment to keep up with the times. The students deserve to learn on technology that is current, not 5 or more years old.
Kristine Cumbers, Systems Coordinator, Ashwaubenon School District, Green Bay
Without the EETT funding, there is no way that our small school district can provide equipment and training for our teachers and students. A small school nor its students should be penalized. The 21st Century is here and we are not ready.
Linda Erickson, Director of Instruction, Darlington Schools
These funds are absolutely vital for schools! Without them we cannot even begin to try and keep up with the needs of students and the No Child Left Behind mandates. Since these funds have been discontinued, our district has not been able to replace the monies. Wisconsin in fact has had to cut budgets because of the way laws have our schools set up. Your support on this is absolutely needed. Not wanted - needed.
Linda Griffee, Library Media Director and Computer Technician,
Lake Mills Middle School, Lake Mills Bay
With our nation dependent upon an educated and informed populace, we need to ensure that the children are educated for their future - not our past. We need to fund technology in our schools.
Louis Loeffler, Assistant Professor, Cardinal Stritch University, Milwaukee
I have implemented three EdTech projects and found longer lasting retention by my students, increased motivation, and even low absence results. Critical thinking strategies engaged the learners in multi-task projects that allowed for student trainers (train the trainers project ) which developed leadership skills and facilitated collaborative efforts. Keep this grant alive. We are leaving NO CHILD BEHIND!
Lynn Doucette, teacher, Steffen middle School, Mequon
If we want our students to be successful, efficient, and competitive in an ever-shrinking world, they need all of the technological and collaboration saavy we can give them. Now is hardly the time to slash technology budgets.
Maria Jaszewski, Media Specialist, Sun Prairie Area School District
Funding has allowed us to provided staff development to train teachers to use technology and to teach with technology. All of our teachers are required to set personal goals relating to the use of technology in their classroom. All teachers are required to use technology for grades, attendance, student records, lunch, and email. Technology has allowed us to put most of our district functions into electronic/digital format instead of paper format.
Mike Mades, Tech coordinator, Wautoma Area School District
In Wisconsin, school budgets are cut every year due to limitations placed on them by the state. EETT funding gains more importance with every year.
Monica Treptow, Library Media Specialist, Port Washington-Saukville School District
Currently, the EETT funds are providing access to our secondary technology integration project - digital documentaries. Students research a plethora of issues in their social studies classrooms utilizing… a wireless environment in their social studies classrooms. Through web sources and streaming video, students and teachers create documentaries of different relevant and authentic topics. These support their own research, reading, and writing skills, while using multimedia applications seemlessly. The productions of these documentaries gives greater depth and understanding of social issues . . . This fosters greater understanding and of diverse cultures and their own culture in the United States.
Page Kessler, Instructional Technology Teacher, Indian Trail Academy,
Kenosha Unified School District #1, Kenosha
We are a global society. If we, citizens of the United States, are to continue to be leaders in this global society, we must educate and give our students the tools to compete. I urge you to vote for continued EETT funding.
Pat Allers, Title I teacher, West Salem School District, west salem
With revenue caps and all the increased expenses in public schools today, there would be no hope of providing students with state of the art technology without technology funding through EETT. It is imparitive that funding stay in place and continue to grow. Wautoma Schools has always been proud to provide educational technology to our students. Most of this was made possible by a committed school board, administrators, and teachers who believe in technology literacy. Through the EETT funding this has all become a reality - I hope we can continue to see federal support of technology.
Sandi Jarvis, Curriculum Coordinator, Wautoma Area Schools
EETT funding has allowed districts to purchase, train, and implement programs that are directly improving student learning. In our district, we have students who are learning to read using programs like Fast ForWord and Successmaker. These students are very vocal about how the technology helped them to be successful in reading. We need continued funding to continue meeting the various needs of our at-risk students. EETT funding was used along with district funds to purchase software, hardware, and professional development so that these tools would be used appropriately. We conducted a study last year as part of our EETT competitive grant to determine if Fast ForWord had a significant impact on student reading scores. The Metiri Group analyzed the student achievement data and determined that there was a significant positive effect on student reading scores. We did a similar study with elementary students using Successmaker at the second grade level. Students who use Successmaker for 6 months twice a week gained significantly more in reading than students who did not use the program. The increase was most significant for special needs and gifted students.
Sharon Ellner, District Technology Coordinator, Pulaski Community Schools
Student learning and preparation for the world of work depends on having adequate technology hardware as well as education and training. This cannot happen if these funds are cut from the budget. Our teachers continue to simulate the workplace environment for students as they use technolgy based project learning with their students. This requires students to work cooperatively in groups, demonstrate capabilities with all kind of technology, and transfer this learning to real life situations. Architectural drawings are no longer done by hand, and students need to know how to create structural drawing, electrical and plumbing plans, etc. When entering programs in post-secondary that address architectual desgin students are expected to have a base of knowledge. It is assumed that they have had the opportunity in middle and high school to learn the basic skills in these areas. Business classes use automated accounting also used in the work place and in post secondary training programs. Public education is constantly under the gun to improve education, challenge students, and prepare them for the world of work. We cannot do this without adequate funding especially under the spending constraints imposed on public schools in Wisconsin. Please consider keeping the EETT funding in place for all of our students.
Susan L. Speltz, Middle/High School Principal, Whitehall School District
The EETT grants have created opportunities for 129 Kenosha Unified Teachers to work collaboratively to create lessons and units that integrate digital media and that were taught to over 5,000 students with the goal of increasing student achievement. These units are now posted to the KUSD web site:where they may be accessed by other KUSD teachers as well as teachers throughout the country. http://www.kusd.edu/media/pdf/timm
Suzanne Chernik, Coordinator, Library Media/Instructional Technology,
Kenosha Unified School District No. 1
As director of the Instructional Technology Department in an area educational services agency serving 31 small school districts in rural Wisconsin region, we have depended upon and heavily used the EETT-Title II-D Competitive Grants to provide an ongoing and sustained Professional Development program on the effective integration of techology in the classroom to ensure student achievement and a technology literate student population leaving our schools by 8th grade. Our staff development program has been aligning the Wisconsin Information Technology Literacy Standards into all curricular areas. We desparately need the continuation of the EETT funds---many districts have had to cut technology replacements because of lost funding.
Terri Iverson, Director, Instructional Technology,
Cooperative Educational Service Agency #3, Fennimore
This funding has provided support for our Project Big6 grant. This grant offered district financial support and training opportunities for staff members to become efficient trainers for information and technology literacy by using the Big6 Skills for Information Literacy. Teachers have indicated that teaching the big6 skills to their students have helped them to become empowered learners. Teachers now feel that both they and their students are using technology more effciently and effectively. Please do not cut our technology throats by ending this funding. The impact could be quite detrimental.
Anna Niemeyer, Technology Integration Specialist, School District of Poynette