Ed Tech Dollars to Flow this Summer - ISTE ARRA Survey Online

The Department of Education has indicated that the $650 million in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for the Enhancing Education Through Technology program will flow to states this summer. This timing is critical to ensure that schools and districts can utilize these dollars for the upcoming school year. ISTE voiced our support to the Department of Education to move the distribution date to the summer from the earlier communicated Fall 2009. I encourage you to attend NECC and take advantage of all of its offerings to help you plan an effective implementation of your school or district's EETT funding!

We are beginning to hear from schools and districts around the country as to how ARRA dollars will be used toward education technology advances. For example, a district in West Virginia "hopes to use additional Title I funding to upgrade classroom equipment, hire professional personnel, support extended school year initiatives and provide professional development for staff which targets technology integration and 21st Century teaching and learning."

A district in California plans to use Title I funds for "site purchases that refresh computer labs and expand our interactive instruction with document cameras and mounted projectors. We are also beginning to infuse "netbook" technology into upper grades to foster differntiated teaching strategies."

Please share your school or districts plans with ISTE at: http://tinyurl.com/ISTE-ARRA. ISTE will share these examples with the Obama Administration and the Congress, and we also plan to share it with the ISTE membership so that everyone can benefit from this information.

I also encourage you to begin a dialogue on this blog as to how ARRA dollars will be spent towards technology and technology professional development.