More students across US logging on to online classrooms - The Boston Globe

Two quotes from this story caught my eye --

Online learning "is going to reinvent high school in the United States," said Ken Ellwein, executive director of the Lutheran high school, which created its online school last year. "To keep technology away from kids while they're going to school, when they have it in every other part of their lives -- it just doesn't make sense."

and

The US Department of Education plans to release a study about the prevalence of online schooling later this year. But one survey the department completed nearly five years ago found that 36 percent of school districts in the nation had students enrolled in virtual school, mostly high school students.

Personally I belive that to have a gap of 5 years between studies on anything having to do with technology in education is disgraceful! I definitely want to see these how this number (and related numbers) have grown. Speaking of Instructional Technology - the following comes from the blog EduTechie.com:

Let’s have a little competition at school and get ready for thefuture. I will use a laptop and you will use paper and pencil. Are you ready…?

• I will access up-to-date information - you have a textbook that is 5 years old.
• I will immediately know when I misspell a word – you have to wait until it’s graded.
• I will learn how to care for technology by using it – you will read about it.
• I will see math problems in 3D – you will do the odd problems.
• I will create artwork and poetry and share it with the world – you will share yours with the class.
• I will have 24/7 access – you have the entire class period.
• I will access the most dynamic information – yours will be printed and photocopied.
• I will communicate with leaders and experts using email – you will wait for Friday’s speaker.
• I will select my learning style – you will use the teacher’s favorite learning style.
• I will collaborate with my peers from around the world – you will collaborate with peers in your classroom.
• I will take my learning as far as I want – you must wait for the rest of the class.
• The cost of a laptop per year? - $250The cost of teacher and student training? – Expensive
• The cost of well educated US citizens and workforce? - Priceless

I am not expert on Instructionl Technology but I think that pretty much I need to knwo is right here in this list. If this doesn’t sum up instructional technology and its goals I don’t know what does!