No Educator Left Behind is a series providing answers from the U.S. Department of Education to questions about the federal No Child Left Behind Act and how it will affect educators. If you have a question about No Child Left Behind, send an e-mail to Ellen Delisio, and we will submit your question to the Department of Education.

Question:

Does the Department of Education offer pedagogical examples of the use of technology as a tool, as media, and as a learning landscape?

U.S. Department of Education:

Technology is a tool for individualized learning; offering opportunities for personalized instruction, individualized learning plans, front-end evaluation of a student's abilities, ongoing analysis of student achievement, and ongoing feedback. Continuous online assessments can determine what assistance a student needs before he or she gets too far behind.

Technology is a tool that enables accountability. State agencies and school districts are required to develop robust accountability systems using data warehousing and business intelligence tools. The goal is to equip policy makers and school leaders with the tools to analyze real time student performance along with demographic, achievement, and budgetary indicators. States are encouraged to use online assessment systems so results can be delivered to students and teachers instantaneously, instead of weeks later, as is the case with traditional assessments.

Technology is a tool that facilitates the development of:

• annual yearly progress reports;
• report cards;
• assessments;
• program impact evaluations; and
• richer data for analysis services.

Technology as media brings new options and opportunities through e-learning and virtual schools. Moving educational resources to digital media engages students in their education in a format that is familiar to them, while online options allow students to take classes not available in their geographic area.

Technology is a learning landscape in that it

• provides access to the best courses, resources, and expertise from around the world, regardless of where a student is located geographically;
• provides students with quality options and alternatives through eLearning;
• provides personalization, through educational software that focuses on the needs of students, not on the educational system;
• engages students in learning;
• better directs resources into instructional areas through the use of administrative technology systems.

Read previous questions and answers in our No Educator Left Behind archive.