| From the Founder and Chairman |
 |
May
16, 2002
Dear
Friends:
June
6th will mark the eighth anniversary of the seminal idea for TECH CORPS. It's really hard to believe it was that long ago.
Eight years ago we embarked on a mission to improve
K-12 education in America through the use of technology, a field now some
call "education technology". Back then, few, if any, schools had
Internet connections and computer technology was taught as a subject. The
original TECH CORPS volunteers, first assembled in January 1995, were
leaders willing to share their time, their passion and their enthusiasm
for incorporating the wonders of technology into the classroom.
Fast
forwarding to May 2002, America owes you, and our founding volunteers, a
huge debt of gratitude. The Golden Age of TECH CORPS
is just ahead of us!
Our
nation has moved from the "adoption" phase to the
"implementation/integration" phase of education technology.
So
many exciting opportunities in the implementation phase are just around
the corner. Areas like e-learning, mentoring and virtual schooling are
just a few. My son, a junior in high school, just completed a history
course for credit offered by the "Virtual High School". His
teacher was in Michigan, his classmates as far away as Singapore. Another
area of urgent need, now and even more so in the future, will be
technology administration. As K-12 technology infrastructures continue to
grow they will need to be managed creating a new layer of administration
in K-12 institutions.
This
should be a plus for the efforts of those at TECH CORPS
for now schools will have men and women dedicated to integrating
technology into ever nook and cranny of the school, working on the job
every day of the week.
Another
accelerator for education technology in America is the tens of thousands
of new teachers entering the workforce this year and for years to come.
These new teachers will have grown up using computers and their placement
in schools across the country will be a major supporting force for
education technology.
From
the tech front where I work, there's good news too. Competition is fierce
and this should translate into low prices for most technology products.
What is also good news is this: the economy is improving and tech vendors
who have generously supported the efforts of TECH
CORPS
will hopefully continue to do so with even more vigor in the future.
And
more money is indeed needed. A while back I testified before a joint
House/Senate committee on web education in America. Witness after witness
shared idea after idea on how technology could help in their classroom. If
only there was more money.
In
the coming weeks I will submit to Education Week an editorial
calling for the formation of the Broadband Trust Fund. I modeled the idea
after the Highway Trust Fund, which was founded in the 1950s to fund the
support and upkeep of the Interstate highway system. When you buy a gallon
of gasoline, depending on where you live, a healthy percentage of the
price goes to the Highway Trust Fund, which disperses the money to states
to make sure our interstates are paved and in good working order.
I
see a day coming when for the purchase of any technology product or
service of $1000, or more, a small surcharge of one-half of one percent is
collected. The funds would go into the Broadband Trust Fund to be used by
states to accelerate the deployment of "high speed" Internet
connections to every home and every classroom in the country. I like the
idea, because like the Highway Trust Fund, it is a usage surcharge. Don't
use technology, you don't pay. If your firm uses technology a lot, you
indeed would pay more up to a pre-set ceiling...oh, more on the idea if it
gathers traction. But I would encourage you to talk to influential leaders
in each of your states to get their reaction to it and share it with me at
gbeach@cio.com
In
closing, I must take a moment to put the spotlight on the person who has
led the TECH CORPS efforts since those early days in 1994. Karen Smith
is a diligent worker, a true visionary and an inspiring leader. TECH CORPS owes a huge debt of gratitude to Karen for all the time and effort she
has put in to make TECH
CORPS the
national success, and role model, it is today.
Thanks
for taking time to let me share these thoughts with you. I so respect and
admire all your work. Here's to continued success in the future.
Cordially,
Gary
J. Beach
Publisher,
CIO magazine