Copyright 2000 Federal News Service, Inc.
Federal News Service
March 8, 2000, Wednesday
SECTION: PREPARED TESTIMONY
LENGTH: 2328 words
HEADLINE:
PREPARED TESTIMONY OF TONY LEE SENIOR DIRECTOR, WORLDWIDE MARKETS APPLE
BEFORE THE HOUSE EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE
COMMITTEE SUB-COMMITTEE ON EARLY CHILDHOOD, YOUTH AND FAMILIES
BODY:
Mr. Chairman and Members of the
Subcommittee, I appreciate the opportunity to testify before you today about the
impact of educational technology on teaching and learning. In addition, I will
also discuss the roles both business and government can play.
My name is
Tony Lee and I am Senior Director of Worldwide Markets for Apple - a position
that encompasses a wide range of responsibilities including the marketing of
Apple's educational products and services to the K-12 and Higher Education
communities.
Systemic Change
Mr. Chairman, because of
technology, the world today is different and it will continue to change. Society
is different. Information is different. Communication is different. Work is
different. School is different. And because of this, kids need to be educated
differently.
According to a report published in 1999 by The CEO Forum,
sixty percent of the new jobs created in this century will require skills
currently held by only twenty percent of today's workforce. It is critical that
our educational system produces kids ready for this different world. Therefore,
it is critical that systemic change occurs more rapidly in our educational
system. We believe that well trained teachers who can integrate technology into
the curriculum will be a catalyst to drive that change.
Apple's Role In
Education
By working directly with schools for more than two decades,
Apple has experienced first hand the impact technology can have on teaching and
learning. In fact, according to International Data Corporation (IDC), Apple
continues to be the number one brand in education today. Why does Apple care so
much about education? Not only because we believe Apple to have the best
technology products and services for schools, but intrinsically because Apple
cares about teaching and learning. Our products and services are designed to
enable students to focus on learning, and teachers to focus on teaching, rather
than asking students and teachers to spend much of their precious time learning
to use technology.
As you will see, what we have learned through
research and experience is that although access to technology is critical,
access alone is not enough. As a result, we firmly believe that the Federal
government must also focus its attention and resources on technology integration
and ongoing professional development for teachers.
Technology Access
Let's begin by addressing technology access. Access to technology in
schools has improved dramatically in recent years. Last month the U.S.
Department of Education released statistics indicating that the number of
schools connected to the Internet has increased from 35% in 1994 to 95% in 1999.
Those statistics also show that the number of individual classrooms connected to
the Internet has increased from 3% in 1994 to 51% in 1998 (a number of
additional studies indicate for 1999 the figure is near 60%)."
Equally
important, the student to computer ratio has been reported to be better than 6
to-1 nationwide in 1999, improving significantly from a more than 15-to-1 ratio
earlier in the decade. Significant progress is obviously being made, but
remember we are still a long way from the promise of a one-to-one
computer-to-student ratio. Imagine your office environment if there were only
one computer to every six people. This was the environment in an average school
in 1999.
Technology Integration
However, access, to. technology
alone does not enhance a student's ability to learn, or improve a teacher's
ability to teach, without proper integration into the curriculum. Even with the
dramatic increases, in-technology- access over the past decade; only 20% of
teachers are comfortable integrating technology into classroom instruction
(Source: National Center for Educational Statistics, 1999): Thus, even achieving
a one-to-one computer ratio would be meaningless if our teachers can't use the
technology or fully integrate it into the curriculum.
Apple Classrooms
of Tomorrow
More than' a decade ago, Apple initiated a landmark
multi-year project entitled Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow (ACOT). By
collaborating with public schools, universities, and government agencies, we.
studied how the use of technology by teachers and students might impact teaching
and learning: ACOT's research demonstrated .that the introduction of
technology-into classrooms can significantly increase the potential for
learning, especially when it is used to support collaboration, information
access, and the expression and representation of students' thoughts and ideas.
(Additional information about Apple's education research and programs is
available under the Education section of the Apple web site, located at www.
apple.com/education).
Through ongoing research, we have learned that for
technology to make an impact on student achievement it must be utilized as a
tool to support thinking and for effective communication and collaboration.
These are the very skills that tomorrow's workplace will demand of its
employees.
In addition, Apple learned through its ACOT research that
staff development is a critical component for the effective use of technology.
The success of technology in America's classrooms depends upon the skills of the
teacher and the support of school administrators.
Professional
Development
To truly be able to integrate technology into the
curriculum, teachers must be given the time and the opportunity for professional
development on an ongoing basis. If this happens, we will witness systemic
change in and out of the classroom. Teachers will be more comfortable
incorporating technological skills necessary to prepare students for the
workplace of tomorrow. Here again, Apple is in the forefront of developing
professional development programs.
Apple offers both online and
leader-led teacher training through the Apple Learning
Professional
Development program which consists of workshops, consulting services,and
planning products designed to foster change in an educator's thinking. Apple has
also developed a dynamic online learning community called Apple Learning
Interchange (ALl), where over 30,000 educators, share, learn, and communicate.
For example, suppose that a teacher is preparing a lesson plan around NASA's
exploration of Mars for fifth graders. The teacher would go to ALI on Apple's
website and simply enter his/her subject criteria and grade level into the ALI
search engine. In a matter of seconds, an entire list of suggested teaching
tools, lesson plans, and appropriate websites would be offered for consideration
in lesson planning. In addition, the teacher would become connected directly to
a group of teachers who are interested in teaching similar subjects.
In essence, ALI provides individual teachers with an entire
community of like-minded educators nationwide who share ideas and best practices
on teaching with technology, who collaborate on education projects, as well as
who explore new and different uses for technology in the classroom. In addition,
this content is correlated to state and national standards.
Technology
Integration Solutions
Apple continues to take a leadership role in
developing educational solutions necessary to help teachers integrate new
technologies into their classrooms.
For example, last week at the
Florida Education Technology Conference (FETC) Apple introduced the Apple
Learning Series - an integrated suite of software applications and curriculum
content for K-12, including online student projects and staff development. These
tools are designed for educators and were developed to meet state and federally
mandated education standards.Apple's incredibly popular iMac computer gives
students the perfect technology in the classroom to allow them to focus on
learning.
We also recognize that in today's world, learning happens
everywhere; not just in within the confines of a classroom. Apple has sought to
respond to this need by developing new technologies that will accommodate the
mobile learner. Apple's iBook embodies this philosophic change by delivering
powerful technology in an innovative portable design. Extremely rugged and
capable of more than six hours use without a recharge, the iBook is quickly
becoming the preferred standard for mobile learning.
In addition,
Apple's AirPort wireless solution, for both iMacs and iBooks, delivers
advantages for both educators and learners. A teacher can effortlessly
reconfigure a classroom between lessons without having to disconnect and
reconnect all the computers. Students have the ability to be connected to each
other and to learning resources in diverse environments, leading to effective
collaboration on projects.
Apple has also realized that developing tools
to prepare students with 21st century workforce skills are critical. The need
for digital media skills is growing every day, as evidenced by the growth of the
Internet. We also live in a highly visually oriented world, where digital media
is the preferred means of communication of our youth. To support this new
requirement for teaching and learning, Apple created Desktop Movies. With this
technology, students can easily express themselves by creating Desktop Movies
that communicate what they've learned in a richer, more compelling way.
DesktopMovies can also help students express their knowledge of a concept in a
way that can be shared with other students in the classroom, or with communities
around the globe. Teachers are successfully using Desktop Movies to reenergize
themselves and their classrooms. By giving students the opportunity to work with
this technology, students are more motivated and more successful in school.
Consequently, accountability becomes much less of a concern and teachers can
truly focus on teaching and learning in their classrooms. In fact, teachers are
using this technology to visually record how they are being effective in the
school environment and how their students are developing. Using Desktop Movies,
parents can then see the progression of student work over time and teachers can
use it as a valuable assessment tool to showcase student achievement.
Additionally, Apple has developed of a number of Internet tools for
teachers, students and their parents designed to enhance the educational
experience in a meaningful and secure way. We call these Apple iTools. They
allow students to collaborate and share over the Internet. One unique iTool,
called KidSafe, has received significant praise from educational administrators,
teachers and parents. This Internet tool protects our children from
inappropriate content by allowing a child access only to pre-screened educator
approved sites. Unlike filtering software where a computer program attempts to
anticipate the users' queries, Kidsafe is based on educationally sound Web sites
that have been pre-approved by educators.
Clearly, Apple has designed
innovative technology that prepares students to be knowledge workers for the
21st Century. Apple's technologies continue to make a difference in how teachers
teach and students learn. At the same time, we recognize that no amount of
private sector engagement can replace direct government involvement in
supporting technology integration and professional development at the state,
local, and at the Federal level.
Focus at the Federal Level
Mr.
Chairman, we were invited here today to provide insight into Apple's extensive
history and experience integrating technology into the curriculum. We were also
invited to express our opinions on the role of the Federal government in
integrating technology in education.
Frankly, from a technology
integration perspective, the Federal government's role is crucial. For although
the Federal government only accounts for approximately 7% of all public dollars
spent on education, it accounts for 25-30% of the technology dollars spent on
education (these figures do not even include the school infrastructure program
currently funded by the E-rate program).
So, without question, Apple
supports strong technology provisions as an integral part of the reauthorization
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). At the
same time however, we believe that the Federal government must focus those
educational resources with respect to technology in those two areas where
Apple's research and experience has proven our school's are in the most need -
technology integration and professional development. It is in these two critical
areas that we believe the Federal government's direct involvement and support
can help to best leverage the considerable amount of private resources
companies, like Apple, have expended.
In addition, while we support the
notion of creating flexibility for states seeking to more effectively utilize
the various ESEA programs to meet their unique needs, we would
strongly urge the Congress to maintain a specific technology program focus by
ensuring that technology allocations established under the Act are used for
technology purposes. Finally, once the Act is reauthorized, we would also urge
the Congress to continue to support full technology funding throughout the
appropriations process.
In closing, let me state that Apple's goal is to
be the leader in providing simple, powerful, quality information products and
solutions for people who learn, create, and communicate, particularly students
and teachers. Please be assured that Apple remains committed to working together
with the Congress and the Administration to better leverage public funding with
private capital in finding ways of integrating technology into education as a
means of better helping our students learn and our teachers teach.
Thank
you again for the opportunity to appear before you today. I will be happy to
answer any questions.
Note: For more information on Apple's education
products, services, and programs, please visit the extensive education section
of our web site at www.apple.com/education.
END
LOAD-DATE: March 10, 2000
