[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 39 (Monday, April 3, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H1658-H1659]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     IN SUPPORT OF H.R. 4081, EdTEC

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. KIND. Madam Speaker, as this Nation forges ahead into the 21st 
century, our children's education must keep pace with the rigors and 
demands of the information age and the new economy.
  In recent years, our Nation's schools have been doing a good job of 
acquiring technology like computers, information technology networks, 
and the Internet access. Now as schools continue their efforts in 
acquiring and updating technology this allows time to focus on the 
result of these efforts, student education and achievement.

                              {time}  1845

  To help schools teach with technology, I, along with the gentleman 
from California (Mr. Dooley) and 17 other members of the new Democratic 
coalition, have introduced H.R. 4081, the Education Technology Enhances 
Classrooms Act, or EdTEC for short. EdTEC updates and reauthorizes the 
very successful and popular Technology Literacy Challenge Fund 
contained in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. EdTEC 
maintains the core elements of the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund 
but focuses new attention on integrating technology and classroom 
curriculum and also addresses a growing and troublesome trend: the 
digital divide.
  EdTEC provides valuable framework for States and school districts to 
create and update their plans for education technology purchases, self-
training and development, and, now, student learning. Teachers will be 
given more tools and guidance to actually use technology to teach core 
academic subjects.
  Computers, networks, and Internet connections will not be used merely 
as research tools or for demonstrations. In the 21st century, students 
must learn with technology and do homework with technology just as they 
have always used encyclopedias, dictionaries, periodicals, and 
textbooks. Access and use of technology today is as important as the 
blackboard and chalk were to teaching in the past.
  EdTEC also works toward closing the digital divide by targeting 
Federal dollars to schools most in need. For example, even with Federal 
and State resources dedicated to technology acquisition, in 1998, only 
39 percent of classrooms in high poverty schools had Internet access. 
In contrast, 62 percent of classrooms in low poverty schools had 
Internet access. EdTEC focuses funds first on disadvantaged schools in 
cities, small towns, and rural communities according to poverty and 
high need.
  Our Nation's schools have been working hard to provide their students 
with access to technology. The Federal Government, through the 
Technology Literacy Challenge Fund, has been instrumental in leveraging 
the resources of local communities to acquire that

[[Page H1659]]

 technology. In fact, since the inception of the Fund, the computer-to-
student ratio has been reduced from 27 to 1 down to 14 to 1.
  Nevertheless, we are at a point where most teachers report that they 
do not feel sufficiently trained on the use of technology in the 
classroom, and they do not have enough knowledge about what is 
available to them for teaching with technology. According to recent 
studies, only 20 percent of teachers report feeling very well prepared 
to use technology education as part of their teaching method. That is 
just way too low.
  Students, in many instances, are more comfortable with the use of 
technology than their teachers and parents, but they do not always have 
access to technology resources at school which will actually capture 
their attention and enhance their learning. According to a recent 
survey conducted by the National School Boards Foundation and 
Children's Television Workshop, 53 percent of parents in households 
connected to the Internet report their children primarily use their 
home Net connection for school work. Forty-three percent of kids 
between the ages of 9 and 17 say their outlook about school has 
improved with access to the Internet.
  This is important because education experts and children alike tell 
us that we must continue to find ways to challenge our children, to 
engage their creativity, to expand their interests, and, frankly, to 
simply fight off boredom in the classroom. The use of technology helps 
do that.
  Our bill, EdTEC, will continue the important Federal investment in 
education technology. It provides States and schools with important 
funds and guidance in formulating technology education plans while 
focusing on the integration of technology and curriculum and closing 
the digital divide. This new century and our new economy demands our 
children are experienced and equipped to use the technology that is all 
around us. EdTEC will help our schools continue to move in that 
direction and ensure that our children can learn at the speed of change 
in the 21st century.
  Madam Speaker, I want to call upon my colleagues to take a close and 
serious look at this legislation as we move forward with the 
reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in this 
session of Congress.

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