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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, May 8, 2003

Hawai'i rates well in school technology

By Jennifer Hiller
Advertiser Education Writer

When it comes to technology, Hawai'i public school students have fewer computers at their disposal than students nationwide — but the computers they do have are faster and their schools are better connected to the Internet.

A national report card from Education Week that deals with school technology, titled "Technology Counts," showed Hawai'i doing fairly well when compared with other states.

While Hawai'i schools have fewer computers per child than average — one computer per 4.3 students statewide, compared with 3.8 students nationally — teachers here report that students use computers in the classroom at a slightly higher rate than the national average.

Hawai'i is one of only 10 states that have allowed for the creation of cyber charter schools and have a virtual school; 18 states have neither.

Hawai'i reported that 52 percent of its computers are Pentium II or higher, Power Macs or iMacs, compared with a national average of 43 percent. About 87 percent of schools had Internet connections through a T1, T3, digital satellite or cable modem.

Hawai'i also fared well in comparisons of high-poverty campuses and all schools. It was one of just eight states reporting that 100 percent of their high-poverty schools had Internet connections.

Statewide, 96 percent of public schools had Internet access in 2002, according to the Education Week survey, but a recent Advertiser school technology survey showed that all public schools now have Internet access.

"As an island state, the role of technology is crucial," Department of Education spokesman Greg Knudsen said.

The "Technology Counts" report focused on the availability of computer-based testing, which allows for immediate results. Hawai'i lets students take practice standardized tests, but does not plan to offer the actual tests on computers.

Knudsen said the DOE is moving away from the multiple-choice model used on computers and prefers written answers that show a student's work.

Just 30 percent of Hawai'i schools had a computer maintenance or technical support person, compared with 49 percent of schools nationwide, according to the study. About 38 percent of the schools had a technology coordinator, compared with 33 percent nationwide.

The Advertiser survey found that the shortage of state-financed positions for technology coordinator has caused concern at schools as they try to keep pace with repair and maintenance of a growing number of computers. Many schools reported that their technology coordinator could devote only one or two periods a day to the job because of other responsibilities.

Hawai'i teachers have also voiced concerns for the future of their technology programs. Last year, $3.2 million for computer training was cut from the DOE budget, which has left schools largely on their own to find computers, train teachers and integrate technology into the curriculum.

According to the "Technology Counts" study, 26 percent of novice teachers felt well-prepared to use computers for instruction, 61 percent of teachers participated in professional development on computer instruction in the last year and 74 percent of teachers say they have students using computers during class time.

The complete "Technology Counts" report is available at www.edweek.org.

Reach Jennifer Hiller at jhiller@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8084.