John Turpin
Lesson 12
http://www.westernheights.k12.ok.us/
I would recommend that people visit Western Heights' website. Western Heights
is a small, 3,000-student district located in Oklahoma City. The district is
led by one of the industry's most successful visionaries, Superintendent Joe
Kitchens. I am helping Western Heights with their technology planning this year
and have become more familiar with the Western Heights "miracle." This is one
school district that has made a significant investment in instructional technology.
While Western Heights sits in an economically disadvantaged area, they have
built an absolutely amazing instructional delivery environment. As a matter
of fact, Bill Gates has referred to Western Heights as one of the most technologically
advanced school districts in America. If you visit the site, be sure to check
out their network environment at
http://www.westernheights.k12.ok.us/technology/
This website is the access point to Compaq's TechBuilder system. I have a direct interest in TechBuilder since I was involved, to a very small degree, in its development. TechBuilder is a system that is freely available to school districts. Developed by Compaq and Edmin, this is a web-based system for developing technology plans. While there are many sources for advice on technology planning, the TechBuilder system represents a sophisticated, powerful tool for technology planners.
http://www.sickchildren.org.uk/
This is a website that you must visit. It is a British site that is operated by a charitable organization, the National Association for the Education of Sick Children (NAESC). Its purpose is to provide education to sick and injured children that are home- or hospital-bound. This organization works with Gridlink, an Internet-based instructional delivery provider. Gridlink's system can be found at http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/ctrh/. The founder of NAESC is Lord Young of Dartington and the program is run by their Director, Dr. Carolyn E. Skilling. While this system's use of educational technology is not necessarily unique, its use in this specific situation has proven to be very successful and has transformed many young lives that might have otherwise fallen through the cracks. Read their case studies and prepare to have your heartstrings tugged.