NCES found that while 35 percent of schools had some form of Internet access, only three percent provided access in classrooms and other instructional areas. And within this small subset of schools, only two percent of teachers, four percent of students, and 11 percent of administrators used wide area networks to a large extent. Schools are acquiring newer technologies at a fast rate, although only a small percentage could be considered well equipped. Conference discussions made clear that access means having enough technology to serve the student body adequately, and that the ratio of students to computers is one telling indicator. About half of the districts in the recent QED survey reported having an overall ratio of more than 25 students per computer.
Outmoded hardware is another problem.
QED found that nearly 46 percent of the computers in school inventories are Apple IIe vintage, used mostly in the early elementary grades. The location of the technology within the school is another critical factor. According to presenter Rich Maginn of Smoky Hills High School in Colorado, teachers in his school started using technology more when the school decided to move the computers out of locked labs and place them around the school, so that every teacher and student had close access. This move has changed the culture of the school. Expanding access to technology takes time.