The act provides subsidies to both public and private schools for such things as Internet access and high-tech equipment. Although most schools plan to apply for the funding, some say it will only be a drop in the bucket. The school didn't wait around for an act of Congress, but Andrew Bauserman, the academy's director of technology services, would be happy to have any modest amount the federal government may offer in the future. Once the equipment was in, the challenge was figuring out how technology was going to fit into the school's well-established curriculum. After two years of offering separate computer classes, Langley has decided instead to promote information technology as a tool for teachers across the curriculum.
Technology needs to be integrated into what's going on in the classroom.
Teachers now work together to develop computer projects that promote everything from music to math. Sixth-graders are investing in the stock market in math class, tracking their stocks on the Internet and charting their performance. The money isn't real, but the lessons are. Seventh-graders are designing compact disc covers. Eighth-graders are composing their own music on computers and using graphics programs in art class to create videos.