Schools have focused more on using the Internet as an administrative than as a learning tool, he says. That may be changing. Pennsylvania now uses the Internet and related technology to do both. It gives students access to material and buttresses educational administration. The system presents computerized assessments and calculates which skills a student needs to work on.
Vendors see an opportunity and are moving in.
For instance, Carnegie Learning Systems' Cognitive Learning Tutor uses artificial intelligence technology developed at Carnegie Mellon University. There are others. The state maintains a list of about 30 technology providers that it recommends schools use in state-sponsored initiatives. Pennsylvania plans to use the Internet to pool basic purchasing needs. Purchasing based on this pooling will be done at e-procurement portals' reverse auction sites, Bailey says.