NETC Celebrates 10 Years of Education Technology at NWREL| NW Report: Sep-Oct 2005

NETC Celebrates 10 Years of Education Technology at NWREL

The Technology in Education Center at NWREL is wrapping up its second and final five-year contract for the Northwest Educational Technology Consortium (NETC).

During the course of 10 years, NETC has worked with state and local education agencies to foster cooperation and collaboration and to share resources. It has conducted a wide range of activities to help Northwest educators successfully plan and effectively integrate technology into K–12 schools, classrooms, and other educational settings. The Consortium has provided thousands of hours of professional development and been privileged to work with creative and insightful educators.

This past year, NETC has been busy providing technical assistance and professional development, as well as developing print and Web-based resources that will continue to support Northwest educators even after the NETC staff is no longer available.

Newly available NETC Web-based resources, all of which can be accessed via www.netc.org, include:

Focus on Effectiveness—a collection of research-based strategies and examples that promote student achievement by providing proven instructional practices enhanced by effective technology use
OPTIC—classroom observation protocol to assess how well technology is effectively integrated into the school's curriculum
K–12 Online Instruction—best practices in online teaching and learning
Strategic Technology Planning, Review, and Evaluation—resources and contract services that incorporate good planning principles and tools with sound models and frameworks

Throughout the years, NETC has published the NETC Circuit to highlight topical issues and provide a forum for dialogue about the effective use of technology for teaching and learning. In "Respect and Retrospect," the final NETC Circuit [www.netc.org/circuit] looks back on 30 years of technology infusion to extract the critical factors that have made technology an agent of change in the teaching and learning process.

Based on the premise that where we came from informs where we are going, articles examine how education technology has been used to improve the process of education. With an affectionate appreciation for fearless innovators, writers survey how the funding of education technology has improved teacher capacity and investigate new and exciting technology initiatives that are already having an impact on student achievement.

For the past 10 years, NETC has convened and collaborated with state and local education agencies to prepare educators in the Northwest to optimize education for 21st-century students.