Guidance on Ed Tech Funds (ARRA 2009) Released

The U.S. Department of Education has just published this "Guidance on Enhancing Education through Technology (Ed Tech) Program Funds Made Available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009“.

This is certainly one of the most significant things to happen to Education Technology here in the US in years. The ARRA adds $650 million in funds to the original 2009 appropriation of $265 million, bringing the total allotment of funds for Education Technology for 2009 to $915 million! The allocation of funds by state can be found here: http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/statetables/index.html.

The guidance document explains (on page 8 ) that an eligible entity may use these funds to support such activities as:

• Increasing accessibility to technology, particularly through public-private partnerships, with special emphasis on access for high-need schools.
• Adapting or expanding applications of technology to enable teachers to increase student academic achievement, including technology literacy, through the use of research-based teaching practices and innovative distance learning strategies.
• Implementing proven and effective courses and curricula that include integrated technology and that are designed to help students reach challenging ...[Please click here to continue reading the complete post at www.EmergingEdTech.com, where I blog regularly about the use of Internet technologies in education. Thanks!]