DOCUMENT RESUME ED 369 393 IR 054 782 TITLE EPIEgram: The Newsletterof Systemic Change, 1992-1993. INSTITUTION Educational Products InformationExchange Inst., Hampton Bays, NY. PUB DATE 93 NOTE 146p.; For the 1991-1992 issue,see ED 353 959. AVAILABLE FROMSterling Harbor Press, P.O. Box28, Greenport, NY 11944 ($65.00/year). PUB TYPE Collected Works Serials(022) Book/Product Reviews (072) JOURNAL GIT EPIEgram: The Newsletterof Systemic Change; v19n1-9 1992-93 EDRS PRICE MF01/PC06 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Computer Networks; Computer Software Evaluation; *Courseware; Educational Change; Educational Innovation; Educational Resources; '*Educational Technology; Elementary Secondary Education; Ethics; Hypermedia; Information Networks; Multimedia Instruction; Research and Development IDENTIFIERS Information Age; Information Infrastructure ABSTRACT The EPIEgram newsletter contains information about educational materials and technology for elementary secondary education. In addition to the continuing feature, "The Educational Software Selector" (TESS), the nine issues contain articles on evaluating educational technology; school reform; publishing; multimedia; hypermedia; the information superhighway; the national information infrastructure; educational ethics; and computer networks. (JLB) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * from the original document. * ******************;.********************************************** U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educationar Researcn and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER IERICI C TOM document has been reproduced as received I rom tne person or organization originating it C Minor changes nave peen made to improve reCor0OUCLOO Qualify Points of view or opirnons stated in thi5d0Co men) CO not necessarity represent official OEM position or O0r.cy EPIEgram: The Newsletter of Systemic Change, 1992-1993 (Nc "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS r.11; P.Pr1"1 MT1 MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY J. Dolinar 444';( tiAlk TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES 2 INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." The Newsletter cr Systemic Change Earl L. Fultz, Editor & Publisher 1 9rarn Volume 19, Number 1 October 1992 Value & Values: Evaluating Technology in the Schools (The following excerpts are from a work Whereas once the textbook industry was pri- in progress by Ken Komoski, Executive vately and/or family owned with dozens of compa- Director of EPIE Institute, which the edi- nies, in recent years the industry "imploded" until tor of EPIEgram ha.s been privileged to only a handful of publicly-held corporations are left, discuss with him.At this time, Mr. many with other businesses as large or larger than Komoski is preparing a visualized pre- textbook publishing. Some of these have moved into sentation on the subject for showing to becoming software and/or multimedia producers, groups and organizations interested in but growth in these areas has not been as dynamic doing a better job of evaluating technol- as anticipated by managewent with attention fixed ogy in schools.) on the bottom line. The implosion of the print-based educational Mr. Komoski's opening premise "When a school is materials has significantly lessened the variety of buying high-tech technology, the primary concern values available. Textbooks are written to appeal to is whether or not they are getting good value (e.g., the broadest possible market with the result that a price, service); in other words, their `moneysworth.' "one size fits all" philosophy has resulted. "However, in order really to get their In high-tech technology, on the other hand, moneysworth, the decisionmakers should be con- Komoski says, there has been a proliferation of cerned about the values promulgated by the tech- producers of educational software, many of them nology ( e.g., the educator might have a concern quite small. As an example, Komoski poinfs to the about equitable representation of women and mi- fact that when EPIE Institute first launched TESS, norities.)" its comprehensive database of information on soft- Komoski points out that values have always ware, in 1981, there were barely 100 software pro- been important even in low-tech technology such as ducers and only a few hundred programs. a textbook. However, the textbook is primarily a teaching tool for the teacher, and there is consider- continued on back page able room for interpretation by the teacher regard- ing the values imbedded in the material. SCISS/TESS Update "The situation is quite different with high-tech Begins on Page 5 technology," Komoski says, "for it is a tool for the learner. The teacher is no longer the primary channel of communication, but assumes the role of More of The Latest mediator or facilitator, and the values embedded in Software from the software go directly to the student without TESS! intervention or manipulation." Values have always been important, Komoski Five Big Pages Crammed wtth notes, but the scope of what is being offered has changed tremendously. Program Data and Descriptions page 2 ebttortat Teacher/Administrator Ratio.Any school that has A lot of people are mad at Ross Perotand they should be. appreciably increased the ratio of administrativepersonnel to For one brief, golden moment, there wasthe promise of teaching personnel in the past 20 years isshortchanging the "Truth" without the hyperbole of politicsand special interest. students. This is worsened because schoolstend to pay more And 'ne finked out. When the going got tough,Perot got gone. for non-teaching positions than does theprivate sector for Of course, he had set himself animpossible task because similar occupations (e.g, custodians,secretaries, food-ser- all the Perot enthusiastsand they rangedfrom arch-conser- vice workers). The budget gets a doublewhack: unnecessary vative to ultra-liberal---expected him to voicetheir versions people who get paid higher than theprevailing wage. of the Truth whereas he was really interestedonly in voicing his own. Curriculum Articulation and Alignment. Itis unlikely The ultimate business pragmatist, Perotbegan to realize,that any school in America actuallyteaches and tests its belatedly, that he didn't have the RightStuffto be the conduit official curriculum. Educators who ignore thisfact and who for so many differing opinions, so hescooted. But he left apretend they have the educational materialsand tests which vacuum, one which reminds ushow much of the time we align with a well-articulated curriculum are achief obstacle submerge our own beliefs and feelings.We do what isto education improvement. expedient, not what we believe. We join in onthe politics of This is a subtle problem and generallymisunderstood if our immediate environment,decrying the idiocy of it all innot actually ignored; but thesimple fact is that the teacher private but playing the game in public,doing what's smart,can't teach the curriculum unless theschool's educational not what's right. materials and testing programs alignwith an agreed-upon What Ross Perot has done for us, inadvertently,is remind curriculum. us all how much we yearn tobe honest in our relationships, Voucher System. While many fear thatpublic schools aligned with truthful in our beliefs, dedicated in our work and will suffer if vouchers become the law ofthe land, we are a the American Dream, not inter it. a future that can expand bit more sanguine. Currently, the parent, thestudent, and the And that' s what So it's time to be honest with one another. community are relatively helpless to forcechange in the more than before. we at EPIEgrani intend to promulgate even schools because there is no inexpensivealternative to the few things that So let's start the process right here by listing a school to which their child is assigned. really annoy us. The voucher gives the parents and students some power, Sports.Schools should emphasize health, not sports,some control.The arguments surrounding it inevitably individual activities, not "winning teams." It bothers usthat create a focus on the kind of educationthe local schools are organized sports has such a hold on ourschools and ourproviding. With a voucher in hand, the parentsand students nation. The purpose of school is to prepare the youngfor adultare given a direct and democratic way tovote on whether they life; I learned nothing playing football (three-yearletterman) feel they are getting what they want. except that knees bend only one way,(it still hurts 50 years Can vouchers be abused? Of course. Almostanything that later) and that a broken nose tends to impairbreathing. you can think up will probablyhappen. including a total School reform could have no better starting pointthan todisruption of the educational establishment. Butchaos is a take a considerable portion of the phys-ed budget andbeginprecursor of change. As we said atthe outset, comfortable spending it on instructional materials and technologyuntil atbureaucracies don't reform as long as there is a remotechance least 5% of the school budget is allocatedfor learningof hanging on to the status quo. materials instead of the current 1%. If we do this,there is A voucher is economic and a componentof educational some hope that the 50% of graduateswho have no marketabledemocracy. You take your money and votefor what best job skills might begin to be reduced. serves your needs. It isn't quiteAdam Smith's invisible hand Computers. No student should be allowed to graduateof the marketbut it has some of the elements, enough of without a working knowledge of the computer. Itis a gravethem, to provide the