If that were it, the next question would have to be "Is it responsible of Fayette County Public Schools to spend a large portion of our educational budget just to make things fun for students?" Despite the protestation of thousands of students, the answer to that would be an unqualified "No!" But, not surprisingly, the interest and fun that the use of technology generates is only a side benefit - it's the frosting, but it's a long way from being the cake. As responsible educators, we use and encourage the use of technology in education for many reasons, two of which are . . .

1) It's about capability - providing educational experiences and benefits where none existed before. This includes everything from instant communication between teachers and students across campuses and oceans (see Into the Classroom), to click-able access to massive amounts of instructional material and information (see Red Hot Links). However, that's not even the whole story.

A recent focus of our local newspaper was on the lack of decent Advanced Placement (AP) classes and electives for our more advanced students. How can we address this problem? Two possible technology solutions, both of which exist right now, right here:

• Distance Learning through Kentucky Virtual High School: this environment provides a state-wide platform for the offering of classes not otherwise available at a school. [Editor's note: see Ambrose for January for a list of teacher PD opportunities from KVHS.]
• Classroom sharing through Video Conferencing: with this capability, a class offered at one school can be taken in real time by students at another through video conferencing.

In both cases, these offerings will never compete with the ideal - a real teacher in front of a real classroom. They only provide classes and opportunities where none existed before!

2) It's about preparation - making sure that the students of Kentucky schools are ready to compete in today's workplace, and are prepared to help Kentucky thrive in the so-called New Economy. The technology that exists today in nearly every business and work setting must be reflected in our schools. Our students deserve nothing less!

Even the "fun" factor  is more potent than it might imply. It has been demonstrated time and again that students are more engaged, and actually learn more, when technology provides a vehicle or a facet to the lesson. As a result, the integration of technology into education provides new capability and prepares our students, even as it improves and enhances all our other educational goals. It's a win/win/win situation!

Of course, although I am a great fan of cake, I'm certainly not above eating frosting right out of the can. Welcome to the December edition of TIPS!

- Jeffrey L. Jones