Since the mid-1980s, American education has witnessed what appears to be an inexorable movement to integrate computer technology into classroom instruction. Penetration rates of the application of computer technology into classrooms, however, remain uneven across the country. Further, both the ways in which computer technology is used in American classrooms and the effectiveness of the application of computer technology to classroom instruction vary widely across schools (Van Braak, Tondeur, & Valcke, 2004; Darling-Hammond, 2004; Judge, Puckett, & Cabuk, 2004; Pisapia, Knutson & Coukos, 1999). Variations in penetration rates, application approaches, and effectiveness are accompanies by continued disagreement in relation to the level of use of computer technology that is acceptable in the classroom (Monke, 2006; Prensky, 2006).
The general situation described above holds specific relevance for the situation at Ombudsman Alternative Education Programs in Hinesville, Georgia. At Ombudsman, computer applications are limited to administrative functions and intra-organizational communications that are conduced through the technological framework of an organizational intranet. The late Professor David Armstrong (2003) indicated that professional curriculum development involves the following:
Professional collaboration (facilitated to a limited extent through the Ombudsman intranet), and
Scholarly interaction and consultation with educational professionals external to the organization (unnecessarily difficult and cumbersome because of the absence of Internet access at Ombudsman Alternative Education Programs)
Unmet curriculum-related needs also are present at Ombudsman in relation to students. The absence of library facilities at Ombudsman could be ameliorated to a great extent by providing student access to the Internet. Further, an important element of education in the early years of the twenty-first century is the develo...