Ombudsman Alternative Education Programs

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 o

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erican classrooms is higher in 2006, as is Internet access; however, such resources are not universally available in American classrooms in 2006 (Prensky, 2006). The ways in which teachers and students use computers in the classroom is as important as the number of computers in a classroom. The least productive approach involves "student interaction with specific software applications �, or drill-and-practice applications" (Moersch, 2001, p. 23). A more productive approach involves the use of computers in integrated learning systems and as computer workstation learning centers (Moersch, 2001). An important element involved in the integration of computers into the classroom is the accompanying shift in educational focus. The shift in focus is from classroom-centered to learner-centered. While this shift means that the rate of learning within a classroom may vary by student, it does not mean that the teacher becomes any less relevant. Rather, the importance of the teacher increases within a learner-centered classroom environment. The increasing importance of the teacher derives from the renewed emphasis on "learning and knowledge development, rather than just the absorption of information" (MacGregor, 2001, p. 79). Another

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