Technology Assessment in Education and Training

Maryl Gearhart

Joan L. Herman

Eva L. Baker

John R. Novak

Andrea K. Whittaker

University of California, Los Angeles/CRESST

Since 1987, UCLA's Center for Technology Assessment has been conducting a set of evaluation, research, and development activities at selected Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow^SM (ACOT) sites, with the goal of documenting the impact of technology access on K-12 environments ( Baker, 1988; Baker, Gearhart, & Herman, 1990, 1991; Baker & Herman, 1988, 1989; Baker, Herman, & Gearhart, 1988; Baker & Niemi, 1990, 1991; Gearhart, Herman, Baker, Novak, & Whittaker, 1990; Gearhart, Herman, & Whittaker, 1991; Gearhart, Herman, Whittaker, & Novak, 1991; Herman, 1988). When Eva Baker and Joan Herman initiated the work with ACOT in 1987, the ACOTSM project had been implemented in selected classrooms at five sites that were dispersed nationally and varied considerably in student characteristics and school context factors. Students and teachers in all classrooms were provided with high access to individual computer support both at home and at school, and ACOT's goal was to document how instructional innovations emerge in high access environments.¹ Since 1987,

-153-