Overview: Technology and learning uses are initiated by students as well as by teachers, creating innovative learning tasks that would be impossible without technology, expanding teacher and student roles, and developing skills in collaboration, self-directed learning, complex thinking, communication, and the use of electronic information. Technology is used to transform school culture. When describing what is happening, teachers are telling "new stories with new tools." Equipment is accessible throughout the school as needed. Typical activities include:
• using technologies as complex learning and thinking tools
• students in different schools using telecommunications to gather, process, and report on a common project
• students working together to solve real-world problems with real-world technology tools
• students using groupware that facilitates collaborative writing, brainstorming, or other technology-based group activities
• students have opportunities to construct and demonstrate their learning beyond standardized tests through performance-based assessments and other alternatives

Learning pedagogy:
Student-centered with a focus on reculturing school for new learning environments. Learning is new stories with new tools.

Equipment needs:
High. Ubiquitous access places equipment to support "anytime, anywhere" access. Technology organizes itself around learning rather than learning to wait until equipment is available. Labs, mini-labs, portable machines, and multiple technologies are available in multiple places.

Staff development approach:
All staff are expected to obtain essential skills and practices. Staff development is supported by strategies that are diversified and on-site. Technical support is expanded and highly responsive.
Transforming Uses Scenario:
Jose, Ruby, and Gregory have chosen to design a school project that will research a riverfront development that expects to build on a landfill. They plan to present their findings to the mayor's planning commission at the end of the term. After their civics, science, language arts, and math teachers approve their second semester community project connected to learning standards and an assessment process, they begin the collaborative task of researching the environmental and economic development issues that will help to formulate a recommendation. They are able to do their work from school, the community library, home, and their local college by using laptops with modems to connect to each other and to resources as needed. On-line digitized text and graphic resources support their research. They also video teleconference with a network of researchers their teachers joined last year, and use a database tool designed for group resource sharing. With continuous review and guidance by their teachers and some peer technical assistance in preparing their presentation with multimedia tools, they complete their project. When the team finally presents its findings, the planning commission values and utilizes the knowledge created by this student team while deciding the city's zoning issues. The students' findings and successes will be published electronically on an environmental home page on the town's website for others to reference in the future