My reading of the Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM) these past few months has really given me some increased appreciation for the Levels of Technology Implementation (LOTI), which is a CBAM derivative. Recently, I ran across a neat web site that puts it all together nicely. The LOTI, as i shared earlier, is now free to all schools in the Nation. Wow...imagine having access to a valid, reliable assessment for technology, which is also a tool for helping teachers and others adopt technology use. Then you get closer to what the LOTI is and can do for your district.

SAN DIEGO, CA, March 15, 2006

As technology dollars become further strained nationwide, the National Business Education Alliance, a nonprofit organization in Carlsbad, CA, today announced that it has secured funding from one of its corporate partners, Penta Water, to provide access to the online LoTi Lounge educational web portal for every public and private school in the nation commencing in Fall 2006. Access to LoTi Lounge will include the online DETAILS for the 21st Century Questionnaire (previously known as the LoTi Questionnaire), individual questionnaire results profiling personalized professional development needs based on five empirically-validated skillsets, and an extensive database of resources catalogued by grade level and subject area. This donation will continue the process of schools nationwide evaluating their instructional uses of technology for the purposes of improving student achievement tied to the initiatives set forth by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills.

"We are delighted that our corporate partners at Penta Water have joined this initiative to improve how technology can impact the teaching and learning process," said Dr. Christopher Moersch, Director of the National Business Education Alliance. Moersch continued, "It is no secret that State Departments of Education and local school systems around the country are under increasing public scrutiny to justify their expenditures for technology while operating with decreased budgets for new hardware acquisition, replacement, and maintenance and professional development for teachers.”

As a long time supporter of the LoTi project, Mary Ann Wolf, Executive Director of the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA), commented, “Our state members are very excited to be able to provide access to the LoTi Lounge to their schools to help improve the use of educational technology in the classroom. All SETDA members work to provide meaningful professional development to teachers, and this is an important tool to help further teachers’ abilities to integrate technology into their instruction.”

The new technology assessment available in LoTi Lounge called the "DETAILS for the 21st Century Questionnaire” will provide classroom teachers with the necessary feedback and resources to help transform their classrooms into 21st Century learning environments that emphasize higher order thinking, performance-based assessment, and student relevancy to the real world. Bill Holloway, CEO of sponsor Penta Water, adds, "As a technology company constantly educating people on the benefits of hydration, we support LoTi's efforts to bring technology into more effective use in classrooms throughout the United States. In today's complex world, educators must take advantage of the best technology possible to achieve superior educational outcomes."

The funding also provides free access to the LoTi Lounge for doctoral students to complete their dissertation research. "We believe the resources available at the new LoTi Lounge website will change the landscape of professional development planning across the nation," added Moersch.

"Plans for the national roll-out will be announced in March, 2006," stated Dennee Saunders, Assistant Director of the National Business Education Alliance. Saunders continued, “We’ll be contacting each state department of education to establish the process for statewide availability later this spring.”

About NBEA

The NBEA is a federally-designated non-profit 501 c (3) charitable organization dedicated to improving student achievement and raising the level of technology use in the classroom. For more information about the NBEA, please visit their Web site: www.nationalbusinesseducationalliance.org.

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