Featured Articles

Joan Kuperstein is a frequent contributor to Microsoft Corp.'s online newsletter K-12 Connection. Her articles provide schools with practical strategies for developing and implementing successful school technology programs.

Calling Students Back: Using Technology to Support Engaged Learning, February 1998
Today's educators are finding that technology can be used to call students back to more natural, experiential ways of learning. This article includes tips for creating an engaged learning environment, designing project-based activities, and using online K-12 curriculum resources.

Drawing Water From a Stone, November 1997
Most educators agree that to transform teaching and learning, we must significantly increase the appropriate use of technology in our schools. How do we accomplish this in the face of dwindling public dollars, budget shortfalls and cuts? In a word: diversify. This month, we look at strategies for fundraising and grant writing that have worked for Greynolds Park.

Return Through The Looking Glass: Developing Business Partners in K-12 Schools, October 1997
In this article, part of a series about Greynolds Park Elementary School in Miami, Florida, you will learn about the school's successful strategy for obtaining financial support amid a climate of shrinking state and district funding. Within five years, Greynolds Park, an extremely overcrowded, underfunded urban school, was transformed into a model technology school.

Three Cheers for Change, September 1997
In September, 1997, the Microsoft K-12 Technology Connection featured Joan Kuperstein's article Three Cheers for Change. Discover how an entire community became shareholders in the education of their children. Learn how the key to successfully implementing technology at Greynolds Park Elementary in Miami, Florida was building a foundation of support among teachers, parents, students and local businesses.

Fundraising at a Florida Elementary School,
May 1997 (By Maureen O'Neill)
The May, 1997, issue of the Microsoft K-12 Technology Connection profiled Greynolds Park Elementary School, a public school in Miami, Florida. Read about the power of a dedicated PTA and a talented grant writer raising over $400,000 for technology in a year and a half.

Dell Tech Trends Report, July 1998
"Connecting To The Internet"

Dell Tech Trends Report, November 1998
"Changing Your Network Operating System:
Making An Effective Platform Transition"

Online Seminars: Engaged Learning and Grant Writing.
C.A.S.T.L.E. Technology Consultants works with a number of prominent technology companies to help them better understand your needs as technology purchasing educators. Our most recent collaboration with Lucent Technologies’ WaveLAN division resulted in these online resources dedicated to help you better understand Engaged Learning and guide you through the process of writing grants to support your technology program. Visit our site frequently to see what new partnerships we have formed to bring you information and online staff development opportunities!

In Search of Technology Treasures: Downloadable Grant Writing Workshop

Jeff Zwier is a Chicago-based consultant specializing in improving productivity with and through technology. He has written extensively on topics in both corporate and educational staff development.

Setting Boundaries
It’s 11:00 AM . . .do you know where your students are (in cyberspace)? Using the Internet responsibly is a job shared by teachers, students, administrators, technology coordinators and parents. This article describes some ways that you can use the tools in Windows 95, 98 and Windows NT along with acceptable use policies to make computing a positive, trouble-free experience in your classrooms.

Hiring a Consultant
It’s a high-tech, buzzword-rich world out there. How do you know what you are buying? Are there any honest technology vendors out there? This article taps the knowledge of technology consultants and educators to give you tips on how to hire and effectively employ outside contractors in a cost-effective, ethical manner.