As the excitement builds over our new HP Innovations in Education grant initiative, I've been thinking about what I've been learning from our HP Technology for Teaching grant recipients. Our new grant initiative is based on 5 years of experience with projects in 1000 schools, colleges, and universities across 41 countries.  The emerging evidence is very exciting...

I speak often about "re-imagining" the classroom. It's based on the realization that the projects we've funded that are succeeding in measurable ways have something in common - they have combined the best instructional practices with the right technologies to create a powerful, new learning experience for students that they could not have accomplished without the technology.

I know - I work for a tech company, so you'd expect me to say something like that. But my point is that the two variables, instruction & technology, interact. If you try to separate them, you don't get the maximum effect. This, I believe, is the reason why solid research-based evidence has been confounded.

In retrospect, it's obvious: Take the most boring lecture hall, add wireless internet access and computers for all the students, and you KNOW what's going to happen (and very little will be about paying attention to the lecture). So, should you ban computers from lecture halls? No - you should ban boring lectures. Likewise, if you take the most talented teacher and do not provide her with any technology, there's a limit to what kind of learning experiences she can create for her students.

When you combine the best of both variables, the magic happens. More students succeed. Students learn faster and go deeper over the course of the semester. It can be done.

I shared these thoughts, and some examples, in a keynote I gave at our recent 2009 HP Technology for Teaching Worldwide Higher Education Conference. To share some of these thoughts and to highlight the background on our new grant initiative, I created a short voice-over vodcast presentation in which I share examples of the lessons learned and some of the 7 emerging innovations. You can also download a PDF of the presentation, if you'd like.

Let me know what you think. Post a comment, and share some of the "magic" you're experiencing as you "re-imagine" your own classroom...

Jim Vanides, B.S.M.E, M.Ed.
Worldwide Education Grant Strategy
HP Global Social Investment
Hewlett-Packard

For information about the HP Global Social Investments, visit www.hp.com/hpinfo/grants/