July 2004 — SETDA

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Massachusetts: Systemic Planning & Appropriate Tools Lead Massachusetts School Districts Toward Full Integration of Technology, Increased Student Achievement

'With the appropriate tools and good planning, technology enhances education and improves student academic achievement. I am excited about the online tools we provide to every student and teacher in the Commonwealth through the Virtual Education Space, VES. I am also pleased that Massachusetts has new guidelines to help schools to use new tools for technology integration.'
- Massachusetts Education Commissioner David P. Driscoll

Massachusetts launched a visionary project called the Virtual Education Space (VES) three years ago. The goal was to establish a statewide 'virtual education space' so that VES could be used as part of daily life in school districts across the commonwealth. The plan was to provide a set of Web-based tools and online programs in VES that would support students, teachers, administrators and students. VES would then consolidate relevant tools and information into one statewide teaching and learning environment.

With a strong commitment from the Massachusetts Commissioner of Education, David P. Driscoll, and the hard work of many educators, after three years of development, Massachusetts is witnessing the fruits of its labor. Currently, VES is able to bring together districts, schools and the Department of Education in one online community that is accessible over the Internet. VES makes it easy for students, teachers, administrators and Department of Education staff to communicate, collaborate, share educational resources and augment classroom instruction safely, securely and free of charge. Users are able to access the following tools in VES:

  • Virtual Hard Drive (VHD) for shared and personal file storage.
  • Discussion Forums for online communication and collaboration.
  • Technology Self-Assessment Tool (TSAT) to assess teachers' technology proficiency and professional development needs.
  • Teaching and Learning Resources (TLR) tool to access more than 30,000 lesson plans and resources.
  • CLASP Online for documenting district curriculum guidelines based on the state's Curriculum Frameworks.

Here are a few scenarios of how students, teachers and administrators are using VES: