Commission Responsibilities

• Be the principal educational technology policy advisor for state government.
• Develop,  plan,  and connect all institutions of higher education, libraries, public schools, and RESCs (regional educational service centers) through a statewide high speed network that allows for video, voice, and data transmission (Connecticut Education Network).
• Wire all school classrooms and connect them to the Internet and statewide network.
• Provide access for all public libraries and higher education libraries to online full-text resources and to the ability to purchase other collections collaboratively (CT Digital Library).
• Ensure competency in computing skills by the 6^th grade for all students.
• Ensure competency in computing skills and the integration of technology into the curriculum for all public school teachers.
• Ensure that higher education institutions offer a wide range of course and degree programs via the Internet through synchronous and asynchronous methods.
• Be the liaison between the Governor and the General Assembly and local, state, and federal organizations and entities with respect to educational technology matters.
• Develop and maintain a long-range plan and make related recommendations for the coordination of educational technology.
• Measure public availability and usage of Internet sites of state and local government, libraries, schools, institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, businesses and other organizations, and recommend strategies for reducing the disparities to accessibility and usage across CT.
• Establish methods and procedures to ensure the maximum involvement of members of the public, educators, librarians, higher education, legislature, and local officials in educational technology matters and organize advisory boards using their expertise.
• Report on Commission activities, progress made in the attainment of statewide technology goals, and make recommendations to the joint standing committee of the CT General Assembly.
• Maintain and manage the Educational Technology Fund (coordinates the dissemination of donated funds for technology).
• Oversee preparation of statewide USF application, (develop feasibility report, analysis of other states, outline of actions).
• Provide technical assistance to local and regional boards of education and voc-tech schools, help with group purchasing.
• Develop minimum and model technology standards for school construction projects.
• Adopt regulations to provide standards for the certification of computer science teachers.
• Establish innovative online teacher and higher education faculty training programs on the integration of technology to improve learning.
• Develop statewide standard for teacher and administrator competency in the use of technology for instructional purposes.
• Develop statewide plan to assist teachers and administrators with achieving the standards, submit plan to the General Assembly.
• Provide grants for innovative teacher training on the integration of technology to improve student learning.
• Adopt K-12 computer technology competency standards for students.
• Contract for the development of a CT Parent Technology Academy.
• Develop and maintain a centralized Web site for use by educators in sharing resources.
• Establish competitive grant program to assist with school building projects to upgrade/install wiring and infrastructure improvements to support telecommunications.
• Certify where necessary to DPUC that educational agencies have utilized instructional TV channel in franchise area or companies need not supply channel.
• Coordinate the activities of all state agencies, educational institutions, and others involved in the creation and management of the statewide network