Office of Curriculum, Technology, & Assessment

During the 2000 session, the South Dakota Legislature created a new office within DOE called the Office of Educational Technology.  According to Section 4 of House Bill 1257, the Office of Educational Technology's "exclusive role shall be assisting local school districts in using educational technology.  Its purpose shall include researching, analyzing, procuring, and distributing programs and methods using educational technology in South Dakota K-12 schools and classrooms."  The office consists of a program manager, five technology integration specialists, the DOE webmaster, and clerical support. 

History:

It is an exciting time to be an educator in the state of South Dakota.  Governor William Janklow was instrumental in driving the technology agenda in our schools.  In 1996 Wiring the Schools began the process of connecting our schools.  During the summer of 1997, Dakota State University hosted the first Governor's Technology for Teaching and Learning Academy. Over 2500 South Dakota educators have participated in these 4 week technology-rich experiences.  In the spring of 1999 Governor Janklow announced the Connecting the Schools project.  This project established a state-wide intranet between all public schools, providing them with training, hardware, and e-mail services.

All of these projects initiated by the Governor have established a robust physical and human infrastructure in our school systems.  This infrastructure will allow our educators to provide students with effective learning environments using a variety of world-wide resources.