In talking with folks in the education space, it has become clear to me that where K-12 schools are hampered by fear of technology and how teens might abuse it, lack of resources/staffing and the mandate of teaching to the test, colleges and universities are embracing technology and beginning to see the positive impact on learning. According to a faculty survey conducted by Cengage Learning, formerly Thomson Learning:

Most faculty members surveyed (more than 96 percent) use technology to assist in their teaching.

More than 93 percent of respondents said their institutions encourage the use of technology in the classroom to enhance the curriculum.

More than 81 percent of faculty members surveyed believe technology has improved student learning in the classroom.

Two thirds of respondents believe students are more engaged in coursework when technology is used.

The percentage of instructors who use blogs to engage students increased 74 percent from the 2006 survey.

E-mail and Presentation Tools (i.e. PowerPoint) are the most prevalent technology resources used higher education teaching.

Technology tools used now by more instructors include: Blogs, Custom Textbooks, e-Books, Instant Messaging, Online Libraries, and Podcasts.

I was at a Microsoft Symposium recently focusing on social media and was talking about technology in K-12 schools with another attendee -- we were wondering what would be the tipping point for schools? She posed this question to a colleague who said, it will be lots and lots of little tipping points. I wrote about "the trailblazers" in Totally Wired. These are the teachers who are innovating with technology in the classroom. They often are doing their projects outside the system (or they'd never be able to do them). I guess we just have to wait until there are enough trailblazers to bring everyone else along instead of waiting for a systemic solution from government or the private sector.