Top technology-industry executives have figured the best way to help teachers get their students up to speed with new technology -- reach out to the teachers themselves while they're in college.

According to a New York Times report, executives from AOL, Apple Computer, Discovery Communications, IBM and other technology firms nationwide have launched efforts to boost technology training for primary and secondary teachers. Early into such programs, executives already say they are being pleasantly surprised by how quickly the teachers are picking up skills they need.

The Washington-based CEO Forum on Education and Technology is one of the lead groups behind the teacher-training movement.

The group has produced the Teacher Preparation School Technology and Readiness (STaR) Chart, a "self-evaluation tool" for those groups that train educators. Even though the effort is only four months old, nearly 250 universities have adopted the chart into their curriculum, the Times reports.

The leading states for technology improvement programs include California, New York, North Carolina and Texas. These states have jumped ahead because their colleges and universities have begun using the STaR Chart, and because these areas also are home to high-technology areas such as Silicon Valley (California), Silicon Alley (New York) and Research Triangle Park (North Carolina).

Education experts caution, however, that the academic sector moves more slowly than private enterprise. The general consensus is that education faculty will need five to ten years to fully accept the new technology training curriculum, the Times reports.

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/cyber/education/17education.html