Technology was a central component of the 58th Annual Conference and Exhibit Show of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) in San Francisco, March 8-10, but hardware and software were not in the spotlight. The emphasis was largely on curriculum and the impact of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

To be sure, many of the 11,000 professors, administrators, and teachers reportedly in attendance fully expected to rely on technology to cope with current challenges. It was just that technology had become so ubiquitous that it was not a matter for direct attention.

Conversations around the conference seemed to center more on the appearances of major speakers such as former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young, who had also held posts in Congress and as mayor of Atlanta, and television personality Linda Ellerbee.

Declaring that public education will be the salvation of the United States and the world, Young confided to the overflow crowds at the opening general session that walking to elementary school as a child prepared him for his role as U.N. ambassador: "I either had to fight, run, or negotiate."

Observed Young: "Our continued survival as a nation depends on our relationship with our young people. We must find ways to make those relationships positive, even if they don't always start out that way."

Ellerbee, speaking at yet another overflowing general session, urged ASCD conference-goers to turn television into a teaching tool. The key is to understand the medium, she explained.

"It's not enough any longer to learn to read and write," Ellerbee said. "We must teach children to understand that [television] isn't magic or brain surgery; it's just television. The answer is media literacy."

Educators and students should understand five key things about television, she said: (1) that what is seen and not seen on television depends largely on what will generate profits for broadcasters, (2) that television is not reality, (3) that television news is not the whole truth, (4) that television is biased in favor of the establishment, and (5) that television, at its best, can open minds.

An exhibit hall full of vendors was eager to open minds (and school pocketbooks), too. Traffic through the exhibit area was heavy on day one and, according to many exhibitors, acceptable on days two and three.

Here are some of the products and services that seemed to generate the most interest during the ASCD conference:

AlphaSmart Inc. demonstrated its latest portable computing solution. Called Dana, this keyboard/computing tool provides students and educators with the ability to enter information via keyboard, stylus, or touch-screen functions. A Palm-powered operating system transforms the AlphaSmart keyboard from jazzed-up word-processor to interactive computing device. The machines can import and export Microsoft Word and Excel documents. Students also can print their work directly to network-connected printers. At $400 and under, the Dana is the perfect one-to-one computing option for schools, according to AlphaSmart. Special education bundles, software packages, and other deals are available through the company. http://www.alphasmart.com