By Anna Tutunnikova
Utah ranked first, together with Illinois and South Dakota, among the nation''s top providers of online educational services for the year 2001.
The Digital State Survey, conducted in December 2001 by the California-based Center for Digital Government, examined states'' use of technology to provide education in colleges, universities and schools.
'Utah takes great pride in its focus on education, and that priority shows in the state''s learning opportunities,' the survey results stated.
'There is a cultural commitment to education in Utah,' said Al Sherwood, Utah electronic commerce officer.
'We have a lot of children in the state, and from the beginning, we have used technology to deliver educational services,' he said.
Utah schools widely use computers in their curriculum and for accessing in-school databases, said Provo District Applied Technology Education Director Rod Crockett.
'Every Utah public school has a computer lab. Elementary schools have at least one computer lab, while secondary and high schools have several labs each,' he said.
Current Utah legislation also supports and encourages educational technology in schools and colleges, according to Governor Mike Leavitt''s Web site.
'One of the things that''s happening right now is the governor''s push to double and then triple the number of graduates in technology-related areas,' said Gary Wixom, assistant commissioner of technology and extended programs in Utah, according to The Center for Digital Government''s news release.
'We are really moving forward to supply the work force that has technical skills. Although we don''t have a lot of money, we do have a lot of students,' he said.
The Center for Digital Government is a national research and advisory institute providing government and technology industry with decision support, and technological researches and resources, according to the center''s Web site.
The survey evaluations were based on the utilization of digital technologies for educational purposes, such as providing students and teachers with computers and access to the Internet, and computer-based administrative functions like admissions, financial aid and course registration.