ABSTRACT
From 1998 to 2001, the author served as Director of Educational Technology for a large US-funded aid program supporting English language teaching in Egypt. There were huge challenges in the work. Some of them were logistical, such as how to set up computer laboratories and Internet access in schools that had irregular electricity, few phone lines, and no staff capable of managing networks. Many more of the challenges were social and cultural, such as how to help develop a sustainable professional development network in a country where educational systems are largely hierarchical and classroom teachers have little room for initiative. To accomplish these tasks, a two-year professional development program called Computers in English Language Teaching (CELT) was organized. The content of the CELT program was tied as closely as possible to the actual needs of Egyptian teachers and learners as identified through the needs analysis.
