Fifth-graders and legislators were among the thousands of "students" who flocked to college yesterday to learn what wonders technology has in store for Maryland.
The occasion was the opening day of the Maryland Technology College Showcase, a two-day exhibition of advanced telecommunications and computing sponsored by the Glendening administration.
By midafternoon, more than 3,000 people had streamed through the doors at the University of Baltimore Business Center, said Dave Humphrey, a spokesman for the state Department of General Services. At least another 1,000 were expected last night and a similar turnout is expected today, he said.
The event, a kind of coming-out party for the administration's technological aspirations, had a little something for just about everybody with an interest in technology. The exhibitors included a variety of communications and computer companies, from giants such as AT&T to small Maryland start-up firms such as Imaginet, an Arnold-based maker of information kiosks.
For representatives of Computer Data Systems Inc. in Rockville, the showcase was an opportunity to show the governor the company's technology for using an individual's biorhythms to create a foolproof identity card. There were side benefits, too.
"It's a great opportunity to network, to find technology partners," said CDSI spokeswoman Sandy L. Christopher.
DFor John Pick, executive officer of the city of Salisbury, it was an opportunity to do some research. "It's been very useful -- primarily to get an idea of what kind of technology is available and how it is being used," he said.
For Lynne Wells, a fifth-grader from Hampton Elementary School in Lutherville, it was a chance to hop on the Internet's World Wide Web and view a "house of the future" totally made of plastic.
Gov. Parris N. Glendening spent at least seven hours at the event yesterday after attending an opening reception Monday night. He's expected back today.
Mr. Glendening used the forum to announce that his administration will include in its next budget a five-year program to equip each public school in the state with state-of-the-art computer technology to connect with the Internet.
He also detailed a previously announced plan to set up a Technology Reinvestment Fund to pay for new technological initiatives out of the savings from earlier project. Under the plan, an agency that uses technology to save money will get to keep one-third of it. One-third will go to the technology fund and one-third to the general fund, the governor said.
In an interview, Mr. Glendening said he will seek a $5 million appropriation next year for the school technology initiative. He said he also will support a rules change that would let the rewiring of school computer labs be paid for by bond issues.
Mr. Glendening said he will seek a $1 million initial appropriation to launch the Technology Reinvestment Fund. He added that he will seek $1 million to $2 million for another initiative to start up regional technology centers to train workers in the skills potential employers require.
One of the openly stated goals of the showcase was to educate the General Assembly members who will vote on those programs. About a dozen, mostly Mr. Glendening's fellow Democrats, showed up yesterday.
"It's incredible," said Robert Frank, a Baltimore County Democrat who is the first Maryland delegate to have a World Wide Web page. "As legislators, we're just like everybody else. We've got to learn the technology."
Del. Elizabeth Bobo, a Howard County Democrat, praised the showcase, but said there are limits to how much goodwill it engendered. "It's not going to make me like the stadium deals any better," she said.
