Wisconsin, and Details How School Districts Can Plan to Incorporate Them Into Their Curricula

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AUTHOR Hanson, Gordon P. TITLE Instructional Telecommunications: A Resource and Planning Guide. Bulletin No. 95171. INSTITUTION Wisconsin State Dept. of Public Instruction, Madison. REPORT NO ISBN-1-57337-008-8 PUB DATE Jan 95 NOTE 143p. AVAILABLE FROMPublication Sales, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, Drawer 179, Milwaukee, WI 53293-0179. PUB TYPE Guides Non-Classroom Use (055) Tests/Evaluation Instruments (160)

EDRS PRICE MFO./PC06 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Computer Uses in Education; Curriculum Development; Distance Education; *Educational Media; *Educational Planning; *Educational Technology; Elementary Secondary Education; Evaluation Methods; Multimedia Instruction; Needs Assessment; Program Implementation; *School Districts; Technological Advancement; *Telecommunications IDENTIFIERS Information Superhighway; Wisconsin

ABSTRACT The educational uses of familiar technologies such as telephones, computers, television sets, videocassette recorders, and radios as well as more sophisticated technologies like satellites, microwave television, and fiber optic systems are discussed. This guide explains how these telecommunication technologies operate, explores the possibilities they hold for the future of education in Wisconsin, and details how school districts can plan to incorporate them into their curricula. Topics include:(1) an overview of the education superhighway;(2) the origin and definitions of instructional telecommunications, with a focus on distance education; (3) current and potential instructional telecommunications uses in Wisconsin;(4) an analysis of the characteristics of each technology and examples of instructional uses in Wisconsin;(5) the need for a district plan and matching needs with technologies;(6) steps in the creation of the district plan;(7) plan implementation; (8) evaluation of the district plan and the implementation process; and (9) modification of the plan and implementation. Appendices include: instructional telecommunications and state and regional agencies; online services and networks; sources of cable TV and satellite programming; teaching through interactive television; instructional telecommunications technologies assessment instrument; plan and implementation process checklist; and a glossary of terms. (Contains approximately 70 references.)(MAS)

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BEST COPY AVAILABLE TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)" 2 Instructional Telecommunications: A Resource and Planning Guide

Gordon P. Hanson Consultant Instructional Telecommunications, Bureau for Instructional Media and Technology

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Madison, Wisconsin This publication is available from:

Publication Sales Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Drawer 179 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53293-0179 (800) 243-8782

Bulletin No. 95171

ISBN 1-57337-008-8

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, creed, pregnancy, marital or parental status, sexual orientation, or physical, mental, emotional or learning disability.

NintO on Rocycled Papor Contents

Page Foreword Preface vii Acknowledgments ix

1 Overview Introduction 1 Education Superhighway 2 Gaining Access 4 References 4

2Definitions and Origins Definition of Instructional Telecommunications 5 Distance Learning 5 Why Instructional Telecommunications? 8 The Educational Restructuring Movement 8 Information and Technology Explosion 10 Wisconsin Educational Restructuring 11 Wisconsin Distance Learning Technology 12 References 14

3Instructional Telecommunications in Wisconsin Introduction 17 Overview 18 Technology Use in Wisconsin 19 Types of Educational Opportunities 20 References 25 4Technologies Used Introduction 27 Technology and Instruction 27 Types of Telecommunications Technologies 28 Telephone Wires 28 Radio 37 Broadcast Television 37 Microwave Television 39 Cable Television 44 Videotext and Teletext 47 Satellite 47 Fiber Optics 49 References 52

5Matching Needs with Technologies Introduction 53 Why Create a District Plan? 53 Purposes of a District Plan 54 Integrating Instructional Telecommunications 55 References 56

iii 6The District Plan The Steering Committee 57 A Philosophy and Rationale 58 The Instructional and Technological Assessments 60 Creating an Instructional Telecommunications Plan 62 Articulating Curriculum 63 Calculating Costs 65 Identifying Financing Options 65 References 66

7Implementing the Plan A District Policy 68 Orientation and Staff Development Programs 68 Selecting District and Building Implementation Teams 70 Defining Roles and Assigning Responsibilities 70 References 71

8Evaluation of the District 131an and Implementation Process Evaluation of the Implementation Process 74 Evaluation of Staff Utilization 74 Evaluation of What Is Learned 75 References 75 9Modification of the District Plan and Implementation Process Reasons to Modify the Plan 78 Priorities for Change 78 References 79 10Appendixes A. Instructional Telecommunications and Other State and Regional Agencies 82 B. Online Services and Networks 86 C. Sources of Cable TV and Satellite Programming 94 D. Reaching and Teaching through Interactive Television 99 E. Instructional Telecommunications Technologies Assessment Instrument 103 F.Instructional Telecommunications Plan and Implementation Process Checklist 111 G. Glossary of Terms 126

iv Foreword

Many of the technologies discussed in Instructional Telecommunications:A Resource and Planning Guide are familiar to us alltelephones, computers,television sets, videocassette recorders, and even radios. We use these electronic devices sooften that we take them for granted. However,their applications in schools are not as well known or understood. There are also newer, moresophisticated forms of technology being used today in educationsatellites, microwave television, and fiber optics systems, to name just a fewthat many educators know little about. This guide will explain how these telecommunications technologies operate.It will also explore the possibilities they hold for the future of education inWisconsin, and detail how school districts can plan to incorporate them into their curricula. The technologies used in instructional telecommunications can open up newworlds of discovery for students, help them master the tools of the Information Age,and give all Wisconsin residents access to the widest possible range of educational experiences.They also offer new freedom for students. Instruction can now be deliveredvirtually anywhere, so learners are no longer bound geographically to the types ofeducational opportunities they receive.Instructional telecommunications can also give students independence by providing new teaching methods that place a greater emphasis onthe student being an active participant in the overall process of education. Exposure to these new technologies can help students gain a mastery ofthem that could help them succeed in work and other endeavors outside of school.We are now living in the Information Age. Knowing how to access the huge amounts ofinformation available today, and how to use it to accomplish virtually any task, is a newform of power in modern society. The people who have this information power arethe ones who will have the best chance to be successful in life. The various forms of instructional telecommunications can even fosterunderstanding among the nations of the world. Studentsin Wisconsin today are collaborating, via computer, with their counterparts in many other countries.These exchanges give students on either side of the computer screen insights into people withdifferent cultures and backgrounds. Such direct communication could help to forge a newglobal understanding and a better future for us all. This kind of new learning opportunityalso brings home with startling clarity how technology has made ourworld seem much smaller than ever before. The technologies used in instructional telecommunications are new andpowerful tools for teaching, so far-reaching, in fact, that they may create somechanges in the process of education itself. These newtechnologies will not, however, change the fact that dedicated, enthusiastic educators are the most important factorin teaching our students. Technology is only a means to helping students andeducators achieve their common goal, which is to acquire theskills and knowledge that can lead students to a better future.

John T. Benson State Superintendent of Public Instruction Preface

Education is being transformed, along with the rest of society, by the dawning of the Information Age. Today, as never before, society is experiencing explosive growth in the availability and variety of information resources, an ever-increasing need for information and lifelong learning skills, and the continued and accelerated development of new technologies. These factors have all combined to provide more opportunities for learning, as well as new and innovative methods of instruction. These changes have also expanded the mission of the school library media program, greatly broadening its scope and transforming the very way such facilities operate. Satellite, cable and broadcast television, microwave, and fiber optics technologies, as well as increasingly sophisticated computer systems, are all capable today of transmitting massive amounts of information. Just as impressively this informationwhether it is in the form of voice, data, or videocan be delivered directly to the classroom, library media center, work site, or even the home. The people who master these new technologies are the ones who will have access to this growing information base, and who will be able to use it to enhance their lives in many ways.The purpose of Instructional Telecommunications: A Resource and Planning Guide is to explain how schools and districts can learn to use instructional telecommunications to foster quality education for their students. School districts in Wisconsin have relied on modern technology to give students quality educational opportunities since the 1930s, when radio was first used as a medium for distance learning. Instructional telecommunications is, basically, the application of new technologies to accomplish the mission that distancelearning fulfilled in the past. Telecommunications technologies can help teachers become more efficient and effective by allowing them to transmit instruction and resources to students no matter where they are. Instruction is no longer physically isolated in a solitaryclassroom, library, or media center. These technologies can deliver instruction or information to other areas of the school itself; other school districts, towns, states, or countries; places of employment; and even to the homes of students and instructors. The type of instruction and resourcesdelivered by these new technologies includes full-credit courses; specialized skills units and modules; computer online research and database inquiries; enrichment lessens; staff, administrator, and employee development and inservice programs; community education; and cultural enrichment programs. Advancements in telecommunications have also created new opportunities for educational organizations to increase their effectiveness and scope of operation. Emerging technologies have enabled such groups to create new classroom and inservice instruction and to facilitate communication among all members of the educational com. unity through electronic bulletin boards and other means. Technology will also help educational groups to conduct complex research on nearly any topic through the use of computerized bibliographic and text databases.

vii Instructional Telecommunications: A Resource and Planning Guide is an introduction to the concept of instructional telecommunications and to the ways in which these technologies are changing how schools educate students today. This guide explainsnew and emerging technologies as well as those that have been in use for many years. It also discusses the advantages and disadvantages of technology in education. Most importantly, this book is a tool that will enable schools and districts toassess their instructional telecommunication needs.It shows districts, in a step-by-step manner, how to plan to meet the needs of their students both now and in the future.

viii Acknowledgments

The Department of Public Instruction's Instructional Telecommunications: A Re- source and Planning Guide has been a priority of the Division for Libraries and Community Learning and the State Superintendent's Council on Instructional Telecom- munications. An advisory committee of elementary and secondary school teachers, library media specialists, administrators, and representatives from the University of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Technical College System, and educational interest groups was created to advise the department on the development of this guide. Wewish to extend our sincere appreciation to the following members of this committee for their considerable contributions to the guide.

Charles Brenden Terri Iverson Former District Administrator Director of Media River Falls School District Cooperative Educational Service Agency 3

Mary Brown Ernest Korpe'a Library Media Specialist Former Administrator Seymour Middle School Cooperative Educational Service Seymour School District Agency 12

Randall Clinard Richard Lovett Media Director Principal Milwaukee Lutheran High School Freedom High School Freedom Area School District Barbara Cummings Associate Dean Carole Moe Alternative Delivery Systems Elementary Supervisor Northcentral Technical College Reedsburg School District

Linda Eberz Ellen Rosborough Director of School Services School Board Member Wisconsin Educational Communications La Crosse School District Board Barbara Sparks Jon Harkness Former Director Science Specialist Distance Learning Wausau School District University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

ix 10 Special thanks also go to various Department of Public Instruction staff. Staff Contributors Division for Libraries and Community Learning William J. Wilson Assistant Superintendent Carolyn Winters Folke Director Bureau for Instructional Media and Technology Publications and Media Services Team Mark Ibach, Content Editor Michael V. Uschan, Text Editor Telise E.M. Johnsen, Editorial Consultant Margaret T. Dwyer, Proofreader Victoria Horn, Graphic Artist Neldine Nichols, Photographer Dianne Penman, Management Information Technician Overview

scenario for the future, his comments are just as Introduction apt now as they were in 1967. Today, an infor- In his 1967 book The Medium is the Massage, mation superhighway of global dimensions is Marshall McLuhan predicted that television and being developedone that is capable of linking other mass media would transform the world people around the world more intimately than into a "global village." When the Berlin Wall television images ever could. This superhigh- came down in 1989 and when allied forces made way connecting the world electronically is not the first sorties of Operation Desert Storm in only an express lane to the future, but a means 1991, people around the world were able to watch of changing the present and shaping the future live from the comfort of their homes. The dra- itself. matic scenes relayed by satellite gave life to The path of this electronic highway is paved McLuhan's contention that: "The new electronic not with asphalt or concrete, as are highways interdependence recreates the world in the im- that connect people physically, but with new age of a global village." (McLuhan and Fiore, forms of telecommunications capable of trans- 196; The fulfillment of his prediction concern- porting information between people around the ing the effects television and ocher mass media world.These technologies include telephone would have on the way people view their world, lines, satellite systems, fiber optics, radio and and even themselves, can be seen in many ways television transmissions, computers with mo- today. dems, fax machines, and cellular phones. They In that same book, McLuha.n nearly 30 years transport voice messages and conversations, ago also wrote: "The medium, or process, of our data, graphics, still or full-motion video, sound, timeelectric technologyis reshaping and re- and electronic mail (e-mail) messages. structuring patterns of social interdependence Figure 1 is a historical timeline for develop- and every aspect of our personal life .... Every- ment of communications technologies, beginning thing is changingyou, your family, your neigh- with the advent of telegraphy in 1847. The ever- borhood, your education, your job, your govern- quickening pace of technological refinement call ment, your relation to the others.' And they're easily be seen, especially in the many new ad- changing dramatically.Societies have always vances that occurred in just the brief time span been shaped more by the nature of the media by of 1975 through 1984. Some forms of telecom- which men communicate than by the content of munications listed for the year 2000 are still that communication." being developed, but most have already become Although advancements in technology may an accepted part of everyday life in the new, have outstripped even IVIcLuhan's imaginative high tech world of the late 20th century.

1 IIFigure 1 Telecommunications: Prospects for the Year 2000 Telegraphy Telqx Broadband Data Packet-Switched Data Telegraphy Circuit-Switched Data Telemetry Telex Teletext Telegraphy Packet-Switched Text Facsimile Telegraphy Data Facsimile Telex Color Facsimile Electronic Mail Telegraphy Telex High Speed Data Telenewspaper Telegraphy Videotext Medium-Speed Data Speech Facsimile Telegraphy Telex Data Circuit-Switched DataTelephony Telegraphy Low-Speed Data Photo Telemetry Hi-fi Telephony Telephony Facsimile Photo Facsimile Teletext Telephone-Conference Telephon Photo Facsimile Telephony Facsimile Videoconference Facsimile Facsimile Sound Videotext Viaeoteiephony Sound Telephony Telephony Telephony Stereo Hi-fi Sound Stereo Hi-fi Videoconference Quadrophony Television Sound Stereo Hi-fi Sound Color Television Color Stereo Television Television High-definition Television Stereo Hi-fi Sound Color Television Mobile Videotelephony Mobile Color Television Telephony Mobile Telephony Stereo Television Mobile Text Mobile TelephonyMobile Telephony Mobile Facsimile Paging Paging Mobile Data Mobile Videotext Paging

1847 1877 19201930 1940 1975 1984 2000

Source: Warr, Wendy A., and Martyn P. Wilkins. Online 14.2 (Mar. 1990), p. 53.

The telecommunications infrastructure, once same district, or even to schools in other states in place, can be used for an unlimited number of or countries. The development of instructional tasks in business, industry, entertainment, and, telecommunications has meant that instruction most assuredly, in education. The various tech- or instructional resources can now be delivered nologies that deliver instructional telecommu- almost anywhere.It no longer matters if a nications extend education beyond the physical student or teacher is in a small, rural district or boundaries of a single classroom, school build- a large, metropolitan system. Everyone today ing, or school district. They can also open up a can have access to needed information or in- world of new educational opportunities for stu- struction by t9.1ang advantage of new technolo- dents and instructors alike. gies. Here are examples of how the technologies of instructional telecommunications are being Education Superhighway used today in Wisconsin to bring new learning opportunities to students. These technologies An important segment of the information are so powerful, they are even changing the superhighway is the education superhighway. way students are being educated. This new path for education can directly link Sixth-grade students at North Middle School students and instructors to other schools in the in Menomonee Falls use Internet, the global

1,3 computer network, to travel the information Students in the Belleville district use video- superhighway all the way to Indonesia, Austra- tapes, speaker phones, electronic mail, and com- lia, Iceland, Denmark, or Kuwait. Students use puter software to exchange information, school computers with modems (a device that trans- projects, and letters with their counterparts in fers computer communications over the tele- a small school in Finland. Students inGerman phone) to exchange letters with pen pals in and computer science at Waupaca High School those far-off countries. One class in 1994 even use e-mail to work on collaborative projects collaborated with about 60 other schools around with a sister school in Germany. the world to write a story involving dinosaurs A complete listing of such activities would be and scientists. It was titled "Project Dinobones." a very long one because most school districts in (Schumacher, 1994) the state have already adopted some form of For nearly 20 years Project CIRCUIT (Cur- instructional telecommunications.Wisconsin riculum Improvement Resulting from the Cre- is only part of a greater movement nationally ative Utilization of Instructional Two-way Tele- and globally toward the expanded use of in- vision) has helped eight Trempealeau County structional telecommunications. Here are some school districts expand their curriculum and examples of what other states are doing. resources. Project CIRCUIT uses coaxial cable Montana's Big Sky Telegraph System, found- and microwave technology to provide quality ed in 1988, originally linked the state's 114 one- educational opportunities that the school dis- room schools with each other and with Western tricts, individually, might not have been able to Montana College in Dillon. Now this system offer students. Courses have included foreign has expanded to provide business, professional, languages, blueprint reading, and work with and cultural groups throughout the Rocky advanced computers. The districts involved are Mountain states access to people and informa- Arcadia, Alma Center-Humbird-Merrillan, tion locally and globally. (Brenden, 1991) Blair-Taylor, Eleva-Strum, Galesville-Ettrick- The National Native American Teleteaching Trempealeau, Independence, Osseo-Fairchild, Network consists of more than 1,300 college and Whitehall. students and 200 teachers at five tribal-run West Salem Middle School students in 1994 community colleges in five midwestern and were enrolled .in The World School forAdven- western states. This telephone and computer- ture Learning. Students accessed Internet to based audiographics network provides instruc- communicate with polar explorer and educator tional programming to small, rural, and rela- Will Steger. Steger, who with a team of interna- tively isolated colleges and K-12 school districts tioncll explorers was preparing for a 1995 expe- in the five states. (Lorenc, 1990) dition to the North Pole, used the computer Administrators, faculty, and elementary, sec- system to help educate students around the ondary, and college students in Indiana use world about the Arctic. Students had access to computers to access the Electronic School Dis- information Steger provided daily. They could trict (ESD). ESD is a menu-driven system cov- also ask questions and establish a dialogue on ering administrative, general classroom, math, the subject with this explorer. science, humanities, and student services infor- High school students in small, rural commu- mation. Individuals can research topics such as nities in northern Wisconsin learn calculus from Indiana University admission policies, health, a professor in Stillwater, Oklahoma,and Japa- Indiana goology, and weather. They can also nese from a school teacher inLincoln, Nebras- call up lesson plans, take part in discussions, or ka, through a course delivered by satellite. In send and receive electronic; mail.(Council of addition, high school students in large urban Wisconsin Librarians, 1991) schools in the eastern part of Wisconsin can Students in five Michigan inner-city schools learn Japanese from a teacher in the next school receive satellite-based programs designed to district via television. Or they can compose and stimulate interest in science and math. Tele- publish essays, poetry, and short stories in col- communications technology enables students laboration with students from other urban and teachers to interact with master teachers schools on the east and west coasts. This collab- and minority role models assembled in the stu- oration is made possible by computers that en- dio where the programs of ginate. This satel- able students to communicate over those long lite instruction is reinforced by hundreds of distances. mentors recruited from local corporations, or-

3 1 4 ganized labor, and professional societies, who ty of the school district to those resources. Ac- relate classroom activities to everyday career cess is dependent upon increasingly affordable experiences. (Education Comput9r News, 1990, technologies that are available in most, if not P. 3) all, school districts in Wisconsin. As can be seen from these examples, the The basic premise of this guide is that tech- technologies of instructional telecommunica- nology is a path to the future for schools and tions today are giving teachers and students students.It stresses that the most cost-effec- access to a new world of previously unavailable tive and instructionally efficient way to adopt learning opportunities. In general terms, they instructional telecommunications is to first es- include access to tablish clear instructional goals, and to then quality educational experiences regardless match technology to those goals. of the size of the school or its geographic loca- This guide will help teachers, administration; tors, curriculum directors, and educational quality educational experiences not other- planners in local school districts and coopera- wise available to students of racial, cultural, or tive educational service agencies (CESAs) by linguistic mi iorities because of social, political, providing definitions and origins of instruc- economic, or geographic variables; tional telecommunications and distance learn- subject matter, content experts, public offi- ing; cials, and career models not available in the illustrating how technologies are used in local community; classrooms in Wisconsin and other areas; instructional resources from virtually any- examining and explaining these technolo- where in the world; gies; and techniques and facilities to rapidly share presenting a strategic planning model for ideas, information, and data; assessing instructional needs and matching advanced placement (AP) or "tet..-.1 prep" those needs with instructional telecommunica- courses offered by university or vocational and technical campuses throughout the state; tions technologies in the classroom. teachers and students in other schools who can provide an understanding of other cultures; References businesses, industries, and community organizations that can create learning partnerships Brenden, V.K. "Rural Schools Working to Make with local teachers and students; the Grade." Cooperative Partners 4.6 (1991), staff development programs and continuing pp. 12-13. education courses that can meet the particular Council of Wisconsin Librarians."Indiana's needs of participants; and Electronic School District." New Tech News electronic bulletin board systems (bbs) and 8 Apr. 1991, p 1. electronic mail (e-mail) systems that facil;tate collaborative and cooperative learning among Education Computer News 7.2 (1990), p. 3. students, teachers, scientists, and others. Lorenc, Anthony."Scanner Network Proves Because of the tremendous impact of these Distance Is No Barrier to Effective Teach- technological advances on society today, educa- ing." Teleconference: The Business Commu- tional needs have changed and will continue to nications Magazine 9.1 (1990), pp. 21-22. change drastically. The skills and competencies deemed essential for success in life are also McLuhan, Marshall, and Quentin Fiore.The evolving, as are the way many things are done. Medium is the Massage. New York: Simon Schools in the future will continue to play a & Schuster, Inc., 1967. major role in educating students and communi- Pelton, Joseph A."Tele-Education: The Fu- ties. Indeed, the telecommunications technolo- ture." Social Education Sep. 1988, pp. 366- gies being developed will enable them to create 69. more productive learning environments and teach more students than ever before. Schumacher, John G. "Pupils Circle Globe On Information Superhighway." Milwaukee Gaining Access Journal 7 Mar. 1994, p. 1. Access to these new educational experiences Warr, Wendy A., and Martyn P. Wilkins. On- is no longer dependent on the physical proximi- line 14.2 (Mar. 1990), p. 53.

4 15 44' ';V .445 .,1,:c1.9 4 AA -6'4W.V4K:4" z .44., Definitions and Origins

Technology-assisted instruction can take Definition of Instructional many forms. They include the following: Telecommunications complete credit courses, specialized units and modules, The Greek word tele, which means "far off," is online computer research and database in- one of the root words of telecommunications. quiries, Thus telecommunications technologies are those enrichment lessons that can be added to the that communicate "at a distance," and instruc- existing curriculum, tional telecommunications is the use of electron- staff, administrator, or employee develop- ic technologies to conduct distance learning. The ment and inservice programs, and various telecommunications technologies can community education and cultural enrich- transmit voice, video, and data, or any combina- ment programs. tion of those forms of information, to communicate with and teach skills to students in geographically separated locations. Distance Learning Instructional telecommunications technologies make possible the delivery of telecourses, Distance learning is a category of education carried out through the use of instructional tele- live interactive television, research of far-off communications. Distance learning can be de- databases, exchanges of information, and audio, video, and computer conferencinif.All these fined many ways, but each definition contains examples of instructional telecommunications the components of distance, technology (or some use electronic technology, provide for interac- medium), content, teachers, and students. Dis- tion, and link students with their instructors, tance learning is sometimes referred to as dis- an information base, or both. Print correspon- tance education or distance teaching. The three dence courses are not classified as instructional terms are basically interchangeable, although telecommunications unless they incorporate an each one can underscore philosophical differenc- electronic technology component. es on the subject. In this guide the authorwill Figure 2 illustrates how several common tele- generally use the term distance learning except communications technologies are used to relay in direct quotes from source material when dis- instruction. Satellites send television signals to tance education or distance teaching is men- dishes located on the ground. Those signals can tioned. then be broadcast to a class, rebroadcast on As the U.S. Office of Technology Assessment another technology such as Instructional Tele- points out in Linking for Learning: A New vision Fixed Service (ITFS), or videotaped for Course for Education (1989), distance learning delivery to schools at a later date. These tech- in elementary and secondary schools has in- nologies are often used together to deliver increased dramatically in the last few years. In struction. the mid-1980s few states were active in this

5 IG 1111 Figure 2 A Multitechnology Distance Learning System

Classroom playback in building system conduit

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High Sc, )1 NM aiii ITFS sire :It District Media Center Elementary School VCRs Tape 0000000000 0 Library 01110 Cable TV reception ITV broadcast Van delivery of tape

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field, and as recently as 1987 only ten states the advent of audiovisual materials increased promoted distance learning. One year later, two the types of content available to both instructors thirds of the states reported involvement, and and students.However, print-based material by 1989 virtually every state was engaged or was still the dominant medium, and the tradi- interested in distance learning. tional teacher-student relationship was still the Early definitions of distance learning came primary component in the learning model. from traditional education models. These mod- Instructional telecommunications includes els assumed that the teacher's role was to in- all of these co! iponents, while being able to add struct and the student's role was to learn. The new parts to the education model that were traditional teaching model involved a curricu- previously impossible. By no mea ,s do telecom- lum that defined the scope of the class subject munications technologies replace .,he basic in- matter and ordered the sequence in which con- structor-student relationship in the traditional tent was delivered to the student during the education model. But they do release the rela- course of study. Students had to accomplish a tionship from one that is place-bound by provid- series of specified goals and objectives in order ing the student access to instruction and re- to master a clearly defined and carefully orga- sources from other locations in electronic print, nized set of competencies. (Wilson, 1986, p. 10) audio, and video formats. These technologies Content was embedded in the instructor's link students and teachers directly with outside lectures, textbooks, and other printed material sources of teaching and information. This fos- such as assigned reading, exercise sheets, and ters a new relationship between student and workbooks. To expand the basic course content, teacher in which the teacher may not play a the student needed access to additional books direct role in the transfer of information to the and materials that could be obtained locally or student.Instead, the teacher can become a through interlibrary loan. After World War II coach, a mentor, or a guide.

6 1 7 Early Distance those (behaviors) that in a continuous situation would be preferred in the learner's presence, so Learning Models that communication between the teacher and Distance learning has its roots in the print- the learner must be facilitated by print, elec- based correspondence education movement. tronic, mechanical, or other devices." (M3ore, Anna Eloit Ticknor, a New England educator, 1973, p. 64) used U.S. mail service to reach homebound wom- Cl arles A.'edemeyer, a retired professor of en who could not participate in traditional the UW-Madison School of Education, empha- schooling. Ticknor founded the Society to En- sizes the student's role when he defines dis- courage Studies at Home in 1873. William Harp- tance learning in terms of "independent study" er, the first president of the University of Chica- that "...consists of various forms of teaching- go, in the late 1870s began the first learning arrangements in which teachers and university-level correspondence teaching depart- learners carry out their essential tasks and ment. He is often referred to as the "father of responsibilities apart from one another, com- correspondence teaching." (Barron, 1989, p. 28) municating in a variety of ways, for the purpos- The United States, the former Soviet Union, es of freeing internal learners from inappropri- Germany, India, Canada, France, Australia, and ate class pacing or patterns or providing external New Zealand all offered print-based university learners opportunity to continue learning in extension services for part-time, off-campus stu- their own environments, and developing in all dents long before adapting electronic technology learners the capacity to carry on self-directed to deliver distance learning. (Bates, 1984, p. 3) learning...." (Wedemeyer, 1977) The event that marked the transformation from In later works Moore and Wedemeyer both correspondence education to distance learning, emphasize the role of learner "independence" in however, was the establishment of the Open the distance learning model. Distance learning University in Great Britain in 1969. (Garrison, by its very nature embodies a "learner-centered 1989, p. 1) educational universe." In this "universe," the The Open University is based on a combina- role of the teacher and the learning institution tion of broadcast technology (television and ra- is to provide students with a rich variety of dio) and specially written textbooks supported materials. These resources give learners the by a system of part-time tutors and counselors. opportunity to learn and experience what is In just 13 years the university grew from 25,000 important for them at a particular time, as well students to more than 100,000, expanded course as the chance to exercise choice and responsibil- offerings from four to more than 150, and in- ity in making educational decisions.(Moore, creased its television transmission time from 1988) And much "... as achild-centered teach- about four hours to more than 35 hours a week. er provides a rich environment of learning ma- (Bates, 1984) terials, and responds to the self-directed learn- Early definitions of distance learning reflecting of the individual pupil in the classroom, the ed its print-based origins, in which the primary education institution now has the technical pow- component of distance learning was the interac- er to respond to each individual learner as, in tion between teachers and students over some his [or her] interaction with his [or her] envi- medium. But these early definitions also em- ronment, he [or shel identifies learning needs phasized the quality of learner independence and makes them known, and enters into pro- an independence from place and time constraints grams of independent studies." (Moore, 1988) as well as a greater freedom for students to Borje Holmberg, who once taught at UW- choose what they wanted to learn. Madison, is a professor of Open Learning at Michael Moore, director of the American Cen- Fern University in Hagen, Germany, and spe- ter for the Study of Distance Education at Penn- cializes in the methodology of distance learning. sylvania State University, wrote his doctoral He prefers to emphasize the role of the deliver- dissertation on distance learning at the Univer- ing organization when he defines distance learn- sity of Wisconsin (UW) Madison. He emphasizes ing as". .the various forms of study at IAl the teacher's role when he defines distance learn- levels which are not under the continuous, im- ing as ". .the family of instructional methods mediate supervision of tutors present with their in which the teaching behaviors are executed students in lecture rooms or on the same pre- apart from the learning behaviors, including mises, but which, nevertheless, benefit from the

7 $v planning, guidance, and tuition of a tutorial room without walls or artificial boundaries ex- organization." (Holmberg, 1977, p. 9) cept those imposed by the learner. This does More recent definitions still emphasize the not mean that there is no place for the instruc- relationship between the teacher and student tor and the curriculum in the learning process. as the primary instructional mode. D.R. Garri- Indeed, these are still important components, son, associate professor and Director of Dis- especially for elementary and secondary stu- tance Education at the University of Calgary dents. And the systems that link learners with states that to be comprehensive, distance learn- instructional materials also link learners with ing must include all legitimate educational ac- instructors throughout the world. Ostendorf is tivities between a teacher and a student who saying that what is of primary importance is the are physically separated.In emphasizing the use of technology to link subject matter or con- role of communication between the teacher and tent with the instructional needs of the learn- student, Garrison identifies three criteria for ers. defining distance learning: Although each distance learning model re- "distance [education] implies that the major- viewed above emphasizes a different set of fac- ity of educational communications between tors, each one ultimately describes a process of (among) teacher and student(s) occurs non-con- instruction that is qualitatively different from tiguously; the traditional classroom 'nstructional model. distance [education] must include two-way Because distance learning can be learner-cen- communication between (among) teacher and tered and delivered by technology, it can active- student(s) for the purpose of facilitating and ly engage students to construct their own knowl- supporting the educational process; (and) edge and understanding.It can also create a distance [education] uses technology to me- learning environment in which teachers can be diate the necessary two-way communication." less directive toward, and more supportive of, (Garrison, 1989, p. 11) students and their learning processes. However, Virginia A. Ostendorf, an international consultant on distance learning, empha- Why Instructional sizes the role technology plays by defining it as ...the delivery of live, real-time instruction Telecommunications? to a person or persons who are physically re- Two key factors have c Jmbined in recent ..." (Ostendorf, mote or located at a distance . years to make instructional telecom inunications 1989, p. 1) a major, rapidly growing component of educa- This definition comes closest to the one pre- tion. The first is the current educational referred and used in this guide.It emphasizes structuring movement, which contends that "the delivery" of instruction rather than the schools are out of step with the times and that relationship among the instructor, the student, nothing less than a major restructuring will and the content. This definition does not bind make a difference.The second factor is the the learning process to instructor and student explosion in the amount of information avail- interaction.This definition implies, instead, able to teachers and students. Information is that the primary component in distance learn- expanding at an unprecedented rate. In order ing is the relationship of the learner to the to keep pace with this growth, there have also instructional material. This material may re- been revolutionary changes in technologies that side in a database or online repository or may be instruction delivered by a teacherall of which organize, store, and access this information. is physically distanced from the learner. The material may be located in another public school, The Educational a major university, or informal learning institu- Restructuring Movement tions such as museums and public libraries. This delivery of instruction provides expanded Calls for restructuring education are not new. services to the learner, while also creating new For the last century, reform movements have relationships between institutions and their us- swept through this most basic social institution ers. in repeated attempts to realign education to In this definition the use of technology to reflect the dynamic, ongoing changes taking deliver instruction, in effect, creates a class- place in U.S. society.

1 0 The current educational restructuring move- In an attempt to realign the characteristics of ment began with the release ofA Nation at Risk: school restructuring to reflect current and fu- The Imperative For Educational Reform (1983). ture societal changes that are affecting present Written by the National Commission on Excel- educational structures and practices, Steven lence in Education, this report warned that "a Benjamin (1989) reviewed 209 documents pub- rising tide of mediocrity" in school systems lished by "educational futurists."Benjamin, threatened to erode the foundations of the Unit- Coordinator of Curriculum and Instruction for ed States. The U.S. secretary of education com- the Metropolitan School District of Decatur missioned the report at a time when government Township in Indianapolis, Indiana, compiled the and industry were looking critically at the na- following "trends" school restructuring should tion's ability to compete in a rapidly changing address. global environment. Because knowledge in the future will have a The commission stated that the basic ingredi- "short half-life," students must engage in the ents for reforming education are excellence, eq- process of learning rather than sit at a desk uity, and creation of a learning society. Excel- listening to a teacher lectu. e. lence and equity are both essential if students Because the nature of society in the future are to be given the chance to learn and live will be technological, overloaded with informa- according to their aspirations and abilities. They tion, interdependent, global, and change-driven, are also essential to the well-being of a nation students and citizens must be able to think crit- that exists in a greater world of accelenzting ically, uncover bias and propaganda, reason, competition and change. Excellence in educa- inquire, use the scientific process, remain intel- tion can give people the competitive margin of lectually flexible, think about complex systems, knowledge and skills needed today. And equity think holistically, think abstractly, be creative, of access to educational excellence ensures that all citizens will be able to compete in this dy- and view and read critically. namic society to the best of their abilities. Because of the increasing rate and complexi- The report also said that to deal with the ty of change in the modern world, in which current pace of change and competition, educa- knowledge, skills, and values become obsolete tion must be restructured to create a learning more rapidly, education can no longer be re- society. It must be one that affords all members served for only the early years of life. the opportunity to develop their minds to full Because citizens will live in an environment capacity and to continue to learn from early in which people will continue to forge complex childhood through adulthood.F. .national op- social and technological systems, things like gen- portunities should extend beyond traditional in- eral processes, general knowledge, and basic stitutions of learning to homes, work sites, li- skills will be more important than specialized braries, art galleries, museums, science centers, knowledge and skills. or any other places in which an individual can Because of the interdependent nature of the develop and mature. In the commission's view, world, complexities of today's problems require formal schooling for youth is the essential foun- solutions drawn from knowledge in various fields dation for learning throughout life. Ard provid- in order to foresee other problems that may be ing lifelong learning opportunities to young peo- created by shortsighted solutions.Therefore, ple and adults alike will ensure that their skills learning must be centered around ideas and will not become obsolete. problems, not fragmented into discrete subject Within six months of the release of the report, areas controlled by a seven-period day. Curricu- 165 task forces on educational reform had been lum must be based on activities and ideas and established in 50 states and the District of Co- organized into transdisciplinary themes. lumbia. These task forces consisted of parents, Because of cultural, ethnic, and global diver- educators, legislators, employers, and other in- sity, personalized learning must be instituted to terested citizens.Eventually, more than 100 preserve differences among people as a source of reports echoed the commission's concerns about creativity and diversity. the condition of education in the United States, Because of the need for personalized learn- calling attention to the need to restructure ing, a collaborative role between teachers and schools because of the dramatic changes occur- students must allow students to accept an ac- ring in American society in general. tive, partnership role in learning.

9 Instructional telecommunications can be an The rapid growth of information is due to the integral part of this restructuring because it use of computers to conduct scientific research addresses the basic ingredients of these trends. on social and scientific topics and to analyze, Instructional technologies provide students and store, and retrieve data or information.Also, teachers access to resources and educational telecommunications technologies that help re- opportunities in any instructional mode. They searchers to instantly share scientific data with are available to all citizens, regardless of wheth- other scientists has speeded the creation of new er they live in an urban community rich in in- information by making more knowledge avail- structional resources, or a small, rural commu- able to more people. (Hefzallah, 1990) nity isolated from resource-rich environments. There also have been dramatic increases in Instructional telecommunications technologies the speed with which this information can be extend the classroom experience beyond the transmitted. Joseph Pelton, a researcher who walls of traditional learning institutions. They studies the effects of telecommunications on so- can electronically transport a student or teacher ciety, estimates that a person thinks, speaks, or across the county, state, and nation, or even writes an average of 27,000 words a day.If a entirely around the world. These technologies person lives to be 70 years old, Pelton calculates also bring data, information, and communica- the typical info.cation use in the course of an tion capabilities to the student or teacher wheth- individual's lifetime is about 20 billion bits of er they are in school, at home, at a local public or information. (The term "bit" is short for binary school library, or at work. The only requirement digit, the smallest unit of information a comput- is a basic set of increasingly affordable technolo- er can process.) Currently satellites, fiber optics gies. systems, and super-computers are capable of In addition, technology is helping teachers transmitting 20 billion bits of information in restructure the classroom's traditional learning seven to 20 seconds. And these technologies are environment. For instance, production capabil- expected to be able to cut that transmission rate ities of computers and video cameras enable to a second or less by the year 2000. students to be creative in ways not previously The dramatic increases in the speed of com- imagined. Computer software makes it possible munications can be understood by considering for students to simulate complex scientific, eco- Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), the nomic, or historical events and to explore their worldwide standard for transmitting speech or underlying variables and relationships.Also, other sound. ISDN uses regular telephone lines the public nature of computer work in the class- to integrate voice, video, and data transmissions room can foster collaboration, discussion, and into a single digital signal that can be sent over reflection among students. Here the teacher's one line or telecommunications system. In the role is to collaborate and facilitate individual- near future, ISDN will enable the transfer of ized and small group instruction. digitized data at the rate of one five-million- word book in a single second. And that high- Information and speed communication will have an error rate of Technology Explosion only one bit of information in ten million. At that rate of transmission a person would have to The second trend spurring the increased use be able to read a 15,000-page book in a single of instructional telecommunications in the class- second, while making only 15 errors of recogni- room is the explosive growth in the amount and tion out of 150 million possibilities.(Pelton, availability of information.The nation's em- 1990) ployment base is changing from one that was In today's society, access to information is a predominantly manufacturing to one that is powerful tool. New technologies, including those more service-oriented, with an increasing num- of instructional telecommunications, have ber of information workers. The information placed large amounts of information power in base is expanding at an unprecedented rate, the hands of those who know how to operate doubling every two to three years, and signifi- them. Consequently, information literacy is a cant improvements are being made in technolo- survival skill, and to function fully, people can- gy for handling this data. People need access to not be paralyzed by the abundance of informa- this information base so they can satisfy their tion resources available.People must become personal and business needs. information literate. They must learn how to

10 21 find, evaluate, and process information effec- equal access to educational opportunities for tively to solve problems and make decisions students throughout the state, as well as a vari- whether this data resides in a computer, book, ety of opportunities for educators to upgrade videotape, audiotape, or other storage medium. their skills to better meet student needs. The growth of information and evolution of Wisconsin's standards are based on current technologies is having a profound effect on educational literature and on research about schools today and will continue to do so in the effective schools. They identify seven essential future.The technologies that empower the elements that schools must have to meet the learner by providing access to unlimited instruc- learning needs of all students. (Gomoll, 1988) tion and content also empower teachers. They They are give teachers access to new instructional con- a clear school mission and instructional pro- tent, new experts on content and methodology, gram to carry it out, and students they would not otherwise have strong instructional leadership, been able to reach. These students may be of an orderly school learning climate, diverse cultural, racial, linguistic, and geograph- ample opportunity for students to learn, ic backgroundsdifferences 1,-..at may enhance high pupil expectations, many classroom discussions or exercises. Tech- frequent monitoring of pupil progress, and nology could actually help teachers to reach more a high degree of parent and community in- students in a few years than they could in a volvement in the schools. lifetime of direct classroom instruction. Each of the 20 standards has a direct rela- A school in the Information Age will be more tionship to one or more of the seven elements of interactive. S.' .dents will become learning part- school effectiveness. Instructional telecommu- ners with other students, teachers, information nications technologies can directly address sev- resources, and the community. Teachers will eral standards, including the following: function as coaches and guides as well as lectur- Standard (b). Each school board shall annual- ers. Teachers and students will use aclassroom ly establish a professional staff development computer to access libraries and databases plan designed to meet the needs of individuals or around the world for facts and information. curriculum areas in each school. Teachers will work regularly with library media specialists and designers of instructional pro- Standard (1). Each school board shall provide grams, both within their schools and intheir regular instruction in the basic skill areas as communities. This will help ensure that student well as health, physical education, art, and mu- projects and explorations are chall,nging, inter- sic in grades K-8; career exploration and plan- esting, and productive learning experiences. ning in grades 5-8; and "access" to an education- Student progress will be evaluated on a broad al program that includes English, social studies, range of indicators, including assessments of mathematics, science, vocational education, for- the quality and appropriateness of information eign language, physical education, art, and mu- sources they use and the quality and efficiency sic in grades 9 through 12. "Access" is defined as of their information searches.(American Li- an opportunity to study through school district brary Association, 1989) course offerings, independent study, cooperative educational service agencies, or cooperative arrangements between school boards and postsec- Wisconsin Educational ondary institutions. Restructuring Standard (m). Each school board shall provide Educational restructuring is one factor that access to an approved education for employment has helped bring instructional telecommunica- program. tions to prominence in recent yearsand Wis- Standard (n). Each school board shall develop consin has been active in this movement since a plan for children at risk. its inception. In response to the report by the National Commission on Excellence in Educa- Standard (p). Each school board may grant a tion, the state legislature increased the number high school diploma to pupils who have complet- of Wisconsin Educational Standards from 13 to ed a program which includes 13 credits of a basic 20. The intent of the standards is to provide core curriculum, plus a minimum of 8.5 additional credits in vocational education, foreign Outcome 15.Conceive of places, times, and languages, fine arts, and other courses. conditions different from one's own. Standard (t). Each school board shall provide Outcome 17. Recognize the influence of diverse access to an appropriate program for pupils iden- cultural perspectives on human thought and tified as gifted and talented. (Wisconsin Depart- behavior. ment of Public Instruction, 1987) The learner outcomes listed above are those Establishment of these standards marked most closely connected to skills such as gather- only thr., beginning of Department of Public In- ing information and being able to understand struction (DPI) involvement in the effort to re- and compare various sources of data. They also structure and impr3ve public education. The stress a sense of being connected to the outside DPI, in cooperation with educators and commu- world. The technologies in instructional tele- nity members from around the state, has contin- communications can help to achieve these learn- ued to work to enhance the quality of public er outcomes and accomplish many other impor- education in Wisconsin. (Wisconsin Department tant tasks in education. of Public Instruction, 1988) A major step came The DPI today is continuing its work with in 1993 when the DPI issued its report on Wis- students, teachers, administrators, school consin Learner Goals, Outcomes & Assessment. boards, legislators, and citizens to ensure quali- This report was prepared with the help of hun- ty education in Wisconsin. Working together, dreds of educators and other community mem- state educators have been able to initiate im- bers from throughout Wisconsin. provements in areas such as curriculum devel- The report establishes ten learner goals that opment, testing, graduation standards, educa- outline expectations for students. Instructional tion for employment, helping children at risk, telecommunications can be seen as a prime tool early childhood education, gifted and talented to accomplish several of these goals including education, and special education. 1) building a substantial knowledge base, 2) de- Initiatives in these areas address hallmarks veloping thinking and communication process- of excellence and equity. They ensure that comes, 4) acquiring the capacity and motivation for ponents considered essential to creating an at- lifelong learning, 8) being prepared for produc- mosphere in which excellence can prevail are tive work, and 9) respecting cultural diversity available to all students throughout the state, and pluralism. regardless of location. The DPI also endorsed 17 learner outcomes. Instructional telecommunications can be seen as a possible tool for helping to accomplish many, Wisconsin Distance if not all of them. The outcomes that would seem Learning Technology to benefit most from instructional telecommunications are these: The second factor that has helped bring instructional telecommunications to the forefront Outcome 2.Re, Ise a product, performance, of education is the explosion in information and system, and idea in response to relevant infor- the accompanying technological improvements mation. in dealing with this expanded knowledge base. Outcome 3. Make informed decisions by exam- The Wisconsin Distance Education Technology ining options and anticipating consequences of Study (1993) pulled together information about actions. the various projects, technologies, and distance learning programs that were in place through- Outcome 8. Transfer learning from one context out the state. This study also considered how to another. the evolution of technology and distance learn- Outcome 12. Defend a position by combining ing could affect Wisconsin schools in the future. information from multiple sources. This study was done under the direction of the Wisconsin Educational Communications Outcome 14. Recognize when a need for specif- Board (WECB), with participation by the DPI, ic information exists and demonstrate the abili- the state board of the Wisconsin Technical Col- ty to locate, evaluate, and use the relevant infor- lege System (formerly known as the state's Vo- mation. cational, Technical and Adult Education Sys-

2 3 tern), and the University of Wisconsin System. work consist of three basic tiers:the overlay The study included network, regional networks, and local networks. a comprehensive statewide distancelearning Each of these systems requires a different level needs analysis; of state involvement, as well as an interface development of technical alternatives for with a distinct category of service providers. meeting the identified needs; For instance, primary responsibility for the analysis of, and recommendations for, the overlay network would most properly rest with WECB's statewide television and FM radio sys- the state, which would contract with appropri- tems; ate major service providers to perform this func- recommendations for ongoing development of tion.Local networks would generally be the a statewide distance learning system;and primary responsibility of individual school dis- dev-elopment of modeling tools and informa- tricts or institutions working in conjunction tion database's that can be used in future state- with local telephone or cable television compa- wide planning. nies. Regional networks would be the responsi- This study identified distance learning needs bility of individual institutions or consortiums. common to most educational institutions in the The state overlay network (see figure 3) state. They are as follows: would serve to interconnect multiple regional Institutions need to be able to provide an networks with voice, video, and data signals. outreach function to equalize educational oppor- Both fiber optics and microwave systems can be tunities in currently underserved areas, share used for this part of the network. The 1993 instructional resources, reduce travel time and study indicates that it would probably take up costs, and reach students who might not other- to ten years to fully implement this network, wise have access to equivalent educational op- with the primary routes being among the first portunities. parts of the system to be installed. Institutions r.eed access to professional development courses, including continuing education and training for adults, instructors, and Figure 3 agency professionals. Institutions need access to library databases Wisconsin Overlay Distance and other data networks. Education Network (WODIE) Institutions need to educate their staff about

the capabilities, benefits, and technologies asso- KEY ciated with the concept of distance learning, and 0C-12 Tier 1 Route (12 channel) 6-DS3 Tier 2 Rout* (6 channel) need to establish local and state-level planning 3-DS3 Tier 3 Route (3 channel) groups to share expertise and aidcoordination

among regions of the state. PARK FALLS Ai OVA SHELL LAKE This study also found the need for Pileups HINELANDER a statewide distance learningplan compati- LAOYSWTH MAAAWK ble with regional distance learning systems al- FtAYJPD ME RD A AMIGO motion AUS ready in operation in the state; et:Iey AUSAU 0 U CLARE Neklt0 FAUS SPENCER state government assistance to local districts, CUMONVALE EA schools, and agencies concerning funding, grant POINT INDEPE teCE SIN WA applications, distance learning planning re- FALLS RAPIDS WAUTOMAOSWOS sources, and technical expertise; A lACR USTON WON WAUPU HEBOYGAN state government assistance with vendors. REEDS% G vx UA ARAI100 AGE Request for Proposal (RFP) creation, evaluation t SEAM WI of RFP responses, and contract negotiations; WtpatTOWN hEND uON ...... and rr. 'OM LANES establishment of partnerships between edu- MOM( cational institutions and private business and industry so companies will have access to educational coursework and training materials. Source: Evans Associates.Wisconsin Distance Education Based on these findings, the study recom- Technology Study, Madison: Wisconsin Educational Commu- mends that a statewide distancf, learning net- nications Board, 1993. p. A-1.

24 BEST COPYAVAILABLE The regional networks envisioned in this copy of this report from the WECB and review it statewide system interconnect geographically carefully.Before being finalized, all district dispersed clusters of users to each other and to distance learning planners should consider the the state overlay network. Fiber optics is the recommendations of this s4udy. recommended technology for these regional networks. However, microwave and ITFS technolo- References gies can be used as long as they do not limit the network's performance regionally or its ability American Library Association.Presidential to connect to the state overlay network. The Committee on Information Literacy.Final Wisconsin Distance Education Technology Study Report. Chicago: American Library Associa- points out the importance of coordination of tech- tion, 1989. nology choices and implementation plans at the state level because of the impact such decisions Barron, Daniel D. "Distance Learning: Remov- will have on regional networks. ing Barriers to Knowledge." School Library Local networks will typically consist of tech- Journal Nov. 1989, pp. 28-33. nologies chosen for their cost and availability in Bates, A.W. 'The Growth of Technology in Dis- the local community. Although fiber optics is tance Learning." In The Role of Technology identified as the best all-around technology in DistanCe Learning. Ed. A.W. Bates. New choice, all other technologiesincluding satel- York: St. Marten's Press, Inc., 1984, pp. 3-7. lite, ITFS, cable and broadcast television, and FM radiocan reasonably be employed in the Benjamin, Steven. "An Ideascape for Education: local network. This study, however, stresses the What Futurists Recommend." Educational importance of creating local networks that are Leadership Sep. 1989, pp. 8-14. compatible with both the regional and state networks. Cornish, E."Educating Children for the 21st In addition to the three-tiered network mod- Century."Curriculum Review 25.4 (1986), el, this study recommends the state take the pp. 12-17. initiative in developing, adopting, and dissemi- nating comprehensive technical standards to Evans Associates. Wisconsin Distance Educa- which all local and regional networks must con- tion Technology Study. Madison: Wisconsin form.This should be done to ensure that all Educational Communications Board. 1 July networks are able to interconnect, and that sub- 1993. standard facilities will not be created. The study Garrison, D.R. Understanding Distance Learn. discourages networks designed exclusively by ing: A Framework for the Future. New York: vendors. Routledge, 1989. The Wisconsin Distance Education Technolo- gy Study also recommends the state expand the Gomoll, Robert.School Improvement: A Re- centralized leasing role it already plays in the source and Planning Guide. Madison: Wis- State Telephone System (STS) by including high consin Department of Public Instruction, capacity leasing for use in local and regional 1988. distance learning networks. The study also sug- gests the state form a pool of experts to provide Hefzallah, Ibrahim M. "Basic Characteristics of learning institutions with technical assistance, the Modern Age." In The New Learning And as well as help in writing grants and proposals Telecommunications Technologies: Their Po- and negotiating contracts. These recommenda- tential Applications in Education. Ed. I.M. tions are designed to keep districts from enter- Hefzallah. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Tho- ing into costly individual contracts and from mas, 1990, pp. 7-23. creating systems that duplicate those already in Holmberg, Borje. Distance Learning: A Survey existence. and Bibliography.London:Kogan Page, The importance of this 1993 study is that it 1977. attempts to bring into focus all existing distance learning projects, technologies, and future pro- Moore, Michael. "Towards a Theory of Indepen- posals and give them a state perspective. It is dent Learning." Journal.1 Higher Educa- recommended that each school district obtain a tion 44 (1973), pp. 661-79.

14 "On A Theory of Independent Study." Pelton, Joseph A. Future Talk: Global Life in In Distance Learning: International Perspec- the Age of Telepower.Boulder, CO: Cross tives. Eds. Stewart D. Keegan and Communications Co., 1990. B. Holmberg. London: Routledge, 1988. Wedemeyer, Charles A. "Independent Study." The National Commission on Exce :nce in Edu- In The International Encyclopedia of Higher cation. A Nation At Risk: The Imperative for Education. Ed. Asa S. Knowles. San Fran- Educational Reform. Washington, DC: U.S. cisco: Josey-Bass, 1977, pp. 2114-32. Government Printing Office, Apr. 1983. Wilson, Beth."When Technology Enhances Office of Technology Assessment, U.S. Congress. Teaching." American Educator Winter 198 Linking for Learning: A New Course for Edu- pp. 8, 10-13, 46-47. cation. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, Nov. 1989. Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Wisconsin. Educational Standards: A Blue- Ostendorf, Virginia A. What Every Principal, print for Excellence. Madison: WDPI, 1987. Teacher and School Board Member Should Know About Distance Learning.Littleton, Educational Reform in Wisconsin CO: Virginia A. Ostendorf, Inc., 1989. 1983-88. Madison: WDPI, Aug. 1988.

2 15 Instructional Telecommunications in Wisconsin

grounds can bring new perspectives to topics Introduction being studied. These materials, content experts, This chapter takes a broad view of the poten- and students can be delivered to classrooms by tial uses and app'ications of technologies in in- telecommunications technologies whether they structional telecommunications. It also focuses are located nearby, across the state orcountry, on how these technologies areemployed in edu- or even on the other side ofthe world. cation in Wisconsin and outlines the types of A wide variety of technologies are used in instruction they deliver. Among these new edu- instructional telecommunications. They include cational opportunities are telephones and telephone lines; radio; broad- low-enrollment courses, cast, cable, and microwave television; computers options for individualized education, with modems; fiber optics; and satellites. sources of integrated learningpractices in a Telephone lines deliver audio-only instruc- wide range of subject areas, tion and audiographics, which combinesstill pic- the ability to manage learner objectives and tures with sound.They can transmit data, monitor student progress, and sound, video, or any combination of thesethree a access to tools such as databases,electronic forms of information. They can also transmit spreadsheets, word processors, and electronic data between computers that have modems. simulators that help students in 'all geographic Radio has been a staple of distance learning locations manage data in a sophisticated man- in the state since the 1930s and continues to ner. provide some instruction to students throughout This wide range of instructional opportuni- Wisconsin. Televisionwhether broadcast, ca- ties facilitates student access to information ble, satellite, or microwavehas delivered in- and enhances the ability to think, make deci- struction in Wisconsin since the 1950s. Televi- sions, and solve problems. These opportunities sion can transmit audio and video signals, as also give a student a chance to master skills well as some data to subscribers at specially neede:n today's increasingly technical and so- equipped sites. And today television can evenbe phisticated workplace. a two-way, interactivemedium, a development The various technologies give teachers ac- that has opened up many new possibilitiesfor cess to course material, content experts,and education. students they might not have had contact with Computers are important tools in instruc- in the past. New course materials may be inte- tional telecommunications. In the future they grated with the existing classroom curriculum; content experts can collaborate with teachers on will become even more valuable and versatile as new methods of managing thelearning process; they evolve into multifunction performance and interaction with students of diverse cultur- platforms.With the addition of full-motion al, racial, linguistic, and geographic back- video cards, modems, and television andradio

17 27 transceivers enabling computers to both send at the speed necessary to project full motion. and receive signals, computers of thenear fu- This effect occurs in compressed video technolo- ture will operate in a stand-alone environment. gy because the moving areas of the image are They will be able to receive signals froma local only approximated. television station or another source and show In the future this technology will enablea full-motion or compressed videoon their cable television company to squeeze 500 chan- screens. They will also be capable of receiving nels into the same electronic space thatnow and playing stereo-quality audioon embedded carries 52. Compression technology is also mak- speakers. ing it possible to transmit compressed videoon Software exists that can simultaneously re- common telephone wires, and will make it pos- lay the elements of data, video, and audio toone sible for satellite channels to be simultaneously computer. The software uses one window of the divided into two, four, or eight channels. computer for data and another for video, while relaying the audio along with the other two Overview signals. Computers in the future will also be able to send data, reports, and possiblyeven The tcommunications infrastructure in audio messages to nearby radio modems. These the United States is divided into threeparts. radio modems will pick up the signals and trans- They are as follows: mit them to telephone lines that willcarry them the long -haul or intercity segment tocarry to their ultimate destination. telecommunications traffic over long distances; Fiber optics is a new form of technology that the local distribution or metropolitan-area utilizes a minute glass tube and laser impulses segment to deliver telecommunications traffic to transmit voice, data, and full-motion and within a local area and provide connections to compressed video. Telephone and cable televi- or from the long-haul segments; and sion companies are turning to fiber opticsas an the on-site segment to receive the telecom- alternative to the conventional cable orcopper munications traffic at its final destination. Each wire that now carry their transmissions. These segment of this infrastructure is changing at a firms have found fiber optics to be superior different rate, and some of the componentsmay because of its immense transmission capacity be missing at any one of the three parts that and its ability to transmit all types of instruc- make up the entire telecommunications system. tional modes--voice, data, and full-motion vid- (Gallagher and Hatfield, 1989) eoon one medium. The long-haul part of the education infra- Satellite dishes in schools todaycan only structure could include satellites, long distance receive signals and not transmit them. This point-to-point microwave relay systems, tele- limits them to one-way forms of instructional phone networks, and fiber optics networks. The telecommunications.But a new technology local part could be composed of broadcast and called VSAT (very small aperture terminal), cable television, ITFS (Instructional Television already used by business, industry, and the Fixed Service), low-power television, local tele- military, can also be adapted for schools.Al- phone exchanges, and metropolitan-area fiber though smaller than satellite dishes that tradi- optics networks. tionally only received signals, a VSAT dish can The on-site segment of the infrastructure transmit voice, data, and compressed video back could consist of coaxial cable, fiber optics, and to the satellite. regular telephone wires to distribute voice, data, Video compression is a technology thatre- and video signals throughout the building.It configures a video signal so more channelscan could also include televisions, telephones,com- be sent over the same electronicspace. Com- puters with modems, facsimile (fax) machines, pressed video differs from full-motion video in audiographics stations, and videocassettere- that only the changes in me -ing framesare corders (VCRs) to turn these signals into usable captured and transmitted. The reconstituted instructional material. image exhibits some motion but, dependingon Daniel Hatfield is president and Lynne Gal- the capacity of the transmitters and receivers, lagher a senior consultant for Hatfield Associ- the motion may appear somewhat irregular. ates, a telecommunications consulting firm in The video images will resemble the newsreels of Boulder, Colorado. They have identified four the 1920s, when cameras were not able to record major technological trends that will affect the

23 ability of schools to provide instructional tele- mission of speech or other sounds), is the most communications opportunities to their staff and concrete example of this trend. ISDN has two students. They are levels of service, one that accommodates the digitization, two-way transmission of 144,000 bits per sec- "intelligent" telecommunications networks, ond and one that accommodates delivery of a integration of voice, data, and video or: the total of 1.5 million bits per second. same transmission system, and The first level of ISDN can support the si- fiber optics. multaneous transmission of two voice conversations, or one voice call and one high-speed data Digitization. The first technological trend is signal from a computer. The second level of the move toward total digitization of the entire service can handle the simultaneous transmis- telecommunications network.Digitization is sion of 23 voice conversations.Video signals the conversion of voice, data, and video signals sent over this second level of ISDN are in the to electronic "bits" identical to those already form of compressed video. Both levels of service created by computer modems. (The term "bit" is can be transmitted by regular telephone wires. short for binary digit and refers to the smallest It should be noted that currently, without digi- unit of information a computer can process.) tization, each regular telephone line can sup- Consequently voice, data, and video will be able port only one two-way conversation or one data to travel together over the same network in- transmission between computers. stead of as separate audio, video, and data signals.Digitization also will result in cheaper Fiber Optics. The fourth trend is the incorpo- transmission costs because more "data streams" ration of fiber optics in the telecommunications can be sent over the same network at the same infrastructure.Fiber optics is part of the na- time. tional and local parts of the network and is also being considered for the on-site segment. Cur- "Intelligent" Telecommunications Net- rent fiber optics technology is so great that one works. The second trend in technology is the line can transmit 64,512 voice channels, each greatly increased use of machine-based "intelli- supporting one telephone conversation.One gence" within telecommunications networks fiber optics cable can also deliver 32,000 ISDN themselves. Computers today can monitor and channels. Within a few years, upgraded trans- manage networks to greatly increase the speed mission equipment will enable a fiber optics line at which they operate. This also makes it possi- to transmit 129,000 voice channels. ble for national, local, and onsite networks to be programmed to meet, within limits, the ser- These four trends in technology have also vice needs of users at any of the three levels in been accompanied by developments in high- the telecommunications infrastructure. powered satellites and extremely efficient VSAT For instance, on-site users will be able to satellite dishes. When all of these trends are change their internal networks to accommodate considered, it means that the capacity of the a new computer lab, but would not be able to telecommunications infrastructure to provide reconfigure the local or national parts of the access to a wide range of instructional opportu- infrastructure. However, local and on-site net- nities and resources will be increased greatly in works could work together to streamline their the near future. services, and together they could influence the national part of the telecommunications infra- Technology Use structure. in Wisconsin Integration of Voice, Data, and Video. The third trend is the integration of voice, data, and The use of various technologies for instruc- video traffic on common transmission systems tion in Wisconsin is not a new phenomenon. that can ultimately deliver them all to the on- Radio, television, films and film strips, and au- site network.Currently a separate system, diotapes and cassettes have been handy tools network, or technology is needed to send the for decades for instruction, for drill and prac- different signals for voice, data, and video. In- tice, and to supplement teacher activities. The tegrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), the University of Wisconsin (UW) Extension's "Wis- worldwide standard for digital telephony (trans- consin School of the Air," for instance, has pro-

20 vided radio instruction in areas such as art, serve three cooperative educational service music appreciation, and science since the mid agencies (CESAs). 1930s.Wisconsin Public Television has been However, fiber optics is the transmission airing instructional television programs for kin- technology in CESA 8's Embarrass River Valley dergarten through twelfth-grade students since Instructional Network Group (ERVING) the early 1970s. Films and film strips, audio- Project, CESA 12's Northern Wisconsin Educa- tapes, and learning kits were integral compo- tional Communications System (NWECS), and nents of the individually guided instruction CESA 5's South Central Instructional Commu- classrooms of the late 1960s and early 1970s. nications Group (SCING). Other fiber optics- Their common characteristic is that they are based, two-way networks are being developed one-way instructional technologies that do not throughout the state. permit student interaction with the instructional content or the presenter. Types of Educational Even two-way interactive technologies are not new to Wisconsin.The UW-Extension's Opportunities Educational Teleconferencing Network (ETN) has provided instruction since 1965. The two- Instructional telecommunications technolo- way audio communications network links 200 gies currently make available in Wisconsin a locations statewide and offers more than 300 wide variety of educational opportunities. course series annually. The UW-Madison's En- Among them are gineering Professional Development (EPD) pro- student courses, gram has offered continuing engineering edu- enrichment programs, collaboration, cation courses over ETN for more than 25 years. Also, the Extension's WisLine telephone confer- staff development, encing service links multiple locations over a credit programs and degree programs, and 64-line conference bridge for statewide instruc- community programming and continuing education. tional programming, staff inservicing, and teleconferencing.In 1991 the UW- Extension installed a satellite dish in each county seat in Student Courses Wisconsin to add satellite conferencing services Student courses are full-year or single-se- to its extension and outreach capabilities. mester courses taught by a distance teacher. Project CIRCUIT, one of the nation's first They can consist of a complete curriculum, in- two-way interactive television distance learn- cluding testing, and students usually receive ing systems, has operated in the Trempealeau grades for performance and participation. County area since the late 1970s. CIRCUIT, an These courses are not normally available at the acronym for Curriculum Improvement Result- students' school.Although such classes are ing from the Creative Utilization of Instruction- usually at the high school level, satellite sys- al Two-way Television, has been a model for tems are making some courses available for many of today's fiber optics networks. Project middle, junior high, and elementary students. CIRCUIT used cable television to link eight Student courses can be supported by print small rural school districts and make it possible material, textbooks, computer software, and for the network to offer courses each district other media. Some courses have been made could not support with its own resources. interactive through electronic keypad technolo- Since the 1980s more than 20 ITF'S micro- gy so students can reply instantly to pop quizzes wave television systems have been constructed and questions. Also, telephone lines with toll- in Wisconsin. They provide one-way video and free numbers let students talk directly to dis- two-way live audio interaction between instruc- tance teachers or to students in other locations tors and students. who are taking the same class. Most courses Microwave television can also be used for also offer tutorial services through a toll-free two-way video and audio, as it is in the Spencer telephone number.Tutors can answer ques- area by the Central Wisconsin Educational Tele- tions from students and assist them with drill communications Network (CWETN). This net- and practice exercises. work employs ITFS to provide interaction Depending on the type of technology chosen among instructors, students, and classes that by a school district, courses can originate from a

3 0 site just down the road or from as far away as ture course is taught by teachers and students another state or country. For instance, satellite from the Menominee Indian school and covers dishes at individual schools enable Wisconsin units on history, language, culture, and arts students to take courses in Japanese that origi- and crafts. nate in Nebraska and are delivered by the Sat- Student courses from national providers such ellite Educational Resources Consortium as SERC can be received by satellite at one (SERC). Wisconsin students have also studied location and be retransmitted over a fiber optics advanced placement (AP) American govern- network to all members. Interaction with these ment in a course telecast fro.Stillwater, Okla- satellite courses is possible over long distance homa, by the Oklahoma State University Arts telephone lines through speaker phones, fax aria Sciences Teleconferences Service (ASTS). machines, and keypad response units.(Gar- Instruction is also produced locally and rard, 1991) shared in Wisconsin. Students in the central part of the state can take courses in Spanish Enrichment Programs and Russian taught by the UW-Extension on the two-way audio network operated by ETN. Instructional telecommunications can also And an AP calculus course is available from the help teachers provide enrichment and supple- ITFS-based Northeast Wisconsin Telecommu- mental programs, additional resources, and new nications Education Consortium (NEWTEC) activities. Enrichment programs can be added project in Green Bay. to an existing curriculum as a way to investi- Project CIRCUIT, for example, was devel- gate, discuss, and illustrate single issues or oped to narrow topics in depth. The programs can be offer a wide spectrum of educational pro- part of a series or stand alone in the discussion grams to students in participating schools, of a topic or issue. They are usually supported broaden social enrichment opportunities for by a teacher's guide with suggestions on how to students, while allowing each school to retain integrate the material into an existing curricu- its individuality, lum. avoid duplication of course and program of- For example, the "Exploring Technology Ed- ferings by participating schools, and ucation" series on Wisconsin Public Television better utilize the skills of specialized instruc- can supplement the curriculum for technology tors while continuing to maintain efforts to education classes in grades 7 through 10.It meet Department of Public Instruction (DPI) uses computer-enhanced graphics, animation, instructional standards. (Mikunda, 1978) archival footage, and on-location segments to As a result of this collaborative effort, stu- illustrate and reinforce abstract ideas in the dents have experienced educational opportuni- fields of communications, construction, manu- ties they would not have had otherwise. Classes facturing, and energy. have included four years of Spanish, two years A middle school class studying acid rain in its of German and French, shorthand, digital elec- community as part of a unit on environmental tronics, and advanced mathematics. There has science can take part in the National Geograph- even been a course in advanced computer con- ic Society's Kids Network, a telecommunica- struction in which students built a working tions-based science program involving comput- computer. The distance teachers, for the most ers. Students collect data with science kits, go part, are employed in one of the neighboring on field trips, and work with computers to ana- school districts rather than in a neighboring lyze the information and write reports.Stu- state. dents then use computers equipped with mo- ERVING offers districts a wide range of high dems to send their findings to research partners school courses taught by teachers the member in distant classrooms. schools hire as a group. ERVING has provided Middle school students can participate in students access to classes in AP calculus, AP "What's in the News," a weekly news program psychology, AP English, French and Spanish 1 on public television that has social studies ac- and 2, German 3 and 4, business law, human tivities based on current events. The show has development, mythology, American Indian cul- news summaries on the latest international and ture, education for employment, and remedial national events, and feature stories that exam- English for seniors. The American Indian cul- ine timely, complex issues.Student activities

21 31 include two essay contests and a "News Detec- team of four players and the teams compete tive" segment that encourages students to clip during the course of a "season," answering newspaper articles or write their own stories knowledge-based, short-answer questions pur- about community events, school activities, or chased from an academic company. A modera- classroom projects.These stories are some- tor asks the questions, monitors the answers, times aired during the weekly programs. and handles the scoring. High school social studies classes can aug- Internet has quickly become a rich source of ment their print-based texts and materials with enrichment programs for Wisconsin students. public television series on taxes, geography, Internet has than 12 million users in 56 history, the U.S. Constitution and Supreme countries and every continent, including Ant- Court, or international issues. An example is arctica, and it connects more than 60,000 sepa- CNN's "Newsroom," a daily 15-minute video rate networks. Electronic mail allows students news program on cable television. Additional in various countries to communicate or to col- content for this program is delivered by laborate on joint projects. Students and teach- XPRESS XChange, a 24-hour-a-day text-based ers use Internet to access databases and library news service.This written material can be catalogues located around the world and to en- downloaded from the cable television signal to a gage in electronic group discussions on a wide computer at the school by using a specialized variety of topics. modem. Belleville students have used Internet to Programs on the state public television net- communicate with their counterparts in Helsin- work address social issues of interest to teens ki, Finland. Activities have included exchang- and their parents. Community programs aired ing collaboratively written assignments and sto- on regional technologies (such as ITFS) will ries about the lives of children in their often discuss topics of local or regional interest respective countries.Students even accessed such as truancy, parenting skills, and human the computer network to hold live, interactive growth and development.Also available are video "meetings." Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) Middle school students in Menomonee Falls and UW-Extension programs. have practiced their writing skills by communi- Milwaukee School District (MSD), for exam- cating with electronic "pen pals" worldwide ple, uses instructional telecommunications to through Internet.These students have also provide a range of enrichment opportunities to worked with classes in other countries to co- more than 150 schools. Four channels of ITFS author a story involving dinosaurs and a group are available to every classroom in this district, of adventurous scientists. Students also utilize which serves nearly one fifth of all elementary Internet to gather and share information with and secondary students in the state. One of the scientists, students, and environmentalists four channels retransmits Elementary and Sec- around the world and to engage in many other ondary Cable Consortium programming carried joint activities. The involvement by West Sa- on the local educational cable channel, while lem Middle School students in The World School another channel rebroadcasts Wisconsin Public for Adventure Learning, which was explained Television Network shows from the "Parade of in chapter 1, is an example of the way Wiscon- Programs." The two remaining channels air sin schools can share a learning experience instruction chosen or created specifically for the with students in other countries. MSD, such as teleconferences and special events not available from public television or the edu- Collaboration cational cable channel. Examples are National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Collaboration occurs when a teacher works offerings and teacher inservice programs from with one or more colleagues or content experts SERC, the National Diffusion Network, and to instruct students in a given subject area, or other K-12 providers. across several subject areas. Collaboration also Technology can also help create extracurric- occurs when technology links students with oth- ular student activities.For example, several er teachers, classrooms, and content experts CESAs conduct a "High School Quiz Bowl" over outside the school.For example, classroom a telephone convener system and regular tele- teachers, their students, and professional scien- phone lines. Each participating school has one tists collaborate with one another within Kids

22 Network, a telecommunications-based elemen- and have a narrower content focus. A program tary school science program produced by the can be a single-event teleworkshop from one to National Geographic Society.Massachusetts several hours long (but usually not more than Institute of Technology physicist Robert Tinker three hours) or a series of several one-hour to developed Kids Network to extend to schools two-hour programs focused on the same topic. the concept of electronic mail sent by computer Equivalency clock hours (ECHs) toward recerti- and modem, a primary means of communica- fication in Wisconsin may be awarded to partic- tion today for scientists.Kids Network has ipants in pre-approved inservice series that are made it possible for thousands of upper elemen- more than five hours long. These programs can tary school classrooms, including some in Wis- originate locally, regionally, or nationally. consin, to participate in research projects on Staff development programs and telework- acid rain, weather, waste management, and shops are mostly live and interactive, with other topics. Each project is guided by a practic- participants able to call during the program on ing scientist, who uses electronic mail to coordi- toll-free numbers.However, such shows can nate the collaboration among classrooms. also be viewed later on videotape. Another example of collaboration was the SERC, for example, annually provides ap- Wisconsin Science, Mathematics, and Technol- proximately 100 hours of live and interactive ogy Education (WISMATE) Network Project, staff development programs over its national based in the Wausau school district.Fifth- satellite system. Topics include building self- graders, their teachers, and Wisconsin-based esteem among teachers and students, identify- scientists and engineers worked together on ing and programming talented minority stu- subjects of local interest, such as applications of dents,discipline-based art education biotechnology in the dairy industry. workshops, technology education, earth science, Although many of the current collaborative English as a second language, and bilingual networks have a science content, the programs education for teachers and administrators. have interdisciplinary features. For example, Business and industry can send employees to doing research on topics for which clear, "right" UW System or WTCS campuses to participate anf.,wers do not exist can help students develop in the satellite-based National University Tele- and learn to apply critical thinking skills to conference Network (NUTN). Employees can solve real problems. Students also acquire com- receive training or undates on important eco- puter skills because they must use word pro- nomic, environmental, and technical develop- cessing programs to enter data, observations, ments. and information on the computer network. In The North Central Regional Educational Lab doing their reports, students find that clear (NCREL), in conjunction with Public Broad- communication and precise use of language are casting System (PBS), has offered national tele- critical for success. This can aid development of vision series over satellite on educational re- the critical skill of communication. When stu- form and successful schools.Both SERC and dents have to analyze data, they need to use NCREL programs are supported by print mate- mathematics. They practice these skills and rial and an electronic bulletin board. The latter also discover that math is a useful tool. Skills in enables extended discussions over computers geography and social studies are sharpened as long after the telecast. students exchange messages with their elec- Staff development and continuing education tronic pen pals and study the areas where they courses are provided statewide over the ETN live. Teachers who have been involved in tele- audio ccnferencing network and regionally over communications-based programs have com- ITFS systems. NEWTEC in Green Bay uses mented that they are truly interdisciplinary ITFS to offer staff development programs pro- and exciting for children. duced by local teachers and university faculty. NEWTEC also rebroadcasts nationally produced Staff Development programs recorded from satellite transmissions. To accomplish these tasks, NEWTEC engages Instruction over these technologies also in- in extensive interinstitutional cooperation and cludes staff development and continuing educa- program plr.nning among K-12 schools, CESA 7, tion programs and courses. Staff development Northeastern Wisconsin In-School Telecommu- programs typically are shorter than a full course nications (NEWIST), and local postsecondary

23 institutions.Professional staff development sette. WTCS enrolls almost 6,000 students an- programs from the Green Bay School District's nually in classes taught through these medi- professional development department and ums. CESA 7's special education department are aired weekly. Workshops from CESA 7's Fallen Community Programming Timbers Environmental Center are presented and Continuing Education periodically. National professional development teleconferences from SERC, NASA, and other Noncredit continuing education courses for national providers can be downlinked and re- adults are often delivered by instructional tele- transmitted live, or taped for later broadcast. communications technologies.This enables (Nys, 1990) sponsoring agencies to reach their audiences more efficiently and to provide adults with up- Credit Courses and to-date information needed to keep them cur- Degree Programs rent in their fields of employment or expertise. Organizations often use continuing education Credit courses can be graduate, undergradu- courses to license or certify people in real es- ate, or associate degree courses offered alone or tate, child care, cardiopulmonary resuscitation as part of a degree program from local, regional, (CPR) and first aid, food service, nursing, and and national sources. UW-Madison's School of other fields. These courses can also introduce Education uses ITFS to provide 17 school dis- new techniques, technology, computer software, tricts in the Madison area with graduate-level and leadership skills. courses on critical thinking skills. UW-Madi- The Wisconsin Dental Association (WDA) has son's College of Engineering has chosen satel- employed satellite video conferencing to edu- lite technology to send graduate-level courses cate state dentists on new federal Occupational over National Technological University (NTU). Safety and Health Administration require- UW-Milwaukee operates an ITFS system to de- ments. With satellite equipment and an audio liver courses to several industrial work sites in conferencing network, the WDA has been able the greater Milwaukee metropolitan area.It to reach more than 500 dentists statewide in a also employs audiographics to offer graduate- single seminar. level courses statewide from some of its individ- Northcentral Technical College (NTC) in ual colleges. UW-Stevens Point has broadcast Wausau has offered a 20-hour continuing edu- credit courses over ITFS on the philosophical cation wellness course for the elderly.The foundations of education, the Hmong culture, college's ITFS system has made this instruction and dietetics. available to hundreds of older adults at commu- Credit courses can be taken from national nity nutrition sites in the Wausau area. Pro- satellite providers. SERC, for instance, offers grams were presented by family physicians, several courses to teachers in Wisconsin and 23 lawyers, nutritionists, and physical therapists. other states.They include an AP calculus Southwest Wisconsin Technical College of course for teachers from South Carolina, an the Air has presented continuing education introductory course on English as a second lan- courses on federal acreage reduction programs, guage from Louisiana, and two "hands-on" feed grain, farm income tax management, and chemistry- and math-in-the-classroom courses patients' rights and the power of attorney. The produced in Wisconsin. college has also used its ITFS system to produce The WTCS offers approximately ten tele- a two-day community-event telethon that bene- courses each semester statewide on the Wiscon- fitted citizens in southwestern Wisconsin. sin Public Television Network. Thirteen WTCS The Madison Metropolitan School District districts use cable television and nine ITFS or has created a variety of community programs point-to-point microwave technologies to deliv- and adult education courses for its cable televi- er instruction, both on and off their campuses. sion channel. Community programming in. a Courses are in the areas of business, communi- typical month could include a musical program cations, technical skills, child care, and General from an elementary school, a poetry festival Educational Develc pment (GED) preparation. from a high school, and swim meets. Viewers The instruction is also available on videocas- might also be able to see a series discussing

24 3 current district policies on such topics as ac- Garrard, Susan.ERVING Project.Clinton- quired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), ville, WI: ERVING Project, 1991. building space use, or a tutoring program. Pub- lic service programs on suicide prevention, rac- Mikunda, Jerald. Trempealeau Valley Cooper- ism, and gifted and talented projects might also ative Schools: A Rural Educational Cooper- be part of just one month's community program- ative Designed to Serve the Needs of Stu- ming. dents in a Changing World.Blair, WI: References Project CIRCUIT, 1978. Gallagher, Lynne, and Dale Hatfield. Distance Nys, Roxanne.NEWTEC. Green Bay, WI: Learning: Opportunities in Telecommunica- NEWTEC ITFS Studio, 1990. tions Policy and Technology. Washington DC: The Annenberg Washington Program, 1989.

25 4 ;,".41,;;;.,:,,,,,L,

s'4,14tS' Technologies Used

ics because of the inability to provide visuals Introduction needed to teach these classes. A computer with a This chapter presents an overview of instruc- modem is excellent for accessing databases, in- tional telecommunications technologies in Wis- formation, and other students and teachers consin, analyzing the characteristics of each around the globe. But it is a poor way to teach a technology and giving examples of their instruc- foreign language because it cannot provide audio tional uses. However, it is not meant to be an so students can hear how the languageshould exhaustive treatise on each technology. It will sound. A national satellite system is an econom- also not d:scuss how to link technology to curric- ical way to deliver low-enrollment classes to a ulum goals, because the instructional resources large number of small, rural schools in North needed to reach these goals will vary from build- America.However, it would be an expensive ing to building and district to district. Resourc- way to teach the history of Wisconsin toall es are provided so those who areinterested may fourth graders in the state.Also, because the obtain more detailed information about eachsatellite signal would be sent to all of North technology. America, it would be a waste of time and of the channel used for that purpose. A few basic steps will help school districts Technology and Instruction decide which instructional telecommunications The particular technology chosen for instruc- technologies will be right for them. They are as tional telecommunications can be both enabling follows: and limiting. It is enabling in that it can bring School districts should assess instructional students and teachers together in new and excit- needs before either purchasing a new technology ing learning situations. It is limiting that a or adopting a course to be taught overavailable particular technology may not permit or facili- technology. tate some types of education. School districts should decide whether they Instruction involves a complex set of deci- can meet their instructional needs fromlocal, sions, interactions, strategies, and learner sup- regional, state, or national educational resourc- port systems that include content, reinforce- es.For instance, if a district wants to offer ment, motivation, learning styles, and teaching advanced placement (AP) chemistry to its stu- strategies. Technology may enhance or hinder dents, should it bring in a nationally offered any of these parts of the instructional process. course via satellite? Or would it be better to use For instance, an audio conferencing network Instructional Television Fixed Service (ITFS) or will facilitate study of a foreign language be- fiber optics to transmit this course from a local cause of the nature of the subject matter,but University of Wisconsin (UW) System campus or would hinder instruction in art or auto mechan- neighboring school district?

3 6 Finally, school districts must relate the costs 400 billion conversations annually, a volume of each technology to specific instructional that is increasing at the rate of 20 percent every needs. year. By the end of this century it is estimated there will be more than 1.5 billion telephones, Types of Telecommunications and they will be used to make more than one trillion calls annually. (Dordick, 1989) Technologies Telephone wires can transmit voice, data, and video signals. The video, however, is in the In Wisconsin, a variety of telecommunica- form of still pictures or partial-motion pictures tions technologies currently deliver voice, data, as opposed to the full-motion, picture-quality and video to classrooms for instructional pur- video a television can receive and show. In the poses. (See figure 4) Each of these technologies future, video compression technology will en- has its own characteristics that dictate the type able transmission over telephone lines of full or of content material and specific methodology a nearly full-motion video. Telephone wires con- teacher can use to instruct students.For in- sist of twisted pairs of copper wires that transfer stance, a teacher in an audio-only telephone electrical impulses.These impulses are then network can play an audio tape, but would be turned into audio sounds, data bytes, or still unable to incorporate graphics into the instruc- pictures, depending on the form of technology at tion.A computer conferencing network can the receiving end. Telephone traffic is also car- facilitate learning with data, graphics, and ried over satellites and fiber optics systems, printed material, but cannot utilize audio or technologies that will be discussed later in this video. Although they do not today, in the future chapter.Basic telephone technology is by far computers will have the capability of sending the most prevalent form of telecommunications, and receiving audio and video. available in over 97 percent of all residences in Many of the technologies employed in in- the United States and virtually 100 percent of structional telecommunications can be used toall businesses throughout the world. gether to minimize the weaknesses and maxi- Wisconsin state government has an extensive mize the strengths of each. Combining different telephone network that provides a variety of technologies will expose students to the broad- telecommunications services to state agencies, est set of teaching methods and enable them to local governments, and schools. Figure 5 shows derive the greatest instructional benefits. the configuration of Wisconsin's Centrex voice Telecommunications technologies currently service and state telephone backbone. Figure 6 in use are shows the configuration of Wisconsin's data net- telephone wires, work which enables several state agencies to radio, send and reeeive data. The state lottery, al- broadcast television, though only a few years old, is by far the largest microwave television or ITFS, user of this data network. cable television, Telephone lines can be the main delivery tech- videotext and teletext, nology for several kinds of instructional tele- satellite, and communications including audioonferencing, fiber optics. computer conferencing, and audiographics. In addition, telephone lines can be a supplemental Telephone Wires technology to other forms of instructional telecommunications. The telephone has only been in existence for Computers equipped with modems can com- slightly more than a century, but in that time municate data, information files, graphics, and has evolved into a sophisticated global network electronic mail (e-mail) to other computers. Fac- that is the world's standard means of communi- simile (fax) machines transfer data, words, cation.Currently there are approximately graphics, and pictures to printers at remote lo- 400 million telephones in more than 200 coun- cations. Audiographics combines live audio lec- tries, all operating on what is essentially a tures with the transmission of graphics via com- single network connecting the world. This glo- puter. A printer may be attached to this system bal telephone system is sometimes called the to make a hard copy of any graphics displayed on "largest machine in the world." It carries about the computer screen during the course of the

3 Figure 4III Types of Instructional Telecommunications Telecommunica-Form of Instructional Coverage Level of tions TechnologyTelecommunications Range Interactivity Audio ConferencingStudentsUnlimi',,d; users canTwo-way transmis- Telephone Wires and teachers can interact over thebe linked all the way tosion of audio; print shared audio network in a full-creditthe international level.material via fax op- class, enrichment program, and tional on a second other distance learning experiences. telephone line Computer ConferencingCom-Unlimited; users canTransmission of puters with modems enable stu-be linked all the way todata is usually one- dents/teachers to obtain informationthe international level.way; simultaneous, from remote databases and other real-time, two-way sources, communicate with their transmissionis counterparts in remote locations, possible. and engage in collaborative learning ventures and other distance learning experiences. AudiographicsTeachers and stu-Unlimited; sites withTwo-wayvoice, dents can communicate verbally onspecialized equipmentdata, and graphics an audio line and exchange data,can be linked all thetransmission including graphics, through comput-way to the internation- ers in a full-credit course, enrich-al level. ment program, and other distance learning experiences. Educational ProgrammingDependent on an indi-One-wayaudio; Radio Some commercial stations carryvidual station's signalsometimes two-way news specials and other shows thatstrength and quality ofaudio interaction might be used in the classroom; thereception; local sta-via telephone Wisconsin Public Radio Network andtions in the Wisconsin School Radio Service provide educa-Public Radio Network tional programming, including full-serve virtually the en- credit courses. tire state. Broadcast Commercial TelevisionSomeAbout 60 miles for aOne-way audio and Television programming can be used in thelocal station, depend-video transmission classroom, mainly as a source of en-ing on signal strength richment to a curriculum or subjectand quality of recep- area. tion Wisconsin Public TelevisionLocal stations in theMainly one-way au- Programs are designed for educe-Wisconsin Public Tele-dio and video, but tion, including full-credit courses,vision Network servesomeprograms enrichment programs, and other dis-virtually the entirehave two-way au- tance learning experiences. state. dio interaction via telephone. Low-Power TelevisionFull-Up to 15 miles depend-One-way audio and credit courses, enrichment pro-ing on signal strengthvic]o, but some grams, and other distance learningand quality of recep-programshave ti on two-way audio in- experiences teraction via telephone. Instructional Television FixedUp to 30 miles depend-Usually one-way Microwave Service (ITFS)This interactiveing on reception forvideo and two-way Television technology can be used for full-creditthis line-of-sight sig-audio tra ns mis - courses, enrichment programs, andnal transmission; om-oion; it can he de- other distance learning experiences.nidirectional or point-signed for two-way to-point video and audio.

29 Figure 4 (continued) Types of Instructional Telecommunications Telecommunica-Form of Instructional Coverage Level of tions TechnologyTelecommunications Range Interactivity Microwave Point-to-Point MicrowaveThisUp to 30 miles depend-Usually one-way Television interactive technology can be useding on reception forvideo and two-way (continued) for full-credit courses, enrichmentthis line-of-sight signalaudio transmis- programs, and other distance learn-transmission sion; it can be de- ing experiences. signed for two-way video and audio. Cable Television Educational ProgrammingUp to 30 miles depend-One-way audio and Commercial channels generally haveing on the size of thevideo for commer- limited programming for use in edu-cable television sys-cial stations; dedi- cation but several, like Public Broad-tern; however, some ar-catedchannels casting System (PBS) and Discoveryeas are not served bymay be designed channels, carry many usable shows;cable companies. for two-way audio local dedicated channels (those set and video by using aside specifically for education, gov- one or more avail- . ernment, and community use) may able channels. run programming designed for education. Broadcast or TeletextTransmits constantlySame as for the televi-One-way data Cable Television changing data such as stock marketsion system deliveringtransmission over quotations and weather reports thatit a television set's can be a class resource. vertical blanking interval, which is the black bar at the topof the TV screen VideotextCan provide computer-Same as for the televi-Two-way data and aided instruction. sion system deliveringcolor graphics it transmission over a television set's vertical blanking interval, which is the black bar at the topof the TV screen Satellite Educational ProgrammingFull-A satellite signal coy-One-way video and credit courses, enrichment pro-ers one-half of theaudio transmission grams, conferences, and other dis-earth at the sameis the norm, but a tance learning experiences aretime. system can be de- available. signed to add two- way audio, two- way data, or even two-way audio and video. Fiber Optics Educational ExperiencesFiberUp to 20 miles withoutTwo-wayvoice, optics has the capability to transmitsignal repeaters, muchvideo, and data any kind of instruction or education-further with repeaterstransmission al experience; because of its capacity, it is considered by many as the preferred telecommunications technology of the future.

30 and learners to simultaneously hear each other 111Figure 5 and see graphics or still pictures. When audio Wisconsin Voice Network conferencing is the feedback loop for one-way video networks such as broadcast and cable television, ITFS, and satellite, the student can see and hear the instructor and the instructor can hear the student. Modes of Instruction The primary mode of instruction in audio conferencing is two-way audio, which enables teachers and students to interact over the network. Assignments, quizzes, exams, and stu.- dent records can be exchanged through the mail. If graphics technology is part of the audio conferencing system, one-way video instruction in the form of pictures, graphics, or charts can be transmitted from the instructor to the learner. If computer or fax technologies are added, two-way data interaction can occur among all parties on the network.(See figure 7)Most audio conferencing, however, is audio only. (See

Source: Evans Associates.Wisconsin Distance Education Technology Study. Madison- Wisconsin Educational Commu- UFigure 6 nications Board, 1993, p. D-8. Wisconsin Consolidated. lesson. An audio cassette recorder can also tape Data Network the lecture for later review.These forms of instruction are all made possible by telephone communications. Audio Conferencing Networks Alb Equipment needed to set up an audio conferencing network for a school includes .111. a speaker telephone with mute button, CARE CIO a push-to-talk convener box (optional), S VENT dn. audio cassette player and audio tapes to record lessons, AP ETON a dedicated telephone line (recommended), a fax machine (optional), OSHKSH a computer with modem (optional), and

slow-scan picture equipment (optional). A

Audio conferencing is made possible by link- WAUKEE DEPARTMENT Of ing individuals at several sites through tele- TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT phone circuits and is analogous to creating a of usna WISCPAT

large party line.It can be an "audio only" net- DEPARTMENT DpfEPARTMENTDEPARTMENT OF WISCONSIN Of HEALTHAN_P NATURAL11INDUSTRY LABOR AND LOTTERY work over which instructors and learners can SOCIAL SERVMUS RESOURCES 11414ittualcvs hear and speak to each other simultaneously. When combined with computers and equip- Source:Evans Associates.Wisconsin Distance Education ment to display graphics, i,he audio line becomes Technology Study. Madison: Wisconsin Educational Commu- an audiographics network enabling instructors nications Board, 1993, p. D-9.

31 Class schedules, school calendars, and dates Figure 7 to begin and end the course will not necessarily correspond with local schedules and calendars. (Barker, 1992) Computer Conferencing In order to engage in computer conferencing for instructional purposes, a school will need a computer, or computers, each equipped with a modem with a baud rate of at least 2,400 to Two-way Audio with Teiefascimile 14,400, communications software, a printer (optional), and a telephone line. Computers equipped with modems are able to communicate over telephone lines. The smallest amount of information a computer can process is called a bit and computers store information in units cflied bytes. A byte is usually made up of a group of eight bits.A modemthe Source: Office of Technology Assessment. Linking for Learn- common term for Modulator/Demodulator ing: A New Course for Education. Washington, DC: U.S. changes the computer's internal bytes into elec- Government Printing Office, 1989, p. 56. tronic impulses and transmits them as "sound" over telephone wires. Modems work at different speeds of communication, called baud rates. The the sections later in this chapter on audiograph- baud rate refers to the number of bits per second ics and videotext for information on technologies that can be transmitted. Thus, the higher the that allow delivery over telephone wires of a baud rate, the more bits of information the mo- combination of data, graphics or images, and dem can process in a single second. audio communications.) Common baud rates are 300, 1,200, 2,400, The advantages of using audio conferencing 9,600, and 14,400. Modem speeds, however, are technologies for instruction are as follows: increasing rapidly and baud rates of 2,400 and Students can hear and interact with the higher are usually preferred. A modem with a teacher and other students at all times. higher baud rate is more expensive to purchase, Operation of this technology is relatively sim- but may be worth the extra cost if the buyer ple. frequently accesses distant databases and has to This technology is available statewide and is pay for telephone charges during data exchange. not expensive to acquire or operate. Modems with higher baud rates reduce tele- It does not cost much to expand the audio phone bills by cutting the time needed to send or network. receive information. (See figure 8) Instruction can come from any of the partici- Computer telecommunications can create a pating sites, so each school on the network can wide variety of new learning opportunities for offer courses as well as receive them. students. With this technology, they can com- There are some disadvantages to audio con- municate with "pen pals" in distant countries or ferencing. They are as follows: contact experts and teachers from around the Students and teachers cannot see each other. world. Some online services provide activities to Textbooks, reference articles, quizzes, and enhance classroom instruction in a specific cur- other class materials must be coordinated so riculum or subject area, while others enable they can be sent to each site in time to be used students to look up needed information. and reviewed. For teachers, the opportunities derived from Classrooms must be equipped with the audio computer telecommunications are also vast. equipment, which means a separate room in the This technology makes it possible for teachers in school mayhaveto be set aside for this network. widely separated areas to communicate and

41 56 countries and provides a wide range of servic- Figure 8 es, many of them valuable to educators. Inter- Equipment Needed for net, as well as other online services and networks, is discussed more fully in appendix B. Computer Communications WiscNet, a nonprofit association formed by the UW System, is a major gateway to Internet for UW campuses and many other state colleges Microcomputer and schools. Figure 9 is a map of the WiscNet system in Wisconsin. Communication Computers can also access online databases. Software Online services may consist of referral or bibliographic information to help locate an entire article or document. Some referral databases contain abstracts of the desired material, while others consist of source or non-bibliographic information. Full-service databaseshave full- text documents complete with text, data tables, graphics, references, and indexes. There are Modem Phone Line even databases that provide raw numerical data that can serve as purely informational items or base material for further research. (Epler, 1989) Computer-based telecommunications can create, in effect, a global classroom in which students and teachers can communicate with their peers around the world. Computers with modems can exchange messages with computers in other locations, store them for possible later use, Source: Alley, Cindy, et al. Online Database Searching in the Curriculum. Madison: Wisconsin Educational Media Associ- ation, 1986, p. 10. IIFigure 9 share information and experiences.Teachers WiscNet: Wisconsin Network can conduct research in online databases, down- Linking Educational Institutions load software, and link with groups that share special interests. "Electronic mail" (e-mail) is one way to send and receive messages over computers.Each subscriber to an electronic bulletin board service (bbs) has an "address" to which other subscribers can "mail" their messages. A bbs is a public medium to post information, a type of electronic bulletin board. Subscribers can send messages and read responses of others active in the bbs. Some of these services have a theme so people with special interests can share information. Some charge a small fee while others are free. One of the most important and all-encom- passing online computer services is Internet. Started in the late 1960s by the U.S. Defense Department, it was used to transmit data among researchers engaged in defense-related projects and to test fault-tolerant communications systems built to survive a nuclear attack. Internet today connects more than 12 million people in Source: University of Wisconsin-Extension, 1993.

33 4 ° or relay them to other computers. Thismode of read online or downloaded into the computer for communication is known as computer confer- later attention. New computer software is mak- encing. A systems operator or moderator usual- ing posMble real-time, two-way data communi- ly coordinates such computer discussions. A cation over a split computer screen on which the variety of computer-mediated conferencing sys- instr.Ictor and student can see typed messages tems enable all members to communicate with- from each other simultaneously and side-by- out having to be online at the same time. side.This mode of computer conferencing is Computer conferencing can take the form of called "chat" mode. Future innovations in soft- cultural exchanges in which global participants ware and high-capacity telephone services will share and compare information about each class also turn computers into audiographics termi- Users will be able to send and receive or school involved.Graham Pike and David nals. Selby, research fellows at the Centre for Global documents, view computer conference participants via compressed video, and talk with them Education at the University of York, Great Brit- over the computer's built-in speaker system. ain, have published a useful handbook for teach- The Advantages of using computer technologies ers titled Global Teacher, Global L,arner. for instruction are as follows: guide explores and discusses the theory and Students and teachers have access to a wide practice of global education.It also offers an array of computer-based resources, including extensive range of practical activities for ele- online databases, electronic mail, and bulletin mentary and secondary classrooms. (Pike and boards. Selby, 1988) Students and teachers can also access word Other computer-based communications are processing, graphics, and desktop publishing in the form of directed study.For instance, packages to help them create reports, books, students can gather, analyze, and report envi- and assignments from the resources they have ronmental data, or they can collaborate on writ- gathered. ing poetry, short stories, and reports. Students, Stucents and teachers have fairly easy ac- via computer, can engage in geopolitical, histor- cess to computers because practically every ical, and economic simulations in which partici- school has them. pants take on the roles of various factions in a Computers are relatively inexpensive to ac- current world conflict.They can then try to quire and operate, and many students and resolve the problem by discussing and analyzing teachers already own them. real data and issues.Of the many bulletin Instructional material and communications boards listed in appendix B, several have active can be dealt with immediately orthey can be global classroom components, including AT&T left on disk or electronic bulletin boards to be Learning Network, DataTimes, GEMNET, GTE read or used later. Education Network, Interactive Communication Many students and teachers already know Simulations (ICS), National Geographic Soci- how to operate this technology. ety's Kids Network, and XPRESS XChange. A large number of electronic resources exist Computer conferencing is also a major com- that can be used instructionally. munications tool in education. Computers are With full-motion video cards, modems, faxes, capable of linking students and teachers with and CD-ROM players, computers in the future online library catalogues, online databases, cur- will be the technology platform upon which any riculum discussion groups, subject matter ex- and all types of instruction and communication perts, and research projects nationally, region- can and will take place. ally, and locally.Several electronic bulletin Disadvantages of computer-based technolo- boards and networks in Wisconsin can facilitate gies for instruction are as follows: these communication activities. Only one or two students and teachers can effectively use a computer at one time, so schools Modes of Instruction need to have a relatively large number available. The primary mode of instruction with com- Not every classroom has computers. puters is one-way data transfer. Data may be in Not every computer has a modem. the fom of messages, documents, and other Not every school allows students and teach- forms of information that, for the most part, are ers to conduct online activities due to the cost

43 for subscription fees and long-distance telephone be operated at a fraction of the cost. If motion bills. video is required, audiographics systems can be Not every school has a secured or dedicated used in tandem with any video transmission telephone line for data transmissions accessible system, with the video then being displayed on by students or teachers. an ordinary television screen.In the future, Not every school has teachers trained to use multimedia software is expected to be able to computers for telecommunications. deliver compressed video to a window in the Not every school has computers sufficiently audiographics display screen.However, that powerful to participate in today's computer en- technology is not currently available.(Smith, vironment. 1992) Graphic information can come from the key- board, graphics tablet, document scanner, video Audiographics camera, or electronic pencil or stylus of either Equipment needed to use audiographics con- the instructor or the students. The stylus en- ferencing for instruction and other purposes ables students in remote sites to edit or expand includes visual material interactively, because all screens 386- and 486-level computers with hard on the network display the"electronic writing" drives that have more than 80 megabyte capac- simultaneously. This technology also permits a ity user at any remote site to input visualmaterials high-resolution monitors; originating on his or her own computer. A laser modems with baud rates of at least 14,400; printer complements the system and provides two regular telephone lines, one each for printed copies of the visual display material. voice and data; The UW-Madison's Department of Engineer- summagraphics digitizing tables (optional); ing uses audiographics conferencing to deliver a scanner to copy pictures, graphics, or text graduate-level and continuing education cours- directly into the computer (optional); and es to engineering and technicalprofessionals. a video camera (optional). Each semester the department has employed Audiographics conferencing connects teach- audiographics to offer 20 to 40 different courses ers with students through acombination of to students throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexi- computer and voice teiecommunications. Voice co, and Europe.Instructors from Europe and and computer screen images, including text, data, and high-resolution graphics, are transmitted live to participants at multiple remote 1111 Figure 10 locations. Students can respond to visual material shown on their computer monitors and en- Audiographics gage in discussions over a telephonespeaker system. (See figure 10) Two-way Audio/Two-way Data A device called an audio bridge enables students in participating classrooms to hear each other, much as they would with two-way television. Students also can communicate via computers linked to the teacher's machine by modem and specially designed software. Whatever is put into the teacher's computer simultaneously appears on all screens in the networked classrooms. In effect, this makes the screen an"electronic blackboard." New, more powerful audiographics systems can display still images but notmoving pictures. However, the interactive capability, high- resolution display, ease of use, and ability to reach any location with telephone lines, all make Source: Office of Technology Assessment. Linking for Learn- modern audiographics a vials!alternative to ing: A New Course for Education. Washington, DC: U.S. interactive television. And audiographics can Government Printing Office, 1989, p. 56.

35 4.1 Japan have taught over the system. The locations for these classes have included public sites Figure 11 at UW campuses and more than 50 workplaces in private industry. The courses have centred WisView Sites on manufacturing, environmental engineering, building design and construction, and technical SUPERIOR languages in Japanese and Germar(Smith, 1992) The UW-Extension's Instructional Commu- nications Systems (ICS) provide management AKE LAKE and technical support for a service called Wis-

View.This audiographics network combines MENOMONIE WAUSAU MARINETIT

interactive audio conferencing with visual com- EAU CARE puter graphics to offer several courses to ap- RIVER FALLS "MARSHFIELD proximately ten UW campuses. This network STEVENSPONT MENASH can be expanded to other locations, both public MANITOWOC FOND DU LAC and private. See figure 11 for the location of LA CROSSE WisView sites around the state. SHEBOYGAN WEST 'BARABOO BEND WAUKESHA Modes of Instruction MADISON RICHLAND - lailLWAUE CENTER JANESVIU.E The primary modes of instruction with audio- KENOSHA) graphics are two-way audio, freeze-frame video, and data transfer. All three modes are simulta- Source: University of Wisconsin-Extension, 1993. neously available to all parties on the network, and all participants can input into the network Instruction can come from any participating in all three modes from their classroom sites. site, so each school on the network can offer The video consists of pictures, graphics, and courses as well as receive them. charts. Data transmission over the computers, The computer- or electronic chalkboard-gen- even directly on the screen with an electronic erated visuals can be activated and accessed by stylus, occurs in two-way, real-time modes. The the teacher as well as any student at any remote transmissions can be stored in the computer as site, permitting a high level of interaction be- text, data, or graphics. Hard copies can also be tween st, dents and teachers. printed from the screen for later use. Instructional content is focused more on the Advantages of using audiographics technolo- organization of the material than on the person- gies include the following: ality of the teacher. Local schools maintain control of ..he master The network operates over regular telephone teacher, programming, and scheduling because lines, so linkages between distant sites can eas- the network is usually small. ily be made almost anywhere in the world. Small class size is guaranteed because this Disadvantages of using audiographics tech- type of technology does not permit linkage with nologies include the following: more than a few sites simultaneously. Motion video is not possible, so visuals are The system supports student-to-student in- displayed on the computer screen in still-picture teraction between sites, in addition to teacher- or freeze-frame mode. to-student interaction. The instructor cannot see the student, nor Hardware, software, and maintenance costs can students see the instructor or other students are low, with start-up costs of between $6,000 at distant sites. and $13,000 per school. There are usually no Occasional transmission failures occur due to subscription fees for courses, with telephone interference on telephone lines. connect and toll charges usually constituting The video image is limited to the size of the the only ongoing expenses. computer screen unless additional hardware is It is relatively simple to learn to operate such added, including a large-screen television moni- a system. tor or liquid crystal display (LCD) projector.

45 Lesson planning is time-consuming for the ers. Some programs are live and include calls teacher and floppy disks that store slides creat- from students, but these are mostly aired on ed for each lesson must be distributed to all public radio and not the School Radio Service. remote sites and loaded into networked comput- Written questions can be submitted to the radio ers prior to the class. program managers for discussion on a later Telephone toll charges can become excessive broadcast. unless networks have access to low-cost lines. Managing an audiographics network requires Broadcast Television a commitment by local school administrators, and teachers need training and extra time to Equipment needed at the school so broadcast prepare materials. (Barker, 1992) television, both commercial and public, can provide instruction includes Radio an external antenna; wiring to bring the TV signal to the classroom Equipment needed so classes can receive in- (can be a single wire to a single classroom or an struction via radio includes internal cable throughout the school); a special FM sideband receiver; a television set or monitor; and an exterior FM antenna (recommended); and a videocassette recorder (VCR) and video- an audio cassette player and tapes to record tapes to record programs. programs. Broadcast television is a technology that Broadcast radio, like broadcast television, reaches many receivers from one transmission sends information over the airwaves in one di- site. It has been an efficient and relatively cost- rection to a largely undifferentiated audience. effective way to deliver programming to the pub- The Wisconsin Public Radio Network (see fig- lic since the 1950s. ure 12) airs approximately 18 hours of news, In a study of how schools used television and information, and entertainment programs daily. video during the 1990-91 school year, the Corpo- Programs from the School Radio Service are ration for Public Broadcasting (1991) found in- also available in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Ed- structional television and video are available to ucational Communications Board (WECB) operates an instructional school radio service on subcarrier frequencies of the state's public FM radio Figure 12 stations. A specially equipped receiver, which is available by subscription, and an FM radio an- Wisconsin Public Radio tenna are needed to receive this sideband. Stations Schools that subscribe to the School Radio Service can receive more than 20 audio series MsA with a wide range of K-12 instruction and inser- 9.9 FM vice programs for teachers and administrators. WHIM Programs are transmitted during school days Park Fe& from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Information about 90.3 FM WHAM school radio series can be found in "Parade of Wausau WHWC 90.9 FM Programs." The listing, available in both print M1101710114 and electronic versions, includes a series de- 88.3 FM Ad. WGSW scription, program titles, broadcast schedule, 93 AM GINO lay and the subject area and grade level to which 91.5 FMs.3 FIR WHLA laCross. each show is geared. Most series have compan- 90.3 FM ion teacher materials to help teachers integrate FM

them into the existing curriculum. WHA Modben wHAD wt1 97 AM D.W,ld Modes of Instruction nel 90.7 91.3FMWEIN Madison The primary mode of instruction in radio is 8.7 FM one-way audio.For the most part there is no interaction between the instructor and the learn- Source: Wisconsin Educational Communications Board, 1990.

37 r'r-T COPY AVAII AR! r almost every teacher in the nation.Approxi- Wisconsin Public Television mately 75 percent of teachers incorporated these technologies into their curriculum, primarily as The Wisconsin Public Television Network be- a springboard for class discussions, presenta- gan in 1954 as one station associated with WHA tions, and writing assignments. Teachers re- Radio at UW-Madison. (See figure 13) Today ported viewing a variety of television and video the network airs more than 100 K-12 series, programs, citing over 1,700 titles. The major consisting of approximately 1,500 individual program sources came from broadcast networks, programs. They are telecast between 8:30 a.m. with CNN listed as the most available source of and 3:30 p.m. during the school day on televi- cable television. sion stations covering virtually the entire state. "Parade of Programs," a schedule book produced Commercial Television annually by the state WECB, has a complete listing of these programs. It contains a descrip- Commercially broadcast television includes a tion of each instructional television (ITV) series, limited amount of programming that can be of titles of individual programs, broadcast sched- educational value in the classroom.Specials ules, and the subject area and grade levels for created by the National Geographic Society and each series. There are also companion teacher other network producers, as well as shows from guides to assist classroom teachers in integrat- network news departments, can sometimes be of ing instructional shows into their existing cur- value in education. riculum. One example of commercially produced in- A free, online computer service called Learn- structional programming is found on the CBS ing Link Wisconsin also helps classroom teach- network. For more than a decade, CBS has been ers use ITV programming. One of Learning airing award-winning, original contemporary Link's major features is Curriculum Connec- dramas involving conflicts and dilemmas faced tion, a computer database with information by today's youth. The programs are part of its about ITV programs broadcast on Wisconsin "Schoolbreak Specials" series and usually run Public Television and listed in "Parade of Pro- once a month throughout the school year. The one-hour dramas are developed with educators, psychologists, religious leaders, and experts in related fields. They are intended to IIFigure 13 give teachers and students in grades 7 through 12 tha opportunity to explore serious topics. Wisconsin Public Television Broadcasts are close-captioned for the hearing Stations impaired. School personnel can videotape the programs and show them twice in a school or library during a ten-day period. Taped programs may be RANSLATOR 54 retained for preview for 45 days, after which the 3.&16 EL FLORENCE COUNTY recordings must be erased. Their use is gov- RAHSLATOR 55 erned by the federal government's Fair Use reg- ELURON RAY ulations concerning copyrighted mc,terial. p Program guides are available to help teachers employ the "Schoolbreak Specials" as cata- W/M291117.1 lysts for discussion, research, and other classroom activities.Guides include a program .1111b4tralla synopsis, discussion topics, suggested activities, and additional resources for each program. They W may be ordered from KIDSNET, a nonprofit fit group based in Washington, DC, that reviews ./11 L OR 4a commercial television programs for appropri- IL OM ateness for the classroom or for viewing by school-aged children. KIDSNET also publishes guidelines on how to use commercial television effectively in the home. Source: Wisconsin Educational Communications Board, 1989.

38 4'7 grams." Curriculum Connection can be accessed ticipants can communicate with others taking to obtain a description of the ITV programs and part in the show. to cross-reference each show to a particular topic Advantages of commercial television as a tool or grade level.Learning Link also offers an of instructional telecommunications are as fol- electronic mail service, provides a "forums" sec- lows: tion that serves as an electronic bulletin board, This medium is available in almost every and includes file libraries and discussion cen- home and school in Wisconsin. ters. VCRs allow shows to be recorded so they can In addition to these K-12 programs on public be viewed at a later time. television, approximately 16 courses are offered Disadvantages of commercial television for by the UW System and WTCS. These courses instruction are as follows: cover topics such as education, childcare, Viet- There is no interaction between the program nam, General Educational Development (GED) and the students. preparation, and business and may be taken for Without a VCR, these programs must be credit, recertification, or continuing education viewed when they are broadcast. units.Registration is by mail and instructor/ A lack of programming exists that is suitable learner interaction is via telephone during pre- to be incorporated into a curriculum. determined "office hours."Course work and Students must also view commercials, unless exams are graded by mail. UW telecourses are they are deleted during taping. available statewide, while WTCS classes are Wisconsin Public Television programming is offered by participating technical colleges. tailored for education and is a far greater source of programming than commercial television. Ad- Low-Power Television vantages of Wisconsin Public Television for instruction over commercially broadcast televi- Low-power television is broadcast with the sion are as follows: same technology as commercial television, ex- This network reaches practically every home cept such stations are licensed for a much small- and school building in the state. er area because of their weaker signals. The This network provides a large number of coverage area may be five to 30 miles, or about K-12 enrichment programs professionally pro- half the size of other commercial television sta- duced for the classroom. tions. Most programs have guides to assist teachers These stations can be owned and operated by in integrating the material into the existing a college campus, a school district, or any other curriculum. entity that can win approval from the Federal Several of the programs broadcast have com- Communications Commission (FCC). These sta- puter programs, CD-ROMs, and laserdie.cs to tions are different from the community access or supplement the video programs. education channels on a local cable television These programs can be videotaped for later system because they are separately licensed. use. They also tend to be broadcast over the air in- Disadvantages of using Wisconsin Public stead of being delivered via cable. Some low- Tivision for instruction are as follows: power stations may be seen on local cable televi- There is no interaction between the program sion systems, but this is not their usual mode of mid the students. transmission. A Without a VCR, these programs must be viewed when they are broadcast. Modes of Instruction The primary mode of instruction over broad- Microwave Television cast television is one-way audi) and video. For the most part there is no interaction between Microwave communications, a technology the instructor and the learner. This is particu- available since the late 1960s, uses very high larly true of shows in the "Parade of Programs" radio frequencies to transmit television, tele- on public television. However, special programs phone, and data services.Terrestrial micro- broadcast live on the state public television net- wave systems consist of a series of relay stations work, such as "Teen Connection" and "Teen located in a line-of-sight path to each other. Talk," have toll-free telephone numbers so par- They can simultaneously transmit a number of

39 4u television programs or thousands of telephone sion tower. If a school district is surrounded by or data circuits. trees, hills, or large buildings, it may have to Satellite microwave systems have supple- construct a tower to secure a clear line-of-sight mented these terrestrial facilities by linking var- path for its antenna. ious terrestrial systems into a worldwide com- The 28 microwave channels are in the 2,500 munications network.Microwave television to 2,690 megahertz band of the radio spectrum transmission can be omnidirectional, as in ITFS, and are grouped into seven sets of four channels or point-to-point.Both kinds of transmission each. An ITFS license will include four chan- are used in Wisconsin for distance learning. nels, but no more than that. This multichannel capacity makes it possible to simultaneously ITFS feed several channels from different locations, thereby creating an interactive system with Equipment needed at the school to partici- multiple audio and video inputs. ITFS can be pate in an ITFS system includes engineered as a two-way system for both video an ITFS antenna; and audio, but is intended primarily as a one- towers for line-of-sight path to the transmit- way video and two-way audio technology. It is ter site (if necessary); also possible to design systems with multiple a downconverter to convert the microwave simultaneous audio and video sources, but this signal to signals a television set can receive; type of ITFS network is more costly and cumber- cabling to bring the signal to the classroom (a some. (Wisconsin Educational Communications single wire to a single classroom or an internal Board, 1990) cable throughout the school); ITFS systems can telecast live, locally origi- signal boosters, depending on the length of nated programs to many sites, such as confer- cable needed to feed the signal to each class- ences and teacher inservice programs. These room; systems also enable a teacher to instruct stu- a television set or monitor for each classroom dents in multiple, remote classrooms. Twenty that can receive the entire range of VHF and ITFS systems in Wisconsin are licensed to the UHF channels (sometimes referred to as "cable WECB and another nine are licensed to WTCS ready"); districts.(See figures 15 and 16 for maps of a VCR and videotapes to record programs; where these networks are located.) These sys- a speaker phone or telephone convener box; tems place ITFS in reach of approximately and 60 percent of all K-12 districts in the state. Not a dedicated telephone line (recommended). all districts can take advantage of these servic- ITFS is a group of 28 television channels es, however, because of topography and this established for educational institutions in 1963 technology's line-of-sight requirement. by the FCC. ITFS is referred to as a "narrow- Programs typically originate in a studio at a cast" technology because it reaches a small, tar- local educational institution. Since ITFS serves geted audience. A "broadcast" technology is one all educational units within its signal area, par- that is designed to reach a mass audience, such ticipants can also receive courses from local UW as commercial television. A special antenna and and WTCS campuses.Courses on "Teaching signal converter are required to receive an ITFS over Television" and "Critical Thinking" have signal. Because ITFS transmitters are usually been offered to secondary school staffby two UW limited to ten watts of power, a usable signal campuses, and a third delivers engineering covers a radius of only 20 to 30 miles.The courses to employees at nine metropolitan in- farther away a receiving site is from the trans- dustrial work. sites.Several WTCS campuses mitter, the larger and more costly the antenna it use ITFS to provide courses in business, commu- needs to receive the signal. nications, and technical skills as well as parent- ITFS is a line-of-sight technology, so a signal ing and equivalency diploma classes. will be obstructed by hills, buildings, trees, or In addition, some ITFS systems have banded other objects that get in its way.(Figure 14 together to offer courses that individual systems shows a clear line of sight is necessary for ITFS had not been able to provide on their own, such transmission.)Consequently, the antenna at as Japanese, Russian, French, AP calculus, and the receive site must be mounted so that a di- AP English. And because this technology can rect, unobstructed path exists to the transmis- cover several school districts, joint meetings of

9 Or' UFigure 14 Instructional Television Fixed Service (ITFS)

ITFS Transmission Path Receive Site .10 go,

es .0/ 6P Studio Transmitter Link ITFS Signal 'Po 6.6ad.

Par ProcirP ,n grip 6%. 66. 0.6 Origination 601, Pa. Point Transmitter 61% Receive Site Site

Typical Receive Site

[Television I

Receiver Antenna

ITFS Transmission Frequencies 2500-2686 Megahertz Transmitter: 10 Watts Output

Source: Wisconsin Educational Communications Board. Instructional Television Fixed Service: A Statewide System. Madison: Wisconsin Educational Communications Board, 1990, exhibit B. athletic conferences and regional school board satellite dish. These satellite-based programs associations can be held, thus cutting down the are then retransmitted over ITFS. amount of travel between districts. A telephone-based return system capable of ITFS can also be combined with a satellite carrying voice and data links learners with the dish to retransmit programming received from a instructors, whether they are in a local ITFS satellite. It can also retransmit a wide range of studio or a national satellite studio. Fax ma- teleconferences for student enrichment, staff de- chines and computers enable instructors and velopment, or inservice needs.Several ITFS learners to exchange assignments, quizzes, ex- systems also provide Satellite Educational Re- ams, and student records. sources Consortium (SERC) programming. A ITFS can also deliver two-way audio and vid- local user group develops the ITFS program- eo instruction. The Central Wisconsin Educa- ming schedule based on the needs of partici- tional Television Network (CWETN) project con- pants within the signal area. nects several small rural districts in west-central Wisconsin with two-way ITFS tech- Modes of Instruction. nology. Each school in this two-way ITFS system needs a studio, because each site will be The primary mode of instruction over ITFS able to originate as well as receive instruction. comprises one-way video and two-way audio. Two-way data communications can occur in all Local programs originate in a studio and nation- ITFS systems over telephone lines. Computers al programs are brought into the system by and fax machines make it possible to exchange

41 duces the amount of investment in certain tech- IIIFigure 15 nologies in the signal area and provides a cost- effective last mile delivery system. WECB Statewide Disadvantages of using one-way ITFS for in- ITFS Network struction include the following: The teacher cannot see the students and students cannot see participants in other classes. The technology is line-of-sight and does not work in all terrains, so costly towers may be required so some locations can receive the signal. The technology is subject to some weather and some microwave interference. Teachers must travel to the studio to conduct their classes. Bell schedules, school calendars, and course begin and end dates will not necessarily correspond with local schedules and calendars. (Barker, 1992) For the advantages and disadvantages of a two-way version of ITFS, see the section apply- ing to two-way interactive fiber optics technology on pages 51-52. Point-to-Point Microwave Equipment needed for point-to-point micro- Source: Evans Associates. Wisconsin Distance Education wave instruction includes Technology Study. Madison: Wisconsin Educational Commu- nications Board, 1993, p. B-1. 111 Figure 16 assignments, quizzes, exams, and student records throughout the system. WTCS Statewide ITFS System Advantages of using one-way ITFS technology for instruction include the following: Students can see and hear the teacher and teachers can hear the students through a telephone bridge. It is relatively inexpensive to receive an ITFS signal, although it is more costly to construct and equip an ITFS studio. ITFS signals are reserved for education, so they are relatively secure frequencies. ITFS signals have a range of approximately 30 miles, so they can serve as a regional technology to meet the needs of schools within the signal area. Because ITFS systems are regional technologies, they are governed and scheduled by their users. ITFS signals can be relayed from one signal area to another if they are within a 30-mile range. Source: Wisconsin Educational Communications Board. In- Signals from other technologies such as satel- structional Television Fixed Service: A Statewide System. lite, broadcast and cable television, and fiber Madison: Wisconsin Educational Communications Board, optics can be retransmitted over ITFS; this re- 1990, exhibit D.

42 51 a microwave antenna, between the transmitter and receiver. Figure 17 receivers/transmitters (and towers to support shows the line-of-sight requirement for point-to- them, if necessary), point microwave transmission. Outages due to television cameras, weather are minimal and adding channels is microphones, relatively inexpensive compared to fiber optics a television set or monitorfor each classroom and cable systems. The point-to-point feature that can receive the entire range of VHF and provides a secure system with access to one or UHF channels (sometimes referred to as "cable more receivers. ready"), and Point-to-point microwave can be used in the a VCR and videotapes torecord programs. same manner as ITFS to transmitlive interac- Point-to-point microwave uses FM radio tive communications, to rebroadcast satellite waves to send audio signalsand AM radio waves programs, or to air taped programs. Inaddition, tosendvideo signals from one point to another. a microwanetwork can be designed with addi- These systems, licensed by the FCC at 6 mega- tional audioanddata channels for a telephone hertz, have a range of up to 30 miles depending network to carry fax transmissions, data lines to on antenna size, transmitter power,and receiv- connect to computer systems, and additional er sensitivity. A 23 gigahertzfrequency trans- audio lines for teleconferencing. mits signals for short hauls of up to 15 miles. Northcentral Technical College (NTC) in The signals are directional and may be either Wausau has constructed a microwave system simplex (one-way audio and video) or duplex that has a duplex channel to, and a simplex (two-way audio and video). This technology can channel from, each of its five regional campuses. provide one or two audio subcarriers that can This system enables NTC to deliver up to seven carry numerous data, audio,and video channels courses or programs simultaneously.It also on a single system. Four channelsof full-motion connects regional campuses to the main campus video can be transmitted over one microwave computer system.It has expanded its audio system. channels by adding seven additional telephone Towers need to be constructed to support the lines to each of its regional campuses, with one microwave transmitters and receivers. Tower of the audio lines dedicated to fax communica- height depends on the terrain because they need tions. The simplex channel from each of the to be aligned by line of sightwith no obstacles regions serves as a return video and audio link

Figure 17 Microwave Communication System

5 - 30miles .404, ,-

NM". ..0 fc.9 7.... 11 School School Line-of-sight transmission Microwave radio repeaters

Source: Office of Technology Assessment. Linktng for Learning: ANew Course for Education. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1989, p. 72.

J0ti for one of the WECB's ITFS channels, whichare direct feed of the television signals to cablecom- also a part of NTC's telecommunications sys- panies, which then deliver them to customers tem. The additional audio lines also provide via cable. The newer fiber optics technology, toll-free audio return lines for the other ITFS discussed later in this chapter, can be used in channels. place of coaxial cable. Equipment recr-ired for cable television includes modulators, demodula- Modes of Instruction tors, addressable converters, and amplifiers. The coverage pattern of coaxial cablecan be Point-to-point microwave can provide one- point-to-point or point-to-multipoint, withan way video and two-way audio or full two-way average range of up to 30 miles. audio and video transmissions.This type of Although coaxial cable is fully interactive, it technology can simultaneously transmit audio is limited by the number of channels itcan carry, and video signals along with print materials. and data transmission requires a separate chan- For the advantages and disadvantages ofone- nel. The number of channels available for edu- way point-to-point microwave technologies for cation can be determined between a cable com- instruction, refer to the previous section in this pany and school district when local government chapter on ITFS technology (page 42). For the awards the cable franchise. Once the communi- advantages and disadvantages of two-way ty's cable operation is in place, there is less interactive point-to-point microwave technology chance for expansion of the system's capabili- for instruction, see the section on fiber optics ties. (pages 51-52). Coaxial cable is not significantly affected by adverse weather conditions, althoughone com- Cable Television mon problem is the disruption of service by acci- dental excavation of an underground cable. Equipment needed at the school to receive Through business and school partnerships, this instruction via cable television includes technology can provide significant cost savings cable service from the local distributor; to both parties for multichannel capabilities. It cabling to bring the signal to the classroom (a also has the advantage of being locally fran- single wire to a single classroom or an internal chised and regulated.Negotiations between cable throughout the school); school districts and cable companies can bevery a "cable ready" television, or a monitor, in complex and time-consuming. Theremay be no each classroom; need for expenditures for costly towers and sat- a VCR and videotapes to record programs; ellite dishes, but cable is primarily confined to a speaker phone or convener box; areas served by a cable company. Therefore, it a dedicated telephone line (recommended); will be unavailable in communities withoutca- special response equipment if required bya ble television service.Negotiations between particular program; multiple school districts and multiple cablecom- special modem and computer for XPRESS panies can be difficult and lengthy.(Kitchen, XChange. 1989) Cable television began as a way to provide Early cable television systems wereone-way, television to communities unable to receive a which meant they could send programming to broadcast signal. The increased dependence on subscribers. Now, interactive cable givescus- communication satellites to deliver programs tomers greater freedom of choice in programs and the decrease in the cost of this technology and added features and services.In the near now allow cable companies to deliver a wide future these new services will include homese- range of specialized programming to subscrib- curity for burglary and other threats, home shop- ers.Cable television today includes channels ping, at-home banking, video games that inter- dedicated to sports, movies, news, and even edu- act with a central computer or other cable cation. subscribers, conferencing, videotext delivery, Cable television is transmitted over a coaxial and interactive instruction. For example, J. cable that can carry broadcast television sig- nese television for several years has incorporat- nals. Figure 18 illustrates how cable companies ed cable television and videodiscs for education- service their customers.Satellites provide a al applications. (Wedemeyer, 1986)

44 r .) Figure 18 Cable Television Distribution System

;,Broadcast or ITFS Microwave

School WM= CO= I cm= ¢mic 0.114.1 Coaxial University cable Coaxial cable Coaxial or fiber optic backbone

Coaxial Coaxial cable cable Business Cable headend

Homes

Source: Office of Technology Assessment. Linking for Learning: A New Coursefor Education. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1989, p. 69.

Japanese is currently being taught in three Dedicated Channels high schools in the Milwaukee area over a live, Schools and districts can offer distance learn- two-way cable connection. The system uses one ing through cable channels set aside, or dedicat- channel to send the signal to the receiving class- ed, exclusively for local or community program- rooms and one channel to receive thesignal from ming. These "dedicated" channels can transmit each of the two remote classrooms. Consequent- locally produced courses and instruction from ly, three channels are needed for a full two-way one building or school district to manyothers. video/audio system. The channels can be assigned specifically for schools or can he one of the government, educational, or community-access channels some com- Cable Program Providers munities negotiate when they award local cable franchises. These dedicated channels may be Schools and districts can also receive dis- part of the community cable loop that goes into tance learning by purchasing programming from the home of each subscriber. members of Cable in the Classroom (CIC), a Cable television systems also provide a closed nonprofit service of the Cable Alliance for Edu- government loop, called a "B" loop, that is only cation. Sometimes CIC allows the programs to accessible to local and county government offic- be recorded without a fee. CIC consists of more es, school buildings, or otheragreed-upon loca- than 30 cable distributors serving more than tions.This "B" loop can also carry distance two thirds of the nation's cable televisionaudi- learning programs. ence.

45 5 1 Some CIC members help education by offer- building articles about programming, and direc- ing cable installation to all public schools or tories of free teaching materials. A second guide providing equipment such as VCRs, monitors, titled The Educator's Guide to Cable Television teaching materials, and computers to partici- has tips on how to use programs in the class- pating schools. Sometimes these providers even room, reviews them by subject matter, and in- sell satellite dishes at cost to public schools cludes weekly broadcast schedules. outside their cable delivery areas. Cable systems throughout Wisconsin and the Modes of Instruction nation receive programming via satellite and then transmit it over coaxial cable to subscrib- Several modes of instruction are possible with ers. Thus, a school district without cable service cable television, depending on whether a district can receive this programming with a C-band or is programming its own dedicated channels or Ku-band steerable satellite dish. The dish, how- obtaining it from cable providers. Two-way au- ever, must be equipped with descramblers need- dio and video instruction can take place over a ed for the various commercial channels.(An district's dedicated channels.This mode re- explanation of dishes is given in the section on quires one channel for the originating classroom satellite technology later in this chapter.) and one for each receiving classroom. If only one When using a satellite dish to receive cable dedicated channel is available for education, one- programming, schools must be sure to know if way video and two-way audio instruction can descramblers are needed and how much they occur with a telephone-based return system. In cost. Some commercial channels will provide a s-me cases, a government or public-access chan- school with a free descrambler if the school is nel can be borrowed to increase the number of using its programming for instructional purpos- channels available for two-way audio and video. es; this offer varies with the channels. Most Local governmental bodies that deal with cable educational channels are not scrambled and television will indicate if this is feasible. tend to be located in the Ku-band portion of the One-way video, two-way audio instruction is satellite frequency spectrum. also possible when live, interactive courses are Cable television providers offer a variety of taken over cable television. TI-IN, a satellite- programming including news, documentaries, based provider of student courses and staff de- and presentations of drama and the other per- velopment programs from Texas, also offers pro- forming arts. There are also curriculum-based gramming on cable television.Since this programs for math, English, science, social stud- delivery mode is basically one-way audio and ies, biology, foreign languages, health, and vo- video, a telephone-based audio return system is cational and technical studies. They are offered needed for an interaction circuit. This return free of commercials and copyright clearances system is coupled with - computer that has a range from Fair Use (single use within ten days modem to send and receive assignments, quiz- and 45 days' retention for evaluation) to perpe- zes, exams, and student records. tuity. Many programs include curriculum-based One-way audio and video instruction is the support materials. Appendix C describes major prevalent mode for enrichment programs pro- cable providers and programs designed for use duced by cable program providers that air on in K-12 classrooms. commercial channels like Arts and Entertain- Major program providers offer guides to help ment, Discovery, and Nickelodeon.On the classroom teachers use their programs and to XPRESS XChange channel, a special computer identify additional readings and resources. Sev- modem enables a school to separate one-way eral additional guides on satellite and cable tele- data communications from the cable television's vision educational programming are also. avail- video and audio signals. This informationcan able including Cable in the Classroom nttgazine, then be printed out. which can be ordered from local cable television The advantages and disadvantages of one- operators. This magazine provides information way dedicated cable television channels for in- on selected cable, broadcast, and public televi- struction are the same as those for one-way sion programming arranged by subject matter. 'ITS and satellite technologies (see pages 42 Cable in the Classroom alse includes study and 49). guides for programs of interest, how-to features The advantages and disadvantages of two- that demystify teaching technology, curriculum- way interactive dedicated cable television chan-

46 nels for instruction are the same as those dis- a satellite dish (C-band or Ku-band steerable cussed for fiber optics (see pages 51-52). recommended); The advantages and disadvantages of pro- cabling to bring the signal into the school; gramming distributed by members of Cable in a receiver to steer the dish and capture the the Classroom are the same as those for Wiscon- signal; sin Public Television programs (see page 39). cabling to bring the signal to the classroom (a single wire to a single classroom or an internal cable throughout the school); Videotext and Teletext a television or monitor for each classroom Equipment needed at the school so classes that can receive the entire range of VHF and can receive videotext and teletext includes UHF channels (sometimes referred to as "cable a television equipped with closed caption ca- ready"); pability; and a VCR and videotapes to record programs; equipment to send signals over the televi- a fax machine (optional); sion's vertical blanking interval (VBI). VBI is a speaker phone or convener box; the part of the television video signal in the a dedicated telephone line (recommended); black bar that can be seen at the top of the and television picture. special response equipment (for example, Videotext is a generic term referring to elec- when needed with SERC or TI-IN program- tronic messages of text and graphics. Essential- ming). ly there are two types of videotext, one-way and Communication satellites are essentially two-way.One-way is known as teletext, or nothing more than radio-relay stations in space, broadcast videotext. Teletext is usually deliv- fulfilling much the same purpose as microwave ered via the VBI on a standard broadcast or towers.Satellites receive radio signals trans- cable television channel. Teletext services usu- mitted by an "uplink" from the ground, amplify ally concentrate on rapid delivery of data that is them, translate them in frequency, and retrans- constantly changing, such as stock market quo- mit them back to the earth.Satellites are tations, farm commodity reports, and weather 26,000 miles out in space in a geosynchronous information. orbit of the earth. Geosynchronous means the Two-way videotext is referred to as videotext satellites always remain in the same position (the most common designation), view data, or relative to the surface of the planet. Satellites interactive videotext. This type of service func- in this type of orbit can transmit a signal over tions very much like an online database. How- about half the earth, The coverage area of a ever, the addition of color graphics is an identi- satellite's signal is known as a footprint. The fying characteristic of videotext. These two-way size of the satellite's transmission range makes services are delivered via cable television or, satellite transmissions insensitive to distance, more commonly, by telephone. Interactive video- because they can simultaneously reach every text offers unlimited databases as well as many downlink on one half of the earth. (Campanella, two-way services such as banking, computer- 1989) aided instruction, online shopping, and electron- In 1957, the former Soviet Union launched ic mail. (Wedemeyer, 1986) the first satellite into space.Communication satellites since then have become a major part of Modes of Instruction the national and international communications network.Communication satellites now con- This technology will not Ile used widely. How- nect even the most remote spots of the world and ever, it can fill specialty niches such as relaying can transmit voice, data, and video almost any- daily stock market quotations to a business where. Currently there are 38 communication class, farm commodity reports to an agriculture satellites in orbit over North America, each with class, and weather updates and information. the capacity to carry or transmit between 24 arid 48 channels. The pioneer in the field of satellite interconnection was the Public Broadcasting Satellite System, which in 1978 connected its public tele- Equipment needed at the school to receive vision stations. (Wisconsin Educational Com- distance learning via satellite includes munications Board, 1988)

47 Newer satellites with more powerful signals one current INTELSAT VI satellite can trans- have eliminated the need for high-cost, high- mit 20 billion bits of information in seven to maintenance receiving dishes, making satellite 20 seconds. transmissions available to almost any school Video compression technology enables some with basic technical support on the premises. transponders to transmit two or more television Satellites formerly were only able to send sig- channels. Currently, SERC and TI-IN tran - mit nals indiscriminately to large geographical ar- at half-transponder strength. This means,ey eas. But new technologies allow direct satellite can split one full transponder into two channels, broadcasts to specific regions of a nation or state. thus doubling the amount of programming over And advancements in compression technology the same transponder. However, schools need will one day multiply the world's communica- special receivers for their satellite dishes so they tions capabilities five-fold to an estimated can use programming relayed on half-transpon- 180,000 channels. These increases will be nec- ders.In the near future, digital compression essary to meet the expected growth during the technology will enable each transponder to carry rest of the century in satellite traffic, which ten or more video channels. Transponders can consists of telephone and television signals, tele- carry only one channel today. conferencing, electronic mail, data transmission, Each satellite band has its benefits and its and other forms of communication. The volume drawbacks. The C-band frequencies are rela- of this traffic is estimated to be increasing at tively low power and, therefore, relatively inex- 20 percent annually. (Wedemeyer, 1986) pensive to operate. They require larger dishes Most commercial satellite systems have two to receive the signal, however, and are subject to primary frequency bands, C-band and Ku-band. some terrestrial microwave interference. An "uplink" consists of an antenna, amplifiers, Ku-band satellites need more power and are and equipment necessary to transmit a signal to more costly to operate, but have smaller, less a satellite. A "downlink" is the equipment need- expensive receive dishes. Also, their signal is ed to receive a satellite signal on the ground. A not subject to interference from the more com- "transponder" is the equipment on board a satel- mon microwave transmissions. Most education- lite that receives signals from earth, amplifies al programming available by satellite is on Ku- them, changes their frequencies, and sends them band.However, Ku-band signals tend to back to earth. One full transponder can trans- degenerate in heavy rain because the signal is mit one television channel. A satellite in the about the size of a raindrop. (Wisconsin Educa- past usually had 12 transponders, but newer tional Communications Board, 1993) satellites have twice as many. Each transpon- A substantial amount of instructional pro- der on a satellite can be reused by means of gramming is available via satellite. Smith Holt, polarization, thereby providing 24 wideband founder of Oklahoma State University's Arts communications channels from a satellite that and Sciences Teleconferencing Service (ASTS), has 12 transponders. Polarization can either be has noted that the EDSAT Institute has identi- vertical or horizontal. fied at least 111 providers of satellite-delivered Satellite transmission is costly, so it is re- educational programming. The majority of these served for certain types of services such as tele- are not involved in live, interactive television, vision, data transmission, and long-distance but those that do offer a variety of programming. telephone calls. A typical satellite has the ca- (Holt, 1991) Appendix C looks at major K-12 pacity to simultaneously transmit up to two col- satellite providers. or television channels, 1,200 voice channels, 16 If full-curriculum courses are not needed, en- data channels at the rate of 1.544 megabits per richment programs are available. They include second, 400 data channels at 64,000 bits per shows on space and space flight from the Nation- second, and 600 data channels at 40,000 bits per al Aeronautics and Space Administration second. By way of comparison, the first INTEL- (NASA), science seminars on supercomputers SAT satellite launched in 1971 could transmit and acid rain, and live and interactive "electron- only 4,000 voice circuits and two color television ic field trips" to research and development cen- channels. The INTELSAT V satellite launched ters and schools around the world.Satethtes in 1981 has a capacity of 12,000 two-way voice also give students access to radio and television circuits plus two color television channels. channels that broadcast in Japanese, Spanish, (Dordick, 1989) And as discussed in chapter 2, and French. Some of these channels are from

48 J foreign countries while others originate in the The television teacher cannot see the stu- United States. dents. Professional staff development and continu- Students at the receiving sites cannot see ing education programs are offered by each of students at other sites. the student course providers mentioned above Telephone contact during class is not imme- as well as by National Technological University diate, preventing some students from calling in. (NTU), which gives graduate-level courses in An audio echo is common when students use computers, engineering, and management. The the telephone to talk with the television teach- National University Teleconferencing Network er. (NUTN) delivers teleconferences and informa- Some receiver dishes, especially Ku-band tional programming to a variety of educational dishes, are weather sensitive and can lose their and business audiences. UW System schools are signals, especially during heavy rain, snow, or active members of NUTN and the UW-Madison dust storms; and both the C-band and Ku-band College of Engineering produces programs for are susceptible to periodic "sun outages." NTU. DPI, WECB, and the UW-Extension col- The potential exists for large class sizes of laborate with SERC to present in service and 200 to 300 students at a time, limiting the graduate courses for K-12 teachers. opportunity for teacher-student interaction. Student-to-student interaction between different sites is extremely limited at best, and Modes of Instruction nonexistent at worst. In addition to start-up costs for a satellite The primary mode of instruction with satel- dish and other appropriate receiving equip- lite technology incorporates one-way video, two- ment, the school must pay an annual subscrip- way audio, and two-way data. An audio-based tion fee to the satellite vendor to receive pro- return system capable of carrying voice and data gramming. links learners with the instructors.Fax ma- Differences in bell schedules, time zones, chines and computers help instructors and and dates for spring breaks, holidays, and so learners to exchange assignments, quizzes, ex- forth often create conflicts with local school ams, and records. schedules, and are not easy to resolve. (Barker, Advantages of satellite instruction include 1992, p. 36-37) the following: Students can see the teacher. Teacher-student audio interaction is possi- Fiber Optics ble. To use fiber optics for instruction, schools Real-time distribution of instructional mate- will need a variety of equipment, including rials, including handouts, tests, and assign- fiber optics cabling to each point on the net- ments, is possible at remote sites through print- work; ers. multiple electronic switching devices Because satellite signals can cover large geo- throughout the network; graphical areas, this technology is relatively codecs (coders/decoders) to put signals onto cost-effective; the fiber and to take them off at the other end; Most satellite systems are "turn-key" opera- receivers/transmitters to send and receive tions, providing program offerings, scheduling, audio and video signals to and from the codecs; instruction, student grading, and distribution of television cameras; materials to participating schools. microphones; Satellite programming is the most widely a television set or monitor for each classroom known distance learning technology, making it that can receive the entire range of VHF and easier for local school boards and decision mak- UHF channels (sometimes referred to as "cable ers to support. ready"); Disadvantages of using satellite television as a VCR and videotapes to record programs; a means of distance learning include the follow- and ing: additional equipment as needed. Program offerings are centralized, thereby Fiber optics, one of the newest, most power- limiting control by local school districts. ful, and potentially most expensive of the two-

49 way interactive technologies, employs a glass put. This output could be voice, video, or data, cable that transmits light signals instead of elec- depending on the end receiver.(Tariyal and trical signals. Light conducted by fiber optics Cherin, 1989) systems is from the ultraviolet, visible, and in- Each glass fiber, as small as a human hair, frared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. can carry up to 24 analog television channels. The fiber is able to transmit the beam of light This means that, using analog transmission because the wrapping of the fiber functions as a technology, there could be eight three-site con- mirror and reflects the light beam back into the nections providing eight classes to 16 remote core, where it remains until it again strikes the sites at the same time. This same fiber can carry, core wrapping.This reflecting action occurs as many as 64 digital television channels. Re- continuously as the beam travels from one end of cent advances in laser technology have made it the fiber to the other. possible for one fiber to transmit one billion bits A fiber-based communications system con- of information each second. This speed is equiv- sists of a laser transmitter, the glass fiber, and a alent to the transmission each second of either receiver that can simultaneously process voice, 20 digital television channels, 14,000 telephone data, and video signals on the same transmis- conversations, or 100 average-length novels. sion system. (Figure 19 is a diagram of how a (Wedemeyer, 1986) fiber optics system operates.) The transmitter Fiber optics transmission is attractive for sev- takes the coded electronic signal and converts it eral reasons. to the light signal, which is carried by the glass Glass is more plentiful than copper. fiber to either a repeater or receiver. At the The small size of the cables increases the receiving end the signal is detected, converted to capacity of ducts that are now crowded with electronic pulses, and decoded to the proper out- conventional cables.

IIIFigure 19 Schematic Diagram of a Lightwave Communications System

SEQUENCES OF PULSES (BITS)

PULSES OF LIGHT

LIGHT SOURCE

DECODER

OUTPUT PULSESOFLIGHT

Source: Tariyal, B.K., and A.H. Cherin. "Optical Fiber Communications." Encyclopedia of Telecommunications. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 1989, p. 236.

50 All forms of electrical interference are elimi- Most systems currently operating are small nated. networks that promote local control of the teach- The potential for multisignal transmission er and the curriculum andgenerally maintain far exceeds that of electrical cables. small class size. The low resistance (or attenuation), even at Open microphones allow for full interaction very high frequencies, reduces thenumber of between students and teachers as well as be- amplifiers required to deliver signals over very tween students. long distances. (Dordick, 1989, p. 467) Most signals over current media are not af- The original signals a fiber optics system fected by weather. delivers can originate from a satellite.Fiber Any site on the network can originate as well optics coverage can be point-to-point or point-to- as receive classes. multipoint, traveling more than 20 miles with- Unless required by law, the presence of a out repeaters and much farther with specialized classroom facilitator at remote sites is typically equipment. Other equipment necessary for this not necessary because the teacher can see all de- remote sites at all times. type of system includes FM modulators and Disadvantages of two-way interactive dis- modulators at each site, optical transmitters tance learning instruction, regardless of the and receivers for analog systems, and codecs for transmission system employed, include the fol- digital systems. The channel capacity of this technology is lowing: limited only by the number of fibers and ad- Cable television and fiber optics are still not vancements in receivers and transmitters. The available in many rural communities, although they are slowly becoming more common. system also can be easily expanded to include Fiber optics is very expensive to install. audio and data transmission. Fiber optics trans- Virtually all successful two-way interactive mission is completely unaffected by weather and television systems are founded on a partnership less subject to noise and interference than cop- between schools and businesses in the local area, per cable transmission. An increasingnumber of utilities and telephone companies are installing fiber optics to upgrade their telecommunica- 111Figure 20 tions infrastructure. Thus, this technology offers attractive opportunities for business and Distance Education education partnerships that might be able to Fiber Optics Projects lower the costs to the schools for this very expensive technology. (Kitchen, 1989) Until 1970, long-range fiber optics communication systems, for the most part, were impracti- cal. Since then, however, remarkable advances have taken place in the development of super - transparent glass fiber.Improvement of the fibers, coupled with new signal input and output devices, has made fiber optics communications one of the fastest growing areas inthe communications world. Figure 20 is a map of the state that details fiber optics projects for education in Wisconsin. Modes of Instruction Advantages of two-way interactive distance learningwhether transmitted over fiber optics, point-to-point microwave or ITFS, or cable television systemsinclude the following: CESA Two-way, full-motion video can be transmit- Source: Evans Associates.Wisconsin Distance Education ted among all sites, allowing students and teach- Technology Study. Madison: Wisconsin Educational Commu- ers to see each other. nications Board, 1993, p. C-1.

51 6V and the human resources and financial capital Gallagher, Lynne, and Dale Hatfield. Distance needed for a partnership like this are not avail- Learning: Opportunities in Telecommunica- able in many rural areas. tions Policy and Technology.Washington, Most systems require a large capital invest- DC: The Annenberg Washington Program, ment to pay for start-up costs. 1989. The technology does best as a small network, Holt, Smith. with the linking of additional sites beingexpen- "Video-Delivered K-12 Distance sive and making it increasingly difficult to main- Learning: A Practitioners View."T.H.E. tain the two-way "visibility" among all sites. Journal Dec. 1991, pp. 59-63. (Barker, 1992, p. 37-41) Kitchen, Karen. Planning for Telecommunica- tions: A School Leader's Primer. Alexandria, VA: National School Board Association and References U.S. West Communications, 1989. Alley, Cindy, et al. Online Database Searching Office of Technology Assessment. Linking for in the Curriculum. Madison: Wisconsin Ed- Learning: A New Course for Education. ucational Media Association, 1986, p. 10. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1989. Barker, Bruce 0. The Distance Education Hand- book: An Administrator's Guide for Rural Pike, Graham, and David Selby. Global Teach- and Remote Schools. Charleston, WV: ERIC er, Global Learner.London:Hodder and Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Stoughton, 1988. Schools, 1992. Smith, Thomas W. "Audiographics in Continu- ing Engineering Education."International Berger, U.S. "Microwave Communications." In Journal of Continuing Engineering Educa- Encyclopedia of Telecommunications.Ed. tion 2.4 (Dec. 1992), pp. 155-60. Robert A. Meyers. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 1989, pp. 175-99. Tariyal, B.K., and A.H. Cherin. "Optical Fiber Communications." In Encyclopedia of Tele- Campanella, S.J. "Satellite Communications." communications. Ed. Robert A. Meyers. San In Encyclopedia of Telecommunications. Ed. Diego, CA: Academic Press, 1989,pp. 235- Robert A. Meyers. San Diego, CA: Academic 59. Press, 1989, pp. 311-34. Wedemeyer, Dan J. "The New Age of Telecom- Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Study of munications: Setting the Context for Educa- School Uses of Television and Video: Sum- tion."Educational Technology Oct. 1986, mary Report. Washington, DC: Corporation pp. 7-13. for Public Broadcasting, 1991. Wisconsin Educational Communications Board. Dordick, Herbert S. "Telecommunications." In Educational Satellite Use Study.A report Encyclopedia of Telecommunications.Ed. submitted to Gov. Tommy G. Thompson and Robert A. Meyers. San Diego, CA: Academic the Wisconsin Legislature. Madison: Wis- Press, 1989, pp. 455-76. consin Educational Communications Board, 1988. Epler, Doris M.Online Searching Goes to . Instructional Television Fixed Ser- School. Phoenix, AZ: The Oryx Press, 1989. vice: A Statewide System. A report submitted Evans Associates. Wisconsin Distance Educa- to Gov. Tommy G. Thompson and the Wis- tion Technology Study. Madison: Wisconsin consin Legislature. Madison: Wisconsin Ed- Educational Communications Board, 1993. ucational Communications Board, 1990.

52 ;4.414P Matching Needs with Technologies

mine specific goals and objectives to support the Introduction vision and mission statements that are part of This guide has already discussed the origins this process. And it shows districts how to create of instructional telecommunications and dis- a plan to secure what they want for the future. tance learning and illustrated their use in classrooms in Wisconsin, across the nation, and Why Create a District Plan? around the world.It has also explained the Every school district should develop a tech- various technologies used to deliver instruction nology plan to guide its use of instructional tele- in Wisconsin. communications. However, the issues involved Chapters 5 through 9 present a strategic are complex, and planning for telecommunica- planning model for assessing instructional tions technologies should be done very carefully. needs and matching those needs in the class- These are steps that need to be taken. room with telecommunications technologies. List all courses of study the district currently These chapters discuss the necessity for an in- provides as well as courses being considered for structional telecommunications plan and in- introduction into the district in the future via clude suggestions for organizing the assessment telecommunications technologies. effort. Choose the types of instructional opportuni- The planning model outlined in these chap- ties the district wants telecommunications tech- ters can lead school district personnel through a nologies to provide, whether they are full-credit process of discovery designed to help them de- student courses, collaborative learning ventures velop specific long-range plans to achieve their between classrooms, or staff inservice and pro- preferred futures. The model can show them fessional development programs. how tc design a process for continuously collect- Identify potential providers of local, regional, ing, monitoring, and reviewing critical data. It state, or national instructional programs that discusses how to involve a broad-based group of can meet district needs and expand the current stakeholdersschool and community mem- curriculum with courses it could not otherwise bersin planning for these technologies. Also offer. described are ways in which these stakeholders Consider technologies currently available can serve as key communicators in explaining that could meet current and projected instruc- specifics of the district's instructional telecom- tional needs. munications plan to the general public. Research new and emerging technologies that This guide discusses how broad-based activi- could meet current and projected instructional ties can build districtwide ownership of and needs. support for the instructional telecommunica- Calculate the costs associated with new in- tions plan. It explains how districts can deter- struction and equipment.

53 Determine inservice training needed to help era control unit to coordinate video between the teachers effectively use instructional telecom- instructional site and the remote classrooms. A munications in their classrooms. fiber optics network is expensive because the a Assess the impact instructional telecommu- equipment gives each classroom in the system nications technologies will ultimately have on the capability of originating as well as receiving the fabric of the classroom and the school dis- instruction. trict as a whole. Prices are also high for some of the other As this guide has shown, new learning op- technologies available. A satellite dish can cost portunities have been created by the prolifera- between $5,000 and $10,000; a two-way Instruc- tion of information resources, the growing need tional Television Fixed Service (ITFS) classroom for information and lifelong learning skills, and with three cameras, $28,000; and a one-way, the development of new technologies. Satellite, full-production ITFS studio, as much as $90,000. cable and broadcast television, computers, mi- Only one full-production studio is needed for a crowave, and fiber optics technologies are now one-way video ITFS system. Although a two- capable of transmitting significant amounts of way video ITFS system does not require a major information in the farms of voice, data, and production studio, each classroom must be video. equipped to both receive and transmit signals. All of this material can be sent directly to the An ITFS classroom that will only receive trans- classroom, library media center, workplace, or missions can be built for as little as $800 to home. New technologies have given people who $1,000. Such a facility requires an antenna to know how to operate them the power that comes bring in the signal, wiring to the classroom, a from having access to large amounts of informa- television set, videocassette recorder (VCR), and tion. Educational organizations have also been a speaker phone. Costs could be considerably able to harness these technologies to create new higher if a tower is needed at the school to forms of instruction and to further communica- receive the ITFS signal. tion among all members of the educational com- A computer with a modem can be purchased munity. for between $1,200 and $2,400. However, it can Telecommunications technologies can affect, be used by only one or two students at a time and to some extent, how school districts operate, the long-distance telephone lines are needed to fully characteristics of traditional classrooms, and realize the capabilities and benefits of this tech- the way teachers perform their jobs. The tradi- nology. Few districts currently provide long- tional role of a teacher is to lecture to a large distance telephone service to their library media group of students. But new technologies can centers, much less to individual classrooms. shift that role to one in which the teacher facil- The costs mentioned so far are only those itates collaborative, individualized, and small- associated with the technology's hardware. Ex- group instruction. These technologies also en- penses for teacher salaries, student support fa- able teachers to extend their instruction to cilities, tuition, consortium membership, user students in remote locations by means of voice, fees, facility construction, and maintenance will data, and video transmissions. Teachers can all increase budgets for an instructional tele- reach students in other sites across campus, in communications program. other school districts, or in other towns, states, Taking all these factors into consideration, it or countries. The types of instruction they can is of the utmost importance that school districts offer range from a full-credit course for high do not make decisions based only on the type of school students to an enrichment program or a technology available in the district or desired by collaborative project with another class. some of the users.Districts should, instead, One reason planning is important is that create a strategic telecommunications technolo- instructional telecommunications technologies gy plan based on the instructional needs of their can be expensive. For example, it can cost as students and the professional needs of their much as $24,000 to equip each classroom that is staff. part of a fiber optics network. This price includes television monitors, switching devices for Purposes of a District Plan video and audio signals, microphones, and a teaching station.The teaching station itself A district's instructional telecommunications must have a telephone, a computer, and a cam- plan should be part of its total technology re-

63 quirements and serve as a blueprint for the The four major phases in the planning pro- future. The plan should state the district's phi- cess will be discussed in separate chapters. They losophy, mission, and vision for the future. The are district must explain how implementation of I.creation of a district plan (chapter 6), this plan will affect curriculum and instruction, II.implementation of that plan into a district staff development, community involvement, and program (chapter 7), community education. III.evaluation of that program (chapter 8), The instructional telecommunications plan and should also describe the needs assessment pro- IV.modification of the plan and program cess, the planning process, how the technology (chapter 9). will be integrated into the district's overall level Each phase consists of a complex set of activ- of technology, and the evaluation model used for ities needed to complete the task. Appendix F assessment. The final section of a district in- contains a checklist to help districts organize, structional telecommunications plan should in- plan, and implement an instructional telecom- clude the recommendations and broad goals, pol- munications program. Although the basic plan- icies, and other procedural guidelines needed for ning model comes from the Guide to Curricu- implementation. lum Planning in Computer Education, its There are many actions that must be taken components are taken from several sources. when creating a district plan for instructional While districts may adapt this model to fit local telecommunications.Essentials of long-range circumstances, it is recommended that all or planning for instructional telecommunications most of the suggested steps be integrated into a are as follows: district planning process.It is important to allow sufficient time to develop the plan and note that, even though detaged separately, some complete all of its steps, while keeping in mind of these steps can and should be done simulta- that planning is a continuous process; neously. work with knowledgeable planners and pro- This model is focused at the district level, but cess consultants; it can easily be adapted to plan projects for a allocate sufficient resources to support the building, region, or an entire state.Simply planning effort; translate personnel, resources, and activities develop a vision or strategic goal; into roles and resources appropriate for the collect, monitor, and utilize external and in- level at which the planning model is used. For ternal data throughout the planning process; example, in creating a plan at the building modify or amend the plan as new data indi- level, the steering committee should consist of cates the need for change; building-level administrators, representatives have the community members, staff, stu- from each department and student support dents, and other important constituents accept area, students, and parents. If desired, district- and support the plan by involving all crucial level representation may be added. stakeholders in the planning process; and If this model is adapted to create a regional- remember the keys to technology planning level plan, the steering committee should in- success are involvement and ownership by clude representatives from each district's ad- many. (Peterson, 1991, pp. 47-48) ministrative and instructional staffs, as well as from regional units such as cooperative educational service agencies (CESAs) or consortiums. Integrating Instructional A second group of participants consisting of Telecommunications district personnel will be needed to conduct the activities in each participating school district. The planning model proposed for integrating The steering committee must coordinate the instructional telecommunications into the class- work of these district groups. The aggregation room and school district is shown in figure 21. and analysis of the individual school district Each phase of this model will be reviewed sepa- reports can be used as the basis for the regional rately in this guide. This model is taken from report and plan. the Department of Public Instruction's Guide to One of the basic components of this planning Curriculum Planning in Computer Education. model is a needs assessment that looks at both (Anderson, 1987) instruction and technology. The model defines a

55 61 aFigure21 Planning Process This diagram summarizes a suggested planning process for integrating instructional telecommunications into the K-12 curriculum. District Plan Planning process Philosophy and rationale Curriculum integration Modifying the District Facilities/resources Plan and Program Budget considerations Implementing Overview the District Program Planning for change Analyzing/interpreting Staff, administration Staff development program evaluations board review, and support Program/hardware Setting priorities selection, acquisition, and management Implementing change Evaluating impact Evaluating the District Program Overview Evaluation checklist

Source: Anderson, M. Elaine. A Guide to Curriculum Planning in Computer Education. Madison: Wisconsin Department o Public Instruction, 1987, p. 14. need as "the discrepancy between what is and References what ought to be." That is, a need is the difference between a district's current status and Anderson, M. Elaine. A Guide to Curriculum what that district wants it to be in the future. Planning in Computer Education. Madison: Consequently, this needs assessment includes Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, the process of identifying a district's vision of 1987. the future as well as assessing the present. If Peterson, Gary. "A Roadmap for Achieving Suc- there is no difference between the two, there is cess." California Technology Project Quarter- no need that must be realized. ly 3.1. (Fall 1991), pp. 44-49.

56 6 r-,) The District Plan

Members of the steering committee have The Steering Committee many roles and duties including managing the Developing a district plan for instructional planning process, defining its goals and objec- telecommunications is the most time-consum- tives, and conducting instructional and techno- ing phase of the planning model recommended logical needs assessments. The steering com- in this guide. (See figure 22 for a physical repre- mittee should be limited in number, but at a sentation of this model.) The first step is selec- minimum should include tion of a steering committee to be responsible for the district administrator or representative; ensuring that major steps in the planning pro- a principal (or representative) from each ces-. are completed. building in the district;

IFigure 22 Planning Process This diagram summarizes a suggested planning process for integrating instructional telecommunications into the K-12 curriculum. District Plan Planning process Philosophy and rationale Curriculum integration Modifying the District Facilities/resources Plan and Program Budget considerations Implementing Overview the District Program Planning for change Staff, administration Staff development Analyzing/interpreting board review, program evaluations and support Program/hardware Setting priorities selection, acquisition, and management Implementing change Evaluating impact Evaluating the District Program Overview Evaluation checklist

Source: Anderson. M. Elaine. A Guide to Curriculum Planning in Computer Education. Madison: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, 1987, p. 14.

57 66

BEST COPY AVAILABLE the district curriculum coordinator; equately it addresses the incorporation of tele- the district library media director or a schoo; communications technologies into the district's library media specialist; instructional program. the district computer coordinator or other The philosophy statement on the district plan technology teacher; could include any or all of the following ele- classroom teachers, preferably from each lev- ments: elelementary, middle, and secondary; A statement about the mission of tho school guidance counselor(s); district. the president, or a representative, of the Assumptions about the future. teachers' union; "Why use" technology statements. school board member(s); "We believe" statements. student representative(s); ana A list of generalized concepts.(Minnesota parent(s). Curriculum Services Center, 1983, pp. 9-13) The steering committee will have overall responsibility for directing, guiding, and evaluat- Mission Statements ing the planning process. The steps committee Mission statements can be as simple as, "The members must carry out are mission of the public schools in the XYZ School writing a philosophy statement and ratio- District is to help all children in our community nale for undertaking the instructional telecom- develop to their potential."Or these munications planning process; statements can specify the who, how, and why defining the scope of the instructional and behind the district's mission. An example of this technological needs assessments to be conduct- kind of statement is, "The mission of the XYZ ed; public school district is to provide the best edu- determining existing sources of information cation to the children of this community. The required to assess the district's instructional quality of this education is dependent upon hir- and technological needs; ing the most qualified teachers, purchasing the deciding what data has to be collected to best equipment, and financing the best instruc- complete the assessments; tional and co-curricular programs possible. This setting timelines to complete the planning is necessary to ensure that all children will have process; the opportunity to develop their cognitive, phys- developing the district's instructional needs ical, and emotional capabilities to the best of report based on the assessments conducted; their abilities, so they can become productive developing the district's technology needs members of this community and this state." report based on the assessments conducted; and (Minnesota Curriculum Services Center, 1983) creating an implementation process based on The mission statement can also paint a larger these steps, each of which is discussed in this picture of the district's philosophy and explain chapter. how it can be put into operation.There are many types of questions a committee can consid- A Philosophy and Rationale er in seeking a broader portrait of the district's mission and philosophy. Here are a few exam- The philosophy statement should explain the ples. motivations that led the district to instructional What, makes this school district special? telecommunications, describe the assumptions (What is the "culture" of the district? How is it and beliefs underlying the district plan, and maintained?) suggest the general results it is intended to Does this school district provide innovative produce. This statement is necessary to focus classes within fiscal restraints? (What are its and give direction to district efforts.It also successes and failures?) communicates current thinking of district deci- Does this school district provide programs for sion makers to staff, students, and the commu- underserved or unserved students? nity. Thus, it can be instrumental in developing Does this school district meet state require- support for instructional telecommunications. ments? (What is the district's compliance with A good place to start is to examine the dis- state standards?) trict's current statement of philosophy.The Does this school district provide quality edu- steering committee can then determine how ad- cation to all segments of the student population?

58 0 (What is the district's reputation with its neigh- What is important for students to know in a boring districts? How does it perform on state- global, information-based societyforeign lan- level testing programs?) guages, telecommunications skills,geopolitical Does this school district share resources with studies rather than world history, environmen- other communities and incorporate local busi- tal and consumer education? (Kitchen, 1989) ness and industry resources into theeducational experience? (Kitchen, 1989) "Why Use" Technology Statements Assumptions about the Future "Why use" technology statements offer a ra- The district philosophy may incorporate as- tionalization for incorporating new technolo- sumptions about the future concerning changes gies into a district's instructional program. in society that may result from technological They can include many different ideas and phi- advances. An example of this type of statement losophies. Here are just a few: "Technology use is, "The transformation from an industrial soci- can prepare people for a world in which contact ety to an information society will be one of the with technology applications will be a daily most overwhelming forces for change people occurrence"; "Technology use can increase the have ever experienced." Or assumptions might opportunities that community members will be tied more directly to the new, more powerful have for continued learning"; or, "Technology forms of communication themselves, such as, use can improve the managementof learning "Technology will become increasingly powerful, programs and resources, making themavail- versatile, inexpensive, and pervasive." able to community members." (Minnesota Cur- Assumptions could also consider changes in riculum Services Center, 1983) educational philosophy brought about by the availability of increasing amounts of informa- "We Believe" Statements tion. An example of such a statement is, "Knowl- edge will grow at an exponential rate, primarily "We believe" statements offer insights about driven by two major forces:dramatically in- the feelings district officials have concerning creased ability to tap and expand human intel- instructional telecommunications.They can lectual potential; and enhanced use of multiple contain thoughts such as, "There is a need to interactive technologies to manage, access, and focus efforts on using technology to improve utilize information."(Minnesota Curriculum instruction and student achievement in writ- Services Center, 1983) ing, mathematics, problem solving, social stud- These assumptions could also be based on an ies, and so forth."Other ideas that can be analysis of what is happening to educational expressed are:"Students from this district should have equal opportunity with others when policy and reality now, and what will happen in competing for jobs requiring the use of high the future.Here are questions that coal help technology"; or "The district should make a clarify these assumptions. financial commitment and provide leadership In what areas are innovations occurringin support for the use of technology by teachers the classroom, administration, educational technology, the library media center, the role of the and for the instruction of students." (Minnesota Curriculum Services Center, 1983) teacher? What issues are the trends affectingcollab- oration, school consolidation, privatization, Other Generalized school and business partnerships? Concept Statements In what direction are education in general, and educational reform specifically, headed There are other generalized concept state- choice, school-to-work transition, postsecondary ments that do not fit into any of the other school options, classrooms without walls, learn- categories. Here are some examples. er outcomes, global education? "Technology is a means, not an end; it is a What are the demands on the educational resource for instruction and facilitates the system, both now and in the futuredemograph- learning process." ic changes in the district, future tax base, spe- "Educational technology can be used to ad- cial population needs, staffing shortages? dress the full spectrum of learning styles, rein-

59 forcing and promoting all learning levels from ly. The "need" is the discrepancy between the knowledge, skills, and attitudes, to synthesis, existing curriculum and what is desired in the evaluation, and application." future. "Educational technology will assist in provid- The following are examples of existing data ing educational opportunities for people of all and information resources that could be part of ages residing in the district, affirmatively ad- the assessment: dressing the needs of special populations, in- current and projected student and staff de- cluding females, minorities, and the disabled." mographic profiles by district, building, grade (Minnesota Curriculum Services Center, 1983) level, and subject area; current, past, and projected student course The Instructional and enrollment patterns by district, building, grade level, and subject area; Technological Assessments exceptional needs plans or studies in progress for such populations as at risk, EEN, and gifted The scope of the instructional and technolog- and talented students by district, building, grade ical assessments will be based on the philosophy level, and subject area; and rationale developed by the steering com- staff development and inservice needs by dis- mittee. Assessments can be done at the build- trict, building, grade level, and subject area; ing, district, or state level. They are also possi- annual Wisconsin Educational Standard (k) ble for regions consisting of several nearby written curriculum reports; school districts or an entire cooperative educa- annual school district budget reports; tional service agency (CESA) area. annual Wisconsin Educational Standard (o) The scope of such an assessment can also be specific to a single grade level; a curriculum performance disclosure reports; School Evaluation Consortium (SEC) evalua- content area such as math, science, social stud- tions; ies, or foreign language; or special programs student audits; such as Exceptional Educational Needs (EEN), other ongoing curriculum work; gifted and talented, Title I, at risk, or English other Wisconsin Educational Standardsre- as a second language C7SL). The assessment view reports; could include any combination of these areas and grade levels. annual standardized test results; and any other source the steering committee de- While it is somewhat unlikely that a district cides is relevant. would conduct a state-level or even a CESA- level study of instructional telecommunications, Step Two this model can be used to gather data to respond to such studies :.It can be adapted to meet any Identify the data that has to be collected. planning process at any level and can even In step two the data to be collected is identified perform simultaneously on multiple levels. and the steering committee explains why this information is needed. This step is important, The Instructional because it matches the data elements to bemea- sured with the rationale for the planningpro- Needs Assessment cess. This rationale should call for listing the There are five steps necessary to conducting district's current instructional offerings and a comprehensive assessment of the instruction- gathering staff, student, and community opin- al needs of a school district. ions about the future composition of the curriculum. Such an instructional profile should in- Step One clude information on course offerings, student support services, and program support resourc- Determine the existing sources of data and es. This step also should involve consideration information.In the first step the steering of the professional development and inservice committee must determine existing sources of needs of district staff. information and data available to assess the In this step the committee may also identify district's instructional needs. As the definition needed data elements that are not currently of "needs assessment" implies, it is essential to collected or available locally.They might be know the district's current status instructional- contained in annual reports submitted to the

6 Department of Public Instruction or in a survey The draft vision can be reviewed during a second of high school graduates tracking the impact of round of open meetings or published for written the school's curriculum on their postsecondary review.. school life. Data collection can be done by dis- Each method gives the three main constitu- trict, building, grade level, and subject area. encies a chance for input and review while also Falling within the scope of such data collection creating exposure and building support for the might be information about plan. Either way, it is important to obtain as current instructional course offerings; much feedback as possible from all three groups student support services, including guidance to ensure a broad level of support for this vision. and counseling, reading labs, gifted and talent- Staff must put the plan into operation, students ed, and so on; must recognize that the plan is meaningful to program support resources such aslibrary their future, and the community must finan- media services, computer labs, ratio of comput- cially support the plan through local tax levies ers to students and faculty, and so on;and and other participation. The actual issues that professional staff development and inservice need to be considered are discussed and exam- activities. ined in the final step. It is necessary to find out both where existing data is located (at district offices, school build- Step Four ings, or other sites, for example) and how to Set timelines. In this step, districts should collect it.The steering committee must also develop timelines to complete the assessment. determine if it wants to collect new information The first timeline should set the completion through interviews, surveys, database searches, date for the plan to meet local, state, and other or any combination of thesetechniques. reporting, budget, and funding cycles.The Finally, an effort should be made to deter- steering committee also needs to set timelines mine the staff and project support resources for collection of data so that information can be needed to conduct the needs assessment. These aggregated, interpreted, and analyzed to meet resources should be identified by district,build- the plan's completion deadline. ing, and, if appropriate, grade level and subject It is important to know how this instruction- area. al telecommunications plan fits into various reporting and funding cycles, because a district Step Three may have to delay carrying out partsof the plan Create a vision for the future. In step three if it misses a particular deadline. For example, districts should create a vision for the future, state-level funding cycles are biennial while elements of which can be gathered in two dis- those for local school districts are annual. In tinct. ways. The first is to have staff, students, addition, if a school district is seeking funding and community members complete a written from foundations or grant programs, it should survey designed to gauge their supportfor the be warned that deadlines may arrive periodical- district's current instructional program. People ly during the year. who respond to the survey should have a chance For example, if state-level funding is the to identify a "wish list" for future instructional source of financial support, the plan mustbe and technological offerings. The vision state- ready for presentation to the appropriate state ment is then compiled from these written re- agencies at the time they are working on the sponses and returned to the differentconstitu- next biennial budget.Otherwise, the district encies for review and comment. This can be done may have to wait until the next budgetcycle to on paper, e)in an open meeting, to give repre- secure funding. If the instructionaltelecommu- sentatives from each group another opportunity nications plan is part of a school district's over- to voice their opinions. An open meeting can be all construction project, it must fit into the plan- held for each constituency or for the school dis- ning, reporting, and budgeting timelines of the trict as a whole. building program. The second method of creating a vision of the future is to first solicit input from staff, stu- Step Five dents, and community members at open meetings conducted throughout the district. A state- Develop an instructional needs report. The ment can then be drawn together from this data. final step is development of an instructional

F*1r) ' U needs profile for the district. This step occurs with those of other units in the study for a after the status of the current instructional pro- regional picture of instructional technology. gram has been verified, needed data identified In addition to being an inventory of current and collected, and the vision for the future creat- technologies, this assessment also considers ed.At a minimum this needs profile should how technologies are used instructionally and answer the following questions: administratively at each level. It is important What instructional programs or courses to gather information in this way to emphasize should be added at the classroom, building, or that the technologies themselves are not what district levels to bring curriculum in compliance is important, but rather how the technologies with building, district, state, and national stan- help meet instructional and administrative dards? needs in the classroom(s), the school building(s), What instructional programs and resources and the school district. could be used to increase learning opportunities These are the steps for performing a technol- in the district, building(s), and classroom(s)? ogy needs assessment as part of the district What instruction is needed to provide for low- planning process. enrollment classes, English as a second lan- Conduct a comprehensive inventory of all guage instruction, special education, enrichment telecommunications and computer hardware programs, and advanced placement courses for used both instructionally and administratively gifted and talented students? in each district office, school building, and class- What are the most critical staff development room. or inservice needs for teachers, support service Conduct a comprehensive inventory in each staff, and administrators? building in the district, both instructionally and What local, regional, state, or national pro- administratively, of all classes, programs, soft- gram or service providers would the steering ware, and resources linked to existing technolo- committee like to utilize in its classrooms, build- gies. Then aggregate the data for each building ings, or district to address the needs that have for a district inventory. been identified? Assess the availability (locally, regionally, What instructional programs or student and statewide, nationally, or globally) of technolo- staff support services are currently offered on a gies not currently used by the district. These shared basis with other school districts, either could include upgrades or networking of the directly or through a CESA? installed computer base in the district,con- What postsecondary education institutions struction of an Instructional Television Fixed (Wisconsin Technical College System, Universi- Service (ITFS) system or fiber optics system in ty of Wisconsin System, and so on) currently the region, or local cable television. provide the district with instructional programs or staff development and student support services? Creating an Instructional Telecommunications Plan The Technology Needs Assessment The instructional telecommunications plan for the district is based on the two assessments The technology needs assessment may be con- already discussed in this chapter. The district ducted at the same time as the instructional plan, which includes a range of alternatives, needs assessment. The instructional telecom- identifies specific strategies for matchingcur- munications technologies assessment instru- rent instructional needs and technology re- ment in appendix F can be modified to collect sources with future instructional needs and information at district, building, and classroom technology acquisitions. levels. Data collected on classrooms should be This plan should identify several time frames aggregated for a profile of individual school for implementation including a short-range buildings, while information from individual span of one to three years, a medium-range buildings can be used to assess the district's period of four to seven years, and a long-range overall instructional technologies. If a district is schedule of eight to 12 years. The length of participating in a regional or state planning these particular timelines may not meet the process, the district profile can be aggregated needs of specific districts and can be adjusted

62 accordingly.It is important to realize that in- be videotaped and viewed later by students who structional telecommunications technologies are miss a class or portions of a class? Are some evolving at an extremely rapid rate. Thus, these lessons prepared in advance for broadcast in the plans need to be flexible because they may be event the distance teacher is unable to conduct more subject to change as the implementation the class live? Does the distance teacher have time period gets longer. office hours so students can make contact when Short-range goals should outline a district's lessons are not being conducted? How early or early steps through the purchase of components late in the school day are courses conducted? for the basic technology infrastructure and in- How closely aligned are the distance course or structional telecommunications technologies program schedule and the district school calen- themselves, such as televisions, videocassette dar? (Barker, 1992) recorders (VCRs), and speaker phones. These goals should also focus on training staff to use Articulating Curriculum these technologies and beginning the process of integrating instructional telecommunications The district plan should identify a process for into the fabric of the curriculum and school dis- articulating new instructional content provided trict. by telecommunications technologies with the Medium-range goals include continued pur- scope and sequence of current curriculum. The chases of technology to finalize construction of plan should also address the correlation of en- the district's telecommunications infrastructure. richment resources, programs, and activities Long-range goals should cover completing the with existing instructional elements. This ar- purchase of technologies and fully integrating ticulation should also include professional de- new instruction into the district's curriculum velopment for staff, administrators, and mem- and operations. bers of the school board. There are several steps that should be taken There are many questions that must be an- n this part of the planning process. The first is swered to make this determination. Here are to identify issues concerning curriculum, tech- just a few to consider. nology, and administration raised by each of the Is the content appropriate for the intended strategies considered in the plan. Planners can grade level? use the strategies assessment sheet on the next Does the course or program contain appropri- page for help with identifying issues. ate and easy-to-follow instructions? Does the An effort should also be made to determine if course or program contain clearly and complete- currently available local technologies or program ly stated learner goals and objectives, and do providers would help a district or building to these goals and objectives match those estab- meet its needs. Are the courses intended for lished in the district for this subject area? remedial, average, or advanced students, or for a Does the course or program use primary and combination of all three types of learners? Does secondary materials and teaching methods that the instruction meet state certification require- are exciting, motivating, and varied? Does it ments? Are there programs for student enrich- meet the needs of the students and adjust for ment, college preparation, or advanced place- individual differences in abilities, desires, and ment?Are there classes that help students interests? prepare for standardized tests like college en- Does the course or program contain accurate trance examinations? Are teacher and adminis- and up-to-date content?Is the content clear, trative inservice courses or adult education consistent, and well-organized? classes offered? (Barker, 1992) Is the pace logical and flexible, especially The planning process must determine if other when taking into consideration the characteris- technologies or program providers not yet avail- tics of the technology with which the instruction able locally would help a district or building to is delivered? meet its needs. There are many questions to be Does the course or program provide for fair, answered in considering new sources of instruc- accurate, and appropriate evaluation of student tion. Does the distance program provider sched- performance and progress? Does it contain pre- ule enough time each semester for makeup work? tests and other diagnostic procedures? How many days each week does the system or Does the course or program connect in a clear program provider conduct classes? Can classes and appropriate manner with other courses, sub-

63 Strategies Assessment Curriculum, Technology, and Administrative Issues

An instructional telecommunications plan should describe various strategies for matching current instructional needs and technology resources with future instructional needs and technology acquisitions. Once that step is completed, planners can use these questions to help them identify curriculum, technology, and administrativeconcerns that might be raised by implementing those strategies. The source for questions listed is "Emerging Technologies: A Roadmap for Librarians," an article by Marilyn Kemper that appeared on pages 36 to 41 of the Nov. 1988 School Library Journal.

1.Have teachers been involved in development of the plan so they havea sense of ownership in the process? 2.Do technologies identified in the plan facilitate types of instruction that address district needs? 3.Does the plan provide inservice training for staff, students, and administratorson new technologies and the instruction they deliver? 4.Does the plan describe a process for coordinating curriculum planningamong subject areas in a building, among buildings in a district, or among districts within a consortium? 5.Does the plan establish procedures for reviewing curriculum and evaluating teaching that occurs over these technologies? 6.Does the plan identify support staff who can repair and replace equipmentor who can help manage the flow of student assignments and records? 7.Does the plan ensure equal access to these technologies for all students and staff? 8.Does the plan discuss the effects that policies about class size limits, student selection, and course Selection may have on instruction conductedover these technologies? 9.Does the plan provide back-up procedures in the event of technical failure? 10. Does the plan call for sufficient instructor-learner interaction using voice, data, and video technologies whenever that is possible or appropriate? 11. Does the plan take into account state-level guidelines or rules addressing instructional telecommunications? 12. Does the plan have any conflicts with provisions of the current teacher contract? 13. Does the plan consider student and class scheduling conflicts that may arise throughuse of these technologies? 14. Does the plan consider its effect on the school bell schedule and district schoolyear calendar? 15. Can total costs be determined, including equipment acquisition,new facilities, and maintenance? 16.Will use of technologies proposed in the plan result in an annual savingsover current instruction? 17. Does the plan identify current staff members skilled in implementing, operating, and maintaining the new technologies? 18. Do administrators have the necessary expertise to manage and supervise plan activities? 19. Are staff, students, and the community likely to support the plan? 20. Do key decision makers display a positive attitude toward the plan? 21.Is support for the technologies widespread or confined toa few individuals? 22. Are staff and administrative expectations concerning benefits of the plan reasonable? 23.Is the organizational structure flexible enough to deal with any disruption triggered by the installation and testing of the technologies? 24.Is there a formal mechanism for handling procedural or policy modificationsnecessary to accommodate changes caused by the plan? 25.Is there a designated authority who has responsibility for implementing, maintaining, and operating the technologies?

64 73 ject matter, and grade levels already established implement a technology plan. They could also in the district?Does it employ clear record include the social costs of staff dislocation, the keeping practices that are accurate and mean- confusion (and sometimes hard feelings) fos- ingful? tered when procedures and behaviors must be Does the course or program employ technolo- changed, and the need to explain new programs gy appropriate for the content presented and for to the community and to gain its support. (Batey the learners' abilities? Does the technology in- and Cowell, 1986) terfere with, or does it enhance, the content and the learning process? (Barker, 1992, p. 13-14) Identifying Financing Options Calculating Costs Another important component of the plan- Another function of the planning process is ning process is to identify possible methods of calculating a budget to purchase instructional financing the purchase of technologies and im- telecommunications technologies and to partici- plementation of the plan. A district may consid- pate in new tours.,.,, programs, and activities. er joining a local, regional, or national consor- There are five categories of cost that must be tium to share costs of instruction, programming, taken into considerationcapital, development, and technologies. operation and maintenance, expansion, and mis- Such groups may be based on specific tech- cellaneous. nologies, such as fiber optics, ITFS, or satellites, or they may be consortiums linked to Capital costs pay for the acquisition of the instruction from specific sources.The latter technology itself, whether it is a television set, include instructional television (ITV) services satellite dish, computer with a modem, or a provided by Regional Educational Telecommu- complete television studio. They decrease when nications Areas (RETAs), programs from the amortized over the life of the equipment or facil- Satellite Educational Resources Consortium ity that is required. (SERC), CESA-shared teachers, advanced Development costs are those needed to put the placement (AP) courses and staff inservice or district plan into operation. These may make credit courses from postsecondary schools, or the plan more expensive in its first year of oper- teleconferencing services from the Wisconsin ation and are easy to underestimate. Typical Technical College System's WisConLink net- needs include recruitment and training of mas- work. ter teachers, development of the program and The plan must also address whether the dis- accompanying materials, and reproduction and trict should seek funding from state, federal, or distribution of materials. There are also start- private foundations to finance new technology up expenses for evaluation planning, record and to pay for participation in new instructional keeping and clerical support, management, and programs and activities. Funding sources in- miscellaneous supplies and equipment. clude the following: Federal Elementary and Secondary Educa- Operation and maintenance costs are those tion Act (ESEA) Chapter 1 (special education necessary to keep the system functioning. These needs for disadvantaged children); include equipment service and repair, purchase ESEA Chapter 2 (block grant funds ror inno- of expendable materials, salaries for aides or vative projects); monitors, student transportation, administra- Star Schools Grants and special equipment tive and coordination expenses, tuition, and fees. grants from the Rural Electrification Agency Expansion costs are incurred to increase the (REA), SERC, the National Telecommunications number of students or the size of the program. and Information Agency, IBM, Apple Computer These normally include the purchase or rental of Corporation, and local telephone and cable tele- new equipment, increased management, new vision companies; staff, expanded delivery systems, and publicity local and national foundations that fund in- and public relations. novative school projects, such as the Kellogg Foundation; and Miscellaneous costs are associated with the special state legislation. (Cromer and Stein- time and energy needed to plan, develop, and berger, 1989)

65 7.1 In addition, the school district might consider References entering into local school and business partnerships to finance technology purchases and par- Barker, Bruce 0. The Distance Education Hand- ticipation in instructional programs. Local busi- book: An Administrator's Guide for Rural ness and school partnerships with the REA, and Remote Schools. Charleston, WV: ERIC agricultural cooperatives, local cable television Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small system operators, and local telephone compa- Schools, 1992. nies are all possibilities to explore.Partner- Batey, Anne, and Richard N. Cowell. Distance ships can help schools or districts purchase sat- Education: An Overview.Portland, OR: ellite dishes, gain access to cable television Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, channels and programs, and conduct fiber optics 1986. studies. Some of these partnerships provide all or part of the funding for one or more technolo- Ci omer, Janis L., and Elizabeth D. Steinberger. gies. On Line: Financial Strategies for Education- Finally, an effort should be made to construct al Technology. Washington, DC: National a cost-benefit analysis for each alternative tech- School Board Association and Education Sys- nology strategy identified in the plan. Tradi- tems Corp., 1989. tional methods of calculating the cost effective- Kemper, Marilyn. "Emerging Technologies: A ness of an educational program may not be Roadmap for Librarians."School Library applicable to instructional telecommunications Journal Nov. 1988, pp. 36-41. programs. Costs in these programs are general- Kitchen, Karen. Planning for Telecommunica- ly a function of the amount and type of content to tions: A School Leader's Primer. Alexandria, be presented, the size and location of the audi- VA: National School Board Association and ence, the choice of media, and the sophistication U.S. West Communications, 1989. of the product.Typically, expenses over and above those for delivering traditional instruc- Minnesota Curriculum Services Center. Plan- tion will include capital costs as well as those for ning for Educational Technology. Minneapo- development, operation or maintenance, and lis: Minnesota Department of Education Vo- expansion. cational-Technical Division, 1983.

66 ti Implementing the Plan

Once the district plan has been written, re- writing a district policy dealing with instruc- viewed, and authorized by the school board, the tional telecommunications; next step is its implementation. Activities in creating procedures to inform all parties in- this phase are similar to those in implementing volved about the district plan and implementa- any other project in a school district. However, tion process; because this plan will affect a major portion of conducting district orientation and staff de- the staff and instructional programming already in place, records should be kept so every action velopment programs for all involved; taken can be evaluated. An effective implemen- selecting district and building implementa- tation proceas will include the following: tion teams; and

Figure 23 Planning Process This diagram aummarizes a suggested planning process for integrating instructionaltelecommunica- tions into the K-12 curriculum. District Plan Planning process Philosophy and rationale Curriculum integration Modifying the District Facilities/resources Plan and Program Budget considerations Implementing Overview the District Program Planning for change Staff development Analyzing/interpreting Staff, administration program evaluations board review, Program/hardware and support selection, acquisition, Setting priorities and management Implementing change Evaluating impact Evaluating the District Program Overview Evaluation checklist

Source: Anderson, M. Elaine. A Guide to Curriculum Planning in Computer Education. Madison:Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, 1987, p. 14.

67 defining roles and assigning responsibilities for all aspects of the plan. Orientation and Staff Development Programs A District Policy Another component of the implementation process is creation of a district orientation pro- The first step toward an effective implemen- gram to introduce and explain the plan to dis- tation process is to write a district policy cover- trict staff and the community. This includes ing all aspects of instructional telecommunica- establishment of an ongoing staff development tions.It must address state statutes and program to teach staff how to integrate new administrative rules, high school graduation re- technologies into their classrooms and how to quirements, local policy and practice, current teach with them. union contract provisions, and certification is- The orientation program should be created by sues. the steering committee. It should be presented It is also important that the policy consider to the public as well as district staff. The ongo- which staff members will be responsible for im- ing staff development program should be devel- plementing the instructional telecommunica- oped, under the direction of the steering commit- tions plan at the district and building levels and tee, by the district staff development coordinator for managing the purchases, contracts, and fi- or a staff team created specifically for this pur- nancial agreements this plan dictates.This pose. policy must address who will enroll students for telecommunications-based classes and who will The District schedule these classes into the school day.It also assigns the responsibility for recruiting, Orientation Program training, and paying distance teachers and class- The first step in creating a district orienta- room facilitators. tion program is to discuss the instructional tele- The district policy must include a mechanism communications plan itself. Talks should detail to evaluate the performance of distance teachers how this plan relates to the concepts of distance and classroom facilitators involved in instruc- learning and instructional telecommunications tional telecommunications.It will also detail and consider the plan's philosophy and ratio- supervision of distance teachers and classroom nale. facilitators and assign responsibility for super- The orientation could then focus on the scope vising students in. telecommunications-based and findings of the instructional and technolog- classes. A procedure also has to be created for ical assessments that were conducted, including resolving any conflicts that arise concerning use how the district plan addresses *nstructional of the new technology. needs that were identified.The orientation Officials must decide who will provide techni- should include an introduction to the full range cal support to carry out the instructional tele- of instructional telecommunications technolo- communications plan and implementation pro- gies available and their applications in the class- cess, both in the district and in each school room. These technologies can deliver enrich- building.The policy will also set class size ment programs and activities to augment limits, if any are desired, and explain their crite- existing curricula, full-credit courses and other ria. new learning experiences for students, and op- An effective implementation process also will portunities for staff development and communi- include procedures to fully inform the school ty education. board, district staff, community members, and Issues that should be examined include the other interested groups about the instructional effects of the instructional telecommunications telecommunications plan and how it will be im- plan on curriculum development; student selec- plemented. Districts need to effectively commu- tion and orientation for distance learning; ac- nicate details concerning this plan, both inter- cess to learner support materials such as online nally to district employees and students and databases, electronic card catalogs, and elec- externally to parents, residents, education tronic mail; and new methods to teach students groups, business and industry groups, and oth- in remote classrooms. How this plan fits into ers. provisions of the current teacher contract should

77 also be evaluated.The orientation program partners with students who are activelyengaged should conclude with a review of the stepsneed- with new technologies.Sometimes, teachers telecommuni- may even have to understandthe need for sim- ed to implement the instructional little or no cations plan. ply monitoring students and taking The district orientation could be presentedin part in the learning process.Regardless of what acquire one all-inclusive,districtwide meeting in which role they play, all teachers will have to staff members and the community couldall par- the skills to operate a variety of newtechnolo- ticipate.Or, the orientation could be held for gies in their classrooms. staff fi st and for members of the communityat Staff members involved with instructional telecommunications classes will have to learn a later date. The district orientation could be presented to new teaching techniquesthat complement the smaller new technologies. Forexample, they must learn all staff members at one meeting or to that groups .at individualschools during teacher in- how to organize and structure materials so service days. The orientation couldalso be di- the instruction they present will "fit"the tech- vided into a series of presentations so thatstaff nologies. Teachers must be aware of theimpor- members could discuss one major elementof the tance of preparing very detailedlesson plans plan at each meeting. Either formatcould be well in advance of delivery. They alsoneed to adopted to inform the community aboutthe dis- systematically pretest materials and explanations for appropriateness, clarity, and compre- trict plan. how to It is recommended that all employees,includ- hensibility. Teachers should be taught and custodi- pace and deliver lessonsin a different manner ing support staff, teachers' aides, how to ans, take part in thisorientation. All staff mem- from that of a traditional classroom, bers will be affected by the instructional present lessons according to strictand inflexi- telecommunications plan and should have a say ble time schedules, and how to createimagina- activi- in its implementation. tive supplementary materials featuring ties that integrate social and emotional concerns with subject matter content. District Staff Staff members must learn to teach in aclass- Development Program room setting in which there maybe no students At the same time the steering committeeis physically present to respond to their instruc- organizing the orientation, it should be creating tion. They need to know how tohandle new or coordinating the startof an ongoing district types of feedback from learners inremote loca- staff development program. This will prepare tions, possibly over a variety oftechnologies them, staff members to use telecommunicationstech- and in formats previously unfamiliar to nologies as another classroom tool and givedis- or even to cope with nofeedback at all. They tance teachers the skills, resources,and method- must also be taught new techniquesfor foster- ologies they need to be effective. This training ing student participation while deliveringin- could take place during teacher inservicedays struction over new instructionaltechnologies. prior to the start of the new school year,during One way to do this is to employ special recogni- the school year, or during the summer as apaid tion techniques for the schools, classes, orindi- staff development activity. Any combinationof vidual students at the remote distance educa- these time frames could be employed toeducate tion learning sites. staff on all aspects of the instructionaltelecom- Appendix D presents a set of questions and munications plan. recommendations that can be used to prepare One of the first steps is to train teachersand staff to teach using interactive television.They classroom facilitators in how to managethe can also help staffadapt to other instructional learning process in a distance learningenviron- technologies. The appendix includes guidelines ment. Some staff memberswill actively teach that will enable districts to evaluate the presen- using the technologies, either as thefull-course tation formats of program providersthey may be teacher or the co-teacher with the distancein- considering. structor. Teachers need to knowhow to facili- S ,aff members who teach ,singinstructional tate student use of new technologies sostudents telecommunications technologies, as well as will can expand their learningopportunities. Teach- those facilitating their use in the classroom, ers must also be taughthow to become learning depend on different methods to helpstudents

69 7G take part in distance learning classes.They teams will help staff, administrators, and stu- must learn how to create innovative ways to dents integrate instructional telecommunica- elicit student participation in a class that has tions into every appropriate aspect of school multiple physical locations and how to deal with organization and curriculum. The district-level questions from remote sites. One technique is teams should, at the very least, consist of a written communications sent by mail, ranging representative of district-level administration, from personal letters to journals or logbooks. the district library media director, the district Other ways to create student-teacher contact instructional television (ITV) contact person, the are exchanges of audio cassettes; telephone con- curriculum director, the student support servic- tacts, regularly scheduled or "on demand"; stu- es director, the head of the teachers' union, the dent get-togethers, either face-to-faceor via district instructional staff development director, technology; peer tutoring systems; tutorial and the building maintenance director. groups either in or out of school; materials that One or more school board members, parents, will help parents assist their children; and elec- and students can be added to the district-level tronic mail. team to represent their constituencies. The dis- Distance teachers and facilitators will have trict-level group is responsible for coordinating to find ways for students to access new learner all aspects of plan implementation. This team support materials, such as remote databases, may include some of the same people serving on card catalogs, and print or electronicresources. the steering committee and may havesome of And they will have to do this whether their the same duties as that committee, although not students are in one or many physical locations. necessarily. One way to provide help and advice for dis- Some districts may choose to reserve policy tance learning students is to have them makea and oversight responsibilities for the district- formal connection with a staff member in their level implementation team and make the steer- school who teaches a similar course in the tradi- ing committee responsible for coordinating the tional way. This teacher could offer valuable actual implementation activities dictated by the aid to students who encounter problems ina plan. In either case, the district-level teamor distance learning environment. the steering committee will work with building- In instructional telecommunications classes, level teams to ensure consistent, thorough, and students and instructional materialsmay often accurate implementation of the plan throughout reside in multiple locations.Because of this, the district. teachers and facilitators may have to develop The building-level team has a dual set of new methods of providing student support sys- responsibilities. It has to work with the district- tems that deal with the nonacademic part of level team to coordinate its implementation of instruction. This would include records, grades, the plan with the rest of the district. It also has homework, assignments, tests, research, guid- to make sure all staff members at its site adopt ance, and counseling. Since most students need and integrate instructional telecommunications support of various kinds as they begin and technologies into their classrooms. This team proceed through distance learning experiences, should include building-level administration, a distance teacher removed from the learner the library media specialist, classroom teachers, cannot provide the usual guidance and support department heads, strulent support servicesper- available in the traditional classroom. Conse- sonnel, and maintenance workers. Oneor more quently, teachers need to develop alternatives school board members, parents,or students may to traditional instructional guidance.(Batey also be added. and Cowell, 1986) Selecting District and Defining Roles and Building Implementation Assigning Responsibilities Teams The final phase in designing the implementation process is to define roles and assignrespon- The next step in this process is to select sibilities for various aspects of instructional tele- district and building teams to facilitate imple- communications at both the district and building mentation of the plan.The implementation levels. The district plan puts into place technol-

70 ogies and instructional practices that are long- ment, the district library media director, the term additions, so it is important to identify the district distance learning coordinator, or some roles staff members will play and assign respon- other district-level administrator or group. sibilities for tl-:long -term operation of each as- The same three basic sets of responsibilities pect of the plan. These long-term responsibili- apply at the school-building level. For instance, ties exist at both the district and building levels. staff members who might act as the ongoing At. the district level, one of the most impor- building coordinator for all instructional tele- tant roles is that of districtwide coordinator for communications efforts are the principal, assis- all ongoing instructional telecommunications ef- tant principal, library media specialist, comput- forts.The staff member who shoulders this er coordinator, distance learning coordinator, responsibility must make sure all aspects of the or other technology specialist or interested indi- plan are carried out as intended at the district vidual. and building levels.Some logical choices of Among staff members who might handle pur- existing personnel to carry out these important chasing, installation, and technical support for duties are the district administrator, assistant the technologies in the building are the assis- district administrator, director of curriculum tant principal, library media specialist, comput- and instruction, district library media special- er coordinator, distance learning coordinator, ist, district technology coordinator, district dis- or otlner technology specialist or interested indi- tance learning coordinator, or the district plan vidual.Personnel who might be assigned to steering committee. coordinate or provide the ongoing inservice pro- Another important responsibility is dealing grams in the building include the principal, with the ongoing coordination of selecting, pur- assistant principal, library media specialist, chasing, installing, and providing technical sup- computer coordinator, distance learning coordi- port and maintenance services for the new in- nator, guidance counselor, building inservice structional technologies. The staff member who committee, or other interested individual. fills this role will coordinate all aspects of the There are many additional responsibilities technological part of the plan at the district and for instructional telecommunications programs building levels. Logical candidates are the dis- that must be assigned to various staff members. trict library media director, district technology For instance, someone must be named to handle coordinator, district distance learning coordina- academic records, grades, and absences from tor, district computer coordinator, or other dis- distance learning classes. A decision must also trict-level administrator or group. be made about who will coordinate selection, A third responsibility is coordinating the on- scheduling, and registration for student cours- going staff development programs that orient es, staff development, and special events. and train personnel to integrate instructional telecommunications into their classrooms. This References includes the creation and possible modification of the district program that trains and supports Anderson, M. Elaine. A Guide to Curriculum staff members as they adopt the technologies Planning in Computer Education. Madison: and infuse them into their classrooms. Because Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, staff development will be ongoing and will reach 1987. into every school building in the district, this Batey, Anne, and Richard N. Cowell. Distance program might best be assigned to a committee. Education: An Overview.Portland, OR: Nonetheless, personnel who might be considered Northwest Regional Educational Laborato- to fill this role include the director of curriculum ry, Nov. 1986. and instruction, the director of staff develop-

r. 71 er Evaluation of the District Plan and Implementation Process

This phase of the planning and implementation practices in this phase even assess how well tion process for integrating instructional tele- students are being taught the skills they need to communications into the K-12 curriculum en- use the technologies. Evaluation should occur from the very begin- ables implementation teams to periodically ning, and all parts of the implementation plan measure progress toward the establishment, op- should be designed to be easily evaluated. Eval- eration, and effectiveness of the plan elements. uation also should be ongoing. Evaluation re- It also helps them determine how successfully sults will help in deciding how to revise the plan the technologies have been integrated into the and will provide appropriate information on the curriculum and how effective they are in help- success of planning and implementation activi- ing students learn the course content. Evalua- ties.

ElFigure 24 Planning Process This diagram summarizes a suggested planning process for integrating instructional telecommunications into the K-12 curriculum. District Plan Planning process Philosophy and rationale Curriculum integration Modifying the District Facilities/resources Plan and Program Budget considerations Implementing Overview the District Program Planning for change Staff development Analyzing/interpreting Staff, administration program evaluations board review, Program/hardware and s .pport selection, acquisition, Setting priorities and management Implementing change Evaluating impact Evaluating the District Program Overview Evaluation checklist

Source: Anderson, M. Elaine. A Guide to Curriculum Planning in Computer Education. Madison: Wisconsin Departmentof Public Instruction, 1987, p. 14.

73 81 Several things should be considered when ules such as annual and biennial budget cycles. designing a strategy for evaluating the imple- Some of the predictable timelines could cover mentation process.First, key participants in one-, three-, or five-year periods of implementa- implementing the plan should be involved in tion. developing the evaluation procedure.This Suminative evaluations typically look at the group should include representatives of staff, level of attainment at the end of each of these students, and the community. Then a rationale cycles and identify reasons why parts of the plan should be established to explain the purpose of were not completed. Modification of the imple- the evaluation and how the results will be used. mentation plan is generally based on these kinds It should also identify who will receive the eval- of evaluations, because they can summarize the uation information. degree of success or failure of a project at a Three kinds of evaluation should be conduct- particular point in time. ed. The overall implementation process itself should be analyzed, using both formative and Evaluation of summative evaluation techniques.There should also be an evaluation of how well staff Staff Utilization have adopted and utilized instructional technologies and techniques in the classroom. The The second area to be evaluated is the extent third area to be evaluated is the level of student to which staff are adapting curricula and using learning that has occurred once these technolo- new technologies and instructional techniques gies and techniques have been put into place. in the classroom. Such an evaluation should review behavioral changes staff have made in order to deliver and manage instruction with Evaluation, of the new technologies and the ways course content or Implementation Process daily lesson plans are being altered to accommodate technological support. The instructional The implementation of the instructional tele- telecommunications plan is designed solely to communications plan must be evaluated in two meet the instructional needs of students and to different ways. Formative evaluation looks at provide staff with the tools to accomplish this what progress has been made on the district objective. Thus, it is important to monitor the plan while implementation is going on.The process of instructional content development. checklist in appendix F will help districts con- Districts must also assess test results to find out duct this formative evaluation because it de- if new technologies are making a difference in scribes all of the steps and activities involved in the amount of information students learn and creating and implementing the district plan. the number of skills they acquire. Not all of the activities identified in this check- Appendix E will help in evaluating staff utili- list will have been included in every district's zation and conversion of course content to a implementation plan.However, it is still a technology-based delivery system. It details the useful tool with which to evaluate implementa- basic requirements for preparing materials and tion. Formative evaluation functions much as a presenting them over instructional television. flow chart does. It checks, for instance, wheth- These basic guidelines can be applied to content er a specific activity has been undertaken or a and basic delivery methods on, essentially, any specific technology has been installed by the instructional telecommunications technology. date dictated by the implementation process. The specifics need only to be adjusted to match The second method that can be used to assess the particular characteristics of a given technol- the implementation process is summative eval- ogy. uation. This final evaluation of the implemen- A variety of approaches can be used to gather tation process takes place at the end of a project information on staff utilization.Surveys and cycle.As outlined in step four of the needs interviews with staff and students can evaluate assessment process in chapter 6, several types levels of use as well as levels of satisfaction or of timelines are set by the steering committee. dissatisfaction with the technologies and class- Some are to meet periodic reporting deadlines, room teaching techniques. Questionnaires filled while others are to conform to predictable sched- out by students, staff, and community members

74 8 ') can measure how much understanding and sup- technology into the instructional program. What port there is for the instructional telecommuni- students are learning will be evaluated through cations plan and the learning opportunities it ongoing testing in the classroom and the dis- has introduced into the school district. In addi- trict, including possible participation in state- tion, on-site observations by educators and tech- wide mandatory testing programs or high school nical experts in participating schools can help equivalency diploma examinations. assess actual utilization at the learning sites. Again, a variety of approaches should be used A more time-consuming evaluation can be to gather the evaluation information. They can made by conducting an in-depth case study of include surveys and questionnaires to check lev- one or more classrooms, departments, or school els of satisfaction or dissatisfaction of studentE buildings in the district. This case study meth- who are learning with the aid of these new od, also known as an ethnographic approach, technologies.Or, educators and technical ex- can require several months or even an entire perts in the participating schools can conduct school year to complete.It entails observing, recording, and reporting how a classroom, con- on-site observations of student interaction with tent area, or school building adopts, integrates, these technologies. and expands its use of instructional telecommunications technologies.This method not only References looks at the activities undertaken, but also the school building, classroom, and learning envi- Anderson, M. Elaine. A Guide to Curriculum ronments in which they take place. Planning in Computer Education. Madison: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, Evaluation of 1987. What Is Learned It is also necessary to evaluate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes learners have ac- quired as a result of the introduction of new

83 75 '11 Modification of the District Plan and Implementation Process

The fourth and final phase of the school dis- plan. The implementation phase took intocon- trict's effort to acquire anduse instructional sideration the assessments of the district in- telecommunications effectively is modification structional and technological needs thatwere of the district plan and implementationprocess. done in the planning stage. This second phase In the first, or planning phase, the path ofthe moved the plan off paper and into the realmof district's instructional telecommunications plan reality. was defined and information was gathered to The third phase evaluatedprogress toward guide the high-tech journey to its end. realization of the district plan and measured success in implementing the plan. It also gave The second phase was the actual implemen- district officials indications ofareas in which tation of the instructional telecommunications efforts might have to be increasedor chanced.

INFigure 25 I PlanningProcess This diagram summarizes a suggested planningprocess for integrating instructional telecommunications into the K-12 curriculum. District Plan Planning process Philosophy and rationale Curriculum integration Modifying the District Facilities/resources Plan and Program Budget considerations Overview Implementing Planning for change the District Program AnalyzinWinterpreting Staff, administration Staff development program evaluations board review, and support Program/hardware Setting priorities selection, acquisition, Implementing change and management Evaluating impact Evaluating the District Program Overview Evaluation checklist

Source: Anderson, M. Elaine. A Guide to Curriculum Planning inComputer Education. Madison: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, 1987, p. 14.

77 84 sons. These prioritiescould address problems Phase four is the formal process ofmodifying such as the plan to better reflect the realities encoun- identified in the evaluation phase, The basic changes in the facilities that house thetechnol- tered in the implementation phase. purchases, staff components for phase four include ogies, hardware and software development and staff support programs,equity the plan; and levels, the short-, medium-, and long-termtimelines; and access policies, budget cycles curriculum integration needs, andother con- and the implementation evaluationdata. cerns. It is important to remember',hat it is not an Plan easy task to modify aplan that is already par- Reasons to Modify the tially or fully operational.Implementation of Modification of the district plan can occurfor any major project willtake a lot of time and Modifications must many reasons. Newand emerging technologies cannot be done all at once. instructional needs not disrupt the ongoingimplementation and that can better address the plan already in of the district may becomeavailable. Outside must mesh with parts of the render parts place. Also, the modifications must notinterfere budget constraints could suddenly be put into of the plan unaffordable. Newlegislative man- with parts of the plan that will dates could be imposed upon adistrict or new operation in later phases to meettimelines that instructional needs could be identified.But have already been established. of the district plan Finally, the review should result in arevised more likely, modification with the will take place when the evaluationdata indi- implementation plan and schedule, cate there is a need to redirect oralter a partic- steering committee having theresponsibility for whole. facilitating the recommended changes.The ular part of the plan or even the plan as a the im- As pointed out in chapter 8,evaluation of the steering committee must also evaluate periodic mea- pact of the revisedimplementation plan and plan gives implementation teams reflect new surements of the establishment,operation, and modify the evaluation checklist to effectiveness of the plan's elements.This as- components of the plan. It is particularlyimpor- sessment may indicate that certainparts of the tant that the steering committeecontinue to plan were not thought throughcarefully or that communicate to students, staff, and the commu- some parts have notbeen implemented, per- nity the nature of any modificationsbeing made. haps because hardware has notbeen installed The steering committee must fullyexplain why been met. The problem the changes need to be made, the costsinvolved, or timelines have not have on the could be that teachers were havingdifficulty and the expected impact they will adapting the new technology, ortechnologies, district. to their teaching styles.Or maybe the stud "nts Because change is always a difficult process the instructional content as to experience and manage, thesteering commit- were not learning principles of man- well as had been predicted duringthe planning tee should keep in mind these stage. aging change. Reconsideration and possible revision ofthe It is easier to change things thanpeople plan should occur annually tokeep the imple- schedules must be realistic. mentation process on tracka trackthat is Those making the changes musthave the meant to be cost-efficient forthe district and courage of their convictions.This does not imply instructionally effective for studentsand staff. rigidity, because adaptability maybe critical, The annual review of theimplementation plan but it does imply a clear sense of purpose. should be coordinated by the steeringcommit- A sound base of objective data mustbe the in appendix F can foundation for initial planning. After thesedata tee. The evaluation checklist diversity of be used to match actualimplementation out- have been taken into account, comes with thoseanticipated in the plan. thought can be encouraged. The strong, early involvement ofall those who will be key participants ineffecting change Priorities for Change must be sought.It is essential to secure the partici- An effort should also be made toestablish understanding and commitment of key priorities for change based on thesecompari- pants, and to gain their insights.

78 Potential roadblocks must be anticipated in Change should be scheduled in measurable, order to minimize surprises. comfortable stages. Trying to do too much too The human, financial, and physical resources soon can be counterproductive. (Anderson, 1987, required must be estimated, and planners must p. 64) determine whether the cost is affordable. Effective channels of communication must be References established. Timing can be critical. Planners should try to Anderson, M. Elaine. A Guide to Curriculum determine if there is a "natural" time to intro- Planning in Computer Education. Madison: duce the new telecommunications technologies Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, into the curriculum. 1987, p. 64.

79 8G Appendixes

A. Instructional Telecommunications and Other State and Regional Agencies

B. Online Services and Networks

C. Sources of Cable TV and Satellite Programming

D. Reaching and Teaching through InteractiveTelevision E. Instructional TelecommunicationsTechnologies Assessment Instrument

F. Instructional Telecommunications Plan and Implementation Process Checklist

G. Glossary of Terms

87 81 IIIAppendix A Instructional Telecommunications and Other State and Regional Agencies

Many state and regional agencies and coun- tion for Elementary and Secondary Schools in cils provide leadership and coordination of in- Wisconsin, and one of its recommendations structional telecommunications activities in stressed the need to ensure that K-12 schools in Wisconsin. This appendix briefly explains the Wisconsin had universal access to distance edu- roles they play in this area of education and how cation technologies. they work cooperatively to achieve theircom- DPI, in partnership with the WECB, is a mon goals. It also discusses some of the instruc- member of the Satellite Educational Resources tional telecommunications opportunities they Consortium (SERC).This consortium of 24 make available to Wisconsin schools. states was formed in 1988. It pools the expertise and resources of state departments of edu- Department of Public Instruction cation, state broadcast networks, local school In the Department of Public Instruction districts, individual public broadcasting sta- (DPI) the Bureau for Instructional Media and tions, and institutions of higher education. Technology (BIMT) has primary responsibility SERC offers live and interactive studentcours- for instructional telecommunications. The bu- es, curriculum enrichment programs, profes- reau represents the DPI on such groups as the sional development workshops, and graduate Distance Education Technology Initiative Coun- school credits for school personnel. cil (DETIC) of the Wisconsin Educational Com- munications Board (WECB).It also provides Wisconsin Educational staff support for DPI and interagency telecom- Communications Board munications projects. A consultant in the BIMT The WECB makes policy decisions for state helps state schools expand their effective use of public radio and television stations.It also instructional telecommunications in Wisconsin. works with state schools to ensure that educa- This consultant works with directors of regional tional programs on public stations meet the educational telecommunications areas (RETAs) interests and needs of all Wisconsin residents. and maintains a close relationship with WECB The WECB also helps state educational institu- staff, the University of Wisconsin (UW) System tions to cooperatively acquire, develop, and use Media Council, and the Wisconsin Technical instructional programs, technologies, and ser- College System (WTCS) Media Consortium. The vices. The 16 members of the WECB include the instructional telecommunications consultant governor, four state legislators, and representa- also helps cooperative educational service agen- tives of state, local, and private schools. cies (CESAs) and school districts plan their use Wisconsin has a public television system tiiat of instructional technologies. serves all parts of the state. Public television The BIMT lends staff support to the State carries extensive educational programming dur- Superintendent of Public Instruction's Council ing the school day, offering more than 125 in- on Instructional Telecommunications (CIT). structional television (ITV) programs for K-12 The superintendent appoints 15 council mem- students. There are also three major inEtruc- bersone from each of the 12 CESA areas, two tional series on Subsidiary Communications from private education, and one from the group Authorization (SCA) radio, also kn;:wnas the of RETA directors. Members are selected from School Radio Service. a broad range of K-12 educators and include Public television also airs approximately 15 administrators, teachers, media directors, prin- university and adult education courses each cipals, and directors of instruction. In Novem- semester. The WECB and DPI offer student ber 1987 the council began an examination of courses over the SERC network and produce distance education in K-12 schools in Wiscon- K-12 professional development teleworkshops sin. Its final report was titled Distance Educa- and graduate level courses for this satellite

82 system. The WECB has coordinated the study receive programming. The duties of the ITFS and design of a proposed statewide telecommu- User Groups are to nications infrastructure and helped provide identify and assess the specific educational funding for various distance learning projects needs of every group they should serve; in Wisconsin. recommend suitable programming, identify program providers, and cooperate to secure and Distance Education Technology develop programming fcITFS; Initiative Committee establish a program scnedule for each channel; and The DETIC was originally formed to advise help educate individual communities about the WECB on the Wisconsin Distance Educa- the system's availability and potential. tion Rchnology Study. This report was pre- User groups meet before the start of each pared for the board in 1993 by Evans Associ- semester to finalize programming schedules. ates, a Madison, Wisconsin, consulting firm. Members consider requests for use of each ITFS DETIC's members represent the DPI, Depart- channel and resolve program conflicts.User ment of Administration (DOA), WTCS, UW Sys- groups also make decisions about operational tem and UW-Extension, private higher educa- costs and purchases of live or taped programs. tion, and CESA districts. DETIC also counsels the WECB regarding technology services the Regional Educational board provides to its various constituencies and on development of a distance education net- Telecommunication Areas work for Wisconsin. RETAs are more formally known as regional service units (RSUs). RETAs help educators Department of Administration effectively use ITV and SCA programming as The WisConsin DOA and its Bureau for Tech- well as other distance learning resources. RE- nology and Management (BITM) have worked TAs work with the WECB, the DPI telecommu- jointly with DETIC and other state groups to nications consultant, and local school districts design a statewide telecommunications infra- on distance learning projects. structure for state agencies. This network will RETA staff cooperate with personnel from make it easier for state agencies to share elec- local school districts and provide monthly news- tronic information, whether in the form of voice, letters and workshops for teachers and admin- video, or data. It will probably be transmitted istrators.In the workshops, school personnel on the existing State Telephone System (STS). learn how to integrate ITV series and other BITM also cooperates on other state telecom- instructional telecommunications technologies munications projects. into their curriculum.RETAs are funded through membership contracts with local school ITFS User Groups districts and nonpublic schools.RETA staff serve the state from six cooperative educational In order to be effective, Instructional Televi- service agencies (CESAs).The CESA areas sion Fixed Service (ITFS) programming must roughly cover the service areas of the state's be carefully selected to meet the educational, public television stations. inservice, and training needs of schools each ITFS system serves. The instructional material Cooperative Educational Service Agen- must also be transmitted at times when teach- cies. Through the years, CESAs have played a ers, students, and others can receive it.The variety of roles in instructional telecommunica- bodies that govern these decisions are the ITFS tions. They house the RETAs and act as their User Groups. fiscal agents. Each CESA also coordinates in- In 1994, there were approximately 20 ITFS structional technology in its own area. Services systems operating in Wisconsin. Each system is that CESAs provide school districts include shared by the school districts and UW System a regional library media center, and WTCS campuses located in its signal area. a special education instructional media cen- ITFS systems also provide instructional pro- ter, gramming to business constituents.User instructional use of computers, groups include representatives from every enti- instructional television (through RETAs), ty that employs the ITFS system to transmit or a regional technology lab, and

83 83 support for other emerging instructional identify additional areas of cooperation to technologies. increase the ability of the WTCS to offer expanded alternative learning opportunities, CESA Instructional Technology Services investigate and make recommendations on Council. One of the groups dealing with in- potential applications of new and developing structional telecommunications at the CESA communication technologies, equipment, and level is the CESA Instructional Technology Ser- alternative delivery modes, and vices Council (CITSC).It helps CESAs plan, maintain ongoing WTCS communication and promote, and support use of instructional tech- cooperation with the UW System, DPI, WECB, nologies in their service areas. CITSC members and other organizations on application of alter- are the instructional technology service coordi- native learning systems. nators for each CESA. The council also facilitates interagency cooperation by CESAs on in- WisConLink. WTCS is particularly active in structional telecommunications issues at the satellite-delivered teleconferences.All 16 state level. The CITSC also helps sponsor and WTCS districts began installing satellite recep- conduct statewide technology conferences, tion equipment in 1983, and satellite instruc- guides CESAs in purchasing videotapes and tion has proven to be a valuable resource. The software, and develops statewide technology- amount of programming available, its subject related initiatives with the DPI and other state matter, and the number of producers have all agencies and organizations. increased tremendously since 1983. WisCon- Link is the outgrowth of the increase in such State Board o: the Wisconsin educational opportunities. Technical College System The WTCS Satellite Cooperative was formed in 1986 to coordinate consortial licensing of The WTCS has played an active role in ex- programs and to provide districts with complete panding instructional telecommunications in and consistent information on this type of in- Wisconsin. More than 6,000 students in Wis- struction. In 1989-90 the name of the organiza- consin have completed adult study courses that tion was changed to WisConLink. WTCS has delivered through various technolo- WisConLink keeps districts informed of sat- gies. Members of the system's Med a Consor- ellite offerings through a monthly newsletter, tium represent each of its 16 districts and meet program listings, and an electronic bulletin regularly to plan for instructional telecommu- board. It also negotiates group pricing on site nications activities at various campuses. licenses, handles invoices and billings between WTCS Media Consortium districts and originators of programming, and serves as the liaison between districts and video The Media Consortium gives WTCS campus- conference producers and sponsors. es a forum to share information and expertise on instructional telecommunications technolo- Wisconsin Foundation for the Wisconsin gies.It also facilitates cooperation among Technical College System. The Wisconsin WTCS districts. Foundation for the WTCS is a private, nonprofit The consortium works with district and state corporation established in 1977 to receive gifts, office representatives to grants, and bequests on behalf of the system. acquire commercially produced instruction, The foundation's video division is involved in develop and/or produce media-based instruc- the acquisition, development, production, and tional materials and courses that meet common distribution of video-based instructional mate- instructional needs, rials. The video division's current projects in- promote interdistrict sharing and use of me- clude interactive videodisc basic math, algebra, dia-based materials and alternative learning and electronics. curriculum materials, cooperatively schedule and promote tele- University of Wisconsin System courses for the state educational television net- The UW System has most likely been using work and other statewide distribution systems, instructional telecommunications technologies facilitate cooperation among districts in joint to reach students in Wisconsin longer than any ventures to produce and/or receive satellite pro- other state educational institution.It started gramming and conferences, one of the first public radio stations in the

84 0 nation and has conducted educational programs University of Wisconsin-Extension using it since the 1930s.The UW Board of Regents also holds the license for one of the The UW-Extension provides university out- state's public television stations.In addition, reach. In the mid-1960s, at a time when such the UW System houses WiscNet, which pro- an idea was unique, the UW-Extension devel- vides access to Internet and its international, oped the Educational Teleconference Network high-speed data and telecommunications ser- (ETN), a teleconference system. The network vices. and its companion service, WisLine, are used by many state educational institutions and a vari- WiscNet. WiscNet, a nonprofit association cre- ety of state agencies. ated by the UW System, gives higher education The UW-Extension also created WisView, an institutions in Wisconsin access to national and international computer networks. It is a major audiographics instructional telecommunica- gateway to Internet, the worldwide telecommu- tions system that combines audio teleconferenc- nications network. The statewide network ining with a computer-based display of charts, cludes data communications circuits linking in- text, and color pictures.The extension also dividual sites.It also has a management and provides an electronic bulletin board service support structure to ensure its continued oper- with discussion forums, information sets, and ation and growth. WiscNet began operation in databases on a variety of topics, including a January 1991.For information on how this listing of activities in the state from WisCon- network relates to K-12 schools, call Link. (608) 266-1965. The Educational Teleconference Network Educational Media Council. The roots of the (ETN) is a dedicated audio network. It is oper- UW System's Educational Media Council (EMC) ated by the UW-Extension's Instructional Com- can be traced to the Joint Staff Committee on munications Systems (ICS) and links approxi- Educational Television, created in 1961 by the mately 200 sites throughout the state, including Coordinating Committee or. Higher Education UW System two- and four-year campuses, hos- (CCHE). In the 1960s, CCHE was responsible pitals, and libraries. ETN each year offers more for merging the state's two postsecondary edu- than 300 full-credit and continuing education cation systems into the current UW System. courses.It also provides public service pro- EMC members are chosen from the two public grams and allows its facilities to be used for systems of higher education that operated prior teleconferences.For information call to the merger. The council's purpose is to devel- (608) 262-4342. op a coordinated state plan for educational television to enable Wisconsin to qualify for federal WisLine, the second teleconference system funds. managed by ICS, can link one site with up to 67 The EMC meets approximately four times a other locations anywhere ir_ the world. ETN is year. It considers a wide range of issues, includ- a fixed system connected by dedicated telephone ing copyright legislation and its implications, lines, so only people who are at those sites can lusic licensing, inservice' training for staff use it. WisLine, on the other hand, is a dial-up members, computer-assisted instruction, state teleconference system available to any party purchasing contracts, and relatio- ships with with access to a telephone. Educational, gov- the DOA. ernmental, and nonprofit groups use WisLine Council members represent various disci- for meetings, credit and noncredit courses, news plines and have experience in many areas, in- conferences, interviews, legal hearings, and oth- cluding radio and television production, writing erpurposes. Forinformationcall grant proposals, cable television issues, and (608) 262-4342. administering media systems. The council helps individual campuses secure grants for projects WisView is an audiographics system managed involving media and outreach, produce media by ICS and available to all UW System campus- software, and structure inservice training pro- es that have audiographics equipment. Addi- grams on instructional technologies. The EMC tional Wisconsin or out-of-state sites, whether also offers members advice on technologies such in a school or another location, can be set up on as broadcast television, cable television, fiber a course-by-course basis. For information call optics, or TTFS. (608) 262-4342.

85 91 11Appendix B Online Services and Networks

Computer telecommunications offer schools ADVOCNET. Operated by the National Cen- a wide range of educational opportunities. Stu- ter for Research in Vocational Education in dents who use computers equipped with mo- Berkeley, California, this electronic mail dems can exchang' messages or information (e-mail) and information network is for educa- with "pen pals," experts, and celebrities around tors in vocational and technical fields. the world. Computers also help teachers stay in (510) 642-4004 touch with each other, share information and experiences, conduct research in online data- Ag Ed Network.Designed for teachers in bases, and download software. Online services general but with a focus on agriculture, this can provide activities to enhance classroom in- source contains .1,300 ready-to-use teaching struction in a specific curriculum or subject units covering various areas of agribusiness. area, or help students obtain information on Topics include production, horticulture, biotech- topics of interest. nology, marketing, and agriculture accounting. This list is selective and is not intended to be This network features nine state curricula, a an exhaustive directory of online services for weekly news summary with quizzes, and two- educators. The first part of this appendix deals way e-mail. (414) 283-4454 with national online services and networks and ALANET. The American Library Association's the second part with those made available by e-mail network provides gateways to informa- state agencies.Telephone numbers listed in tion services and resources for libraries, nation- this appendix are for voice communications un- al e-mail services, and U.S. information provid- less otherwise noted (in some cases the num- ers. (800) 545-2433 bers are for direct computer access).Unless other specifications are given, the communica- America Online.Formerly known as Ap- tions parameters for modem settings are 8 data plelink-The Personal Edition, this service is bits, 1 stop bit, and no parity. designed for Apple II and Macintosh computers. The system is accessed with custom inter- National Online face software and includes hardware and soft- Services and Networks ware libraries, news articles, financial information, and an online encyclopedia.Its Of the services in this section, the following Learning Center section offers databases and have active global classroom components: other resources that can be useful for educators. AT&T Learning Network; DataTimes; GEM- America Online also provides access to the In- NET; GTE Education Network; Interactive ternet. (800) 827-6364 Communication Simulations (ICS); National Geographic Kids Network; Pals across the AT&T Learning Network enables schools World; and XPRESS XChange. around the country and globally to share information and collaborate on classroom projects Accu-Weather.Weather forecasts can be via the AT&T Mail Network. AT&T Learning downloaded to a computer directly from Accu- Network offers a structured approach to inte- Weather. The service provides access to meteo- grating telecommunications into the classroom. rological, hydrological, and geophysical data It provides a curriculum guide, communica- from around the world. "Accu-Weather Fore- tions software, and technical support. caster" (for MS-DOS and Macintosh computers) (800) 367-7225, ext. 4158 and "Accu-Access" (for MS-DOS) are optional software packages that connect to the system BRS. Like DIALOG, Bibliographic Retrieval and graphically display selected data in charts Services (BRS) is one of the giants in the data- and maps. (814) 234-9601, ext. 400 base industry.BRS provides access to hun-

86 9 2 dreds of databases, many of them pertinent to ED Board. The U.S. Department of Education the information needs of schools. (800) 955-0906 uses ED Board to provide grant and ontract or (703) 442-0900 information to the public.Registration is not required and the only charges are for telephone Classmate (part of DIALOG) introduces stu- calls. The computer number is (202) 260-9950 dents from elementary school through graduate (set modem at 8,1,N), or more information can school to online information retrieval. Its sim- be obtained by calling (202) 708-7811 (voice). plified command language, or menu, provides access to 85 general interest databases on full- EdLINC is a free online service for profession- text news and magazine stories, general sci- als in resource, media, information, library, and ence, social studies, and the humanities. Cur- service centers.It includes a database of curriculum materials include workbooks, teacher rent information on instructional materials and guides, transparencies, suggested readings, lec- school products. (614) 793-0021 ture notes, and a video. (800) 334-2564 Equity Net.Developed by the Programs for Cleveland Free-Net is a free, open-access com- Educational Opportunity at the University of munity computer system operated by Case Michigan, Equity Net provides access to a range Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. of up-to-date information about equity and edu- This bulletin board system (bbs) features free cation. It focuses on teaching students of differ- worldwide e-mail and offers information data- ent races, genders, and national origins. bases and forums on health, education, technol- (313) 763-9910 ogy, government, arts, recreation, and law. The number for computer communications is FrEdMail Network.This is a network of (216) 368-3888. electronic bulletin board systems (bbs) from more than 60 schools across the nation that are CompuServe is a popular network covering used for a variety of purposes, including teacher nearly 500 topics and offering services such as forums, student activities, and collaborative e-mail, conferencing, computer forums, and projects."Kids 2 Kids" is a popular writing games.It also serves as a gateway to other project. FrEdMail bulletin boards are a good database systems such as DIALOG and BRS. way to communicate with other schools around CompuServe includes 20 sources of information the country and the world. More information or relating to schools or education. (800) 848-8199 the software needed to set up a FrEdMail system is available from. Computer-Using Educa- Data Times is a full-text database of local, re- tors, P.O. Box 2087, Menlo Park, CA 94026; gional, national, and international newspapers (619) 475-4852. and news sources. It also provides a gateway to the Dow Jones News/Retrieval service.Re- GEMNET. Coordinated by Global Education duced rates for schools are available. Motivators, Inc., GEMNET is a computer com- (405) 751-6400 munication and information network that provides e-mail and databases for worldwide com- Delphi. An affordable information service, Del- munication. Some of its features are United phi has many of the same features as Com- Nations information, including news releases, puServe, including e-mail, conferencing, shop- resolutions, speeches, and issue summaries; a ping, special interest groups, news, games, an "World Countries Database"; and e-mail and encyclopedia, and gateway access to DIALOG. videocassette exchanges among schools around (800) 544-4005 the world. (215) 248-1150 DIALOG. A leading database provider in the GEiuie. General Electric's low-cost alternative online information industry, DIALOG has more to CompuServe has a wide selection of services, than 400 databases, including several dozen of including an online encyclopedia, news from 11 specific interest to schools. DIALOG also pro- news agencies, games, USA Today online, and vides access to a subset of its offerings through an education roundtable. (800) 638-9636 Classmate, a service discussed previously in this section that is available to schools at re- Global Lab provides international, environ- duced rates. (800) 334-2564 mentally based projects to improve science edu-

93 87 cation in several countries. The lab runs on the It is free except for telephone charges.The EcoNet network.There are sign-up costs, number for computer communications is monthly fees, and hourly telephone charges. (205) 895-0028 (617) 547-0430 National Distance Learning Center Data- GTE Education Network. GTE offers infor- base System is a free electronic information mation services and online activities to educa- source listing nationally available distance tors.Included are databases for education in- learning courses, materials, curriculum guides, formation, Special Net (described below), Youth and teacher and school staff inservice training News Service; CNN Newsroom, and e-mail. materials.It covers K-12, adult, and higher (800) 927-3000 education offerings. This service is also a source of information and material on federal educa- Interactive Communication Simulations tion programs. A comprehensive user guide can (ICS) enables students in the United States be obtained by calling (502) 686-4556. and throughout the world to use computer conferencing in a variety of instructional exercises. National Education Association. NEA op- Topics include a role-playing simulation of the erates a computer conference on America On- "Arab-Israeli Conflict" and an interdisciplinary line, but its e-mail and information services are exercise called "Earth Odyssey." (313) 763-6716 reserved for NEA members. The NEA Educa- tional Issues Database is a source of informa- Lab Net is a network funded by the National Ion on selected education topics. A free soft- Science Foundation to enhance science teach- ware package for NEA members can be obtained ing.It promotes interaction and support for by calling (800) 827-6364. experimental, collaborative, and project-based instruction. Lab Net services include e-mail, a National Geographic Kids Network offers bbs, conferencing, and online databases. It also telecommunications-based science curriculum provides access to working scientists. for grades 4 through 6 that enables students to (617) 547-0430 conduct science experiments and to transmit results to the National Geographic Society. LEXIS/NEXIS. Although targeted mainly for Data is pooled and analyzed by National Geo- law offices and law schools, this service is one of graphic scientists and the results are returned the best available sources of full-text legal infor- to participants.Schools on the network can mation. NEXIS contains hundreds of newspa- communicate with other schools nationally and pers, magazines, and other information data- globally. Sample units include experiments on bases in full-text format. (800) 227-4908 acid rain, weather, and water quality. Mac Net and PC/MacNet are offered by Con- (800) 368-2728 nect Inc., an information network that provides NewsNet provides access to the full text of user forums (including several for educators), specialized newsletters in a variety of fields, software libraries, e-mail, newswire services, including education, electronics, and comput- stock quotations, and other features. Mac Net ers. It also features news from the United Press serves Macintosh systems, while PC/MacNet is International wire service. NewsNet's Academ- for MS-DOS computers. (800) 262-2638 ic Instruction Program offers schools access at MCI Mail is one of the world's largest e-mail very low rates. (800) 952-0122 services. (800) 444-6245. OERI PC Board. The U.S. Education Depart- ment's Office of Education Research and Infor- NASA Space link is an informational service mation has a toll-free, 24-hour bulletin board for students and teachers from the Educational with statistical and demographic information Affairs Department of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). It provides related to education. It also provides e-mail, file NASA news, shuttle flight activities, workshops, transfer, a bbs, and topic forums. The number listings of educational programs, classroom ma- for computer communications is (202) 219-2053. terials (including lesson plans, graphics, and Pals across the World is an international computer programs), and many other services. writing program linking more than 400 schools

88 9 1 in over 15 countries.The program makes it National Geographic Society. To obtain current possible for students to exchange questions, weather data, schools need to purchase The answers, research, and creative writingwith Weather Machine software (for Apple He or IIgs "sister schools" around the world. Its headquar- computers) as well as to subscribe to this online ters is in Sydney, Australia. +61-2-451-9022 service. The software analyzes the information and creates color graphic presentations. Prodigy. A consumer-oriented information (800) 368-2'728 service marketed by IBM and Sears, Roebuck and Co., Prodigy provides news, access to ex- The WELL (Whole Earth Lectronic Link). perts, data on health and finances, and many This service is from the publishers of The Whole other features.Prodigy uses graphics more Earth Catalog. The WELL is a communications extensively than most other information servic- network that provides conversational forums es. Originally for MS-DOS compatible comput- and information on lifestyles, environmental er and software, Prodigy now hassoftware for issues, technology, and other topics. Macintosh computers. (800) 776-3449 (415) 332-4335 SATLINK Online. This bbs was develo-by WHA Infotext is an easy-to-use, menu-driven the Education Satellite Network (ESN', as3. information service produced by the UW Coop- service of the Missouri School Boards Associa- erative Extension in Madison, Wisconsin. tion. It provides access to information regard- Among subject areas covered are "Home and ing satellite-delivered programs and teleconfer- Garden," "Commodity Markets," and the "Na- ences currently listed in Education SATLINK, tional Weather Service."Weekly Wisconsin which is ESN's monthly magazine and satellite Public Television listings also are included. If program guide. (800) 243-3376 no other bulletin board services are available, WHA Infotext is a good way to introduce stu- SciBoard is a free bulletin board operated by dents to computer telecommunications.The the University of Louisville, Kentucky. Avail- service is free except for long-distance telephone able to teachers, students, and the general pub- charges outside the Madison area. The number lic, it encourages participation in science and for computer communications is (608) 263-2420. educational activities. (502) 852-0864 Wilsonline. The Readers Guide to Periodical SciLink. An international electronic confer- Literature and more than a dozen other online ence network, SciLink is designedspecifically databases are available from H.W. Wilson, a for members of the scientific and educational publisher of indexes for libraries. Reduced rates communities. Activities include joint curricu- are offered to schools. (800) 367-6770, ext. 2253 lum exchanges, development and delivery of distance education, joint research projects, cus- Wlnet. This is the Wisconsin component of tom-designed conferencing, and special projects. PSInet, a national bulletin board for math and (416) 922-7001 science educators. Participants can access databases on state and national curricula, calen- SpecialNet. GTE, in addition to its Education dars, pro,, its, and organizations; conduct dis- Network, also offers SpecialNet, an information cussions with cohorts on topical forums; access service established specifically for special edu- federal projects and personnel; and involve stu- cation professionals. It includes e-mail services dents in relevant projects. (608) 266-3319 and access to dozens of informational bulletin boards concerning specialeducation. The Internet (800) 927-3000 The Internet is a telecommunications net- T.I.M.E. (Technology in Migrant Educa- work developed in the late 1960s by the U.S. tion) is a bulletin board in Little Rock, Arkan- Defense Department. It was designed to facili- sas, that supports the use of computersand tate quick transmission of data among research- computer telecommunications in migrant pro- ers in defense-related projects and to test fault- grams. (800) 643-8258 tolerant communications systems capable of The Weather Machine is another tele,:ommu- surviving a nuclear attack. The Internet has nications-based instructional program from the expanded far beyond its original focus and to-

89 95 day connects more than 12 million users Name: EdNET Archive through 12,349 separate networks in 56 coun- Address: nic.umass.edu tries.It operates on all continents, and there Subdirectory path: pub/ednet are even two Internet sites at research stations in Antarctica.It is estimated that half of the Description: Files that list LISTSERVs and 3,600 colleges and universities in the U.S. are Usenet news groups that relate to education linked to this network. (educatrs.lst and edusenet.gde). The Internet provides a wide variety of services. Among the most popular are Name: Garbo Archive an e-mail system, Address: garbo.uwasa.fi hundreds of electronic discussion groups, Subdirectory path: electronic files of information on a wide variety mac (for Macintosh software) of subjects, and pc (for MS-DOS software) a database of more than 350 library catalogs. windows (for MS-DOS machines with windows) The electronic discussion groups, often called Description: Contains shareware software for "discussion lists," are on topics ranging from Macintosh and MS-DOS machines. acupuncture to zymurgy (home brewing). Among other Internet resources are many subject-related information files and databases, in- Name: History Archive cluding federal publishing office documents. Address: ra.msstate.edu With network access, much of this information Subdirectory path: pub/docs.history is available at no additional cost. Description: Contains documents that pertain WiscNet, a nonprofit state association dis- to the study of history and other online history cussed later in this appendix, provides Wiscon- databases. sin institutions of higher education a gateway to the Internet. Kindergarten through twelfth- Name: JPL Education Archive grade (K-12) schools can access WiscNet through a member institution, but fees are of- Address: pubinfo.jpl.nasa.gov ten involved. Those interested should call the Subdirectory path: pub nearest University of Wisconsin System cam- Description: Contains archives of NASA edu- pus or a private college for information on how cational materials, outer space, .gif (graphic to use WiscNet to access the Internet. image format) images, the Universe newsletter, The following list provides information on and space mission fact sheets. how to access different files in the Internet system for use in prekindergarten through Name: NASA Archive twelfth-grade classrooms.It was compiled by Address: ames.are.nans.gov Judi Harris, professor of curriculum and instruction at the University of Texas at Austin. Subdirectory path: pub/SPACE The list also is available on the Internet. Description: Archives of NASA's Ames Labo- ratory with information and files on the space Name: AskERIC program. Also contains a large file of .gif pic- Address: ericir.syr.edu tures from the Voyager mission as well as the space shuttle.Software for viewing the pic- Subdirectory path: tures is also available for many types of desktop pub/Q&A computers. pub/miniSearches pub/Digests_HelpSheets pub/LM_NET Name: KYBER12 Archive Description: Archive of ERIC resources, in- Address: byrd.mu.wvnet.edu cluding frequently asked questions, Silver Plat- Subdirectory path: pub/estepp/kyber-12 er searches on selected topics, selected ERIC Description: Archive of K-12 resources; re- digests and help sheets, and archives of the trieve the file project.kyber-12 for a full descrip- LM_NET LISTSERV discussion list. tion of the online project.

90 96 Name: Logo Archive Name: Washington U. Public Domain Archives Address: cherupakha.media.mit.edu Address: wuarchive. w ustl.edu Subdirectory path: pub Description: Contains a large col',ection of free- Description: Contains archive of public-do- ware and shareware for many types of comput- main Logo software, discussions, newsletters, ers. Choose subdirectories according to the type sample programs, and so on. of software desired. Name: Name: NCSA Archive Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) Address: ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu E-mail address: [email protected] Subdirectory path: Lzscription: CoSN is a membership organiza- education/education_resources tion formed to further development of promote Description: Contains documents p-rtaining access to, and encourage use of telecommu.iica- to the educational use of telecomputing tools, tions in K.12 education. including Mosaic, Mosaic tool programs, and Name: Internic Information Services (IIS) sample Mosaic pages. E-mail address: info.internic.net Description: IIS collects, maintains, and dis- Name: Project Gutenberg tributes information about the Internet and Address: mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu provides assistance to networking end users. Subdirectory path: etext An Internet Resource Guide and other resourc- Description: Project Gutenberg is an organi- es can be obtained by sending e-mail to zation with the goal of preparing electronic [email protected] and typing in the body of the editions of more than 10,000 books by the year message: Request: info, Topic: help. 2001. All documents are available as text-only Name: Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) files, but many can be obtained in PostScript E-mail address: [email protected] Contains children's books, histnrical format. Description: EFF is a membership organiza- documents, religious texts, and poetry. tion focusing on policy issues related to national networking. In the K-12 context, EFF concerns Name: Science Education Archive itself with policies for determining the resourc- Address: es to which students will have electronic access. ftp.bio.indiana.edu 129.79.224.25 Name: International Society for Technology in Educa- Description: Contains files intended to assist tion (ISTE) science teachers. E-mail address: [email protected] Description: ISTE is an organization serving Name: "Teacher Contact" Lists computer-using educators and is dedicated to Address: ftp.vt.edu the improvement of education through the use Subdirectory path: pub/k12 and integration of technology. A special inter- Description: Contains periodically updated est group for telecommunications (SIG/Tel) can lists of K-12 teachers with Internet access. be joined by sendinge-mail to [email protected]. Name: Name: Texas Center for Educational Technology Technical Education Research Centers (TERC) Address: tcet.unt.ed E-mail address: [email protected] Subdirectory path: pub/telecomputing-info Description: TERC researches, develops, and Description: Contains documents and .gif pic- disseminates innovative programs for educa- tures pertaining to the use of Internet-based tors, with a special interest in curriculum tools in K-12 education. projects involving telecomputing.

97 91 Name: Center for Children and Technology Name: U.S. National K-12 Gopher E-mail address: [email protected] Address: copernicus.bbn.com Description: The center investigates the roles Description: This gopher is a national research of technology in children's lives, both in the and development resource in which schools, classroom and in general, and the design and school districts, and community organizations development of prototypical software that sup- can experiment with applications that bring ports engaged, active learning. significant new educational benefits to teachers and students. Name: The Best of K-12 Address: tiesnet.ti es.k 12. mn.us Wisconsin State Agency Subdirectory path: Services and Networks best of K-12 Internet resources Wisconsin educators also have z ccess to sev- Description: This gopher contains a large se- eral electronic bulletin boards and me comput- lection of educational resources for grades K-12, er network operated by various stx.e agencies. including news, guides, books, exchange information, and access to gophers and a bbs. WiseNet is a bulletin board service of the De- partment of Publ.., Inoi,ruction (DPI). DPI pro- Name: Lesson Plans vides a toll-free telephone number for access to Address: copernicus.bbn.com DPI news bulletins and releases, a DPI staff Subdirectory path: directory, and a calendar of statewide educa- National School Network Testbed/Lesson Plans tional events.WiseNet also offers education from UCSD news from national and state sources, alcohol and other drug abuse (AODA) and Wisconsin Description: This gopher contains sample Clearinghouse information, special interest school lesson plans that can be searched and group bulletin boards, CESA meeting agendas viewed and is being used to test ways to make a and minutes, shareware programs, e-mail, and database of lesson plans available electroni- DPI reports and statistics. cally. School districts can use WiseNet to transmit annual reports and other data to the DPI or to Name: NYSERNet import documents, reports, and DPI-developed Address: nysernet.org computer files from the DPI.This bulletin Description: This gopher is provided by the board is free. Those wishing more information New York State educational network and offers may call (608) 266-2529 or (608) 266-2022. The Internet-related resources to K-12 teachers telephone number for computer contact is wishing to use telecomputing tools for profes- (800) 322-9374. sional development and instruction. Learning Link Wisconsin is a bulletin board Name: Reading Room service operated by the Wisconsin Educational Address: info.umd.edn. Communications Board (WECB). There are no charges, but each online session is limited to 15 Subdirectory path: minutes. An "800" number covers long-distance educational resources/the reading room telephone costs. A personal log-on code and Description: This gopher contains a large col- password is needed to access Learning Link. lection of journals, newsletters, and texts as Many services are available for K-12 teach- well as access to other subject-related gophers ers. For instance, teachers who use the "What's at the University of Maryland. in the News" ,tries on public television can obtain advance program information and a Name: SchoolNet teacher guide. Teachers can also get the Daily Address: ern est. ccs. carlto n .ca Classroom Guide for "CNN Newsroom:" a 15- Description: An educational networking ini- minute news program geared for students in tiative of Canada, this gopher provides educa- grades 7 through 12. This commercial-free pro- tional information, discussions areas, and learn- gram is telecast daily on the CNN network and ing tools to schools in Canada. can be videotaped. Teacher guides for these two

92 98 current events programs can be downloaded tem news, and a subscriber discussion section onto disk or printed out. called NOTES that has open discussion and Learning Link also features "Curriculum bulletin areas.It also has one of the most Connection," a database containing descriptions comprehensive reports on national and state of instructional programming broadcast by the satellite video conference providers and net- WECB on Wisconsin Public Television.Sub- works. The list indicates if conferences are live scribers can search the database to locate pro- or taped, if they are new, and what Wisconsin grams to augment classroom instruction. Other sites host the programs. Subscribers also re- Learning Link features include e-mail, a group ceive a mailing list and a video confeiencing of subscriber "Forums" with information on pro- news discussion. (608) 263-4342 fessional development opportunities, updates and -11anges in Wisconsin Public Television pro- WiscNet is a nonprofit association.It was gramming schethiles, and discussion centers for created primarily to provide higher education exchanges of ideas on specific education topics institutions in Wisconsin with access to nation- or issues. More information can be obtained by al data network resources. It also makes possible data communications between higher edu- calling (608) 264-9688. cation institutions. One of its key services is UW-Extension Bulletin Board is a bulletin providing access to the Internet. board service linking educators at county UW- WiscNet was formed in 1989 with the expec- Extension offices, UW System and WTCS cam- tation of developing a National Science Founda- puses, and K-12 school districts. UW-Extension tion proposal for a statewide higher education staff in the Instructional Communications Sys- network ;n Wisconsin.Charter members in- tems (ICS) and WISPLAN computing services clude all UW campuses and eight private colleg- jointly operate this service. es and universities. The WiscNet board is try- This bulletin board offers program data on ing to extend membership beyond institutions live and taped satellite video conferences from of higher education.For more information, around the nation, e-mail services, Wisconsin schools should contact the nearest UW System satellite downlink site data, UW-Extension sys- campus or call (608) 266-1965.

90 93 111 Appendix C Sources of Cable TV and Satellite Programming

Cable Television Providers Cable television carries a great deal of pro- forming arts. Shows are aimed at elementary gramming that can be used for educational pur- and secondary students. Each fall and spring poses with elementary and secondary students. educators can request "A&E Classroom" materi- Today, in fact, cable television companies are al kits, which include five months of scheduling becoming active in providing educational ser- information, program descriptions, and study vices to kindergarten through twelfth-grade guides featuring student activities for selected (K-12) schools. Cable in the Classroom is the programs. This channel also sponsors the A&E industry's public service initiative to enrich ed- National Teacher Grant Competition, in which ucation through commercial-free cable program- teachers create innovative projects based on ming. Its members are major cable companies A&E programs. (212) 661-4500 and national cable programmers. They share the following goals: Black Entertainment Television (BET) pro- increasing awareness of the wide range of duces "Teen Summit," a weekly show designed high-quality cable television educational pro- to enhance classroom learning and broaden stu- grams available without commercial interrup- dent horizons. BET supports a national teacher tion; recognition program and student achievement providing curriculum-related support mate- competition.It offers a magazine called YSB rials, extending copyright clearances so prb- that provides support materials on teen issues. grams can be replayed on videotape, and help- (800) 229-2388 ing teachers use cable programs in the CNN "Newsroom" is a 15-minute news pro- classroom; and gram produced daily and shown every morning contributing free installation and free basic for schools to view or tape. Each program re- cable service to public and state-approved pri- views the day's top news and human interest vate and parochial junior and senior high stories. A second in-depth segment focuses on schools. specific topics, such as a global issue, interna- Cable in the Classroom members each month tional event, or scientific achievement. A teach- air approximately 500 hours of commercial-free er's guide on how to use the material, as well as prcg,ramming. Local cable companies work with additional news and information, is available schools through workshops and support materi- via computer from XPRESS XChange, described al to encourage effective use of these shows in under "Cable Information Service" in this ap- the classroom. More information is available pendix. Computers equipped with special mo- from the Educator Hotline at (800) 743-5355. dems can receive data on the same signal that Or school personnel can write Cable in the delivers cable television. (800) 344-6219 Classroom, 1900 North Beauregard, Suite 108, Alexandria, VA 22311. Consumer News and Business Channel includes extensive market coverage, business Cable Channels news, and talk shows. Support materials, videos, and a glossary are available upon request. Following are some of the cable channels (201) 585 -6469 that offer programming suitable for education. This list, however, is riot a definitive compila- C-SPAN provides "gavel-to-gavel" coverage of tion of every channel or show that might be United States House of Representatives and appropriate for classroom use. Senate floor activities, including news conferences. It also features international legislative A&E Classroom airs a one-hour program daily and public policy events. Live call-in programs featuring dramas, documentaries, and the per- are shown weekdays. C-SPAN in the Class-

94 101) room, the network's educational service, pro- families. Hour-long, closed-captioned documen- vides teaching guides, lesson plans, access to taries on issues that concern these audiences the Purdue Archives of C-SPAN programs on run the first Wednesday of each month.They tape, and monthly newsletters free of charge to are designed to help raise awarenessand edu- teachers. All C-SPAN programs are cleared for cate people about a variety of family concerns. classroom viewing under copyright laws. Taped Printed support materials and suggested dis- programs may be retained in perpetuityfor cussion ideas are provided free to educators. future (800) 523-7586 (718) 482-4125 The Discovery Channel runs a daily, hour- Mind Extension University (ME/U) is affili- long program appropriate for education. Each ated with more than 25 leading distance educa- "Assignment Discovery" show focuses on two tion providers. It features interactive instruc- subjects in areas such as science, technology, tion for elementary and high school students, the arts, and contemporary social issues. There undergraduate and graduate courses, and pro- are vocabulary words and study questions at fessional development and personal enrichment the start of each program, with answers and programs. Special K-12 programmingincludes suggested reading at the conclusion. The Dis- the "Global Library Project," "Germany Lives," covery Network Educator Guide isavailable free and "Career Encou.nters." A family program- of charge.It includes reproducible schedules ming guide is available. (800) 777-6463 and program descriptions for "Assignment Dis- Nickelodeon produces some educational and covery," as well as a range of educational pro- entertainment programs for children ages two grams and products from DiscoveryNetwork. to 15. This channel airs the "Lunch Box" series (800) 321-1832 every Friday and "Nick News W/5" everyMon- ESPN airs "Scholastic Sports America," a weekday through Thursday. A brochure titled "Nick- ly program devoted to achievements by high elodeon Goes to School" has program descrip- school athletes both on and off the field. ESPN's tions, schedules, and support activities.It is "Sports World" curriculum includes a teacher's available free of charge. (212) 258-8000 guide and wall map, and its programs explore different cultures by focusing on sports in other Showtime offers commercial-free family pro- countries. (203) 585-2000 gramming during the day."Chris Cross" and "Ready or Not" are two series for "tweens," those The Family Channel presents two series students from eight through 14 years of age. aimed at K-12 students."Zorrow" creatively Printed materials include viewing tips.Sug- motivates students to become educated like Zor- gested reading lists compiled by the Library of row, the show's main character."Big Brother Congress are available upon request. Jake" sets the stage for learning excursions on (212) 708-1590 topics like self-esteem, the theater, and the Great Depression. Print materials are available The Weather Channel airs "The Weather at a nominal fee. (804) 523-7301 Classroom" every weekday.Each copyright- cleared, 10-minute program features a daily The Learning Channel presents "TLC Ele- meteorology topic, information on current mentary School" every Tuesday. This commer- weather conditions, and a forecast. An illus- cial-free, closed-captioned program consists of trated textbook/workbook titled The Weather several five- to 15-minute curriculum-based seg- Classroom and severe weather preparedness ments for K-6 educators. "Teacher TV" is airen handouts and videos are available at no cost. teachers on Sunday and features innovative (404) 801-2503 and other personnel in schools and communities across the nation. This program iscoproduced by TLC and the National Education Associa- Program Guides tion. The Discovery Network Educator Guide Each of the cable television program provid- describes all programs and products available ers described in this appendixhas guides that from TLC and isfreetoeducators. help teachers use the material and explain (800) 321-1832 where to find additional classroom readings and Lifetime television channel airs entertainment resources. Districts or schools should calltheir and informational programming for women and local cable television companies concerning the

95 I 01 availability of these channels, programs, and Cable Information Service materials. In addition to specific program guides, there The cable television industry can transmit are several other print sources of information data to computers on the same coaxial cable it on satellite and cable television educational pro- uses to send television signals.However, a gramming. Here are two of them. computer with a special modem is required to Cable in the Classroom magazine has infor- receive this data. XPRESS XChange employs mation on selected cable, broadcast, and public this technique to transmit data and is available television programming arranged by subject from participating cable television distributors. matter. It includes study guides for programs of This service features information from over 20 interest, how-to features that demystify teach- sources and includes wire service news, stock ing technology, discussions of ways to use pro- market reports, and Notimex, a news service in grams to strengthen curriculum, and dire( p- Spanish. It also has conferencing features that ries of free teaching materials. This magazine put students in touch with other users and each can be ordered from local cable TV operators. day runs educational video highlights and CNN Written inquiries may be sent to: Cable in the "Newsroom" support materials. Classroom, P. 0. Box 802, Peterborough, XPRESS XChange uses communications sat- NH 03458-9971. ellites, computers, cable television lines, and a The Educator's Guide to Cable Television snecial computer protocol to deliver high speed provides tlps on how to use programs in the data to classroom computers. This service works classroom, reviews programs by subject matter, on many types of computers including Apples, and runs weekly program listings; Subscription Macintosh, Atari, Amiga, and IBM. There are information can be obtained by calling some setup costs associated with this service. (201) 941-6900. (800) 772-6397 Satellite Programming Providers A school with a satellite dish can receive viders.Subscription information can be ob- instruction for high school students, graduate tained by calling (409) 925-3900. courses for staff, and enrichment programs that Satellite Scholar is a monthly guide to satel- are not generally available on cable television. lite educational broadcasts that is categorized A satellite also can offer access to new telecon- by discipline and grade level. Subjects include ferences and staff development and inservice computer science, educational methodology, his- programs. These resources provide information tory, mathematics, physics, social studies, home about educational and general programming economics, and many foreign languages. These available over satellites. courses are for students from kindergarten Education SATLINK is a monthly publica- through graduate college, including continuing tion with program descriptions and air dates education for teachers. (800) 488-7882 and times for shows created by the Education Via Satellite is published by Phillips Maga- Satellite Network and other producers.List- zines,7811 Montrose Road, Potomac, ings include the program title, producer, length, MD 20854.Information about Satellite TV copyright description, and air times in all four Week canbeobtainedbycalling time zones. The magazine also has articles on ((800) 345-8876). Both magazines are sources of using satellite programs in the classroom, copy- satellite program information.They can be right issues, operating Ku-band satellite dishes, purchased in stores or through subscriptions. and maintaining satellite equipment.Call Descriptions of satellite providers follow. (800) 243-3376 for subscription information. They are categorized by the type of instruction Satellite Learning offers descriptions of sat- offeredhigh school courses, enrichment cours- ellite networks and chronological program list es, and staff development. ings of teleconferences and short program series. It separates credit courses and enrichment High School Courses and inservice programs by program provider Arts and Science Teleconferencing Service and net' 'rk.Included are university, busi- (ASTS) is operated by Oklahoma State Univer- ness, and governmental satellite program pro- sity and specializes in advanced placement (AP)

96 102 courses with a team teaching approach toedu- TI-IN, a private vendor .of high school credit cation.The distance teacher is a university courses, provides approximately 22advanced professor and the classroom instructor is a local high schools courses.TI-IN courses are re- partner. Among courses taught are German I, ceived on Ku-band satellite dishes and on cable II, and III; AP Physics; and AP Calculus. Addi- television over Mind Extension University. tional programs for the Sr.:holastic Aptitude Test Languages taught are Spanish, French, Ger- (SAT) and American College Test (ACT) are man, Russian, and Latin.Other subjects of- offered each semester. (800) 440-4332 fered are astronomy, psychology, sociology, and anatomy and physiology. (800) 999-8446 Central Education Telecommunications Consortium (CETC) is one of the recipients of In addition, these two major providers exten- a Errant through the U. S. Departmentof Educa- sively use data transmission and computers to tion's Star Schools Program. CETC offers math- augment their satellite programming. ematics, science, and foreign language courses in 12 states, the District of Columbia, and the IDEANet is an alliance of four distance learn- Virgin Islands. It is associated with the Black ing providers that combines satellite and com- College Satellite Network in Washington, DC. puter technologies to offer high school courses and professional staff development programs to (703) 979-8686 school districts throughout the nation. Its mem- Mind Extension University, already men- bers are the Missouri School Boards Associa- tioned under "Cable Television Providers" in tion, Northern Arizona University, Oklahoma this appendix, offers TI-IN courses for high State University, and STEP Star. Four chan- school credit. (800) 777-6463 nels deliver live, interactive student courses, Satellite Educational Resources Consor- while another runs staff development programs. tium (SERC) includes 24 statesWisconsin is Additional services from IDEANet are a toll- a memberand provides coursesin mathemat- free homework hotline, access to the Internet, ics, science, and foreign languages. A Ku-band SATLINK Online, CNN "Newsroom," and Post- satellite dish is needed to receive programs. Link, the daily online newspaper published by Courses offered are Japanese I and II, Russian I the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. (800) 440-4332 and II, Latin I and II, German I, Spanish Depth of Choice is an alliance of several mul- Probability and Statistics, Discrete Math, Pre- tistate distance learning providers that market calculus and Calculus, AP Micro- and Macro- their programs under one license. They offer economics, Physics, Honors World Geography approximately 5,500 hours of instructional re- (which is team taught with the local classroom sources, including satellite-delivered courses teacher), and Integrated Science 6, 7, and 8 for and programs.Depth of Choice incorporates middle schools. More information is available data transmissions between teachers and par- from SERC at (800) 476-5001 or from the Wis- ticipants into the instruction.Special events, consin Department of Public Instruction at adult education, staff development, credit cours- (608) 266-1965. es, electronic field trips,and special subject- STEP Star from Spokane, Washington, offers area modules and series are all offered.More courses titled Russian I and H,Japanese I and information is available from Distance Learn- H, Advanced Senior English, AP Calculus, ing Associatesat(800) 786-6614or Spanish I and II, Career Paths, MS Science and (800) 735-9197. Technology, Contemporary Applied Math, and Principles of Technology. A college credit op- Enrichment Courses isavailableforthesecourses. tion AG*SAT is a consortium of 33 land grant uni- (509) 536-0141 versities. They use satellite and other commu- Telecommunications Education for Ad- nications technologies to distribute and share vanced Mathematics and Science (TEAMS) academic instruction, cooperative extension pro- is based in the Los Angeles County Office of gramming, and agricultural research informa- Education. It delivers science, technology, and tion. (402) 472-7000 multicultural mathematics courses to four large metropolitan school districts nationally. Classroom Earth is a national organization of (310) 922-6635 schools and educational facilities offering en-

97 1 0 3 richment programs from manysources, includ- school credit courses for descriptive and contact ing Oklahoma State University and NASA. This information on those projects. group also produces special-event teleconferences covering specific topics such as the Soviet The Missouri Educational Satellite Net- and American space programs. For example,a work (ESN), associated with the Missouri program on joint space ventures featured Amer- School Boards Association, provides classroom ican and Soviet crew members of the Apollo- enrichment, staff development, and inservice Soyuz mission and was moderated bya panel of training to more than 400 member school3. Soviet and American students representing (314) 445-9920 grades 4 through 12. Classroom Earth's School SERC produces approximately 100 hoursper Satellite Guide can be obtained from bossier year of subject-specific programs, including Parish Community College, 2719 Airline Drive graduate-level courses for teachers. Staff devel- North, Bossier City, LA 71111. opment programs are structured in three two- Reach for the Stars is a Star Schools grant hour telecasts that qualify for continuing edu- recipient at the Massachusetts Corporation for cation units in most states. SERC has telecast Educational Telecommunications (MCET) in workshops on underachievement anda series of Cambridge, Massachusetts. It provides hands- science and technology workshops for teachers on science material integrated with other areas of grades 8 through 12. There have beenpro- of education to participants inseven states. grams concerning development in early child- This project delivers the educational materials hood, the mathematics curriculum, cooperative via satellite, cable and broadcast television, tele- learning, parent and community communica- conferencing, videodiscs, and computer-based tion skills, computer technology, and technolo- programs. (617) 621-0290 gy education. Information can be obtained by calling SERC at (800) 476-5001or the DPI at SCISTAR offers programs that feature major (608) 266-1965. scientists who discuss their work in paleontolo- gy, archeology, superconductivity, space medi- STEP Star each school year offers about 140 cine, and other subjects. (203) 677-8571 hours of staff development programson how to teach elementary science, communications SCOLA runs seven hours each day of native skills for the 21st century, integrated models of language newscasts from more than 15 foreign instruction, creating productive classrooms, and countries. These programs enable high school other topics. Most are single-event teleconfer- foreign language students to hear a language ences. (509) 536-0141 spoken by native speakers. They also provide cultural awareness and enrichment, because TI-IN produces approximately 400 hours of staff the newscasts are rarely more thana day or two development and inservice programson a vari- old. (712) 566-2202 ety of topics during each school year. It hasrun programs on supporting beginning teachers and Staff Development teaching foreign languages in elementary schools. It also aired a career enrichmentpro- In addition to the sources listed here, CETC, gram on careers in biology, chemistry, earth MEU, and the TEAMS systems also offer staff science, physics, engineering, and mathemat- development programs. See the sectionon high ics. (800) 999-8446

98 l0 Appendix D Reaching and Teaching through Interactive Television

Material in this appendix was adapted from Media (or other distance learning technolo- ideas presented at a workshop held at the Sev- gies involved) enth Annual Conference on Distance Teaching Sense of humor / "humanization" and Learning in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1991. Enthusiasm and engagement Presenters were Barbara Cummings, associate dean for alternative education at Northcentral Teaching Technical College, Wausau, Wisconsin; Helen Plan for each class session by thinking about Lacy, program director for Utah Public Televi- how students most effectively learn by doing the sion, Salt Lake City; and M. Winston Egan, following: professor of special education at Brigham Young Decide how to grab student attention. University, Salt Lake City, Utah. Identify the purposes of the course session. The purpose of this appendix is to introduce Find ways to help students connect each and explain adaptations required to effectively session with their own personal experiences "reach and teach" through television. The sug- or with previous course sessions. gestions and tips presented here also can be Quickly review where the current class is applied to delivering instruction over other in- headed relative to previous classroom ses- structional telecommunications technologies. sions. Teaching strategies outlined are designed to Develop creative ways to actively involve stu- help educators differentiate between effective dents at frequent intervals. and ineffective instructional approaches to dis- Give students an opportunity at the end of a tance teaching. The suggestions provided also session to think about the important things may help them learn how to identify at least five they have learned. effective behaviors to reach and teach through Determine if the distance instructor should television or another instructional telecommu- spend most of the time teaching or if students nications technology. should spend most of their time learning or interacting with the teacher and each other. Planning, Teaching, and Interacting (Reaching) Interacting (Reaching) Michael Moore, director of the American Cen- Planning ter for the Study of Distance Education at Penn- Outline the course into sections that corre- sylvania State University, has identified three spond to each class session. types of interaction that can take place in dis- Determine the objectives to pursue in each tance learning. class session; do not try to cover everything in Learner with instructor one class. Learner with learner Think about different ways of achieving each Learner with content of the classroom objectives by Each of these types of interaction can be determining what concepts are truly difficult addressed in instruction in the following ways. for students to understand, By establishing the expectation that interac- selecting technologies that may be effectively tion will be an integral part of the course, par- used, and ticularly learner to learner. determining the interactivity that will make By planning for different types of interac- the concepts being taught meaningful. tions when developing session outlines or inter- Think about how to address the following active presentation guides. elements. By selecting the type of interaction that is Clarity/organization best suited to helping students understand the Pacing content being presented, including

99 105 cooperative learning teams, er, here are some suggestions on what to avoid case studies, wearing. brainstorming activities, Reflective jewelry simulations, Clothing with carefully developed questions, busy patterns games. horizontal patterns By devoting 50 percent of instructional time small checks to interaction. Some cameras have a hard time adjusting to By deciding how to move from passive in- reds, bright whites, and other bright colors. struction to active instruction in which learners Work with the technician and experiment with are thoroughly engaged and vigorously process- what looks good on camera. ing the content or learning experiences. Classroom Facilitators Visuals, Copyright Considerations, and Apparel Facilitators play many critical roles in distance learning, whether such learning is deliv- Visuals ered through television or other technologies. Television is a powerful visual medium.If They are liaisons between the instructor, used appropriately, it can be very effective in students, administration, and technicians. helping students "see" what a teacher is trying They tend to humanize the system. to communicate. Think about visuals currently They are the classroom manager. used in the class and adaptations that may be They are the primary classroom technicians. needed in preparing instructional television They are proctors for tests. (ITV) instruction.Visuals are most effective They provide student services such as record- when used to keeping, enrollment, and instructional support. increase interest and motivation, Based on their role in the particular class- present and summarize major points, room setup, consider what should be expected of illustrate visual components of the content classroom facilitators. being presented. Should they know what the distance instruc- Visuals that do not work well over television tor wants them to do? include the chalkboard, overhead projectors, Should they be comfortable with the distance and transparencies. technology equipment? Should they be trained to use it? Visuals that do work well are Should they have prior contact with the in- videotape roll-ins, structor? photographs and slides, models and demonstrations, print material in bold type (Helvetica is a Management of the Remote Classroom good, clear font), computer graphics or electronic text, Management of the remote classroom will graphics prepared for the document camera depend somewhat on the design of the system. in a three by four visual ratio, with no more If a return video link provides a view of distance than seven lines for visual clarity. students, it is easier to monitor them. However, it is important that someone at the distant learn- Copyright Considerations ing site be in charge of providing both technical and instructional support for the distance in- Teachers need to obtain written permission struction. to use copyrighted material. Here are some questions to consider in man- When ordering or purchasing new instruc- aging a remote classroom. tional material, request permission to use it in How will the students receive their text- an electronic classroom. books? Apparel How will the instructor monitor student attendance? No special clothing or make-up are neces- How will the instructor handle student eval- sary. Dress as if it was a regular class. Howev- uations and exams?

100 106 How can the instructor become available and als, provide advance notice to technical sup- accessible for students who need assistance? port personnel, and explain the status and What happens if the system technically fails? importance of this material to students. If a facilitator is available, what role does If the answer is "no," convert or transfer the that person play and how can that person assist material to an appropriate format, replicate instruction? it in another medium, or select alternative How will the instructional materials be dis- material. Once a solution has been arrived tributed to the students? at, see points under "if yes" above. Courier service Facsimile (fax) Working with the Camera U.S. Mail Those who make distance instructional pre- Other means sentations should be aware of these guidelines for moving on camera. Technology Selection, Working Keep movement as smooth as possible. Move relatively slowly. with the Camera, Learner Support Confine movement to a predetermined area. Mater zls, Teamwork "Telegraph" movements to the camera operator. Technology Selection Be aware of which camera is "live." Move- Distance learning technologies are used to ment frequently is a catalyst for camera convey the message of the course and to engage change, so agree in advance if that will be a students.Among technologies available are signal. videotapes, computer-generated graphics, still Do not block essential information with any photographs, audiotapes, and satellite feeds. movement. This would include information These are questions to consider when trying presented on blackboards, in demonstrations, to determine whether the technology chosen for in graphics, or by guests. a course is instructionally relevant. Relating to the camera also is important. Is the technology the best way to present Here are some tips. material for primary instruction? Be natural. Is the technology the best way of presenting Look at the "person" to whom you are speak- information? ing. Remember, the distance learner is on Does the technology improve the clarity and the other side of the camera. pacing of the presentation? Remember that most, if not all, of your stu- Does the technology give importance to es- dents are not present physically. sential information? Use facial expressions, body language, and Does the technology supplement or support other nonverbal communications as you information presented in class? would in direct conversation. But tailor them Does the technology provide a secondary to television. means for delivering essential or especially While speaking, look at the camera as if complex information? scanning a group of people. Does the technology present beneficial but nonessential information? Learner Support Materials Does the technology contribute to the pacing What types of learner support materials, in- of the presentation? chiding interactive study guides and interactive Another question to answer is whether the presentation guides, are available to help dis- format or medium of any material being consid- tance teachers? ered is technically supported by the facility Syllabi, manuals, handouts, or other print housing the distance instructor. For example, materials that outline the flow of instruction does the facility provide for videotape presenta- and/or course-related information tions, for satellite feeds, computer graphics, pho- Materials that help students process infor- tographic slides, and audiotapes to be played mation by completing statements, utilizing over the system? graphic organizers, answering questions, and If the answer is "yes," be aware of the need to so forth, from information in an instructional secure permission to use copyrighted materi- presentation

101 107 How do learner support materials facilitate teaching assistants. the instructional process? They Additional members of the learning team are allow the instructor to guide student learn- located at the remote site. They are ing more completely, students, help students put information in an appro- technical support staff, priate context, site coordinators, engage students' attention during class by camera operators, and including them in direct and appropriate learn- proctors or teaching assistants. ing activities, and give students an accurate and focused study Personal Review Questions guide to use after class. Review class materials and on-camera pre- Teamwork sentations in reference to the following factors. The instructor for a distance learning course Clarity and organization of the presentation plays the roles of team leader, content expert, Use of appropriate visuals presenter, and instructional manager. Use of appropriate support materials Other members of the learning team at the Relating to the distance learners through the origination site are television cameras or other technology and call- students, ing them by name - technical support personnel, Interaction and engagement of the distance producers, learners directors, Natural movement on camera technical or program coordinators, Sense of humor camera operators, and Comfort with the medium

102 Appendix E Instructional TelecommunicationsTechnologies Assessment Instrument

The survey instrument included in this appendix isdesigned to help school districts assess their currer.t use of telecommunicationstechnologies. Properly used, it can enable them to inventory what technologies are in place, assess how these technologies areused instructionally, and survey where each of thesetechnologies are physically located in the districtfor instancein classrooms, library media centers, Title I rooms, oroffices. The instrument consists of two forms. The first form canbe used to inventory technologies on the classroom level. The second form concernsbuilding- and district-level reporting, and it can be completed using data collected from the classroom survey. Assessment Educators can use this two-part assessment instrument to assessavailability and use of the following technologies and forms of instructionalprogramming: satellite, fiber optics, telephone lines, instructional Television Fixed Service (ITFS), public television, cable television, and public radio. Classroom data can be aggregated to yield a buildingtechnology and instructional use profile, and school building profiles can in turnbe aggregated to develop a district profile. Multipleschool district profiles can be aggregated to assessregional technology and instructional use. Data can also be aggregated by classroom levels,subject areas, or both. This type of data may illustrate patterns of early adoption of technologies aswell as patterns of need priorities within a school building or district. Limitations The instrument that follows can be modified tofit the specific needs of its users. However, it is not designed to yield data on how much is spentto purchase hardware, software, and programming, or on any costs associatedwith using them instructionally. This information is not likely to be found atthe classroom level. To obtain such cost estimates, a district would have toreview its own financial records.

03 1 0 3' (Sample) Classroom Instructional TechnologyUse Reporting Form Directions Most questions in this survey can be answered witha check mark. Space is provided where questions call for answers that need to be writtenout or require further explanation.Please take time to fill out this survey as completelyas possible. This form may be reproduced. Building Classroom Level elementary secondary-subject middle-subject other-subject Person filling out this survey Telephone number ( I. Satellite 1. Does your classroom have access to satellite programming? I have satellite television. I have no direct access to satellite television butuse taped satellite programming. I do not use satellite programming. (Ifyou have checked this statement, skip the rest of this section and go to the next technology.) 2. Please check the satellite channelsor programs you use in your classroom. ASTS TI-IN LICNN "Newsroom" WVIZ (Cleveland) C-SPAN XPRESS XChange C-SPAN H Teleconferences/special media events Classroom Earth Staff development and inserviceprograms Discovery Channel Other channels (Please list all of them.) LiLearning Channel Local PBS channel(s) Louisiana Educational Satellite Network (NASA programs) Mind Extension University Nickelodeon SCISTAR (science) SCOLA (foreign language newscasts) Satellite Educational Resources Consortium (SERC) IL Fiber Optics 1. Is your classroom equipped with fiber optics? I have fiber optics. I have no direct access to fiber optics butuse taped fiber optics programming. I do not use fiber optics programming. 2. Will your classroom be attached to fiber optics cabling in the next year? in the next three years? in the next five years?

104 1 1 0 3. Please identify the instructional usesof fiber optics in your classroom. (If youdo not use fiber optics, skip the rest of this section and go tothe next technology.)

distributed to your 4. Please identify classes and programs yourdistrict produces locally that are classroom via fiber optics.

III. Telephone Lines 1. How many computers do youhave in your classroom? 2. How many classroom computers arenetworked? 3. How many classroom computershave modehis? 4. Please indicate whether you usetelephone lines and audio conferencing. lines. I have direct access to telephone conferencing in my I have no direct access to telephonelines, but I use audio acid computer curriculum. I do not use audio conferencing or computerswith modems.(If you have checked this statement, skip the rest of this sectionand go to the next technology.) 5. Please check all the ways inwhich telephone lines are usedin your classroom. Two-way ETN courses and programs student staff development adult/communityeducation Other audio-only conferencing activities student staff development D adult/communityeducation Audiographics courses and programs student staff development adult/communityeducation Audio return system for ITFS courses/programs Audio return system for satellitecourses/programs Facsimile (fax) Computer modem communications electronic mail (e-mail) file transfer Internet Online database searches BRS NewsNet Others DIALOG vurrEXT ERIC Wilsonline LEXIS/NEXIS

105 -LIj Electronic bulletin boards Apple Link PALS across the World AT&T Learning Network O Special Net CompuServe/The SOURCE TechNet EDLINE 1:3 WiseNet GTE Education Network Others Learning Link NASA Space link National Geographic Kids Network Other uses

IV. Instructional Television Fixed Services(ITFS) 1. Please identify the ITFS system thatserves your district.

I have ITFS in my classroom. I have no direct access to ITFS butuse taped ITFS programming. I do not use ITFS programming in my classroom. (If you have checked this statement, skipthe rest of this section and go to the next technology.) 2. Please name all locally produced instructionalprograms distributed to your classroom via ITFS, including student courses, enrichmentprograms, staff development and inserviceprograms. community education, and so forth.

3. Please identify the studentcourses or staff development and inserviceprograms produced nationally or statewide thatare delivered to your classroom via ITFS. Oklahoma State University (ASTS) student courses staff development and inserviceprograms SERC student courses staff development and inserviceprograms Teleconferences and special events 1.3 for students staff development and inserviceprograms STEP Star student courses staff development and inserviceprograms TI -IN student courses staff development and inserviceprograms University of Wisconsin Systemor UW-Extension telecourses and programs student courses staff development and inserviceprograms Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS)telecourses and programs student courses staff development and inserviceprograms

106

112 Other student courses or staff development programs delivered via ITFS.

V. Public Television 1. Please list public television stations that serve your community.

I have direct access to public television in my classroom. I do not have direct access to public television in my classroom but use taped programming. I do not use public television programming in my classroom. (If you have checked this statement, skip the rest of this section and go to the next technology.) 2. Please identify shows from "Parade of Programs" used in your classroom, whether live or taped.

VI. Cable Television 1. Please indicate whether you use cable television programming in your classroom. I have cable television in my classroom. I have no direct access to cable television but use taped cable television programming. I do not use programming from cable television in my classroom. (If you have checked this statement, skip the rest of this section; and go to the next technology.) 2. Please check all instructional cable television channels available to your classroom. A&E Classroom Local public, educational, or community-access channel(s). CNN "Newsroom" (Please specify what kind and how many of each.) C-SPAN C-SPAN II Consumer News and Business Channel Discovery Channel Learning Channel Local PBS channel(s) Other Channels Mind Extension University Nickelodeon Weather Channel )(PRESS XChange (a data channel)

107 113 3. List cable channels that provide your class with programming, either live or taped.

4. Name the courses, student enrichment, and staff development programs produced locally and viewed in your classroom on cable television.

VI. Public Radio 1. Please identify instructional stations your community has access to on public and Subsidiary Communication Authorization (SCA) radio.

I have direct access to public broadcast and/or SCA radio in my classroom. I have no direct access to public broadcast and/or SCA radio in my classroom but use taped public broadcast and/or SCA radio programming. I do not use public broadcast and/or SCA radio programming in my classroom. (If you have checked this statement, skip the rest of this section.) 2. Identify radio shows from the "Parade of Programs" used in your classroom.

3. Please identify the classes, programs, or student services your district produces locally and distributes via radio.

108 Building/ District Instructional Technology Use Reporting Form Directions Compile these profiles using information from the "Classroom Instructional Technology Use Reporting Form" in this appendix. This form may be reproduced. Building I. Satellite 1. What type of satellite dish does your buildirg/district have? Check all that apply. If there is more than one satellite, please place the number of them in theblanks below instead of a check mark. Ku-band C-band fixed fixed steerable steeable 2. What perceni age of school buildings in your buNing/district have access to satellite programming? percent 3. What percentage of classrooms in your building/district have access to satellite programming? percent II. Fiber Optics 1. What percentage of buildings in your district have fiber optics cabling? percent 2. What percentage of buildings in your district will be attached to fiber optics cabling? percent in the next year percent in the next three years percent in the next five years 3..That percentage of classrooms in your building have fiber optics cabling? percent 4. What percentage of classrooms in your building will be attached to fiber optics cabling? percent in the next year percent in the next three years percent in the next five years III. Telephone Lines 1. What percentage of classrooms in your building/district have long-distance telephone lines for instructional purposes? percent 2. How many computers are there in your building/district? 3. How many of the building/district computers are networked? 4. How many of the building/district computers have modems? 5. How many classrooms in the building/district use telephone lines for audio conferencing?

6. How many classrooms in the building/district use telephone lines for computer conferencing?

109 115 W. Instructional Television Fixed Services (ITFS) 1. What percentage of classrooms in your building/district are wired for narrowcast ITFS? percent 2. What percentage of classrooms in your building/district use locally produced programming from your ITFS studio or local ITFS system? percent 3. What percentage of classrooms in your building/district use nationally or statewide programming (SERC, TI-IN, ASTS, or special event teleconferences) retransmitted by ITFS? percent V. Public Television 1. What percentage of classrooms in your building/district have access to public television? percent 2. What percentage of classrooms in your building/district use programs from the "Parade of Programs," either live or taped? percent VI. Cable Television 1. What percentage of classrooms in your building/district have cable television? percent 2. What percentage of classrooms in your building / district use programming from cable television? percent 3. What percentage of classrooms in your building/district use data sources (XPRESS XChange) from cable television? percent VII. Radio 1. What percentage of classrooms in your building/district have access to broadcast radio? percent 2. What percentage of classrooms in your building /district have access to SCA radio? percent 3. What percentage of classrooms in your ')uilding/district use programming from broadcast radio? percent 4. What percentage of classrooms in your building/district use programming from "school radio," that is, SCA radio? percent

110 liu Appendix F Instructional Telecommunications Plan and Implementation Process Checklist

An instructional telecommunications plan is, in effect, a blueprint for aschool district's future. Armed with such a plan, Wisconsin educators can use varioustechnol- ogies to offer students new learning opportunities. However, incorporatinginstructional telecommunications into a district's curriculum is a very complicated process. Detailed explanations of the many different phases, steps, and procedures involved in creating and implementing such a plan are provided in Instructional Telecommunications:A Resource and Planning Guide, published by the Wisconsin Department ofPublic Instruc- tion (DPI). In an attempt to keep districts on a safe path while plotting theirinvolvement with instructional telecomniunications, the guide even lists a number of thpitfalls districts can encounter. This appendix takes the steps described in the guide for creating andimplementing an instructional telecommunications plan and breaks them down into a checklistthat educators may reproduce for their own use. The checklist format was chosenbecause of the great number and complexity of both the activities to be carried out andthe issues that arise when school districts decide to select and integratetelecommunications technologies into the classroom.Some components of this checklist grew out of an extensive review of distance learning literature (see "References" at theend of this appendix). Input also was provided by teachers, administrators, and staffmembers representing kindergarten through 12th-grade (K-12) andpostsecondary schools throughout the state. The planning model outlined in the DPI guide consists of four majorphases. The checklist describes and subdivides them into incremental steps that can bechecked off as they are completed. I. Creation of a district plan II.Implementation of the plan III. Evaluation of the plan and implementation process IV. Modification of the plan and implementation process Because each phase consists of a complex set of activities, it is recommendedthat districts incorporate all or most of the components outlined. Nonetheless, thismodel may be adapted to best fit the circumstances in each district. It is important to notethat, even though broken out separately, some of these steps can and will be donesimultaneously. I. Creation of a District Plan Creating the district plan is the most time-consuming phase of theplanning process. These are the steps to follow. They are described and subdivided intosmaller increments in the rest of this section. A. Selecting a steering committee B. Writing a philosophy and rationale for the district plan C. Defining the scope of the instructional and technological assessments D. Conducting an instructional needs assessment E. Conducting a technology needs assessment F. Creating an instructional telecommunications plan

111 117 A. Selecting a Steering Committee The steering committee manages planning, defines the goals and objectives ofa plan, conducts instructional and technological needs assessments, and issues the finalreport to the community.

1. Size. The steering committee should be relatively small in number. Ata minimum, it should include these staff members. The district administrator or a representative Cji The building principal,or a representative, from each building in the district The district curriculum coordinator The district library media director or a school library media specialist The district computer coordinator or other technology teacher One or more classroom teachers, preferably one each from the elementary, middle, and secondary levels One or more guidance ...ounselors The teachers' union president or a representative One or more members of the school board One or more student representatives One or more parents 2. Respor-ibilities. The steering committee will be responsible for ensuring completion of the following major steps in the planning process. Writing a philosophy statement and a rationale for undertaking the planningprocess Defining the scope of the assessment Determining existing sources of information to assess the district's instructional and technological needs Deciding what data must be collected Setting timelines for completing the planning process Developing a district instructional needs profile Developing a district technological needs profile Creating an implementation plan based on the activities completed above B. Writing a Philosophy and Rationale for the District Plan 1. The philosophy statement should explain the motivations that led the district into involvement with telecommunications technology, describe the assumptions and beliefs upon which the plan is based, suggest the general results the plan is designed to produce, provide direction and focus for district efforts, communicate current thinking of district decision makers to staff, students, and the community, and be instrumental in developing a broad base of support from staff, students, and the community. 2. The written philosophy could include a statement about the mission of the school district, assumptions about the future, "why use" technology statements, "we believe" statements, and a list of general concepts.

112 1.1.6 C. Defining the Scope of the Instructional and Technological Needs Assessments The scope of the instructional and technological needs assessments will bebased on the philosophy and rationale the steering committee writes. This scope couldfocus on various levels and/or areas. The building level C:1 The district level The state level A regional level, whether consisting of a few neighbor ing schooldistricts or a cooperative educational service agency (CESA) as a whole A grade-specific level, such as fourth, eighth, or tenth grade A curriculum content area, such as mathematics, science, social studies, orforeign languages A special need area, such as children with exceptional educationalneeds (EEN), gifted and talented students, Title I program participants, children at risk, orEnglish as a second language students (ESL) Any combination of these D. Conducting an Instructional Needs Assessment There are five steps necessary to conducting a comprehensive assessment of aschool district's instructional and telecommunications technology needs. They aredescribed and subdivided into smaller increments in the remainder of this section. 1. Determining existing sources of information 2. Deciding what data has to be collected 3. Writing a vision for the future 4. Setting timelines 5. Developing an instructional needs profile 1. Determining existing sources of information and/or data to assessthe district's instructional needs and telecommunications technology resources. a) A "need" is identified as the discrepancy between the currentinstructional state of a district or school and what officials would like it to be in the future. b) These are some of the existing data and information resourcesthat can be inventoried as part of an assessment. O Current and projected student and staff demographic profiles by district, building, grade level, and subject are Current, past, and projected student course enrollment patterns by district,building, grade level, and subject area Special needs plans or studies in progress for such populations aschildren at risk, EEN students, gifted and talented students, and so on, by district, building,grade level, and subject area Staff development programs and needs by district, building, gradelevel, and subject area O Annual Standard (k) curriculum reports Annual school district budget reports Annual Standard (o) performance disclosure reports School Evaluation Consortium reports Student audits O Other ongoing curriculum work Standards audit reports

113 Annual standardized test results Other sources the steering committee decides could be used for both the instructional needs and technology needs assessments 2. Deciding what data has to be collected and stating why. a) The purpose of this step is to match data elements to be collected with the focus of the rationale for participating in a planning process. The focus of the rationale should include identifying the current instructional offerings of the district and gathering opinions of staff, students, and the community on future instructional opportunities they want. Such an instructional profile should cover these matters. Instructional course offerings by district, building, and grade levelas appropriate to the level at which the assessment is directed Student support services, including guidance, counseling, Title Iprograms, reading labs, gifted and talented programs, and so forth, by district, building, and grade levelas appropriate Program support resources such as instructional media center services, language and computer labs, ratios of computers to students and to faculty, and so forth, by district, building, and grade level as appropriate Professional staff development by district, building, grade level, and subjectarea as appropriate b) The next step involves identifying and finding a source for data elements thatare needed but are not currently collected or available in the district. Among such data and sources might be reports gathered and housed at the Department of Public Instruction (DPI), school "report card" comparisons from the DPI, high school graduate follow-up information to track the effectiveness of the school's teaching on postsecondary school performance, and/or demographic, economic, or community development studies completed by local businesses, local units of government, or institutions of higher education. c) Once the types of data to be collected have been selected, the steering committee must answer the following questions. (1) Where is the data located? District offices Local businesses, units of government, School building(s) or institutions of higher education The state level Other locations (2) What data is not currently available but must be collected 14 district, building, grade level, or subject area as appropriate? (3) What methods will be used to collect the data? Databases Interviews Survey 0 All of these (4) What staff and support services are necessary to conduct the needs assessment by district, building, grade level, or subject area as appropriate? 3. Writing a vision for the future of the school district.Input for this step can be gathered using two distinctly different methods. a) Ask staff, students, and the community to respond to a writtensurvey in order to accomplish these goals. Assess the degree of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the current instructional program. Prepare a "wish list" for instructional courses or opportunities they would like tosee offered in the future. Make a "wish list" of technologies they would like to have in the schools in the future.

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0 b) Have the steering committee create a model vision statement explaining the instructional courses and opportunities and technologies they think should be introduced in the future. After that, elicit reactions to this model from staff, students, and the community. 4. Setting timelines for completing the assessment. There are two types of timelines to be identified. a) Completion dates for the final instructional needs assessment so the district can meet deadlines mandated by other government agencies, by public groups, or by private concerns regarding budgets, construction timetables, and so forth. Annual school/district budget or reporting requirements Annual CESA or consortia budget requirements Biennial state budget proposals/requests 1:1 Periodic budget or reporting requirements such as local, state, federal, and other grant application schedules, or district planning and building construction timetables b) Completion dates for data collection co ensure enough time to aggregate, interpret, analyze, and report the data by the final completion dates identified under a). 5. Developing a district instructional needs profile.Such a profile is the combined product of steps 1 through 4.. Once the current instructional program has been identified, the data collected, and the vision for the future written, the next step is to develop an instructional needs profile for the district. A needs profileshould answer, at a minimum, the following questions. What instructional programs or courses should be added to the classroom, building, or district curricula to put them or keep them in compliance with standards they must meet? What instructional programs and resources could increase learning opportunities in the district, building, or classroom? What instructional programs are needed to provide for low enrollment classes, ESL classes, special education, enrichment programs, and advanced placement courses for gifted and talented students? What are the most critical staff development needs for teachers, support services staff, and administrators? What local, regional, state, or national program or service providers would the district like to add to address the needs identified? What instructional programs or student or staff support services are currently offered on a shared basis with other school districts, eitherdirectly or through a CESA? What postsecondary education institutions provide instructional programs for students, staff, and community or offer staff or student support services to the district?

E. Conducting a Technology Needs Assessment The technology needs assessment may be conducted at the same time as the instructional needs assessment. The "Instructional Telecommunications Technologies Assess- ment Instrument" in appendix E can be modified to collect information aboutdistricts, buildings, and classrooms. Instructional telecommunications technology data collected at the classroom level can be aggregated for a profile of the school's technology, while information on individual buildings may be aggregated to assess the district's overall instructional technologies. If a district takes part in a regional or state planning process,the district profile can be aggregated with those of other units in the study for a picture of the entire region. Here are the required elements of a technology needs assessment.

115 121 1.. A comprehensive inventory of all telecommunications and computer hardware used both instructionally and administratively in each district office, school building, and classroom. O 2. A comprehensive inventory of all instructional classes,programs, software, and resources made available over the technologies inventoried and used instructionally and administratively in each districtgilding. Aggregate this building data for a district inventory. 3. An assessment of the availability of technologies the district does not yet have. This assessment could cover upgrades or possible networking of the installed computer base in the district, construction of an Instructional Television Fixed Serviceor fiber optics system in the region, gaining access to the international Internet network and other online computer services, or connection to cable television. F. Creating an Instructional Telecommunications Plan The results of the inst actional and technological assessments serve as the basis for creating an instructional telecommunications plan. The plan should outlinea range of alternatives and evecific strategies to match current instructional needs and technology resonrces with future instructional needs and technology acquisitions. 1. This plan should identify several time frames for implementation. a) A short range of one to three years b) A medium range of four to seven years c) A long range of eight to 12 years 2. The following are steps that should be taken in this part of the planning process. a) Consider the issues concerning curriculum, technology, and administration raised by each of the strategies identified in the plan. These are some of the questions that have to be answered. Have teachers been involved in development of the plan so they havea sense of ownership in a process that will affect them greatly? Do technologies identified in the plan facilitate the type of instruction that meets the district's needs? Does the plan include inservicing of staff, students, and administratorson new technologies and the instruction they provide? Does the plan provide a process for coordinating curriculum planningamong subject areas in a building, among buildings in a district, or among districts within a consortium? Does the plan establish procedures for reviewing curriculum and evaluating instruction from these technologies? Does the plan identify support staff who can repair and replace equipmentor help manage the flow of student assignments and records? Does the plan ensure equal access to these technologies for all students and staff? Does the plan discuss the effects that policies regarding class size, student selection, and course selection may have on instruction conducted over these technologies? Does the plan describe back-up procedures in case of technical failure? Does the plan provide for sufficient instructor-learner interaction through appropriate use of voice, data, and video technologies? Does the plan satisfy state-level guidelines or rules concerning instructional telecommunications? O Is the plan in accordance with provisions of the current teacher contract? Does the plan address student and class schen ling conflicts thatmay arise through use of various technologies?

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1 Does the plan discuss its effects on the school bell schedule and district school year calendar? Can total costs be determined for equipment, facilities, materials for new technologies, hardware, maintenance, and other expenses? Will switching to proposed technologies result in annual savings over the current instructional program? Are staff skilled in implementing, operating, and maintaining proposed technologies available in the district, both during planning and afterwards? Are administrators with the necessary expertise on hand to manage plan activities and to continue operating new technologies and programs? Are staff, students, and community members likely to support the plan? Do key decision makers display a positive attitude toward the plan? Is support for the technologies widespread or confined to a few individuals? Are staff and administrative expectations concerning benefits of the plan reasonable? Is the organizational structure flexible enough to deal with the disruption triggered by the installation and testing of new technologies? Is there a formal mechanism for handling any procedural or policy modifications necessary to accommodate changes triggered by the plan? is there a designated staff member who has responsibility for implementing, maintaining, and operating the technologies? (Kemper, 1988, p. 39) b) Decide if currently available local telecommunications technologies and/or program providers can enable a d.3trict or building to meet its needs. Among questions to be answered are these. Are courses intended for remedial, average, or advanced students, or a combination of all three types? Do courses meet state certification requirements? Are there student enrichment courses? Are there college preparation or advanced placement courses? Are there courses to prepare students for standardized tests such as the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the American College Test (ACT)? Are there teacher/administrative staff development courses or adult education classes? (Barker, 1992, p. 8) c) Decide if other technologies and/or program providers not yet available locally will help a district or building to meet its needs. These are some questions to be answered. Does the distance program provider allow enough time each semester for makeup work? How many days each week does the system or program conduct classes? Cm1 classes be videotaped and viewed later by students who miss a class or portions of a class? Are a few lessons prepared for broadcast ahead of time in case the distance teacher is unable to conduct the class live? Do distance teachers have set times outside of the lesson periods during which students can coni.act them to ask questions or for other purposes? I Tow early or late in the school day are courses conducted? How closely aligned are calendars or schedules for the district and for the distance courses and programs? (Barker, 1992, p. 9) d) Create a process to articulate new content from instructional telecommunications technology with the district's existing curriculum, including board, administrator, and staff development programs. Answering these questions will focus the efforts of those guiding articulation. Is the content appropriate for the intended grade level?

123 Does a course or program contain appropriate and easy-to-follow instructions? Does a course or program have clearly defined learner goals and objectives? 1:1 Do these goals and objectives match those established in the district? Does a course or program use primary and secondary materials and methods that are exciting, motivating, and varied? Does a course or program meet the needs of the students and adjust for individual differences in abilities, desires, and interests? O Does a course or program contain accurate and up-to-date content accordingto the latest scholarly opinion? Is a course or program easy to understand, consistent, and well-organized? Is the pace of the course or program logical and flexible, especially when taking into consideration the characteristics of the instructional technology being used? Does a course or program provide for fair, accurate, and appropriate evaluation of student performance and progress? U Does a course or program contain pretests and other diagnostic procedures? O Does a course or program articulate ina clear and ..,propriate manner with the district's other courses, subject matter, and grade levels? U Does a course or program employ record-keeping practi-es thatare accurate and meaningful? Does a course or program employ technology appropriate for the content presented and for learners' abilities? Is the technology used conducive to conveying the content and to facilitating the learning process? (Batey and Cowell, 1986, pp. 13-14) e) Calculate costs to purchase instructional telecommunications technologies and participate in new courses, programs, and activities. There are five categories of costs. Capital costs to acquire the actual hardware or facilities Development costs to put the system into operation and prepare the first presentations Operation and maintenance costs to keep the system operating Expansion costs to increase the size of the program Miscellaneous coststhe expenses associated with the time and energy needed to plan, develop, and implement an instructional telecommunications plan(Batey and Cowell, 1986, p. 25) f) Identify options to finance the purchase of technologies and plan implementation. CI (1) Should a district join local, regional,or national consortia to share costs of instruction, programming, and technologies? (a) Some consortia are based on specific technologies such as ITFS, fiber optics,or satellite. (b) Some consortia are based on instructional programs from specificsources such as regional educational telecommunications areas (RETAs), the Satellite Educational Resources Consortium (SERC), CESAs, or postsecondary schools. O (2) Should the district seek funding fromany of these state or federal programs or private foundations to finance instructional telecommunications technology purchases and participation in instructional programs and activities? (Cromer and Steinberger, 1989, pp. 12-13) (a) Elementary and S.,condary Education Act, Chapter 1special education needs for disadvantaged children (b) Goals 2000: Educate America Actblock grants for innovative projects, staff development, and program coordination (c) Star Schools Program grants and special equipment grants from businesses and organizations, such as the Rural Electrification Agency, SERC, NTIA, IBM, Apple Computer Company, or local telephone and cable television companies

118 (d) Local and national foundations that fund innovative school projects, such as the Kellogg Foundation (e) Special state legislation (3) Should the district enter into local school and business partnerships to finance technology purchases and participation in instructional programs?Some of these partnerships provide all or part of the funding for one or more technologies. g) Calculate a cost-benefit analysis for each alternative strategy identified inthe plan. Traditional methods of measuring the cost effectiveness of types of education may not apply to instructional telecommunications programs.Costs in these programs are generally a function of the amount and type of content to be presented, the sizeand location of the audience, the choice of technology, and the sophistication of the product. There will usually be expenses over and above those involved in delivering traditional instruction. II. Implementation of the Plan Once the plan has been written, reviewed, and authorized by the district's school board, it can be put into operation.Activities to be undertaken are similar to those needed to implement any other district plan, except this one may have more far-reaching consequences than some other projects. Recordsshould be kept so implementation of the plan can be evaluated.Here are the steps required for an effective implementation process. They are described and subdivided in theremainder of this section. A. Writing a district policy dealing with instructional telecommunications B. Creating procedures to inform all parties involved about the districtplan and the implementation process C. Conducting a district orientation and staff development programfor all parties involved D, Selecting district and building implementation teams E. Defining roles and assigning responsibilities for all aspects of the plan A. Writing a District Policy A district policy dealing with instructional telecommunications should addressthese various issues and concerns. State statutes and administrative rules Local policy and practice Wisconsin's 20 educational standards Provisions of current union contracts Certification issues High school graduation requirements Who will manage implementation of this plan at the district- and building-levels Who will manage purchases, contracts, and financial agreements in the plan Who is responsible for enrolling students for telecommunications-based classes and scheduling telecommunications-based classes into the school day Who recruits, trains, and pays distance teachers and classroom facilitators Who formally evaluates the performance of distance teachers and classroomfacilita- tors Who supervises distance teachers and classroom facilitators Who supervises students in telecommunications-based classes Who resolves conflicts over the use of technology Who provides technical support in the district and school building Class size limits and the criteria for setting them Other issues the steering committee feels should be considered

119 125 B. Creating Informational Procedures Create ways to inform all parties involvedthe school board, district staff, community, and other interested groupsabout the district plan. Be sure to address both internal and external audiences. 1. Internal audiences who must be informed about the district plan are a) Administration: principals, school b) Faculty d) Students board members, superintendent c) Support staff 2. External audiences who should know about the plan are a) Community d) Other educational institutions b) Elected officials representing the e) Support groups such as parent area on the local and state levels teacher organizations c) Parents of students C. Conducting Orientation and Staff Development Programs 1. Orientation. Create a district orientation program that discusses these matters. a) The plan itself Its philosophy and rationale The scope and outcomes of the instructional and technological assessmentscon- ducted The steps to be taken to implement the plan in the district b) Concepts of distance learning and instructional telecommunications c) The full range of technologies available and their instructional uses, for example, full courses, enrichment programs, professional development, alici community education d) Curriculum development to integrate content from instructional telecommunications offerings e) Student selection and student orientation to distance learning and instructional telecommunications, including how to Learn course content from new sources such as computer databases and teachers located in distant classrooms Ask questions and seek assistance when the teacher is not physically present Use a variety of technologies to augment the lessons coming from a variety of technologies f) Faculty compensation and contract provisions g) Any other issues specific to each district or site 2. Staff Development. Create an ongoing district si,aff development program that considers these questions and concerns. a) How to prepare teachers tr' use telecommunications technologies as new tools for teaching an entire course. Appendix D presents a set of questions and recommendations for teaching using interactive television that can also be applied to other technologies. It may also help districts evaluate the presentation formats of program providers they consider. Staff also should evaluate the following changes they may have to deal with in a distance learning environment. Teaching with lesson plans partly or completely developed by others Preparing very detailed lessons well in advance of delivery Teaching without students in physical attendance Teaching with new types of feedback from learners or even no feedback at all

120 Using different methods to help studentsparticipate in distance learning classes Organizing and structuring materials in new ways Systematically pretesting materials and explanationsfor appropriateness, clarity, and comprehensibility Pacing and delivering lessons in new ways Presenting lessons according to strict andinflexible time schedules Creating innovative ways to elicit studentparticipation and response to questions when students are in multiple plsicallocations Providing access to learner support materialssuch as remote databases, library catalogs, and print or electronic resourcesfor students in multiple physical locations Balancing multiple materials and inputs tostudents Planning new ways to meet the social andemotional needs of students Projecting style and personality in new ways Operating new technologies b) The role of the classroom facilitatorand the relationship between onsite teacher or facilitator and distance teacher O Full-course teacher Co-teacher with the distance teacher Learning partner with the students Monitor of students with little or no part inthe learning process O c) How to orient facilitators to manage thelearning process in a remote classroom O Using plans, materials, and teaching methodslargely devised by others Keeping to a schedule often made by others Preparing students to receive input in newand different ways O Helping students focus their attention onunfamiliar stimuli Helping students make responses inunaccustomed ways O Using different methods to aid students inasking for help and assistance D Employing new ways to promote studentconcentration and persistence Evaluating and rewarding students for newbehaviors Teaching students to use new hardware andsoftware with ease and confidence O Scheduling repairs and maintenance ofequipment when indicated, and, on occasion, performing simple repairs O Keeping new types of records and doing this indifferent ways d) Guidelines for selecting instructors toteach directly over a technology e) How to develop student andtechnical support systems, including ways tofacilitate student interaction and participation in atelecommunications-based class O Written communication sent by mail,including personal letters, journals, and logbooks Exchange of audio cassettes Telephone contacts, either regularly scheduled or"on demand" Student interaction, either face-to-face orvia technology Training for aides or monitors so they canprovide help and support to distance students O Group scrapbooks or photo albums Peer tutoring systems Tutorial groups, either in or out ofschool O Materials for parents so they can assisttheir children 1:3 Electronic mail Imaginative supplementary materials featuringactivities to integrate social and emotional concerns with subject matter content

121 12? Connection of distance learning tocourses in the same subject area taught in a student's school, so the teacher of thatcourse is available for help and advice Special recognition of schools, classes,or individual students during presentations or broadcasts (Batey and Cowell, 1986) f) Providing student support services for this courserecords,grades, homework, assignments, tests, research, guidance, and counseling ( 1) Most students need support of various kindsto handle distance education experiences. A distance teacher removed physically from theearner cannot provide the usual guidance and support found ina traditional classroom. (2) Alternatives to traditional instructional guidance haveto be developed. (3) When support is providedover distance, both frequent contact and a short turnaround time for all communicationare crucial for success. D. Selecting District and Building ImplementationTeams Select district and building teams to facilitateimplementation of the plan at their respective levels. The teams also will help staff, administrators,and students integrate instructional telecommunications intoevery appropriate aspect of school organization and curriculum. 1. A district-level team should include thesemembers. A representative of administration Student support services director A curriculum director Teachers' union official Library media director Building maintenance director Distance learning director School board member(s) Computer coordinator Parent(s) ITV contact person Student(s) 2. A building-level team should include these members. A. representative of administration Department heads Library media specialist Student support services personnel Distance learning coordinator Building maintenance personnel Computer coordinator Parent(s) Classroom teachers Student(s) E. Defining Roles and Assigning Responsibilities Define roles and assign responsibilities for carryingout the various duties connected with instructional telecommunications at the districtand building levels. 1. District Level a) Who will act as the ongoing districtwide coordinator forall instructional telecommunications programs? These aresome of the staff members who might fill this role. District administrator Director of curriculum and inotruction Assistant district administrator District library media specialist District technology coordinator Implementation plan steering committee District distance learning Other district-level administratoror coordinator group b) Who deals with the ongoing coordination of selecting,purchasing, installing, and providing technical support and maintenance services forinstructional technologies? District library media director District computer coordinator District technology coordinator Other district-level administratoror District distance learning coordinator group

122 c) Who coordinates the ongoing staff development programs that orient and train staff to integrate instructional telecommunications into their classroom and/or to teach over these technologies? Director of curriculum and instruction District distance learning coordinator Director of staff development Other district-level administrator or C.1 District library media director group 2. Building Level a) Who will act as the ongoing building coordinator for all instructional telecommunications efforts the school undertakes? Principal Distance learning coordinator Assistant principal Other technology specialist or interested Library media specialist individual Computer coordinator b) Who provides purchasing, installation, and technical support for the instructional technologies in the building? (21 Assistant principal Distance learning coordinator Library media specialist Other technology specialist or interested Computer coordinator' individual c) Who coordinates and/or provides ongoing staff development programs in the building? Principal Distance learning coordinator Assistant principal Guidance counselor Library media specialist 0 Staff development committee Computer coordinator Other interested indiVidual d) Who deals with the academic records, grades, and attendance records for distance learning classes? e) Who coordinates the selection, scheduling, and registration for student courses, staff development, or special events? III. Evaluation of the Plan and Implementation Process This phase gives the implementation teams periodic measurement of progress on the establishment and operation of the plan elements. Evaluation should occur from the very beginning and all plan and implementation process elements should be designed to be easily evaluated. A. Kinds of Evaluation Three kinds of evaluation should be done to measure the effectiveness of district efforts. 1. There should be an overall analysis of the implementation process itself, using both formative and summative evaluation techniques. This checklist can help district personnel conduct formative and summative evaluations, because it contains all the steps and activities necessary to create and implement the district plan. 2. Staff utilization and curriculum adaptation should be evaluated. Included in this evaluation should be an assessment of behavioral changes in how staff members deliver or manage instruction over technology and how they alter course content ordaily lessons to accommodate new technologies. Using appendix D could help districts evaluate staff utilization and course content conversion to a delivery system based on instructional telecom muni-ations.

123 1 2 3. Also to be evaluated are the knowledge, attitudes, and skills students gain from the introduction of new technology into the instructional program. What is learned will be evaluated through ongoing testing activities in the classroom and the district, including possible participation in statewide mandatory testing programs. B. Evaluation Strategy Here are some guidelines to keep in mind when designing a strategy for evaluating the plan and its implementation process. 1. A rationale should be established to explain the purpose of the evaluation and how the results will be used. 2. Recipients of the evaluations should be identified. 3. Key participants in the implementation of the plan should be involved in developing the evaluation procedure. 4. A variety of approaches should be used to gather the information. Surveys of students and staff using the technologies Questionnaires for students, staff, and community members On-site observations by educators and technical experts in the participating schools Interviews with students and staff using the technologies Test results and high school equivalency diploma examination scores Case studies Analysis by teachers and administrators of videotaped segments of selected classroom interactions (New York Legislative Commission on Science and Technolo- gy, 1988, p. 31) Other relevant means for gathering data and information 5. Staff, students, and community members should be included in the evaluation. 6. It is important to monitor the process of instructional content development as well as to record test results. 7. Evaluation is an ongoing process. Evaluation results should be used to assist in revision of the plan and to aid in making decisions as well as to provide appropriate information on the accomplishment of plan activities (Minnesota Curriculum Services Center, 1983, p. 55) IV. Modification of the Plan and Implementation Process A. In the fourth phase, the plan and implementation process are modified to better reflect the realities encountered during implementation. Basic components to be considered are 1. the plan; 2. the short-, medium-, and long-term time lines; and Ci 3. the implementation process evaluation data. B. Modification should be done when evaluation data indicates there is a need to redirect or alter a particular part of the plan or implementation process, or the plan as a whole, to address new information or technologies that have emerged during the implementation phase. These modifications should be linked to the existing elements of the plan and relate directly to meeting the instructional needs identified in the plan. This ought to be done within the implementation timelines already set. Plan modificatio i should be done annually to keep the implementation process on a track that is cost effective for the district and instructionally effective for students and staff. The annual review of the implementation plan should include these steps.

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1 :3 0 1. The steering committee should coordinate this process and make any recommendations for revising the plan based on the review. 2. The evaluation checklist provided in sections I through III above should be used to match actual implementation outcomes with anticipated outcomes identified in the plan. 3. The steering committee should establish priorities for changing the planbased on this review. Priorities could address changes in the following items. a) The facilities that house the technologies and the classrooms and library media centers that serve as learning environments for these technologies b) Hardware and technologies purchased c) Staff development and staff support programs initiated d) Instructional software purchases e) Equity and access policies f) Curriculum integration needs g) Budget considerations h) Other concerns indicated in the evaluation 4. The steering committee should develop a revised implementation plan andsched- ule. 5. The steering committee must carry out changes outlined in the revisedplan and implementation process. 6. To evaluate the impact of this revised implementation plan, the steering committee should a) revise the evaluation checklist in sections I through III above toreflect the revisions, and b) evaluate the revised plan which includes the changes. 7. Begin the whole cycle again. References Barker, Bruce 0. The Distance Education Handbook: An Administrator'sGuide for Rural and Remote Schools. Charleston, WV: ERIC Clearinghouse on RuralEducation and Small Schools, Jan. 1992. Batey, Anne, and Richard N. Cowell. Distance Education: An Overview.Portland, OR: Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, 1986, pp. 13-14, 25. Cromer, Janis L., and Elizabeth D. Steinberger.On Line: Financial Strategies for Educational Technology. Washington, DC: National School Board Associationand Education Systems Corporation, 1989. Kemper, Marilyn. "Emerging Technologies: A Roadmap for Librarians." SchoolLibrary Journal Nov. 1988, p. 39. Minnesota Curriculum Services Center. Planning for Educational Technology.Minne- apolis: Minnesota Department of Education Vocational-Technical Division, 1983. New York State Legislative Commission on Science and Technology. DistanceLearning: The Sky's the Limit. Albany, NY: The Commission, 1988, p. 31.

125 131 Appendix G Glossary of Terms

This glossary is adapted from one created for asynchronicity/asynchronous The capabili- the Wisconsin Distance Education Technology ty of a communications technology to store Study (June 1993) by Evans Associates. Some and record programming for later playback or technical terms and abbreviations from the orig- use. Another term sometimes used to refer to inal have been deleted because they are not a technology that has this capability is "time- relevant to this guide. This glossary was origi- independent." nally downloaded by computer from the Library attenuation Occurs when electromagnetic sig- on Learning Link. Anyone interested in the full nals suffer a loss of power during transmis- glossary can obtain it from Learning Link. sion. This glossary contains definitions for terms often used in discussions of distance learning, audio Sound energy that codes information also called distance education. Where appropri- understandably for a human listener. ate, the definitions are given in the context of audio conference A telephone conference call the Wisconsin Educational Communications utilizing special equipment to maintain the Board (WECB) system. strength of the signal among all parties. A, B, C, D, G channel groups ITFS channels audiographicsThe simultaneous two-way are clustered in groups of four frequencies transmission of voice and computer graphics designated by a letter of the alphabet and a over ordinary telephone lines; allows for a numberA-1, /1/4.-2, A-3, A-4. high degree of interaction, because several sites may be linked at one time. ad hoc teleconference A teleconference that audio subcarrier The carrier wave that trans- links participants for a specific purpose. mits audio information between 5 and ADM Add-drop multiplexer: a piece of equip- 8.5 MHz on a satellite broadcast. ment that makes possible a dynamic software- controlled configuration of circuits in a digital audiotex or audiotext A system employing switched network. touch-tone telephones to access electronically stored and delivered libraries of short audio AM Amplitude modulation: encoding of a car- messages. rier wave by varying its amplitude. bandwidth The amount of the electromagnet- amplifier An electrical device to strengthen ic spectrum that a given signal occupies. Usu- audio signals, video signals, or radio frequen- ally expressed in kilohertz (thousands of hertz, cy (RF) energy. or KHz) or megahertz (millions of hertz, or analog/digital Two opposite kinds of commu MHz). nication signals. 1. Analog. An analog signal baud rate The speed of data transmission over transmits information by modulating a con- telephone lines, approximately equal to bits tinuous signal, such as a radio wave. 2. Digi- per second. Baud rates for ASCII computer tal. A digital signal is based on a binary code messaging services range from 300 to 14,400 in which information is sent as a series of "on" and above. and "off" signals. It is more precise and less BER Bit error rate: the fraction of a sequence subject to interference than an analog signal. of message bits that are in error. A bit error antenna A structure that receives or transmits rate of 106 means there is an average of one radio or television signals. error per million bits. ASCII American Standard Code for Informa- B-ISDN Broadband Integrated Services Digi- tion Interchange: the common code for alpha- tal Network: a digital signalling network that numeric characters that enables different operates with interface data rate speeds of computer systems to communicate. 155 to 622 million bits per second (MBs).

126 132 bit Binary digit:a bit is the smallest unit of transmit the majority of programming for information a computer can process.It is broadcast and cable television, telephone represented by a 1 or 0, or by on or off. transmissions, and data. block downconverting The process of con- CCTV Closed-circuit television: a system that verting an entire band to an intermediate transmits TV signals only to receivers that frequency (4 GHz to 1 GHz) for transmission are physically connected. to multiple receivers, where the next conver- CD-ROM Compact disc with read-only memo- sion will take place. ry: a technology for storing informationthat bridge A device that connects three or more can be read by a computer orsimilar hi-tech telecommunications channels, such as tele- device. It uses the same technology as audio phone lines. compact discs and movie videodiscs. broadband Broadband channels have enough cellular radio A mobile telephone technology bandwidth to carry full-motion video, still pic- that divides a metropolitan area into a num- tures, graphics, audio, and text. ber of smaller areas or cells, each served by a broadcastTelevision and radio signals de- small, low-power transmitting and receiving signed to reach mass audiences. The audio or station. A car traveling from one cell to anoth- video signal is transmitted from a central er is automatically switched to thatcell's par- point and is received on standard radio or ticular frequency, allowing for continuous en television equipment. route communications.Each transmitting station is connected to a mobile phone switch- byte A group of bits, usually eight, processed as ing office and the local telephone switching a unit by a computer. center. CAD Computer assisted design:computer drawing software designed to create visual Centrex A telephone company switching ser- representations in color, according to scale, vice that uses central office switching equip- and in multiple dimensions. ment to connect customers via individual extension access lines. CAI Computer assisted instruction. channel A band of frequencies allocated for CAM Computer assisted manufacturing. communications. camera An instrument that converts a visual Lowband. image into electrical impulses for video trans- channel bands for television VHF channels two through six.Mid band. mission. Cable channels 14 through 22.High band. carrier 1. A provider of communication trans- Cable channels seven through 13. Super missions to the general public, sometimes re- band.Cable channels 23 through 36.Hyper ferred to as a "common carrier" or "regulated band.Cable channels 37 through59. UHF. carrier" because it is regulated by the Federal Broadcast television channels 14 through 83. Communications Commission (FCC).2. A current in a communications channel that can coax, coaxial cableCopper-wire cable that be modulated to carry analog or digital sig- carries audio signals, video signals, and radi' nals. 3. A telephone company or similar non- frequency (RF) energy. private telecommunications service supplier. Codec Coder/decoder: digital encoding/decod- 4. The radio frequency wave that is modulating equipment necessary to interface analog ed by the baseband information signal. end-user equipment such as a television set CATV Community Antenna Television: a mas- with digital transmission facilities.In the ter antenna and distribution system to re- case of compressed video, codecs also rest( re ceive, amplify, and distribute a television sig- some of the motion lost in the compression nal via coaxial cable.Also known as cable process. television. common carrier A telecommunications com- C-band satellite television Channels from 4 pany that provides communication transmis- to 6 gigahertz used mainly to transmit and sion services, at a fee, to the public. A local receive signals involving communication sat- telephone company is an example of a com- ellites.Satellites operating in the C-band mon carrier.

127 133 communications satellite A satellite that switch that can route data, voice, or video receives signals from an Earth station and signals to a specific destination. retransmits them to other Earth stations. database Information storage system that can compressed video In compressed video only be searched to obtain specific data. The term the changes in moving frames are captured database in the past was associated only with and transmitted, not full motion. The recon- computers. Today it also refers to information stituted image exhibits some motion and, de- storage and retrieval systems involving other pending on the available bandwidth and ca- technologies, such as audiotext and teletext. pacity of the transmitters and receivers, the motion may appear somewhat irregular. This data rate Analog transmission is specified in effect occurs in compressed video technology bandwidth (usually in hertz) and signal to noise (usually in dB). A digital user measures because the moving areas of the image are capacity by how many bits per second can be only approximated. transmitted. computer conferencing An interactive conferencing system that enables participants to dBDecibel:the standard unit of difference share comments, texts, graphics, or other used to measure of levels of power, voltage, or forms of information.Users can access the current in electric or electronic signals. conferencing system with computers at any DBS Direct broadcast satellite: multiple satel- time, read material submitted by other partic- lite entertainment and information services ipants, and add their own comments. received via satellite on a subscription basis. computer messaging systemsIncluded DDS Direct digital system: a ne',,work whose among these are electronic mail, bulletin component parts and signals, representing boards, and computer conferencing. Such sys- information of various types, are all transmit- tems include a central "host" computer, which ted via standardized digital signalling meth- stores messages, and other members who ac- ods.In a DDS network, no analog-to-digital cess the system and exchange information converters are necessary. with telecommunications technologies. decoder A device designed to unscramble pur- conference callA call over ordinary tele- posely scrambled television signals. phone lines that links a number of locations dedicated channels Channels reserved for together with the aid of a telephone company specific uses.Government, education, and or telephone bridging device. public-access cable TV channels are exam- connectivity The ability of devices to exchange ples. data through shared connections. dedicated lines A leased or purchased line consortium A voluntary organization whose connecting two or more data communication members are affiliated for a specific purpose. sites exclusively for one vendor or user. CPE Customer premises equipment: phones, demarc Demarcation: the point(s) at which private branch exchanges (PBXs), and other customer-provided equipment is connected to telephone equipment located on a customer's currier-provided equipment. premises. demodulation The process of retrieving an CPU Central processing unit of a computer. original signal from a modulated carrier wave. CRT Cathode ray tube. descrambler An electronic device that. de- codes encrypted satellite signals. C-SPAN Cable-Satellite TV Public Affairs Net- work. digital/analog An analog electrical signal employs an infinite number of degrees of change CWETN Central Wisconsin Educational Tele- to convey information. For example, an AM communications Network:a consortium of radio station continuously varies the ampli- schools located near Spencer that share an tude of its carrier signal, depending on the interactive television network. amplitude of the sound it is carrying. A digi- DAC or DCS Digital cross-connect switch: a tal signal, however, is always in one of two remote device controlled by a central site states ("on" or "off'), but varying at a rate fast

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13 4 enough that information encoded into num- allocation is when a fixed amount of resources bers can be transferred. One of the biggest are always dedicated to a system,regardless advantages of digital transmission is that, as of whether they are being used. long as a receiver can distinguish between the Earth stationEquipment located on Earth two states in the signal, noise will not affect it. that can transmit or receive satellite commu- digital signalsDigital technology converts nications.In general, this term refers to audio, video, and data into a series of "off' and receive-only stations. "on" signals that form a digital signal. Digital EBBs or BBs Electronic bulletin boards: sys- channels are generally more precise, less sub- tems that enable users who have computers ject to interference, can carry more informa- equipped with modems and special software tion, and can be transmitted at higher speeds to read and post short public messages or than analog channels. announcements. Information is stored on a distance education/distance learningIn- central computer that can be accessed by all struction that takes place in a setting in which members.Messages may be screened and the teacher is in contact with the student posted within categories established by the through correspondence or telecommunica- system's operator. tion technologies. These technologies can link educational televisionTelevision used for students and teachers within or between dis- classroom instruction, enrichment, and com- tricts, states, or nations. munity and cultural education. downconversion Translation of a frequency electronic bulletin board See EBBs. or a block of frequencies to alower portion of electronic classroom An instructional area the electromagnetic spectrum. An example is characterized by the presence of two-way dis- translating SHF (microwave) frequencies to tance learning facilities, such as receive-only UHF or VHF. video and two-way audio.Sometimes also downconverter A device used to lower the used to refer to a class that uses in-house frequency of any signal. educational video equipment, such as VCRs. downlink A receive system for processing sat- e-mail Electronic mail: networking systems ellite information that includes the satellite, that enable users to send and receive messag- the receiving Earth station, and the signal es via computers and telephonemodems transmitted between them. Occasionally, this encryption/decryptionSpecial coding or word also is used to refer to the Television scrambling of a communication signal for se- Receive Only (TVRO) dish itself. curity purposes. downloading The process of transferring in- ERVING Embarrass River Valley Instruction- formation from one device to another through al Network Group.a consortium of seven telecommunications technologies.Informa- Waupaca and Shawano County school dis- tion received from the originating source can tricts that uses fiber optics for distance educa- be stored for future use. tion. duplex On a regular telephone system, the Ethernet Baseband protocol and technology audio transmission can be considered "half developed by Xerox and widely supported by duplex," because if both parties speak at the many manufacturers; apacket technology same time their voices will intercept oneach that operates at 10 /vlbs over coaxial cable and end of the call.Most digital systems are allows terminals, concentrators, workstations, duplex, making possible simultaneous and in- and hosts to communicate with each other. dependent data (or encoded audio) to pass in ETN Educational Teleconference Network: a each direction. Some systems may be "sim- four-wire dedicated telephone instructional plex," which means they pass information in system operated by the InstructionalCommu- only one direction. nications Systems (ICS) of the University of dynamic allocationThe ability, based on Wisconsin-Extension. CTNs, ETN, and two- actual need, to add to, or remove resources wire telephones can be interconnected at ICS from, a system. The alternative to dynamic in Madison.

129 135 facilitator The individual responsible for the gateway A device that connects twoor more local component at a distance educationsite. dissimilar networks and makes communica- This person may or may not bean expert in tion possibie among them. the subject matter. Gbs Gigabits per second: definesa rate multi- facsimile machine (FAX) Electronic technol- ple for data/information transmissionover a ogy that transmits text and graphics, usually communications line.One Gbs equals one over telephone systems. Also commonlyre- billion bits per second, or approximately125 ferred to as telecopiesor datafax. million characters per second (assuming eight feedback 1. Video. Picture distortion whena bits per character). video signal reenters the switcher andbe- geostationary orbit An orbit located 22,300 comes overamplified.2. Audio. Unpleasant miles above whe Earth's equator.In this speaker howl when sound is inadvertentlyfed orbit, a communications satelliterotates into the microphone and overamplified. around the Earth at the same speed the Earth fiber optics A technology for transmissionof rotates, so the satellite appears to remain voice, video, or data. Light is modulated and stationary when viewed from Earth. sent over high-purity, hair-thin fibers of glass. geosynchronous Used to describea satellite The bandwidth capacity of fiber optics cableis orbit that has a rotation period equalto that of much greater than that of conventionalcable the Earth's rotation. The term neednot imply or copper wire. that the orbit is geostationary. firmware Data and/or program softwarefor GHz Gigahertz: unit of frequency equalto one the codec stored in a nonvolatile formin a billion hertz or cycles per second. semiconductor memory circuit.For codecs, the firmware is often housed in GRADES Green and Rock Area DistanceEdu- a plug-in cation System: an ITFS usergroup in the module. Janesville area. first mile connections Refers to the way grainy picture A poor picture condition,usu- programming is delivered fr its source to a ally the result of weak signal strength; char- transmitter. acterized by a uniform distribution ofnoise FM Frequency modulation: encodinga carrier appearing as spots or streaks throughout the wave by varying its frequency. picture. footprint Coverage area ofa satellite beam; half-duplex A circuit that permits communi- different satellites have different footprints, cations in both directions, but not simulta- and some cover as muchas one half the Earth. neously. FOTS Fiber optics transmissionsystem. half-transponder A method of transmitting two TV signals through a single satellite four-wire telephone Dedicated telephone tran- sys- sponder by reducing the deviation andpower tem that uses four wires (two to send andtwo to receive) and requires special telephone allocated to each signal. equipment. ETN and CTNs use this technolo- hardware Electronic equipment suchas com- gy for interactive classes and meetings that puters, satellite dishes, and videocameras link users over a widearea. HDTV High Definition Television:an emerg- frequency The number of cyclesper second of ing TV technology with better picturequality an electromagnetic transmission, usually de- and a wider screen than standard TV. Most scribed in hertz.Generally, high-frequency HDTV technologies are digital. transmissions can carry more informationat headend The central transmission pointfrom greater speeds than low-frequency transmis- which a CATV or MATV system distributes sions. programming. full duplex A transmission system capableof hertz A unit of frequency equalto one cycle per simultaneously transmitting and receiving second (cps). One kilohertz equals 1,000cps; signals in both directions. Othersystems are one megahertz equals one million cps;one ,simplex (unidirectional)or half-duplex (one gigahertz equals one billioncps. direction at a time). hop One leg of a microwave relaysystem. 130 6 hub A point or piece of equipment connecting a laser Light amplification by stimulated emis- branch of a multipoint network. A network sion of radiation:a highly focused beam of may have a number of geographically distrib- light, or its transmitting device, that is used uted hubs or bridging points. in fiber optics and optical videodiscs. hybrid system A system that combines two or last mile connections The means to deliver more communication technologies. programming to its final receiver.For in- 1FL Inter-facility link: anything from a cross- stance, a local ITFS system is the final con- site transmission line to a complete data net- nection when it delivers satellite-fed program- work. ming to television sets. i. itructional telecommunications Tele- LCD Liquid crystal display: a very low-power communications technologies used to deliver device capable of displaying characters, words, distance learning. and symbols, often built into a codec or room controller panel. INTELSAT International Telecommunication Satellite organization. Learning Link A computer lilletin board for services related to education ISDNIntegrated Services Digital Network: the worldwide standard for digital telephony. LED Light emitting diode. The network signalling and transmission concept that utilizes standardized digital signal- line of sight Transmission path uninhibited ling methods and equipment to enable voice, by physical objects in the intervening terrain, data, and video information to be transferred but ultimately limited by the curvature of the simultaneously between users. Earth. IT Information technologies. loopback To make tests easier, some digital equipment has loopback capability. Enabling ITFS Instructional Television Fixed Service: a loopback at different points on a network technology to transmit television signals with makes it easier to determine the defective frequencies higher than commercial televi- portion. sion. This technology requires special licensing from the FCC and is reserved for educa- lossless Negligible signal loss. tional institutions. lossy Something that causes degradation of a ITV Instructional television. signal, a lowering of the signal from the source jack A connecting device arranged for inser- to the end. tion of a plug. LPTV Low power television:stations with a kbs Kilobits per second: a rate of data/informa- signal that covers only ten to 15 miles and tion transmission across a communications that cater to a specific audience. line.1 Kbs equals 1,000 bits per second, or MATV Master Antenna Television: an anten- approximately 125 characters per second (as- na system for a specific area, such as a school, suming eight bits per character). hotel, or apartment building, that delivers a Khz Kilohertz:refers to a unit of frequency signal to many TV sets. equal to 1,000 hertz. Mbs Megabits per second:a rate of data/ Ku-band satellite transmissionRefers to information transmission across a communi- frequencies in the 11 to 14 GHz band. The cations line; 1 Mbs equals 1,000,000 bits per new generation of communication satellites second, or approximately 125,000 characters sends and receives signals on this band. per second (assuming eight bits per character). LAN Local area network: a user-owned, user- operated, high-volume data transmission fa- MDS Multipoint Distribution Service: the com- cility connecting a number of communicating mercial counterpart to ITFS, often referred to devicescomputers, terminals, word proces- as "wireless cable" because it can deliver pay sors, printers, mass storage units, and so television programming directly to homes. forthwithin a single building or group of MDS subscribers must install microwave an- buildings. tennas to receive program transmissions.

131 137 meet-me-bridge A type of telephone bridge radio and television equipment. ITFS, cable that provides dial-in conferencing. It can be television, fiber optics, and satellite are exam- accessed by calling a telephone number. ples of narrowcast technologies. MHz Megahertz: refers to a frequency equal to network A group of interconnected television one million hertz. or radio stations capable of simultaneously microprocessor The heart of the computer, a transmitting a given program. silicon chip that processes data and controls networking The interconnection of multiple the computer's components. sites for the reception and possible transmis- microwave A high-frequency range to trans- sion of information.Networks can be com- port audio, video, and data signals point-to- posed of various transmission media, includ- point. A single transmit and receive link can ing copper wire, terrestrial microwave, or cover up to 40 miles, but this technology re- coaxial cable. quires a clear line of sight geographically to NEWTEC Northeast Wisconsin Telecommuni- deliver the signal. cations Education Consortium:a group of microwave bandThe band of frequencies, school districts using ITFS for distance educa- 1,000 megahertz or greater, that uses very tion and staff development in the Green Bay short waves. These bands are used primarily area. for point-to-point communications. node A termination point for two or more MMDS Multichannel Multipoint Distribution communications links. A node can serve as System (another term for MDS). the control location to forward data over a modem Modulator/demodulator: an electronic network or multiple networks.It also can device that enables a computer to send and perform other networking and/or local processing functions. receive data, visually by telephone. modulation The process of transmitting audio noise Anything present between codecs other or video signals by er,coding them onto a radio than the binary signal being transmitted. wave. 1. Audio. Unwanted sound signals. 2. Video. Electronic interference. monitor Generally an electronic screen used specifically to display video information. NTIA The U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications Information MSO Multiple system operator: a cable com- Agency. pany that owns several systems. NTU National Technological University. MTS Multichannel television sound: a narrowcast technology that, in addition to providing NUTN: National University Teleconferencing stereo music, provides another channel for Network. data delivery, additional language services, or NWECS Northern Wisconsin Educational Com- supplementary instructional television servic- munications System: a consortium consisting es. Viewers need special equipment to receive of the University of Wisconsin-Superior, Wis- MTS. consin Indianhead Technical College, the Su- muldem A piece of equipment that provides perior School District, and CESA 12.It is multiplexing and digital interface capability developing an interactive fiber optics network. for an optical network, such as fiber optics. OCR Optical character recognition or optical multiplex A process for transmitting multiple character reader. signals over a single channel. origination capabilities Ability to send in- multipoint A communications system that formation whether it is in the form of video, allows three or more sites to participate in the audio, or data. transmission of a signal. origination siteThe location from which a narrowcasting As opposed to "broadcasting," program is transmitted. it refers to television and radio designed to OSI Open System Interconnection: emerging reach small, targeted audiences. The audio or standard for a layered architecture that en- video signal is transmitted from a central ables data to be transferred among systems point and can be received with specialized through networks. 132 136 OTA The U.S. Department of Education's Of- nation's public broadcasting system, includ- fice of Technology Assessment. ing a substan';:al portion of state network PALPhase alternation line:the broadcast facilities in Wisconsin. standard in the United Kingdom, Germany, RAM Random access meinory: the most com- and some European countries. mon computer memory, the contents of which parabolic dish A satellite antenna, usually can be altered at any time. bowl-shaped, that concentrates signals to a real time Said of the ability to send and receive single focal point. messages simultaneously and without delay, picture element The smallest discrete part of also called "live." a video image, the size of which is controlled by an analog-to-digital conversion sampling receive dishes See downlink. process and other compression processes. The receive-only codec A video codec configured more picture elements per line, the higher the only to receive communications signals and image resolution. process them for local output.For use at PIP Picture-in-picture display: a video display receive locations in point-to-multipoint or for mode in which a one-quarter-size video image broadcast applications in which two-way co- is superimposed over one quadrant of a full- dec communication is not required. screen video image. redundant Temporarily redundant. Said of polarization The property by which an elec- video data information that does not change tromagnetic wave exhibits a direction of vi- over time. Spatially redundant. Said of video bration (or rotation sense), giving the oppor- data information in which a given pixel is tunity for frequency re-use by orthogonal surrounded with similar pixels. polarizations. Four types of polarization are RETAs Regional educational telecommunica- used with satellites:horizontal, vertical, tions areas. right-hand circular, and left -hand circular. POP Point of presence:location at which a RF Radio frequency: an electronic signal above customer can connect to a carrier's network. the audio and below the infrared frequencies port Point of access to a computer or a comput- RFB Request for bid: written invitation to bid er network. on a project that gives vendors of goods and program With respect to a state agency, a set services precise project specifications. Each of duties or services uniquely assigned by law. vendor responds with a formal sealed bid that includes specific prices, and the customer se- Project CIRCUIT Trempealeau County Inter- lects one bid from those received. active Cable Network serving the county's school districts. RFI Request for information: request to vendors of goods and services for information. projection system A large screen system to Used when there is little in-house expertise or show video or television images. when the need is conceptual.Vendors re- protocolCommunication paramAers neces- spond with general information and prices. sary to make a connection between comput- Typically, a customer does not purchase from ers; two examples are baud rate and duplex. resp( rises to an RFI but may use responses to protocol conversion The process of translat- develop a RFP or RFB. ing a protocol native to an end-user device, for RFP Request for proposal: invitation to ven- example a terminal, into a different protocol. dors of goods and services, used when the best This enables that end-user device to commu- option may be in doubt, to gain information on nicate with another with which it previously the cost-effectiveness of various options.It had been incompatible. describes what the customer wants to do and PTFP Public Telecommunications Facility Pro- includes any constraints or conditions. Ven- gram of the NTIA: funds from PTFP (arid dors describe how they would do what the from an earlier version administered by the customer wants, what they would provide, former U. S. Department of Health, Educa- and the cost. The customer reviews the re- tion, and Welfare) have financed much of the sponses and selects one.

133 13 RFQ Request for quote: a shorter, less formal SMATV Satellite Master-Antenna Television: RFB used when a customer needs to replace a pay-TV service delivered to rooftop Earth specific equipment or to purchase one-time stations located on multidwelling units. The services or service contracts. signal is then distributed to individual TV ROM Read-only memory: a type of semi-con- sets by coaxial cable. ductor memory device that stores unalterable software Programs, procedures, and related data or program information. documentation associated with a computer SAP Separate audio program: a second audio system; sometimes used to refer to TV pro- channel available with every TV channel un- gramming. der the NTSC standard. Often used for bilin- SONET Synchronous Optical Network:an gual teaching, with the SAP channel carrying emerging interface standard for digital sig- program audio in a different language from nalling transmission and equipment in fiber the main audio channel. optics networks. satellite Electronic space vehicle located in a STL Studio-to-transmitter link: any technical fixed geostationary orbit that retransmits sig- method of delivering a signal from a studio to nals from one location on the Earth's surface a transmitter, such as coaxial cable and point- to one or more other Earth locations. to-point microwave. satellite time Time booked to use a communi- STS State Telephone System. cations satellite. studio A room containing a camera, micro- SCA Subsidiary Communications Authoriza- phones, or other television or radio equipment tion: an additional program channel that can necessary to originate a signal. be transmitted along with the regular stereo switching Process of routing communications programming of an FM station. traffic from a sender to the correct receiver. School Radio Service Transmitted by SCA synchronicity/synchronous"Live" or "real (Subsidiary Communication Authorization) time" transmission and reception. Radio. It is transmitted with FM radio signals synchronization Many data networks simply and received by special receivers. provide a bit stream without any information scrambler A device that alters a picture so it on how to divide the bits into "words." Some cannot be viewed on a TV screen without a networks use overhead bits to determine the decoder. "start" and "stop" of each word. If the codec is SDN Software-defined network:a virtually to ensure the best possible use of the data private network in which network links are channel, it cannot afford the overhead re- assigned as needed and typically are invoiced quired to provide alignment information not on the basis of bandwidth and time occupan- provided by the network. For this reason, the codec's receiver takes in raw, unframed data cy. and analyzes it to determine the proper word send-only codec A video codec configuration alignment. This auto synchronization scheme that allows only origination and transmission enables the receiver to frame words with no of communications signals.For use at the other information. In the case of communica- sending location in point-to-multipoint or for tion with a less sophisticated codec, the trans- broadcast applications in which two-way co- mitter may be configured so that output words dec communication with the receiving line up with network timing information, if location(s) is not required. available. This assures that the other codec service area The region in which a broadcast- will receive words aligned with the network ing or narrowcasting station signal can be timing. received. sysop System operator, usually on a computer simplex A wire, channel, or carrier frequency bulletin board. that can accommodate only one message in tariff 1. A published rate charged for services one direction at one time. An exn.raple is a provided by a common or specialized carrier. broadcast TV channel. 2. The means by which regulatory agencies

134 1 11 0 approve such services; the tariff is a part of a are the most common type of information de- contract between customer and carrier. livered using twisted pair technology. TBC Time base corrector:a device used in UHF Ultra high frequency: received on broad- conjunction with a playback from a VCR to cast television channels 14 through 83. provide sufficient timing stability to permit UNIX A computer operating system. successful encoding of the video signal by the uplink The transmission power that carries a codec. Some codecs include a built-in TBC. signal or material from its Earth station TDM/TDMA Time division multiplex/multiple source up to a satellite. access: a method of combining multiple data circuits into one circuit (or vice versa) by upstream/downstream Cable industry jar- assigning each circuit a fixed unit of time for gon indicating whether a signal is traveling from the "headend" of a two-way cable system data transmission. to the subscriber (downstream) or in the oppo- telecommunications The exchange of voice, site direction. video, or data through digital or analog elec- VBI Vertical blanking interval: transmitted as tromagnetic signals. a part of the television video signal in the teleconference Sharing of information when black "bar" that can be seen at the top of the multiple sites separated by distance are linked television picture. The FCC has granted com- together for communication. Among the types mercial and public television stations the right of information exchanged can be voice, video, to use the VBI for computer data transmis- and data. sion, software delivery (also called "te]esoft- telephony Transmission of speech or other ware"), teletext, and paging services. sounds. VCR Videocassette (cartridge) recorder: De- teletextSystems that transmit a text and vice that uses special magnetic tape to record graphics "magazine" to television sets audio and video portions of a television pro- equipped with special decoders that enable gram for replay. users to select individual pages. Most decod- VHF Very high frequency:refers to electro- ers include hand-held remote control keypads. magnetic waves between approximately time-shifting Recording programs on a video- 54 MHz and 300 MHz. cassette recorder for playback at a more con- VHS Video home system: the more popular of venient time. the two types of videocas1:ette recorders. , translators Radio or television broadcast sta- videoThe dem( ulated and displayed elec- tions operating at relatively low power that tronic signal reconstructed as a viewable pic- receive a broadcast signal on one channel, ture by a receiver such as a TV set.The amplify it, and retransmit it on another chan- picture is extracted from an analog or digital- nel. ly encoded carrier wave that facilitates trans- transponder The antenna-like part of a commission. munications satellite that receives signals video conferencing Using video and audio from the Earth, translates and amplifies them, signals to link participants at different loca- and retransmits them back to Earth. tions for a specific purpose. Video conferenc- TVRO Television Receive Only: Earth station ing is a form of teleconferencing. When only equipment that receives video signals from voice links are used, the meeting is an audio satellite or MDS-type transmissions.Such conference. stations have only receiving capability and videodisc Uses a laser to read information need not be licensed by the FCC unless the that has been encoded in a series of microscop- owner wants protection from interference. ic pits engraved in the disk.Discs permit The sender grants authority for reception and precise and rapid access to individual frames use of material it transmits. or sequences of images, and have huge stor- twisted pair A type of cable composed of two age capabilities; one side of a disc can contain small insulated conductors twisted together 54,000 distinct images or frames. Discs can be without a common cover. Telephone signals used for interactive video.

135 1 41 videotex or videotext An interactive data WISCAT Wisconsin Catalog: CD-ROM catalog communications application designed to allow of materials owned by libraries around Wis- unsophisticated users to converse with a re- consin that was developed and is maintained mote database, enter data for transactions, by the Department of Public Instruction. and retrieve text and graphics for display on WISCNet subscriber television sets or low-cost termi- Statewide data network serving nals. higher education that is a gateway to the Internet. It includes all University of Wiscon- voice grade channel A channel for speech sin System campuses and other state colleges transmission, usually with an audio frequen- and universities. cy range of 300 to 3,300 hertz. It is also used WiseNet An electronic bulletin board and mail for transmission of analog and digital data. system maintained by DPI that can be access- Up to 10,000 bits per second can be transmit- ed by dialing a toll-free telephone number. ted on a voice grade channel. WISLINETeleconferencing bridge (connec- VSAT Very small aperture terminal: a small tion) offered by UW-Extension's Instructional Earth station, usually four feet to six feet in Communications Systems; permits up to 68 diameter. sites to be connected for a teleconference. WANUC Wausau Area Narrowcast Users Con- WISPLAN UW-Extension computer service sortium:ITFS group comprising K-12 and providing agricultural "decision aid"pro- postsecondary users. grams, electronic mail, and other services to WestWING West Wisconsin Instructional Net- extension staff and their clients. work Group: a group of schools and institu- WiSPP Wisconsin Strategic Planning Project: tions in the St. Croix County region that is a Department of Administration project de- developing an interactive video-audio network signed to help state agencies develop strategic for instructional purposes. business and strategic information technology plans. It is also meant to develop a compre- WICORTS Wisconsin Interagency Committee hensive statewide information technology on Radio Tower Sites. plan. WIN Wisconsin Indianhead Narrowcast Net- WisSat A system of satellite dishes located at work: a group of schools and the Wisconsin county courthouses provided by the tom' -Ex Indianhead Technical College-Rice Lake that tension's Cooperative Extension, they are to share an ITFS system. be used for educational purposes. wireless cable Makes use of frequencies in the WisView An audiographics system for educa- MDS (Multipoit Distribution Service), tion programs that combines interactive au MMDS (Multichannel Multipoint Distribution dio with computer graphics.It is run by the Service), and OFS (Operational Fixed Ser- UW-Extension's Instructional Communica- vice) ranges. The frequencies are reserved by tions Systems. the FCC for commercial use, sometimes along WITS Wisconsf, Independent Telecommunica- with ITFS frequencies, to form a transmission tion Systems. service, typically for entertainment programming. WSTA Wisconsin State Telephone Association

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