Problem/Situation: Certain classes required for college admissions are often not available in rural school districts.
Solution: Distance learning.
Jurisdiction: Georgia, California, Iowa.
Vendors: Sony Corp., Compression Labs Inc.
Contact: U.S. Distance Learning Association 510/820-5845.
By Brian Miller
Features Editor
Public schools across the nation are increasingly harnessing telecommunications technology to bring previously inaccessible courses to classrooms. The concept, called distance learning, allows many rural and even urban school districts to offer advanced and special courses taught by instructors who may be located miles away from students. Because rural schools often cannot afford to hire a teacher for some subjects, distance learning enables students to pick up classes they may need for college admissions.
Just eight years ago, fewer than 10 states participated in distance-learning projects, according to a recent report by the Office of Technology Assessment, a research arm of Congress. But today, nearly every state is involved in some type of distance-learning program. Some states are aggressively pursuing programs with two-way video and audio communication between students and the teacher, who may instruct several classes simultaneously.
Other states are using one-way communication, with a program broadcast from a studio. Some applications of this type of distance learning include toll-free numbers for students to call in questions, while others use a fax machine for communication.
IOWA'S TWO-WAY
Iowa is one state aggressively using distance learning. Their program runs on a statewide fiber network and classroom equipment, which enables two-way communication between the teacher and the students, who use microphones and cameras in the classroom so the teacher can see the students she is instructing.
Classrooms in Iowa are connected to the Iowa Communications Network (ICN), the now-famous statewide fiber-optic system used for education, government communication and health care. The state now has 56 classrooms for K-12 fully outfitted for the program.
Two monitors face the class so students can see themselves, the teacher, or students at another site. Cameras at the rear and front of the class enable the remote instructor or other students to see the classroom. Students use a microphone at their desks to communicate with the teacher or students in other classrooms plugged into the same lesson.
It costs about $40,000 to outfit an Iowa classroom for the system, and Sony Corp. has been the primary equipment provider for the participating sites. The state pays for the infrastructure up to the school's door, and the school is responsible for setting up the classroom. The federal government's Star Schools Program funded about half the cost for the initial installation of equipment and wiring in the classrooms. School districts have sold bonds to fund the equipment, but some bond proposals have been shot down at the ballot box.
Classes offered on the network are based on local needs and local programming, said Kathy Borlin, Iowa distance learning coordinator. "We are a little different from others because programming is sent by local districts," she said. "They generate their own program, and regional coordination happens."
To participate in a distance learning class, teachers sign up for the appropriate times when a class will be taught. A classroom doesn't just tune in to a program like one can do with broadcast television, but coordinates with ICN headquarters so a connection is made at the appropriate day and time.
The state Legislature was debating funding the next phase of the ICN last spring, and the plan is to run wires to 358 high school buildings. Federal funding, which in the past came with the Stars Schools Program, is unlikely to be forthcoming next year as Congress was contemplating reducing the program last spring.
INTENSE IN GEORGIA
Georgia has hooked nearly 200 schools and hospitals to a state network used for distance learning and medicine applications, in what may be the largest public two-way video network. There are currently about 75 classrooms in the K-12 level hooked to the network and outfitted with the necessary monitors and cameras. The state plans to invest in an additional 100 sites later this year in the Georgia Statewide Academic and Medical System, or GSAMS.
Cameras are located at the front and rear of each classroom, with voice-activated ceiling microphones for audio communication with the remote teacher. Cameras for projecting graphics to the classrooms are also installed. Personal computers can be hooked into the system to enhance the presentation. The system "is more than a wire in the classroom with back and forth," said Bob Reese, GSAMS training facilitator.
The equipment and remodelling cost per classroom is about $75,000, but the price has been coming down from the nearly $100,000 per classroom just last year, Reese said. The main contractor for Georgia classroom equipment is Compression Labs Inc., headquartered in San Jose, Calif.
Class schedules are sent out with a newsletter several times a month, and schools sign up to participate on particular days at particular times. Up to eight classrooms can be hooked up simultaneously.
As in most distance learning programs, the key goal is to provide special instruction for rural schools, which may not have courses required for college entry. Also, some rural areas have difficulty recruiting teachers for some courses, such as high-end mathematics and calculus. "The goal is to make sure that no matter where [students] are at in Georgia, they can get the quality classes that they need," Reese said.
SATELLITE APPROACH
Another approach to distance learning is primarily one-way communication using satellite signals to reach schools, who either watch live or by videotape. One example of this is the TEAMS program, which serves students in 20 states. Broadcast from studios in the Los Angeles County Department of Education, all a school needs to participate is a television and access to satellite downlinks. Some schools using TEAMS are served by local cable companies or public broadcasting stations with satellite equipment.
TEAMS was started five years ago with federal Star Schools money, and is used by 1,200 schools nationwide. Instruction often includes hands-on learning, such as lab exercises that the students can do in the classroom. Classroom teachers get background data used to prepare for the program, such as what materials should be on hand for a particular segment. Extensive class material is also sent by TEAMS to the schools, including tests and worksheets. Direct interaction with the remote instructor is done with a toll-free number or a fax machine.
Schools buy their own equipment and pay some fees to TEAMS. But the cost is low. Participating school districts usually get federal or state money and pick up the rest themselves. A district in Montana, for example, pays about $500 annually, which includes 132 programs in math, science and social studies. Lesson plans are also sent to member schools.
A key motivation of the program is to improve education by providing quality instruction to students and role models for classroom teachers. The studio teachers are "solid exemplary classroom teachers," said Don Lake, TEAMS senior project director. "Our focus is on helping teachers become better," Lake said. By recruiting classroom teachers who are already proficient at their work, then training them for working on television, the studio teacher instructs not only the students but the classroom teacher as well. "They are getting a role model," Lake said. "When they watch a good science teacher, it helps them learn to teach science."
Candidates are brought to the studio for a screen test. Successful applicants are given further training for television work. "The teacher needs a camera persona," Lake said. "It's a learned skill to get a comfort level looking at the camera."
The studio teachers are also the producers and writers of the show. Teachers work with television technicians and directors to create the program. The team effort includes sending camera crews to videotape scenes that are included in the program to show applications of the lessons in the "real world." Segments on careers are also included to show how classroom learning can be used by the students when they graduate.
DIFFERENT APPROACHES
With at least two different approaches to distance learning currently underway in the country, an obvious question would be to ask which is more beneficial for education. Do students learn better when they have instant, two-way communication with the teacher, or are less expensive programs with limited communication with the studio teacher just as good?
"The question of interaction is still not answered," said Carla Lane, who has a doctorate in education and is project director for the San Francisco-based Distance Learning Resource Network. Lane has done some evaluation work for TEAMS. Two-way is "a heck of a system," Lane said. "But do we need it? I don't know of any studies that have shown it."
The issue of how to use technology in the classroom is far from resolved. "It's a complicated area," Lane said. "It's complex because in some cases [schools] are not willing to adopt technology. Often it is an issue of money."
