Going the Distance!
February 2004
Newsletter
Articles:
Third Annual Alaska State FIRST Lego League Robotics
Tournament Convenes, Welcomes First Virtual Team
On December 6th over 300 students from around the state came together for the third annual Alaska State FIRST Lego League Robotics Tournament. The tournament, which was held at Hanshew Middle School, brought together forty teams of 9- to 14-year-olds whose mission was to construct and program robots. This year’s theme was “Mission Mars,” and the teams presented their robots and research projects that demonstrated how a robot could be used to aid future explorations of Mars.
For the first time in the competition’s history, a team was able to participate virtually. Using GCI’s video conferencing services, the team from St. Michael’s was able to participate in the competition long-distance – showing their research projects without having to leave the classroom.
The annual competition is supported by national and local organizations. For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) is a national nonprofit organization founded in 1989. FIRST “inspires in young people, their schools and communities an appreciation of science and technology, and of how mastering these can enrich the lives of all,” according to their Web site.
The Alaska Robotics Education Association, also a nonprofit, hosts FIRST tournaments and raises funds for other education robotics activities throughout the state.
Information for this article was gathered from “Lego robots prep students for Mars: CONTEST: Programs target youths for careers in science, technology,” which appeared in the Anchorage Daily News – January 2, 2004.
Last Year's Ed-Tech Challenges May Resurface in 2004
School technology leaders may be facing last year’s ed-tech problems throughout 2004 according to a recent article in eSchool News. The article, entitled “The Top 10 ed-tech stories of 2003 you’ll still be dealing with in 2004,” by eSchool News staff reports, cites that challenges with NCLB, email spam, digital copyright, and e-rate among other issues, will still be prominent in 2004.
According to the article, the top ten school technology stories of 2003 were:
10. Laptop learning gains momentum
“It was a good year for proponents of one-to-one computing initiatives in schools. In March, a mid-year progress report on Maine's groundbreaking program to give all seventh graders in the state a laptop computer said the machines already were benefiting students.”
9. Digital Copyright law challenges policy makers
“The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998, which prohibits the production and distribution of any product that circumvents the security features of digital media, was intended to prevent the illegal copying and distribution of electronic content. But civil libertarians and some education groups say this controversial law stifles academic research and gives publishers too tight a grip over online content. The past year brought several key legal challenges and interpretations of the law, with broad implications for both students and educators.”
8. Feds, firms take steps to can spam
“If it seems like your school computers have become overrun by spam, you're not alone. As of last March, 45 percent of all eMail sent across the United States was spam, according to Brightmail, a San Francisco-based anti-spam company.
7. Linux lawsuit looms over open-source movement
“In March, SCO Group--which owns the Unix operating system--filed suit against IBM Corp. for allegedly embedding strands of Unix code into its open-source Linux platform. Although the lawsuit named only IBM, intellectual property lawyers say other organizations that distribute versions of Linux--including schools--could be forced to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines and lost profits if the suit is found to have merit.”
6. States still struggle with virtual school rules
“Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin were among the many states where debates continued this past year over how to regulate--and fund--so-called virtual schools, which deliver instruction to students entirely online.”
5. Music industry targets illegal file swappers
“In April, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) stepped up its fight against the illegal swapping and distribution of music files over the internet by suing four college students for allegedly offering more than 1 million copies of popular music online. The RIAA began filing copyright subpoenas with universities and internet service providers last spring, asking for the identities of students and other internet users suspected of illegally downloading and sharing music files online.”
4. Cyber security takes on greater urgency
“The so-called "SQL Slammer" and "Blaster" worms and their resulting fallout--coupled with a report from the Bush administration's national security team, which urged schools and other organizations to do their part to help secure the nation's critical computer infrastructure from cyber terrorism--drew unprecedented attention to the need for better network security.”
3. NCLB requirements fuel--and steer--school tech use
“In its second full year, the federal education law had a profound impact on which technologies schools purchased and how these systems were deployed.”
2. Budget ax falls on ed-tech programs
“Educational technology programs and initiatives were hammered by budget cuts in many states as lawmakers grappled with near-record deficits. A survey of budget data from 31 states by the State Educational Technology Directors Association revealed that state budgets for educational technology decreased an average of 25 percent in 2003, with more cuts expected in 2004.”
1. eRate faces renewed scrutiny
“The first sign of trouble came in September 2002, when the Federal Communications Commission's Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released its semiannual report highlighting its investigations for members of Congress.”
For the full text of this article please visit: http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=4828
Baseball Hall of Fame Virtual Field Trips
The Baseball Hall of Fame has several virtual field trips this year. As you may recall, the Hall of Fame and GCI teamed up last year to bring a virtual long distance history lesson to youth at the Boys and Girls Club in Anchorage. (See August/September 2002 SchoolAccess newsletter). The event featured Gaylord Perry, a Baseball Hall of Fame inductee and two-time Cy Young award winner. Perry talked to the kids about the history of baseball and signed autographs.
Here are a few events that the Baseball Hall of Fame will host in 2004:
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February 10 - Electronic Field Trip Fastballs, Flips and Physics: Science on the Sandlot “Get ready for spring and step up to the plate as the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum delivers a lively look at science on the sandlot.” (Grades 6-12)
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February 14 - Major League players Jim "Mudcat" Grant and Al Oliver are available to deliver a point to point broadcast in celebration of Black History month.
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June 18 - Actor Ben Jones and Paul Deal Jr. will offer a videoconference lesson on the life of player, broadcaster, Dizzy Dean.
For more information about these events please visit: http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/education/videoconference.htm
