  |
|
       |
|
|
 Going
the Distance! Newsletter Articles:
GCI Maintains Service for SchoolAccess Schools: GCI, as a service provider and partner for many of Alaska’s schools, understands the particular impact this delay has on the rural schools – which heavily depend on technology to help them maintain standard curriculum requirements. To help offer some comfort for this issue, GCI sent out a letter to all customers on October 8th assuring them that they will continue to receive full SchoolAccess service while the funding delay is worked out by the federal government. The letter illustrates GCI’s commitment to work through this problem with the school districts – with the expectation that the funding issue will be resolved soon. In the meantime, the GCI team hopes that the letter will help ease some educators’ anxiety about the issue and allow them to turn the focus back on the needs of their students. If you have any questions or concerns about this matter, please feel free to contact GCI at anytime. Distance Learning Brings Variety of Classes to Rural Students The latest generation of E-learning combines videoconferencing with coursework, so students do not have to feel isolated in their studies. “Despite the physical distance from their teachers, students can receive personal attention when they need it: Instructors offer small early-morning study groups through the videoconferencing system and contact students on the phone or via E-mail if they seek individual help.” To read the complete article, please visit: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/elearning/articles/04rural.htm Funding for Rural Broadband Projects Goes to Wealthy Suburbs The USDA’s program is “aimed at bringing farms, ranches and other rural communities onto the Net,” and is part of President Bush’s efforts to bring broadband to all homes in America by 2007. “The program, passed as part of a farm support bill in 2002, provides low-interest loans to private companies building networks in communities with less than 20,000 people. It requires recipients to invest their own money as well and to have real, potentially sustainable business plans in place.“ However, according to the USDA, “the agency is having difficulty finding people to take the $2.2 billion in available funding. The article also notes that “broadband access can make an economically challenged region viable again. This is money that could literally save rural towns from extinction.” School administrators hope that the new technology will eventually allow them to access education resources from sources around the world. “Districts working together to maximize distance learning allows students to attend classes they might not otherwise have access to.” For more information, please visit: http://news.com.com/The+Texas+broadband+follies/2010-1028_3-5416297.html Ohio schools gain high-speed connection The article, titled “Who Said, ‘Distance Learning is Only a Fad?’” discusses the lack of ground rules or policy pathways in place for handling policy and regulatory issues that arise from the great increase in distance learning. “Each state wrestles with issues of local vs. state control, teacher certification, distance learning course accreditation, commercial out-of-state providers, among a host of other issues.” The article, called “High-Speed connection putting schools in touch,” also notes that if there aren’t enough enrollments to warrant a class in a single district, that district can share their curriculum with other schools. For more information on the policy brief, please see http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=13032266&BRD=1706&PAG= Meet the SchoolAccess Team: Matthew Crawford This month, Matthew officially joined the SchoolAccess team as a help desk specialist. In this capacity, he is responsible for providing specific help to customers by troubleshooting problems and answering questions about e-mail, passwords, usernames etc. And although Matthew is new to the SchoolAccess team, he has been with GCI for about a year and a half. During Matthew’s tenure at GCI, he has worked in various roles – most recently employed as a full-time Internet tech support person. Matthew holds certificates in network-plus and I-netplus and is currently working towards his security-plus and Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certificates. Matthew is also doing of this while also pursuing his associate degree in computer network technology! As if that doesn’t keep him busy enough – he is also taking “dreamweaver” classes on the side as a newfound hobby. When Matthew isn’t busy studying for all those certifications, he spends his leisure time watching sports (Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Eagles are two of his favorite teams), playing video games and going to the movies. As the child of a military family, Matthew spent many years moving around – many of those moves included overseas travel. Before moving to Anchorage in 1992, he lived in Germany in various cities for about 10 years and he was also born in Seoul, Korea and lived there for two years. 
|