Going the Distance!
December 2004

Newsletter Articles:

• Consortium Endorses Free eLearning Software Platform
• ICT Literacy Maps Released
• Internet Provides Distance Learning to Alaskan Classrooms
• Washington's Rural Schools Held to Same State Standard

Consortium Endorses Free eLearning Software Platform
An article in eSchool News.com reports that a group of leading universities has created a consortium to increase awareness and fuel the use of a “free, open-source software platform for managing courses, content, collaboration, and online learning.”

The software, called “.LRN,” is "a completely free, open-source application suite and development platform reportedly capable of: managing course syllabi, calendars, and class lists; offering community support tools such as surveys, polls, bulletin boards, and file storage; and managing learning and content with assessment tools and testing modules.”

Users of .LRN cite cost and flexibility as the main reasons they use the product. “Nearly 40 application modules of the .LRN system are reportedly deployed at two dozen universities and research organizations on five continents. Some of these applications include content aggregation, content syndication among universities, learning simulations, bulletin-board discussion groups, assessment, web logs, and class notes.”

To read more, please visit
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryts.cfm?ArticleID=5362

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ICT Literacy Maps Released
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills has announced the release of its Information and Communication Technology (ICT) mathematics and literacy maps. They are designed to provide educators with a blueprint for integrating 21st century skills into the core academic subject of mathematics and English. They are part of a series of ICT Literacy Maps that illustrate the intersection between Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Literacy and core academic subjects.

Each of the ICT Literacy Maps was created in conjunction with organizations that represent the core academic subject areas. The Partnership is a coalition of Apple, Cable in the Classroom, Cisco Systems, Inc., Dell Inc., Microsoft Corporation, National Education Association, SAP, Texas Instruments and Time Warner Foundation. GCI is a participating organization with the Partnership.

For additional information, please visit http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/.

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Internet Provides Distance Learning to Alaskan Classrooms
An article in the Los Angeles Times depicts schools in rural Alaska that use the powers of the Internet to bridge the links between students and teachers. The article, called “No Child Left in the Cold,” says that “nearly all of Alaska's 54 school districts have received broadband connections in the last few years, and nine of the most rural ones are using the technology to conduct online videoconferences. Students in secluded villages can take virtual field trips on dog sleds. Administrators can train teachers in far-flung locations.”

The No Child Left Behind Act has stipulated that “by the end of the next school year, such core subjects as math and science must be taught by teachers designated as "highly qualified" — those who hold a degree in the subject they teach or can pass a test to prove they know the material. Some rural teachers may get a reprieve but only for three years.” Distance learning helps level the playing field between urban and rural schools, providing rural students with access to teachers from all over the country.

In addition to providing students and teachers with a connection to other, faraway schools, “the variety of ways in which the nation's emptiest state is using the technology offers a glimpse at the future of wired education.”

To read the complete article, please visit: http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-alaska11nov11,1,3181412.story?coll=
la-headlines-technology.

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Washington's Rural Schools Held to Same State Standards
An article in The Seattle Times, called “Rural districts put to the test,” says that rural schools in Washington are held to the same state standards as every other school in the state; rural schools generally score lower on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) test than their urban and suburban counterparts. Although educators are confident about the quality of education in their rural schools, “the low test scores also highlight some of the challenges facing rural districts, from recruiting and retaining quality teachers to reaching kids from poor families whose parents in many cases did not attend college.”

According to the article, “Much of the pressure to improve academic performance falls on the teachers in a small district.” A single teacher can make a great difference in the quality of learning and enthusiasm in a classroom, but not every teacher is highly motivated. “Some critics of the No Child Left Behind Act say the pressure for higher student achievement adds to the difficulty small districts have in recruiting teachers, particularly in math and science.”

For more information, please visit: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/education/2002092354_rural17n.html. 

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