Summary of White Papers
A case for Technology Supported Learning for Arizona
Kindergarten through High School (K-12)
January 16, 1996
As part of a situation assessment prior to the year long strategic planning process, the ALTP commissioned 18 short white papers. The authors were from K-12 and higher education, government entities, business and economic development communities and learning technology researchers and providers. Each author(s) addressed the subject from their frame of reference. The next eight pages is a summary of these papers into a single document.
Introduction
Arizona's schools must provide an education, which will develop students to become
effective citizens in the 21st Century. Several factors are necessary to establish this
high quality of education: partnerships with businesses, close connections with homes,
effective management, competent teachers, reforms in the way we provide instruction,
adequate funding and effective adoption of learning support technology. Arizona's schools
should lead the nation in the effective use of these new methods and tools as they become
available.
Current K-12 Situation
The application of technology to support the incredibly complex task of learning is the
great technical and human creativity challenge of the information age. Heavy one-on-one
time between teacher and student is required, but is economically possible only if the
teacher is supported by technology. Our most labor-intensive industry must now face up to
automation with emerging technology.
There is a disparity between technology adoption between poor inner city and rural schools, and rich districts. This potential to exasperate this "haves and have-not" situation by selective technology adoption must be thwarted.
All sectors of society want K-12 education to have technology. But schools do not have the levels and types of funding needed. Teacher training and system support suffers and systems go outmoded. Unless there are computers in every classroom, Internet wiring is for naught. Technology is "hyped" but many other elements must be integrated with technology to bring improvement.
Barriers
K-12 management and teachers will resist adoption of technology because learning goals
could then be met with fewer teachers. Funds used for personnel will be needed to adopt
technology.
Effective technology plans are in place and being used in only a few districts. This ADOE State technology plan is six years old and is currently being update to current realities. The plan did not have a supporting constituency in 1990.
Problems like copyright, jurisdiction, accreditation, whole community interaction, network utilization, and inadequacy of current telecommunication infrastructure must be overcome.
Instructional Technology Applied to Learning
Productivity word processor, graphic, and spreadsheets software has been used for many
years to automate manual tasks of education. On-line and search systems find information
from over the Internet including explorations, and CD ROM encyclopedias and atlases.
Standalone or "shrink-wrapped" software supports narrow curriculum areas.
Comprehensive Courseware provides year-long instruction for multiple grade and subject
areas, and has a management system. Modular Software has a management system but covers
only specific subject areas. Emerging technology includes intelligent tutors with expert
systems, providing continuous feedback to coach student’s learning. Simulations
including virtual reality will provide the ultimate in experiential learning. Some adapt
to students’ learning styles. The best applications in technology rich schools are
showing 30% to 100% increase in learning.
Teachers Transforming the Classroom
Technology is the enabler for restructuring efforts. The convergence of computers,
television, telephones and satellites is creating distance learning and projecting
learning anywhere, including in the traditional classroom. Two absolute musts are
effective and continuous teacher training, and technical support and repair. The
technology must be an integral part of the curriculum. Universities must play a major role
in supporting the paradigm shift from teaching centered to learning centered environment.
Parents must be effective partners in this transformation.
Teachers role will change from knowledge sharers to learning facilitators. The role of teachers is changing, to include using technology to support a student’s individual needs and capabilities. Students take more control over their learning and learn in a broader set of environments. There is more collaborative and cooperative learning. Technology rich classrooms have different scheduling and material needs. Student learning reaches outside the classroom. Enthusiasm for learning increases. Management and assessment systems support the student as she learns, and summarizes progress and highlights problem areas to support individualized teacher attention. Teachers can focus on guiding students to information and critical thinking.
Curriculum
Technology must become a part of curriculum to support student involvement, authentic
tasks and alternative forms of assessment. Technology procurement must support curriculum
outcomes and standards: local school, district, state and national. The teacher is
essential to the integration of technology into the curriculum. Discrepancy between
districts must be addressed and State leadership is required to develop and deploy
curriculum that meets student and community needs. The Office of Technology Assessment
shows that technology infusion can take five years.
Training Teachers
Pre-Service: College of education faculty need to understand how technology is
influencing teaching and creating options, forecasts of usage, business needs for skill
graduates and how to teach technology skills to pre-service teachers. Faculty must be
trained and supported by media and programming experts. Promotion and tenure must be tied
to performance in technology areas. Both faculty and teachers in training must have state
of the art computer and telecommunications systems at their homes and workplaces, and be
trained to use them.
Inservice: All the pre-service training issues must be addressed within the school districts. Training programs and investment must far exceed the current few days and few hundred dollars per teacher each year. Teachers need time for collegiality to learn from peers. Cost may be 20% to 30% of the total technology investment. Training time must be created. Most professionals are allowed to work and train 240 days a year. Teachers are restricted to 180 days.
Infrastructure
Must be adaptable, extensible and flexible as needs and technology changes. Computers must
be integrated with communications but also be managed by school personnel. Standardization
of equipment and software must also conform to international networking standards.
Internet connections must support heavy use of e-mail and WEB access.
Telecommunications
Arizona community colleges and universities created the Arizona State Public Information
Network (ASPIN) which provides first generation telecommunication (Internet) support to
K-12 schools. The next generation of voice, video and multi-media must be acquired.
The Arizona Department of Education is implementing an automation plan that will connect every K-12 school in Arizona with an advanced, real time, cost reducing administration system that also includes bandwidth for instructional telecommunication. Automatic collection and reporting of student achievement and school funding will support better decision making from parents to legislators. Access to information can be from any location. Studies show that data collection costs can be reduced by 80% with a "form-less" system. Quality improvements require current year funding and current (not next year) feedback on performance. District, State and Federal reporting requirements will be addressed. An integrated, real time system will provide accurate tracking and drop out rates.
The Arizona Learning System (ALS) is a rapidly emerging opportunity. ALS is being created by an alliance of Arizona’s Community Colleges partnering with our universities, K-12 education, private businesses and government agencies (Project EAGLE) with significant cost reduction. Courses and degrees can be exported and imported across district boundaries. This system will provide advanced telecommunications to all communities in Arizona.
The State Libraries are reaching out to libraries around the state with advanced telecommunication support. The access to voice, data and video will deliver curriculum, staff development, instruction, research, and distance learning. Wiring and computers must be in the classroom. The home-workplace will become an essential part of this system.
Parents
Parents want the best education with the lowest cost. They are demanding that technology
adoption be effectively addressed in K-12 schools, like they observe in their workplaces.
They see their children learning about and supported by up-to-date learning technology as
one of the "basics" in education. They are aware of the future demands, and are
concerned about a nation of "haves and have-nots." Their children need to
graduate with office productivity skills. They need to know automation and history of
technology. But in some schools computer labs are idle and computer teachers have been
reassigned to classrooms. Funding must be increased to schools to support technology.
Parents recognize that adoption of technology is a difficult task and can make problems
worse, not better if done incorrectly. They demand competent technology directors
designing, installing and training for cost and performance effective systems. The
National PTA supports planning, funding, implementing, including in curriculum and teacher
training for technology.
Individuals and Economics
Since the primary economic advantage is technology and a skilled/educated work force, how
about the combination: applying technology to education! The information age has
accelerated the requirements from K-12 education, which the established methods have only
provided a partial response. The military as well as the private and government sectors
have to train products of K-12 education to do complex tasks. Educational technology can
be used to quickly bring entry-level workers to job ready. Only by transforming the
concept of learning by the individual to a life long pursuit, unbounded by buildings,
place or distance.
Support of Technology
Both hardware/software and faculty/staff/administration need support. Formula:
Support People = Workstations/500 + Users/100 + Applications/50 + Licenses/125 + Operating Systems
Standardized technology reduces support needed. Competing with industry for support people by offering school salaries is difficult. Support staff must also have intensive, continuous, and expensive training.
The Role of Libraries, Colleges and Universities
Articulation is needed to develop consistent expectations and standards. A cohesive,
comprehensive learning system needs to be developed. Workers displaced by restructuring
and technology must be also retained using technology. Libraries have an increasing role
as technology enables life span learning in the home and work site, as well as classroom.
As libraries go electronic they will reach a much wider audience and provide research
access. Creation of new entities such as the Western Governor’s University will
require Arizona libraries to support a wide scope of students. Libraries provide
self-paced and literacy classes. Technology is eradicating the historical boundaries
between libraries, schools and workplace training.
Rural Issues
Divergence of economies and society between Tempe and Chinle is vast. In 1989 a forward
thinking group in north-eastern Arizona started addressing these issues. Apache-Navajo
Counties Information Network (ANCIN) is the result with a consortium of over 20 rural
school districts. They are developing a participative strategic plan (with a monitored
implementation action plan) to link with the rest of the state, training professionals,
completing a site resource inventory, and upgrade infrastructure, hardware and software.
Limiting factors include remoteness, lack of stimuli, distributed technology adoption and
support, expense, lack of first class working conditions, faulty telephone systems and
under staffed libraries. It is imperative that rural communities combine together and link
with urban areas. Arizona’s economic develop depends on bringing the rural areas into
the mainstream, and education technology could, at last, be the enabling tool.
Business Support of K-12 Education
GSPED Cluster groups have addressed K-12 technology many ways. The Optics Cluster centered
in Tucson has become an innovation leader in this area. Their partnerships focus on using
their core skills with U of A College of Education, Tucson District, Tech Prep and Greater
Tucson Strategic Partnership for Economic Development. To broaden science knowledge for
all students, and provide trained talent to their industry, they deliver optics technology
five ways. Informal science education through hands-on optics exhibits for the
Tucson Children’s Museum (ages 3-12). Materials development with Night Spectra
Quest using diffraction gratings with different lights and the 50 foot holographic
diffraction grating on top of City Hall. A Macromind Director multi-media
"movie" presents radar scattering for remote sensing. Teacher training
includes middle school optics workshop, a course for pre and in-serve teaches with the U
of A that includes plant visits. An optics curriculum includes collecting and
publishing the best teaching ideas. Presentations and school partnerships include
laser light shows and researching with Sandia National Laboratory to develop an effective
model for partnerships.
Learning Technology Industry
Software based instructional materials marketing is growing past $1 billion at a growth
rate of 25%. Telecommunication providers are frustrated by the lack of coordination and
adoption by K-12. Each provider, from telephone to cable company has a K-12 offering. But
although a school may be a $5 million operation, it cannot allocate a few $100 a month to
acquire adequate telecommunications.
Research
The military is a pioneer in educational technology R&D with transfer to K-12,
including Intelligent Systems Tutors, Virtual Reality, image generation, visual displays,
networking and distance learning. Universities must develop sophisticated multi-media and
other types of materials to provide to the classroom.
Supporting Innovation
Two of the drivers of K-12 technology innovation are the software and telecommunications
organizations within GSPED (Arizona Software Cluster and Arizona Telecommunications and
Innovation Council) and the experienced technology directors within the leading school
districts.
Alternatives are needed to the traditional bricks and mortar. Prototypes must drive innovation in areas such as telemedicine, video courts, electronic service and information delivery, video conferencing and electronic information sharing can be created by the State.
Cost/Benefits/Funding
There must be constant and equitable funding across Arizona, with the flexibility to
respond to unique needs of technology poor districts. Improvements of 30% to 100% have
been demonstrated, but there are costs. The latest research, including the California
state plan, indicate a need for 5% of current expenditures be applied to technology each
year. (Arizona is spending less than 1%). Each student’s annual share would be $120
for hardware, $75 for software, $75 for teacher training and $30 for support. Arizona
provides for both bonded debt (very long range), and maintenance and operation (this year)
funding. Technology funding is mid-range (2-5 years) as hardware, software, networks and
training must be continually renewed do to the rapid advances in learning technology.
Funding must be continuous. Arizona needs to create funding methods that are optimal for
K-12 technology adoption, and reallocate funds into this area.
Current Legislation (Spring 97)
The proposed EAGLE+ALS+K-12+Libraries public sector system will support tele-medicine,
electronic commerce, distance education and training, video conferencing, tele-commuting
and many other necessities of information age economic development. They will be anchor
tenant to promote economic development. The telecommunication provider system will provide
cost savings to State government and education.
The leadership of the following legislative initiatives have been meeting and working together for the past six months. The current initiatives need to be passed to keep the innovation rolling out over the next year while the
Project EAGLE: State agencies are banding together to acquire a single integrated telecommunications system. The RFP will be out in May.
Arizona Learning System: Digital video based distance learning will need $2.7 million to establish system. The system will be self sufficient in three years. (Passed)
Arizona Department of Education: The telecommunications system will connect the ADOE with all districts and then schools with a client server architecture. The required $15 million will support seven years of operation, with $3 million to finalize the software, install and train. The accounting component will pay for the system and excess capacity will be used for the instructional purposes. ($1+ million only)
State Libraries: $1 million is needed for computers with Internet connectivity, and training at 27 sites. (did not pass)
K-12 Education: The proposal is $17.50 per student for hardware-software and telecommunications, and $12.50 per student for teacher training and support. (did not get filed)
Arizona Learning Technology Partnership’s (HB-2277) requests $100,000 for ADOE and $100,000 for ADOC to combined with private sector donations to support a professionally supported strategic technology plan. (did not pass)
Integration
Project EAGLE, Arizona Learning System, Arizona Department of Education, and Libraries are
in discussions on how they can combine their needs and serve their customers in a single
State system. Each needs their separate legislation and funding to implement their
connection and use of the State system. The system itself will be a common carrier based,
so once it is established, business and homes all over the state can benefit from
broad-band access.
State Wide Adoption Must Include a State Wide Plan and District PlansEffective implementation of an major innovation in a system as complex as K-12 education requires careful planning, with effective participation by all stakeholders. Funding and personnel time must be dedicated to technology planning. The plan must include a uniform statewide broadband instructional supporting telecommunications system, including internal wiring and routing at schools. Curriculum planning must be concurrent with technology planning. With correct planning voice, data and video systems can be integrated, with instant access. District planning will avoid incompatibilities and "islands of technology."
The Arizona Learning Technology Partnership is initiating an ASPED/GSPED type of strategic planning process that in inclusive all sectors represented by these white papers. This year long planning process will provide not only the implementation road map, but build the relationships between the sectors to move Arizona to the forefront of K-12 learning technology rich states.