Transcript Slide 1

Alabama Connects the Dots for Distance
Learning
Earlene Patton, ACCESS Registration Coordinator
Alabama State Department of Education
Technology Initiatives
[email protected]
Denise Oliver, Education and Outreach Director
Alabama Supercomputer Authority
[email protected]
What is the Web address?
http://accessdl.state.al.us
What is ACCESS?
Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators and Students
State-wide
Vision: The State of Alabama will provide equal access to
high quality instruction to improve student achievement
through distance learning opportunities.
Mission: The mission of the distance education program in
Alabama is to provide an infrastructure that delivers
equitable, quality learning opportunities for all citizens.
The ACCESS Plan
• Task Force
• Partners
• Cooperative sponsors
and other state
agencies
Recommended Actions of Task Force
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Conduct needs assessment
Connect existing IVC labs
Establish 16 pilot sites
Complete AP course catalog
Remediation
Upgrade desktop technology
Expand and upgrade AREN
Establish a program office
Expand elective course offerings
Provide online multimedia resources
Rationale
• Small rural schools
• Low socio-economic
status especially high in
the Black Belt region
• Lack of sufficient
educational resources
• Lack of Resources
Impacts Students ability
to:
– Go on to higher
education
– Earn adequate wage
– Compete in local,
national, and global
economies
Timeline
The ACCESS Blended Model Approach
Web-Based
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Web Site Portal
Multimedia Content
Usually Asynchronous
Videoconferencing (IVC)_
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Real Time (Two-Way Audio/Two-Way
Video)
Streaming
H.323 Standard
Synchronous
Blended
•Online With Face-to-Face Sessions and Virtual Field Trip
Added via Web Conferencing Software
• IVC With Learning Management System (LMS) for
Assignments, Communication, and Projects
Implementation
• Budget
• Policy Development
• Pilot Sites
– First phase implementation
– Funding for distance learning classroom
ACCESS Management
• Alabama Department of Education
• Support Centers
• LEA/Schools
ISTE Evaluation-Lessons Learned
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Students said:
– Experiences in virtual courses
were generally positive.
– Over 75% of students
reported that their virtual
school experience was as
good as or better than
traditional courses they have
taken in the past. Two-thirds
reported their expectations
about virtual courses were
met.
– More personal contact with
their teacher is needed.
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Teachers said:
– Over 82% of personnel reported
the virtual school experience
was as good as or better than
other, traditional courses.
– Teachers usually indicated a
willingness to teach virtual
courses again.
– Personnel wanted additional
personal contact with virtual
students.
What is the educator response?
ACCESS Distance Learning will give Barbour County HS students an
opportunity to get the courses, teachers, and technology that will provide
them with the knowledge and skills they need to graduate from high school
prepared to go to college and/or the workforce…David Hobdy, Principal
My students think that they have reached heaven. One student said that he
wanted to live in that lab…the other student next to him told me that this
was his favorite class ever!! I told them just to wait, that we hadn’t even
started the fun part yet!...Adina Stone, Latin I Teacher, teaches to her
students at Sheffield High School and to students at Alma Bryant High
School in Mobile County and Bob Jones High School in Madison via
distance learning.
Through ACCESS Distance Learning Dallas County High School has reestablished AP courses and provided variety in available electives…Susan
Jones, Principal
What is the Local Response?
By Jared
Felkins
The Reporter
Isn't technology grand
The words "technologically advanced" do not begin to
explain what I witnessed at Boaz High School Tuesday.
School's high-tech tools revive a
dead language
As you will read about today, Boaz and Douglas schools
are two of 24 pilot schools participating in the ACCESS
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Riley set to visit long-distance Latin class at program this semester. After walking into the Boaz
Bob Jones
classroom, it was like walking into the classroom of the
By KEITH CLINES Times Staff
future.
Gov. Bob Riley will visit a Latin class at Bob
Jones High School today, but the teacher
will be in Sheffield.
What’s Ahead?
Plan for 2006-2010 developed
Expand the number of students served (10,000 to 45,000)
21st Century Classroom in every High School by 2010
Strengthen support centers
Provide expanded connectivity
Continue outside evaluation
Alabama Supercomputer
Authority
State Agency
Academic Network (AREN)
Supercomputing Center
Internet Services
History of ASA
• Begun in 1987
– Supercomputer Center in Huntsville, AL
– Alabama Research and Education Network(AREN)
– State agency in Montgomery, AL
• Agency established to provide supercomputer
resources to higher education (science and
engineering)
• Funded by state appropriation and client service fees
• AREN provides network-high speed connectivity
to K12, community colleges, universities, public
libraries
Benefits of State Provided Network
• Expand and provide network based services to
state clients
• Optimally leverage State resources through
collaboration with other State technology
organizations
• Build and strengthen state-level consortia for the
purpose of maximizing State’s E-Rate funding
and State services to K12
• Provides Internet2 to K12 and community
colleges as a state network participant
State-wide
Network
Huntsville
Birmingham
Montgomery
Mobile
Infrastructure Role in ACCESS
• Provide infrastructure for Governor’s
ACCESS initiative
• Assure Quality of Service
• Expand bandwidth
• Simultaneous participation
• Multi-mode video transport
Connectivity Model
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Assess technology needs in schools
Determine bandwidth upgrade (10Mbps)
Provide temporary solution with T1s
Identify schools with existing fiber
Connect existing IVC labs to AREN
Design and maintain ACCESS web portal
Prioritize connectivity upgrades with initial
course offerings
• Formulate synchronized timeline with SDE for
connectivity
• Assure quality of service
Connectivity Timeline
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Project implementation Oct. 2005
Temporary T1 install Dec-Jan and Jul-Aug
Spring 2006- 24 Pilot sites
Fall 2006- 20 Expansion sites (Phase I)
Spring 2007-26 Expansion sites (Phase II)
Connect all High Schools by 2010
Challenges
• Many different ISP providers
• Coordinating connectivity with vendors
• Local systems don’t know what they need or
already have
• ASA technicians and network engineer overload
• Communication with all parties involved
• Compressed timeline
• Helpdesk responsibilities-who does what?
Comments
• “We appreciate the efforts of ASA. I don't
think the average teacher understands just
what it takes to pull all this wonderful
technology together to make it so
convenient in their classroom. We've
come a long way, baby!”
------Rhonda Clark, Technology Integration Specialist
Cherokee County Board of Education