FEATURED TOPIC THIS ISSUE:   DISTANCE LEARNING                                            September 2006

ALABAMA SUPERCOMPUTER AUTHORITY and Distance Learning

Gov. Bob Riley announces the expansion of the state's ACCESS distance learning program to 20 additional schools during the annual Alabama Educational Technology Conference in Birmingham on Wednesday. The Associated Press | Governor’s Office ACCESS expansion sites 24 ACCESS Pilot Sites

The 10Mbps bandwidth upgrade for ACCESS (Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators, and Students Statewide) Distance Learning initiative is progressing rapidly so that participating schools will be ready to offer a variety of coursework. This continues the plan to provide all high schools in Alabama with the ability to offer distance learning opportunities to students. At the completion of the ASA bandwidth upgrade, every high school in Alabama will have the capacity to offer distance learning through a blended approach of online classes and videoconference coursework. ASA's involvement provides the infrastructure for ACCESS and expansion of the statewide network. This expansion will allow schools to offer courses rich in content and digital resources at high speeds and of excellent quality. ASA is proud to be a partner in the ACCESS initiative.

 

READING ABOUT DISTANCE LEARNING

ACCESS is considered a "blended model" approach to distance learning. This includes both online coursework and videoconferencing blended together to offer a mixture of face-to-face and online instruction.

At the University of North Texas Blended Learning web site there are background readings, case studies, sites and blogs that give a glimpse of how the blended approach works.

E-learning Knowledge Base contains excellent resources and includes topics covering Curriculum and Standards-Based Content (grounding e-learning to state, professional, and national curriculum standards), Teaching and Learning (pedagogy and critical skills for e-learning success), Instructional Technology Systems (the Internet, networks, platforms, operating systems, software tools, creating effective online learning environments, and online professional development), Milieu: Cultural and Organizational Context (the social, cultural, and political dimensions of e-learning).

Innovate Journal of Online Education is an interactive journal allowing readers to discuss articles with authors as well as talk to other readers about published readings. There are also associated web casts available. Innovate is a bimonthly, peer-reviewed online periodical focusing on the creative use of information technology to enhance educational processes in academic, commercial, and governmental settings.

Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration is a peer-reviewed electronic journal offered free each quarter over the World Wide Web with specific focus or implications for the management of distance education programs.

For further reading on the value of teacher training and the use of blogs, wikis, and pod casting in online courses, here are two informative articles: The Art of Online Learning by Terian Tyre and Fast Forward by Elizabeth Millard. These articles and other thought provoking reads can be found in DA District Administration, the magazine for K12 Educators.

EDUCATION , THE INTERNET AND DISTANCE LEARNING

There is a lot to think about when implementing a project like ACCESS. Connectivity and infrastructure, copyright issues, videoconferencing, professional development for teachers, online development, and the use of digitized resources are just a few topics to consider.

The Teach Act-the Teach Toolkit, copyright in Distance Learning .

This is an online resource for understanding copyright and distance education. The site provides information on the Teach law, implications of copyright in the digital environment, a compliance checklist, and other resources associated with online course development.

Part of the distance learning initiative includes videoconferencing. Want to know how videoconferencing works? How Stuff Works gives a simple explanation of this part of ACCESS.

Distance Learning Exchange K12 Internet directory of learning activities The Distance Learning Exchange provides information about a variety of distance learning activities such as web quests, satellite teleconferences, electronic field trips, videoconferencing courses and e-mail exchanges. Basic searches may be conducted without registering while registered users have access to more advanced services.

As a web portal, TeAch-nology.com the Online Teacher Resource offers a wide variety of free resources intended to bring educators into the world of teaching with technology. It provides links to valuable and useful information relative to current and best practices in the field of education. A large variety of free classroom materials and support tools are also available.

Resources for teachers and students are readily available for distance learning coursework inclusion. Teachers can find lesson plans, templates, and media. Students can find research information in a wide variety of formats by utilizing free resources such as ALEX, AVL, Marco Polo,and APTPlus.

NEWS YOU CAN USE ABOUT DISTANCE LEARNING

ACCESS News Release(doc), November 17, 2005

Tech Speak Glossary(doc): Decoding Technical Jargon