A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

TeacherNet

Reform History. OEI had been providing educational technical assistance, consultation, and training in the metropolitan area for over 15 years. It was also well aware that the various reform efforts under way locally were underfunded, uninformed, and uncoordinated. In 1987, OEI took the lead in convening a meeting of school superintendents described as "risk takers", because, historically, the school districts in the area had not worked well together and most of the superintendents did not know one another. The original Board of Governors (14 superintendents and the OEI director) created bylaws that regulated the process of putting resources into TeacherNet and accessing TeacherNet's pool of resources. Many lawyers were involved because of co-ownership issues. It took 18 months for their "cooperative management team" to set up the processes for contributing and using resources. OEI was charged with managing the TeacherNet budget and putting a cooperative technology model in place. OEI decided that accessing technology via a network was the best direction to go. OEI recommended Delphi as the common carrier because it would charge a flat rate and could handle the diversity of computer systems across the 54 districts and 462 schools.

In 1991, representatives from business partners joined the TeacherNet Association in strategic planning and helped to formulate a set of reform goals, including relevant, technology-enhanced curricula in health, science, and mathematics. The group produced a 5-year plan for developing the eight primary applications of the TeacherNet Telecommunications System (TTS): (1) Communications (e-mail for teachers), (2) Curriculum Library, (3) Information News, (4) Reference/Research, (5) Quincentenary (information related to the 500th anniversary of Columbus's first voyage to the New World), (6) TeacherNet Services, (7) Support Materials, and (8) User Guide to TeacherNet.

TeacherNet's eight professional staff, including a retired superintendent and a teacher on leave, bring a diverse range of skills to the agency's services. OEI's executive director estimated that approximately 90% of OEI's efforts are currently focused on managing TeacherNet. The other 10% of their efforts are dedicated to training teachers; program design; grant writing; program marketing; program coordination; and forming liaisons with universities, businesses, and the community.

Reform Features. TeacherNet is used by students primarily as a way to explore databases and access information electronically. For example, the electronic research course developed at one TeacherNet high school stresses independent use of technologies ranging from library automation systems to CD-ROM applications and services and resources offered through the Internet. After exposure to a variety of electronic research tools such as DIALOG searches and Veronica searches with Gopher on the Internet, students practiced using the tools to collect, analyze, and synthesize information pertaining to thematic projects in the areas of student rights, habitats, pollution, and AIDS research. One group of students searched for Supreme Court decisions regarding student rights. After conducting their electronic search and reviewing the case materials, they wrote and presented position papers and then discussed them in roundtable sessions. Another project involved designing a plan for colonizing a planetary object of the student's choice. Students used the Internet to search for information on their planet and download graphics, such as images of Jupiter's moons. Using all these data, they wrote reports about how they would colonize the planet. Students in a social studies class used TeacherNet to access the CIA fact book--rather than relying on textbooks--to collect up-to-date information for class assignments. Students had access to DIALOG for researching databases from over 100 newspapers, 200 journals, industry publications, Associated Press, and United Press International.

Students felt that computer searches were much easier and more comprehensive and yielded more timely information than library searches, but the students also complained that it took too long to download files and that the school did not have enough modems to accommodate their need to access the system.

Technology Supports. OEI has offered a variety of TeacherNet classes, but some teachers have complained that the course schedule demands too much of their evening or weekend time. To get around this, some of the schools have arranged release time at the school site. OEI also provides a help line so that teachers can call in any type of problem or question. Access to technology (lack of phone lines and modems) remains the largest barrier to widespread use of TeacherNet at most schools.

Outcomes. Given the scope of TeacherNet's membership, objective comparative data are not available. Students participating in our focus groups indicated that they were more motivated to complete a research project if they could use the Internet instead of the library. Students also stressed the value of computer expertise for their futures. Teachers reported that using TeacherNet changed their instructional strategies from teacher-directed to student-directed approaches.

-###-

[South Central Middle School]

[5. Implementation Challenges and Strategies]