JANUARY

Public Telecommunications Facilities Program

This program of the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) assists, through matching grants, in the planning and construction of public telecommunications facilities. The program has a Distance Learning category open to public school systems. Last year, NTIA awarded nearly $4 million to 12 distance learning projects. Awards ranged from $55,452 to $594,936.

Deadline: Jan. 14

(202) 482-5802

http://www.ntia.doc.gov/otiahome/ptfp

Growth Initiatives for Teachers (GIFT)

GIFT is a grant program for public and private school math and science teachers, grades 7-12, in 35 eligible states and the District of Columbia. Each year, the GTE Foundation awards $12,000 GIFT grants to 60 teams consisting of one math and one science teacher from the same school who plan to integrate the two subjects in their school’s curriculum through the use of technology. Winning teams receive $7,000 for a school enrichment project and $5,000 toward professional development activities.

Deadline: Jan. 15

(800) 315-5010

http://www.gte.com/g/community/gift.html

Connections to the Internet grants

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awards these two-year grants of approximately $15,000 to K-12 schools, libraries, and museums that support innovative technologies for internet access. Only highly innovative approaches that can accelerate network development at similar institutions will be considered for funding. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact an NSF program officer to discuss their proposal to see if it falls within the current scope of the program.

Deadline: Jan. 31

(703) 306-1949

http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf98102

FEBRUARY

Interactive Education Grants

The AOL Foundation’s Interactive Education Grants program is open to K-12 teachers, education leaders, parents, and other community leaders. Grants of up to $7,500 will be awarded to those who develop innovative and creative ways to enhance student learning through the online medium. Special emphasis will be placed on proposals that reach socio-economically disadvantaged children and communities. Last year’s program awarded $376,000 to 54 recipients in 23 states (out of 600 applicants). For more information, contact Jill Stephens, Corporate Outreach Director or eMail AOLGrants@aol.com.

Deadline: Feb. 1

(703) 265-1342

http://www.aol.com/corp/phil/

rfp.html

Program for Gender Equity in Science, Math, Engineering, and Technology (SMET)

This NSF grant promotes the development of instructional materials, teaching methods, and student enrichment resources to raise interest, retention, and achievement of girls and women in SMET education. About $4 million in funds are available for new projects in 1999. K-12 districts are eligible to apply in two categories: Large Collaborative Projects, which awards up to $300,000 per year for up to 3 years; and Planning Grants, which offers up to $30,000 to prepare a proposal for next year’s Large Collaborative Projects.

Deadline: Feb. 1

(703) 306-1637

http://www.nsf.gov/cgibin/getpub?

nsf9925

Teaching with Computer

Technology

This grant program from Compaq Computer Corp. awards a Compaq computer to two teachers from each state and the District of Columbia. Applicants must submit a plan for using the computer to support an innovative and exemplary ongoing classroom project.

Deadline: Feb. 15

(800) 88-TEACH

http://www.compaq.com/

education/k12

MARCH

21st Century Community Learning Centers

This $100 million U.S. Department of Education program is open to rural and inner-city public schools and consortia to help them plan, implement, or expand after-hours, in-school projects that benefit the educational, social, cultural, and recreational needs of the community. Funds can be used to purchase technology, since technology-based learning is among the list of supported activities. About 300 grants of between $35,000 and $2 million will be awarded, with the average grant estimated at $400,000. The application package and examples of successful 1998 applications are available online. For further information, contact Amanda Clyburn at (202) 219-2180 or Steve Balkcom at (202) 219-2089.

Deadline: March 1

(800) USA-LEARN

http://www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/

21stCCLC/apps.html#Example

OPEN DEADLINES

Ameritech

Ameritech donated $3.2 million to K-12 schools in 1997. Through its SuperSchool program, the company supports projects that help school leaders learn how to use technology in their schools. It also funds alliances among schools so they may benefit from telecommunications technologies they otherwise couldn’t afford. Ameritech awards are limited to schools in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

(312) 750-5037.

http://www.ameritech.com:1080/

community/education/index.html

AT&T Learning Network Grants

The AT&T Foundation supports school programs that use technology to enhance teaching and learning. Grants are available to all accredited public and private elementary and secondary schools. The grants must fund the use and application of technology, not the equipment and infrastructure necessary to support its use. AT&T is interested in projects that involve family involvement, professional development, lifelong learning, and community collaboration. The AT&T Foundation currently does not accept unsolicited proposals, but you are invited to submit a brief, one-page letter of interest stating your request. For more information, contact Marilyn Reznick at reznick@att.com.

(212) 387-6555

http://www.att.com/foundation/

guide.html

Digital Corporate Contributions Program

Digital Equipment Corporation seeks to promote academic excellence through the accessibility of technology in the classroom. Digital provides cash or equipment grants to schools that can demonstrate a special need or an innovative use for the assistance. You are encouraged to call the Corporate Contributions office to discuss your project or contact the office by eMail, contribution@digital.com.

(508) 493-6550

http://www.digital.com/info/

community/contrib.htm#guide

Eaton Corporation Foundation

The Eaton Corporation Foundation funds projects that prepare minority youth for employment, particularly those which focus on math, science, and technology careers. Grants range from $1,000 to $25,000, with over $1 million awarded last year. Schools and non-profits are eligible, but the foundation restricts its giving to the 30 states with company operations. Call for application guidelines.

(216) 523-5000

Great Asante Grant Program

This is a relatively new program that awards free computer networks to schools. Grants worth up to $14,000 provide all the hardware and software necessary to network 50 school computers. Application guidelines are available at the web site.

JDL Technologies (800) 535-3969

Asante (408) 435-8401

http://www.asante.com/markets/

edugrant/educationgrant.html

Hewlett-Packard Grants

Hewlett-Packard makes cash or equipment donations for model programs supporting national K-12 math and science initiatives. HP’s Contributions Board makes quarterly funding decisions. Preference is given to projects that are national in scope, can be replicated nationally, or are located in communities where HP has a corporate facility. Applicants must submit a proposal summary form (available on the web site) and 5-page narrative.

(415) 857-5197

http://www.corp.hp.com/Publish/

UG/drivers/npdriver.htm

Intel Foundation

Intel funds programs that advance math, science, or technology education, promote science careers among women and underrepresented minorities, or increase public understanding of technology and its impact. National grants apply to nationwide projects or pilots for national programs. Community grants apply to projects located in a community where Intel has a major facility: Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, or Washington. An application is available at the web site.

http://www.intel.com/intel/

community/grants.htm

Mars Foundation

The Mars Foundation offers a variety of grants ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 for K-12 curriculum development, teacher professional development, computer and equipment acquisitions, and capital building projects. For additional information, write to Sue Martin, Mars Foundation, 6885 Elm Street, McLean, VA 22101.

Motorola Foundation

Grants from $1,000 to $10,000 that focus on enhancing math, science, and technology opportunities for minorities and the economically disadvantaged are available from the Motorola Foundation. Contact: Program Manager, Motorola Foundation, 1303 East Algonquin Road, Schaumburg, IL 60196.

(708) 576-6200

Pfizer Education Initiative

Although the Pfizer Foundation is primarily concerned with health care, you might be able to slip in through an education program called “Utilizing New Technology.” Grants of up to $10,000 are given for teacher training or the application of technology in K-12 math and science classrooms. Applications may be submitted anytime.

http://www.pfizer.com

Sprint Foundation

Don Forsythe, a Sprint Foundation program officer, said a limited number of grants would be available for projects in areas with a significant employee presence, primarily Kansas City, Atlanta, Dallas, and Sacramento. The Sprint Foundation supports projects that foster school reform through the use of new technologies and communications media and through fresh approaches to the enhancement of teachers’ skills. Schools and other education-related non-profit agencies can apply for grants totaling about $500,000 per year. Call to talk to a program officer first, or check out Sprint’s web site for application guidelines.

(913) 624-3343

http://www.sprint.com/sprint/

overview/commun.html

Computers 4 Kids

Computers 4 Kids Inc., a national nonprofit organization, accepts and refurbishes donated computer equipment, then places it in schools with limited resources. Grant requests are reviewed quarterly. They must include your plans for using the equipment and a demonstration of your need. You can find more information and an application form on the Computers 4 Kids web site.

http://www.c4k.org

Computers for Learning

This is a federal program designed to donate surplus government computer equipment to schools and educational nonprofit organizations, giving special consideration to those most in need. You can register your school at the Computers for Learning web site.

http://www.computers.fed.gov

Detwiler Foundation

Since its inception in 1991, the Detwiler Foundation has helped place more than 37,000 computers into California schools. The foundation has recently expanded its operation to include partnerships with thirteen other states. For more information, contact Jerry Grayson at (800) 939-6000, ext. 18.

http://www.detwiler.org

Gifts in Kind International

Through its “Recycle Technology” program, Gifts in Kind International expects to distribute over 20,000 computers to schools and charities in the next five years.

(703) 836-2121

http://www.giftsinkind.org

National Cristina Foundation

The goal of the Cristina Foundation is to ensure access to computer technology for people with disabilities and at-risk or economically disadvantaged students. The foundation supports its goal by awarding donated equipment to deserving schools and organizations.

(800) 274-7846

http://www.cristina.org

PC Kids USA

This technology nonprofit serves children and their families through schools. PC Kids will donate $300,000 worth of Microsoft software and $100,000 of its own instructional software to schools which host the organization’s Technology Showcase Nights program.

(978) 486-8400

http://www.aplusamerica.org

$60 million from U.S. Department of Education

For the 21st Century Community Learning Center program, which enables schools to create or expand safe, productive after-school programs for children, $60 million to 183 communities in 45 states. The grants range in size from $36,000 to $2.5 million per year for up to three years. Schools can use the money to establish, among other things, after-school technology education programs in their communities. See the “Grant Opportunities” section for information on the next round of applications.

(800) USA-LEARN

http://www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/

21stCCLC

$3.5 million from CharitaBulls

To fund an after-school program called Bulls Scholars, $3.5 million over three years to the Children First Fund, the foundation of the Chicago Public Schools. The grant will pay for teacher’s salaries, materials, and five computers per middle school. CharitaBulls is the philanthropic arm of the Chicago Bulls basketball team.

(312) 455-4000

http://www.nba.com/bulls/

donation.html

$1.5 million from AT&T/Annenberg Foundation

For the South Florida Annenberg Challenge’s Educational Technology initiative, $1.5 million to South Florida public schools. AT&T contributed $500,000 to the initiative, and the Annenberg Foundation matched the donation 2 to 1. The Annenberg Foundation has put up $33 million for the program, but participating school systems in Broward, Dade, and Palm Beach counties and the city of Miami must raise the remainder through public and private contributions by Jan. 2000 or risk losing the funds.

(954) 468-7927

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/

annenberg

$500,000 in equipment from Imation Corp.

To reinforce the importance of educational technology and assist schools with their technology needs, Imation has donated 5,000 SuperDisk Parallel Port drives to schools and nonprofits across the U.S. Ventura County Schools in California, for example, received 500 drives at a total value of $50,000. The drives enable users to save up to 120 MB of information on a SuperDisk diskette–about 80 times the storage capacity of a standard floppy–while also allowing use of traditional disks.

(888) 466-3456

http://www.imation.com

$220,000 from Missouri Department of Education

For the purchase of internet filtering software, $220,000 to 218 school districts. The grants range in size from $500 to $3,000. Originally, $180,000 was set aside by the state legislature, but because of overwhelming demand from the state’s schools, an additional $40,000 in funding was added from other sources so 50 districts that would have been shut out of the program could participate.

(573) 751-9094

http://www.dese.state.mo.us/divinstr/SSIP/

filterapp/index.htm

$150,000 from National Science

Foundation

To assess the professional development needs of teachers, review learning resources, and develop plans for improving high school math and technology programs, a $150,000 planning grant to the D.C. Public Schools.

(703) 306-1234

http://www.nsf.gov

$100,000 from Schools of the 21st

Century

To establish a model for school reform, $100,000 to a “constellation” of schools around Detroit’s Southeastern High School. The grant will help the schools identify common needs, analyze data, and form a plan for working together. Schools of the 21st Century, a public-private education reform group, was formed in 1996 with a $60 million grant from the Annenberg Foundation to improve Detroit schools.

(313) 871-3515

http://www.s21c-detroit.org

A state prosecutor is investigating more than $400,000 in purchases of computers and technology services by the Huntsville, Ark., School District. The probe began after state auditors reported that the company selling the hardware and services to the 2,000-student Madison County district had been set up by Huntsville’s superintendent and a former administrative aide.

Investigators also are looking into a district-established payroll-deduction program that allowed teachers to make personal purchases of computers from the superintendent’s company and into whether the school district paid for equipment that area businesses intended to donate to the schools.

In an exclusive interview, state Prosecutor Terry Jones told eSchool News that Huntsville Supt. John Bass and his former administrative assistant, John Harris, might have violated an Arkansas statute forbidding “self-dealing,” that they could be subject to a $500 fine, and might have to repay any profits the company made on the school sales.

At the request of his school board, Bass has taken a leave of absence.

“Inherent conflict”

A routine audit of the Madison County school system turned up purchases from a company reportedly set up by Bass and his aide. Jones described the situation as creating “an inherent conflict.”

In a report filed on Aug. 6 with the Legislative Joint Auditing Committee, legislative auditor Charles Robinson recommended further investigation.

According to the auditor’s report, Bass and his aide established Academic Computer Systems Inc. on May 30, 1997. During the next month, the company reportedly sold the Huntsville schools $4,650.97 in services. During the following fiscal year– ending June 30, 1998–the school district bought another $416,493.89 worth of computer systems and services

from the superintendent’s company, the auditor’s report said.

The purchases, said deputy legislative auditor William Baum, seemed to violate the state’s “self-dealing” laws. An Arkansas statute prohibits school superintendents or their employees from “receiving compensation for recommending or procuring the use of any school apparatus in any public school.” eSchool News has learned the prosecutor’s office also is looking into whether the district purchased computers that area businesses had intended as donations to the schools. According to Jones, investigators are trying to determine if $50,000 worth of computers earmarked as contributions to the school system were the same machines a private company allegedly sold to the schools.

The Madison County Telephone Co. confirmed that it donated “thousands of dollars” in equipment and manpower to wire all the classrooms in Huntsville. A spokesman for the company said he had not been contacted about possible misuse charges. He would not comment on the matter, he said, except to say his company donated wiring equipment, not computers.

Payroll deductions

Another potential violation cited by the auditor’s report involves computer sales to Huntsville teachers. The district reportedly made payroll deductions that allowed teachers to buy computers from the superintendent’s company, an action that might have violated the Arkansas laws governing disbursements from the Teacher Salary Funds. According to Jones, the most serious question involves any profit that might have resulted from self-dealing. If Bass’ company profited from the sales of the equipment to the district, then the superintendent and other company officials could be forced to reimburse the schools for any expenditures that exceeded the actual cost of the equipment.

“Whatever profits were made from sales to schools would go back to [school district] coffers,” Jones said. “One has to determine if the transaction was good for schools or bad for schools.” But that determination could be expensive to make, Jones told eSchool News. It would require the use of outside “forensic auditors” who specialize in reviewing accounting records for fraud and misuse of funds, weighing the actual cost of the equipment against what the district paid for it. And it’s not likely that Madison County could afford such services, Jones said. “That’s the hard part for us,” he said. The case was scheduled to be presented to an audit subcommittee Thursday, Nov. 19, but was deferred until the subcommittee’s Dec. 10 meeting, at the request of Bass and his attorney, Baum said.

The superintendent reportedly wanted time to consult with his lawyer and to respond to the audit in writing. Bass’ attorney, Jim Rose, said he has no problem with the audit finding, according to the Associated Press, but does protest the wording of the finding. He has asked that the report’s language be modified “to soften the blow.” “They wanted to say no money was missing,” Robinson told reporters, “but, obviously, I’m not going to say that.”

The school district confirmed that Bass had taken an “administrative leave,” but eSchool News’ requests for interviews with Bass or the district’s interim superintendent went unanswered.

Capping more than seven months of anticipation and frustration since the eRate application window closed on April 15, the Schools and Libraries Corp. (SLC) issued its first two waves of funding commitment letters to about 6,300 schools and libraries–roughly 20 percent of applicants. The letters, which were sent Nov. 23 and Dec. 7, allocated more than $148 million in eRate funds.

“This is a big moment for all of us,” said Kate Moore, SLC’s acting chief executive officer. “We’re seeing the real beginnings of the program now–it’s real, it’s happening, there’s a great need out there, and we’re moving to meet it.”

Vice President Al Gore, Education Secretary Richard Riley, and Federal Communications Commission Chairman William Kennard celebrated the first wave of letters in a ceremony at a Washington, D.C., public library. Sen. John Rockefeller, D-W.Va., who co-wrote with Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, the provision of the 1996 Telecommunications Act that created the eRate–also was in attendance.

“Today, we are taking steps that will forever change the lives of millions of children and change the way teachers teach and children learn,” Gore said, indicating that he felt “excitement blended with relief” that the program was finally on its way to issuing funds.

Since its inception in late 1997, the eRate has been blasted by critics on several fronts. Though schools invested a great deal of time and money in applying last spring, not a single school had yet to receive a discount. Supporters hope the flow of commitment letters will silence the program’s critics.

“Our perseverance and the perseverance of the eRate supporters, has paid off,” Snowe said. “And the students of America are the real winners.”

First-wave funding details

The first two waves of letters, which came after a thorough audit of the SLC’s internal controls by independent auditors and the General Accounting Office, were issued to “priority one” applicants–those who requested discounts on telecommunications services or internet access only, as well as those who requested funding for internal connections and who qualify for a 90-percent discount.

In these waves, according to the SLC, one of every $4 in discounts will go to the schools and libraries that need it most–those in which at least three-fourths of the student population is eligible for participation in the National School Lunch Program.

In addition, one-third of the dollars will go to applicants from rural areas; schools and libraries from all 50 states were represented. About 3 percent of the letters were flat-out rejections–in most cases, because applicants included extensive requests for ineligible services.

California schools were the big winners so far. The state’s schools and libraries netted more than $24 million in the first waves of discount decisions. New York was next, with $10.6 million, then Michigan with $9.1 million, and Illinois with $8 million.

Decision letters included a Form 486 and a Billed Entity Applicant Reimbursement (BEAR) Form. Form 486 must be completed and returned to the SLC to begin the discount process. For applicants who have already paid for any discounted services in full, the BEAR Form will initiate the reimbursement process.

The SLC plans to issue at least four waves of funding commitment letters. The last wave is not expected until sometime in January.

Exactly when a school or library gets its letter depends on three factors: (1) the funding priorities set by the FCC; (2) the date the application was successfully entered into the SLC’s database; and (3) the completion of all SLC decisions on the application, so that a complete response can be provided in a single letter.

The SLC acknowledges that most schools and libraries did not know the status of their 1998 eRate application before the window for the 1999-2000 cycle opened Dec. 1, making it difficult to plan for next year’s program. At press time, the corporation was considering extending the window–during which time all applications received would be treated as if they arrived on the same day–beyond Feb. 19, but no decision had yet been made.

While the FCC determines the fund level each year, the annual cap on the eRate is $2.25 billion. Schools, both public and private, and all public libraries can apply for discounts ranging from 20 percent to 90 percent on telecommunications services, internet access, and internal connections.

Schools and Libraries Corp.

http://www.slcfund.org

Federal Communications Commission

http://www.fcc.gov

General Accounting Office

http://www.gao.com

A feature purporting to rate schools from “best” to “poor” on a National Association of Realtors (NAR) web site visited by some 12 million prospective home buyers a year contained a “systematic mathematical error,” the web operators have acknowledged. The error is known to have impugned the quality of school districts in suburban Chicago, but it is unclear whether school systems elsewhere have been similarly affected.

Because the perceived quality of schools in a community has a significant impact on home sales and property values, the web site errors have outraged some Chicago-area Realtors and caused grave concerns among educators in several Chicago suburbs.

The web site, which NAR says is visited by about 30 percent of those buying homes nationwide, rated some Chicago-area school systems as “average” or “poor,” even though they deserved high ratings based on the criteria that were supposed to be used, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Such mistakes can have a devastating effect on local property markets, as school data are a key factor in many people’s decisions on where to buy a home, local real estate agents said.

The site’s operator, RealSelect Inc., acknowledged the mistakes and blamed them on “2001 Beyond,” the third-party provider who provided the data.

David Rosenblatt, vice president of RealSelect, told eSchool News the error occurred within a test site that was on the web for the express purpose of getting feedback from users.

“That information was up for a total of four days,” Rosenblatt said. “From the time we found out to the time it was corrected, only 24 hours had elapsed.”

With 95 percent of the available U.S. homes for sale on its site, Realtor.com is the largest real estate site in the country, according to Rosenblatt.

“Because of our role, we take the information on our site very seriously,” he said. “Ultimately, having the right information about schools is going to help our customers. We’re looking forward to partnering with the educational community” to make that happen.

The web site does indicate that the area containing the school-rating service is “experimental.” But that has not been sufficient to assuage educators’ concerns.

Evanston Township High School was one school initially rated “poor.” Kathy Miehls, director of public relations for the school, said school officials and local Realtors were furious about the mistake, according to AP.

“It’s pretty nasty to experiment with a school’s reputation,” said Miehls.

One local real estate agency, Coldwell Banker, is so angry about the mistake, said Miehls, that it is refusing to pay NAR’s annual dues.

Find a neighborhood

The feature in which the erroneous ratings were listed is called “Find a Neighborhood.” It’s been on the web site since October. The feature allows buyers to list such preferences as the quality of schools, income levels, crime rates, cultural amenities, and the average age of residents. The site then uses statistical criteria to identify a community that roughly matches the buyers’ preferences. Buyers can also request ratings for a particular zip code.

School systems are rated as “best,” “better,” “average,” “fair,” and “poor.” The scoring is a product of weighted averages of SAT and ACT results, the percentage of college-bound students and national merit finalists, and spending per student. The data are provided by a group called “2001 Beyond.”

As of mid-December, the web site contained a disclaimer, which reads in part:

“School data provided by 2001 Beyond. Information displayed is purely statistical. It is not guaranteed and should be independently verified for accuracy.”

2001 Beyond provides real estate agents and their customers with access to “The School Profiler,” a database of more 32,000 private and public schools in more than 65 major metropolitan markets, according to information from the company.

2001 Beyond, on its own web site, describes its mission as being “to provide internet families with accurate and comprehensive information on school districts (K-12) in the major metropolitan markets across the United States. Whether families are moving a short distance or across the country, the question always asked is, ‘How are the Schools?’

“The School Profile has over 200 unbiased facts about school districts that helps parents identify which school best meets their family’s educational needs. Each School Profile contains up to four (4) districts side-by-side for easy comparison.”

Evanston is not the only school district to complain about its rating. Other Illinois communities with high scholastic reputations, such as Oak Park and Palos Park, were rated only “average” by the site. After the Tribune questioned the ratings, the Oak Park and Palos Park school systems both were upgraded to the “best” category, according to AP.

Sue Hall, a real estate agent in the Wilmette, Ill., office of Koenig & Strey, said she is “livid” about the errors. She said the vast majority of people moving to the area from out of state check such information on the internet, “and frankly, they’re looking to eliminate communities.”

School officials are upset, insiders said, because districts such as Evanston and Oak Park include high numbers of minority students. That leads many parents to mistakenly assume that the schools are suffering from the low academic performance, school officials said–a misperception reinforced by Realtor.com’s web ratings.

Biased attitudes about schools with high minority enrollments is so prevalent in Evanston that the school system has a Realtor’s committee made up of representatives from neighborhood schools and local real estate agencies. For 10 years, the committee has been working to communicate the district’s achievements to potential home buyers, Miehls said.

An NAR association spokesman said those controlling the site are considering changing the school ratings system to one that uses numerical rankings based on the scoring of different communities.

In an address at the NAR convention Nov. 6-9, the association’s President-elect, Sharon A. Millett, gave nearly 17,000 conference-goers a briefing on the web site.

“In a year’s time, online traffic to Realtor.com has grown more than 500 percent,” Millett said. “We’re not the only real estate site on the internet, but our enormous resources and depth of knowledge make us the online favorite.”

According to web site usage statistics released by NAR, Realtor.com is visited by more than 1 million consumers each month and more than 33 million homes are currently viewed each month, up from 12 million recorded a little more than a year ago.

Realtor.com

http://new.realtor.com

National Association of Realtors

http://nar.realtor.com

2001 Beyond — The School Profile

http://www.2001beyond.com

Evanston Township High School

http://www.eths.k12.il.us

Pennsylvania reportedly has become the first state to invest in the transition to digital television (DTV), a technology that could dramatically enrich the video resources available in the nation’s schools.

The Pennsylvania legislature has issued a $3 million grant to two of its public television stations, WITF-TV in Harrisburg and WHYY-TV in Philadelphia, to help introduce digital TV (DTV) programming to the state’s residents. John Bailey, director of educational technology for the state’s Department of Education, said the grant will have a huge impact on educational programs for the state’s schools.

“We’re moving from an era in which we watch TV to one where we can actually use it as an interactive learning tool,” Bailey said. “The implications for education are enormous.”

Pennsylvania is the first state to put forth public money to help its public TV stations convert to digital broadcasts, Bailey said.

Currently, viewers receive a television picture based on an analog broadcast system. Digital television captures images and sound using the same digital code found in computers. The conversion to digital allows for compression of data, which opens up bandwidth to create “parallel” channels within a single main channel.

Using these parallel channels together can create higher quality sound and video, called “high-definition” TV (HDTV). But splitting the broadcast into separate channels–called “multicasting”–lets a station broadcast more than one program at a time on a single digital channel.

“Probably the most exciting thing about this–and the application that will transform education the most–is that you can also broadcast data over any of these parallel channels,” Bailey said. So while students are watching a digital broadcast of a documentary on TV, for example, the teacher could be receiving supplementary information, or maybe a pop quiz, on a computer.

WITF-TV earlier this fall activated Pennsylvania’s first digital signal. The station is one of only seven public television stations in the country to carry a digital signal so far, according to Ann Meyers, a spokeswoman for the station. “It just enhances and extends the learning opportunity,” Meyers said.

Falling over Fallingwater

On Nov. 10 and 11, WITF broadcast a PBS special about Frank Lloyd Wright directed by Ken Burns. Made possible through a partnership between PBS and Intel Corp., the broadcast allowed viewers to download the equivalent of a full digital video disc (DVD) of supplementary material via computer at the same time they were watching the TV show.

The digital data received via computer included a virtual tour of Fallingwater, Wright’s most famous construction. Using their computer’s keyboard, viewers could control the camera angle as they “walked” through each room. Clicking on a feature of the room revealed further information about it, delivered in the actual voice of Wright’s grandson.

“When you think of all the research that someone like Ken Burns has done, and think of everything that ends up on the cutting room floor–with this technology, we have the ability to deliver information well beyond the allotted time slot for each show,” said Kathy Silks, vice president of communications for WITF-TV.

The station also invited educators to view a demonstration of the broadcast. “It knocked their socks off,” Silks said. “They were just amazed.”

Silks said the station is looking forward to delivering the technology to schools. Through PBS’ partnership with Intel, she said, the station received a DTV-enabled computer which it plans to bring to local school districts to demonstrate the technology.

Questions about standards

To experience the benefits of digital TV yourself, you’ll need to buy a DTV-ready television (for a few thousand dollars) or invest in a set-top box (for a couple hundred).

The technology is still emerging, and there are many competing standards, of which Intel’s Intercast is just one. “Right now, you’re seeing only the ‘early adopters’ buying this,” Bailey said. “Most people are still holding off.”

Despite the competing standards, Bailey is excited about the possibilities that DTV brings to the classroom.

“The FCC has ordered all broadcasters to adopt the technology by 2006, and public stations must convert by 2003,” he said. “Our investment is an effort to jump-start the process.”

Pennsylvania Department of Education

http://www.cas.psu.edu/PDE.HTML

WITF-TV

http://www.witf.org

Corporation for Public Broadcasting

http://www.cpb.org

Intel Corp.

http://www.intel.com

You can’t withdraw cash with it, but if you pay toll charges to make school-to-school telephone calls, a new asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) application could give you savings you can bank on.

Sphere Communications Inc., a communications company in Lake Bluff, Ill., uses new ATM technology to take the high cost out of in-district toll calls. Its product, dubbed Sphericall, allows you to use your high-speed data network to give your school system high-quality internal telephone service.

Sphericall, which runs from computer software, was created for small businesses and is now being targeted to schools. Sphere Communications claims you can use its product to set up an almost unlimited number of phones throughout your school system for less than half of what a traditional telephone company would charge.

Converting voice to data

The new application takes the sound of a voice and converts it briefly to data the ATM line can carry, then it converts the data back to sound for the end-listener.

“This has never been done before,” said Marci Williams, of Sphere Communications Inc.

The system provides fully functional telephone service–including voice mail, unified messaging, conferencing, auto-attendant, call forwarding, group pick-up, paging, and other standard digital and analog telephone features–for about half the cost a telephone company would charge for such services, said Frank Brletich, Sphere Communications president and CEO.

Sphere is able to offer its services for much less than competitors like Nortel, Lucent Technologies, and other more traditional telephone service providers. During a recent bidding process, Sphere’s bid to install and provide service for about 1,000 telephones across a West Coast school district came in well below that of other major competitors. The small company won the bid based on its assessment that the district could recoup the cost of installation in 18 months and save $1.3 million in five years.

“It’s fairly expensive to put standard phones into every classroom,” Brletich said. Rather than run in two lines–one for data, one for voice–to every classroom, Sphericall allows you to use the ATM line that already carries in your data to transport voice.

Because the application acts as a network element/PBX, Sphericall is eligible for subsidy under the eRate program, according to the company, which has applied for a Service Provider Identification Number (SPIN) to register with the Schools and Libraries Corp.

Quality of service

PC telephony is nothing new. Single users can transmit voice over the internet and PCs can employ a “voice bus” and voice boards from any number of vendors. But neither system can handle both voice and data over the same network with high-quality voice transmission.

Sphericall allows the network to carry data and voice at the same time, prioritizing the voice when it comes in. ATM was chosen as the network protocol for this new technology because it allows for a guaranteed quality of service.

That means that data related to voice transmission can be assigned priority over all other traffic on the line–including strictly code data. The result, the company says, is a sound quality that meets or exceeds that of traditional telephone service.

Telephone service for the digital age

With the Sphericall system, users also can control their telephone features on a desktop computer. For instance, you can transfer a phone call to another user’s line by using the mouse to drag the call to the user’s name. You also can use the desktop feature to view the phone numbers of all incoming calls and decide which to answer and which to re-route–all on your computer screen.

If you have access to your school or district server while on the road, you can download voice-mail messages to your laptop and listen to them later–saving yourself the expense of a long-distance call to listen to your messages.

Although the system runs on software residing on a local server, you can select a level of fault tolerance right up to complete redundancy. That means Sphericall will continue to deliver telephone service to the desktop even if the client computer is “locked up” or rebooting, the company said.

The drawbacks: The service will run only on a Windows NT 4.0 server, supporting NT 4.0 and Windows 95 clients. It does not support UNIX, OS/2, or Mac operating systems.

Sphere Communications Inc.

http://www.spherecom.com