Why isn't phonetic spelled the way it sounds? Why are there interstate highways in Hawaii? Why are there flotation devices under plane seats instead of parachutes? How does the guy who drives the snowplow get to work in the mornings? If 7-11 is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, why are there locks on the doors? Why do we drive on parkways and park on driveways? Why is it that when you transport something by car, it's called a shipment, but when you transport something by ship, it's called cargo? Why do we want internet access in all our schools and in all our classrooms?
I can't answer some of the questions above, but I can explain why schools around the United States are bringing internet connections to their schools.
First I would like to explain what the internet is. It is simply a network of high speed phone lines connecting computers around the world. It is an "international network" of computers. From my computer, which is connected to the internet, I can send a message to anyone else in the world who is also connected to the internet.
The internet has been in existance for over twenty years. Originally it was developmed by the government and higher education. Only recently, K-12 schools, business, and private citizens have been allowed access to it.
When we connect our schools to the internet, we are connecting to more information sources than we ever thought possible. We can access many major university libraries, research archives such as ERIC (Educational Research Information Center), and other research archives that are made available by governments and universities around the world.
Many special projects are providing information through the internet. The Gutenburg Project is making the full text of over 2,000 books available to anyone with internet access. All of Shakespeare's works, Mark Twain's books, and other classics that are out of copyrite can be printed from any computer connected to the internet. Other projects are providing the actual text of every article published in newspapers in the 1860s about the Civil War. They are also providing the actual text of letters written by soldiers to their loved ones back home. Every important letter or document ever written by George Washington has been made available on the internet.
Information on the internet can be historical, as the examples above, or up to the minute. NASA provides pictures within hours that were taken by the Hubble telescope. NASA is providing pictures of every known volcano in the world (through the University of North Dakota), and recent pictures of volcanos which are currently active. Their information on the planets and space science is as accurate as NASA can provide.
Pictures and stories of the earthquake in Kobe, Japan, were on the internet the next day, provided by students in their university. Up to date information on any city, state or country in the world is available through the internet.
Contrast this with some of our elementary science books which are over 20 years out of copyrite. Even if we purchase new books, they are outdated before we receive them. In social studies textbooks and maps can't be updated fast enough to keep up with changes in countries. We can receive information, including maps of new countries, as soon as our government officials release it.
Students will use the internet as another resource for information, just as they use the library resources and periodicals now. When using the internet, however, they will always have access to the information. There will not be instances where someone else "has it checked out."
The internet also provides active learning. Last year students in Minot joined students from around the United States following six explorers who traveled through the ancient Maya ruins in Central America. Each day the explorers reported back to the schools that were following the project through the internet. Students were able to ask questions of the explorers and other experts around the country who were also involved in the project. The students acted as research assistants for the explorers who were not able to bring their refererce libraries with them. The students received questions from the explorers, located the answers in their school or public libraries, and sent the answers back over the internet.
Two other projects last year allowed students to follow explorers as they traveled across the North Pole (The Arctic Project) and visit with scientists who were stationed at the South Pole (Live From the Antarctica). This year they are able to communicate with astronauts in space (Live From the Statosphere.) Wouldn't you have been more interested in science and social studies if these opportunities were available to you?
Every school in the district has one phone line provided for the use of SENDIT, which is a K-12 North Dakota project providing e-mail and text based access (the lowest level of access) to the internet. At least one teacher at each school has been trained in the use of SENDIT to act as a facilitator in the building. SENDIT is funded by the ND state legislature. SRT has provided a grant for the elementary and middle schools in the city that covers the cost of the telephone lines needed to access SENDIT.
The Minot Public School Board has adopted an "Acceptable Use Policy" because there is material on the internet that is not appropriate for students to access. This policy must be signed by the student and the student's parents or legal guardian. Their signature indicates the student has permission to access the internet, that it is understood that there is objectionable material on the internet, and that they understand what will happen if the student uses the network in an unappropriate manner. The school district does not assume any responsibilty if the student accesses the internet using equipment outside the school buildings.
Direct connections to the internet allow every computer within a building to be connected without the use of a modem or phone line. Each computer is connected through a LAN (local area network) to the office, which is then connected to the administration building.
Bismarck, Grand Forks, Fargo, West Fargo, Devils Lake, and Richardton have direct internet access to their schools. Seven area schools, not including Minot, are close to connecting directly to the internet through a grant from Minot State University.
At the present time direct internet access is not provided by the Minot Public School district to any school in our system. Magic City Campus, Jim Hill, and Ramstad all pay for one dial-up connection to SRT through site based funds. A Central Campus teacher received a grant to cover one dial-up internet connection. (A dial up connection only allows one computer to connect to the internet, using a modem and telephone line.)
SRT has provided direct internet access to the Central Office where we have our Technology Staff Development Training Center. We have been conducting internet workshops for teachers throughout the school year. We have also been providing evening adult education workshops as part of the collaborative agreement with SRT.
Each school site has been asked to develop a technology plan including ideas and/or diagrams showing how we will wire their classrooms for internet access. Several schools have been writing grants to fund their local area network.
We have discussed the possibilty of volunteers helping to network our buildings. Parents and other community volunteers would help pull network wire and co-axial cable through tunnels and above false ceilings. This type of support may be what we need to help make internet in our classrooms a reality.
In the opening paragraph there were a number of questions without answers. To try and answer them, one of the first places I would check would be the internet. If the answers can't be found there, then the questions may not have answers.
If you have questions or concerns about the internet and its use in education, please feel free to contact me at nansen@sendit.nodak.edu or call 857-4427.
If you have access to the internet, check out the Minot Public School District web page at http://cities.cfa.org/Cities/ND/minot/info/mps/schools.html or http://minot.com/~mps/mps/schools.html. You can check links to education sites at http://minot.com/~nansen/bookmarks.html