Broadband Changed My Life Series:
How Broadband is Changing Educational Institutions and the Lives of Those Who Use Them
Thursday, September 27, 2007
On Thursday September 27th APT hosted the latest installment in our brown bag lunch series. The event brought together representatives from educational organizations, consumer groups, and industry to outline the challenges and opportunities broadband presents for educational institutions. Co-sponsoring the lunch were the American Library Association, the National Association of Independent Schools, and the National Catholic Educational Association. Joy Howell of APT's Broadband Changed My Life campaign moderated.
Broadband has tremendous potential for innovative approaches to education and publicly accessible information. This potential unites the nation's libraries and schools in support of improved broadband infrastructure, an interest already shared because both types of institutions are eligible for federal E-rate funds. This common cause between schools and libraries was emphasized in introductory comments by APT board member Lynne Bradley, who pointed out "the common issue we all have in going to the next level and promoting broadband."
The need for more and better broadband in America's educational institutions resonated throughout the series of presentations and the lively discussion afterwards. Mark Bard, who presented first on behalf of the American Library Association, pointed out that libraries matter in the digital age by providing Internet connectivity for underserved Americans. Almost every library now has free broadband access, and three quarters of those who use broadband in libraries do not have access at home. Libraries, according to Bard, are stretched to the limit meeting current broadband demand as users increasingly access resources like online video and e-government services. Many local libraries are upgrading their bandwidth by sharing resources with other institutions, an approach Bard thinks can work on a larger scale. "Collaboration works on the micro level," he said. "It can work on the macro level as well." To see Mark Bard's presentation, click here.
Ann Flynn, representing the National School Boards Association, gave a perspective on the broadband situation for the nation's locally controlled public schools. She observed that a significant technological literacy gap exists between students and administrators, resulting in a school environment that is substantially less wired than what students are used to at home. "Students are required to power down when they come in the schoolhouse doors," she said, which is a shame because broadband offers incredible opportunities for making learning more relevant through social networking applications or digital media educational programs. Flynn also said that professional development and administrative tasks for school districts are much easier with broadband.
Accompanying Flynn and providing more direct experience with broadband in schools was Brian Magurn, technology coordinator for Loudoun County schools. He said that the county school system is doing a lot of things online, including virtual field trips and video conferencing to the classroom. Even though Loudoun County's school system is relatively well connected, with broadband connections in every school, there "really is not a whole lot of bandwidth when everyone is on at the same time." That kind of shortage can diminish the educational experience because it slows down classroom access to multimedia, an increasingly important learning tool.
Sister Dale McDonald of the National Catholic Educational Association told the story of St. Lawrence Regional School in New Jersey, a small elementary school of limited resources. Through dedicated leadership the school acquired a broadband connection and engaged in a variety of learning experiences that brought global communities and distant experts into the school. One of the projects involved a biosphere operated in consultation with NASA scientists and astronauts, a connection that could only have happened with broadband. To see Sister Dale McDonald's presentation, click here.
Amy Sechler presented last and represented the National Association of Independent Schools. Supporting the points made by the other presenters, Sechler called for action saying, "broadband services are a very essential part of educational infrastructure and we need to keep reminding policy makers of that." She also said that among independent schools there is a wide range of broadband connectivity. Those schools who are most connected are using broadband for new interactive learning tools that are changing the educational experience. "We're at a new era of education," she said.
Following the presentation there was a spirited discussion, with a broad consensus that a national broadband policy is needed. There was acknowledgement of the importance of the E-rate program for assisting libraries and schools in obtaining Internet connections, however, all of the presenters pointed out that limited bandwidth is an increasing problem as more advanced educational applications are used in greater volumes. Support was voiced for a combination of community planning and demand aggregation to leverage resources, because the institutions that make up the foundation of our nation's education system need better broadband in order to fulfill their mission in the future. APT hopes that all of the groups represented at the brown bag can come together in support of a national broadband policy.
Resources:
Mark Bard's presentation (American Library Association)
Sister Dale McDonald's presentation (National Catholic Education Association)
Video Coverage by NextGenWeb
