STATE UPDATE - GWETC, Engineering Degree, Dental Hygiene Course, Two Positions Open
STATE FUNDING - TEACH Wisconsin RFP
ED INFO BYTES - UNC's Technology Source, New Study on Faculty DE Participation, Web Still Too Complex
NEW TECH TEAMS - U of Phoenix/Hughes Network Systems, Xerox/Lotus/Salutation Consortium
NEW TECH TRENDS - Internet Keeps Growing, Designer's Edge
K-12 ONLINE - Online Class Announces Three New Projects
FYI - News, Conferences, Institutes

STATE UPDATE

The excitement is mounting for the 1998 Governor's Wisconsin Educational Technology Conference (GWETC). Registration numbers are already several hundred ahead of last year's count at this time. The conference, scheduled for October 6-8 at the Regency Suites Conference Center, in Green Bay, will feature Humorist Stuart Robertshaw and Technology Innovator Gregory Riker, as well as over 120 presentations, 20 plus workshops and labs and 75 exhibits. October 6 focuses on Higher Education, October 7 on All Levels of Education and October 8 on K-12. See: www.wetc-wi.org

 

The University of Wisconsin-Madison announces a new advanced degree that prepares engineers for growing responsibilities and technical leadership roles. This Master of Engineering in Professional Practice targets technical and organizational skills for improving productivity, implementing complex projects, managing information, conducting international engineering operations and performing computer-aided analysis and design. Designed for mid-career engineers, candidates can complete the degree in two years without interrupting their work or careers. The degree will be offered for the first time in summer of 1999. Contact: Tom Smith, Director of Engineering Telecommunications Programming: smithtw@enger.wisc.edu

 

This fall, Northcentral Technical College in Wausau is offering courses via telecommunications technology for the school of dental hygiene at Melvin Colby Community College, Colby, Kansas. For more information about their newly launched program contact: Dean Gracemary at grace@Katie.colby.cc.ks.us.

 

Two Positions Open

1) Outreach Specialist, UW-Madison is a 50% Appointment. Bachelor's degree required, master's degree preferred in adult and continuing education, distance education, educational technology, or related field. Application deadline: 10/12/98, available 10/13/98

Plans, develops, and implements university outreach and continuing education programs distance education, including conferences and workshops serving higher education faculty, administrators, and other professionals. Identifies audience needs, objectives, topics, formats and speakers. Plans program content activities. Develops a marketing plan and directs all promotional efforts; identifies audiences; plans promotional strategies using direct mail, publicity, and the Internet; writes brochure copy. Chairs executive planning committees and provides leadership in evaluating program alternatives and executing program plans. Provides leadership in identifying new program directions and innovations, including the use of video and Internet technologies for content distribution. Communicates with faculty and working professionals from a wide variety of organizations. Contact: Christine Olgren, UW-Madison, CAVE Phone: 608-262-8530.

2) Media Technician 2, Teleconference Operations Technician
Madison Wisconsin Area, University of Wisconsin-Extension (UWEX),
Instructional Communications Systems (ICS), Pyle Center/Radio Hall,

Provide technical support for the operation of the UWEX teleconference networks and systems and multimedia distance education classrooms. Operate multipoint bridging equipment for audio, video, satellite and data teleconferences, audio/video routers, computer software controls and professional tape recorders, following published formats and operating procedures using computer based controls. Identify, troubleshoot and correct teleconference problems. Perform preventive maintenance on classroom and control room equipment.

Audio and video signal distribution techniques, telephone transmission systems, networked and dial-up compressed digital video teleconferencing, satellite television reception techniques, closed circuit television techniques using computer-based controls and electronic test equipment. Deadline is 4:30, September 25, 1998. Best qualified candidates will be invited to participate in the next step of the selection process. Contact: Sandra Baker, UW-Extension Phone: 608-262-9475.

The University of Wisconsin, an equal opportunity employer, specifically invites and encourages applications from women and minorities.

STATE FUNDING

The TEACH Wisconsin Board will distribute six million dollars statewide in competitive grants to Cooperative Educational Service Agencies (CESAs), public schools and/or public libraries for the 1998-99 funding cycle. Preference in grant awards will be given to consortia that involve public libraries. Individual organizations may not participate in more than one application.

The grant proceeds must be used to improve the educational technology literacy and competencies of teachers, school and library staff, students, and library patrons. The TEACH Wisconsin Board is interested in proposals that can be used in the future as models or best practices for schools and libraries across the state.

For Guidelines see: www.teachwi.state.wi.us The grant deadline is Oct. 27th. A single CESA can request a maximum of $200,000. A Consortium can request a maximum of $500,000 and a minimum of $10,000.

ED INFO BYTES

See the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Education's Horizon Web site for information on The Technology Source (TS). The TS highlight this month is the 'Vision' article by Lawrence Stedman, who discusses the findings of a survey undertaken by the Australian government that analyzes the growing relationships between major media corporations and universities - http://horizon.unc.edu/TS/vision/
In other articles:

'Commentary' by Mihkel Pilv focuses on Internet2 and its Possibilities. Pilv takes a close look at how Internet2 could impact researchers, students, and people in business - http://horizon.unc.edu/TS/commentary/

'Case Studies' focuses on The Flashlight Project, a recently-launched operation that seeks to develop better tools for measuring the effects of technology on educational improvement. Stephen Ehrmann, project director provides a full description of the Flashlight philosophy, as well as an outline of the structural features - http://horizon.unc.edu/TS/cases/

'Faculty and Staff Development', Steven Kreis describes a Web site that he has developed called The History Guide. Kreis discusses the features and benefits of this site in his own instruction, as well as the general utility of such sites, both for individual educators and for whole departments, and argues that faculty development programs should encourage faculty members to personalize their instruction by incorporating personal details on their instructional Web sites - http://horizon.unc.edu/TS/development/

'Site of the Month' looks at EdWeb, a self-styled "hyperbook," that presents visitors with an introduction to educational and technological concepts with which they may not be familiar, and for more experienced users, contains a large store of interesting, useful, and well-documented data concerning technology in schools - http://horizon.unc.edu/TS/sites/

 

Kristen S. Betts, Director of Business Development at ICMI, Inc. Annapolis, MD and Adjunct Professor at The George Washington University, Washington, DC has just completed a study 'Institutional Highlights: Factors Influencing Faculty Participation in Distance Education in Postsecondary Education in the United States. For further information contact her at: bettskk@erols.com

 

Tim Berners-Lee, who invented the World Wide Web in 1989 when he was a researcher at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland, thinks the Web is still too complicated and inefficient: "Users desperately need it to be simple. You need to walk up to any screen and treat it the same way as any other screen." It's also not private enough, and not yet able to give people sufficient privacy guarantees that give them confidence in collaborating with others: "I initially thought the Web would be used for collaborative purposes. It isn't." (AP 3 Sep 98)

NEW TECH TEAMS

The Apollo Group, parent company of the University of Phoenix and the largest for-profit education provider in the U.S., is teaming up with Hughes Network Systems to create a new distance learning company that will focus on expanding Phoenix's reach in the U.S. and abroad, and target new markets such as home offices and small businesses. The first joint action of the two companies was to buy One Touch Systems, which has developed a technology for transmitting voice, video and data simultaneously. The system is already widely used among Fortune 100 companies, and will now form the technological basis for delivering Phoenix courses, as well as other courses offered by Apollo.
(Chronicle of Higher Education 4 Sep 98)

 

Xerox is adapting its digital copier and printer technology to use Lotus Notes and Domino software for managing and exchanging e-mail and computer files among users. A document scanned through a Xerox copier would be converted to an electronic file, which could then be shared across a network. In a related move, both companies will begin next year making their products compatible with a technical standard proposed by the Salutation Consortium, a nonprofit group of about 35 technology companies. The standard is aimed at enabling different fax machines, copiers, printers, laptops and other devices work with each other across a network.
(Wall Street Journal 10 Sep 98)

NEW TECH TRENDS

Internet users have increased by more than 18 million in the past nine months through June, according to a new Nielsen Media Research and CommerceNet survey of online use. The study estimates that 70.2 million adult Americans now use the Internet, with the largest increases among blacks and American Indians and among young adults and women over 50. This represents 35% of Americans older than 16. Of those using the Internet, 40.1 million are men and 30.1 million are women. Percentage growth among men and women during the nine-month period was about equal. Usage by 50% of the adults in America and Canada by late 1999 or early 2000 was predicted. A summary of the report is available at: www.commerce.net/research

 

The latest version of Designer's Edge, a pre-authoring tool that assists developers with the process of creating learning programs, has just been released by Allen communication. This 3.0 version includes enhancements in training applications, task analysis and report customization, as well as, combined interfaces throughout to increase productivity and encourage the creation of reusable elements. The tool's Enterprise version will include the desktop capabilities as well as enterprise database support through ODBC connectivity, security features and the functionality for exporting training titles directly to HTML and Java through Allen Communication's Net Synergy. See: www.allencomm.com

K-12 ONLINE

Here are three examples of online projects starting soon from OnlineClass:

1. Rivers of Life: World Waterways begins September 21, 1998. This year-long interactive study of the world's great waterways is produced by the Center for Global Environmental Education at Hamline University, St. Paul, MN, and is distributed by on-line educational publisher OnlineClass. The program creates a global classroom in which students explore a different world river that provides a context for local river study and stewardship projects. Students become involved with hands-on activities, post data on the Web for fellow schools and interact with river experts. Moderated discussion takes place in a Web conference area. The program is designed for grades 3-12.

2) On September 28, 1998, a new interactive Internet project, Ferrous Wheel, for grades 5-9 and grades 10-12 will premiere. Open to classrooms anywhere in the world, this collaborative project will bring together professional academicians, amusement park designers and students for a hands-on design experience made possible by the World Wide Web. Ferrous Wheel: An Educational Ride is an 8-week, hands-on physics and math challenge in which each classroom works to design either a Ferris wheel or a roller coaster for a virtual amusement park. Students role play a team of engineers employed at Ferrous Wheel, Inc. Through email and the Web, students receive weekly challenges and work with experts. Extra labs and math practice will be available online. A second session of Ferrous Wheel will run beginning April 5, 1999.

3) Mythos: Zeus Speaks! will bring students together from around the world to research and discuss Greek history and mythology in the interactive e-mail/Web forum,"Mythos: Zeus Speaks!" A moderated e-mail discussion group in which the students can actually "talk" to the gods themselves focuses the research. Email chapters in an original story, are written to introduce students to the Greek gods. Additional classroom activities are provided via teaching guide and Web-based materials. They include a creative writing and a drama thread, essay questions, an on-line fact-finding challenge and much more.

For all of the above online projects see: tbt@onlineclass.com

FYI
News, Conferences, Institutes

A new EASI feature - Roundtable Discussions, A Weekly Discussion Between Users and Creators of Information Technology focusing on the Need for Universal Access to the Information Age

EASI (Equal Access to software and Information) will webcast this series of half-hour interview audio programs from its web and the interview guests will be announced in advance. Listeners will be invited to e-mail questions in for the guests. The roundtable host is Richard Banks, EASI's Electronic Resource Manager. These 30-minute roundtable discussions will be webcast on Thursday nights at 9 PM Eastern, 8 Central, 7 Mountain and 6 Pacific time. EASI's first roundtable will be Thursday, September 24, 1998. Check us out at: http://www.rit.edu/~easi

 

The 1999 Technology in Education International Conference & Exposition, TechEd99 is scheduled for April 21-24, 1999 in the Southern California Ontario Convention Center. The Deadline for Presentation Proposals is October 30. For further TechEd99 information see: www.communitycollege.org

 

Intelligent Tutoring and Learning Environments, is the 8th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, August 22-27, 1999 in Munich, Germany. The deadline for extended abstract is : Nov. 30, 1998. A special session is taking place under the auspices of the conference dealing with various issues of Intelligent Tutoring and Learning Environments (ITE/ILE). See: