STATE UPDATE -
DE FUNDING - The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Targets DE, The LAAP program
A NEW READ - New Jossey-Bass Publication
INFO BYTES - Colleges Must Report on Y2K Problems, Rising Expectations & Demand for Technology
NEW TECH TRENDS - Wireless Email is in Our Future, PC Industry Headed for a Slump, Internet 2 Targets Internet Video, Content Will Cost

STATE UPDATE

ICS READY FOR HISTORIC MOVE - The week of November 23 marks an historic event for Instructional Communications Systems (ICS) UW-Extension. After 33 years - files, belongings and staff will vacate Old Radio Hall and shop will be "set up" in the state-of-the-art telecommunications facility, The Pyle Center. This new Center is symbolic of the next era in UW-Extension's long history of leadership and continued commitment to the "Wisconsin Idea".

ICS staff will merge with personnel of the Madison Conference Centers and Cooperative Extension Video Services to provide the very latest in distance education support and training services. Included in the Pyle Center will be 11 multimedia classrooms, 17 flexible teaching/learning classrooms, faculty development multimedia and computer research/development labs, technologically-advanced teleconference operations, audio/video production and distribution facilities, team spaces for interaction and 58 office work spaces combining a critical mass of distance education expertise and support - all under one roof.

DE SYMPOSIUM FOCUSES ASSESSMENT - A UW System/UW-Extension Symposium on Assessment, "Proving That It Works," was recently held to foster communication and collaboration among PK-16 educators and to provide participants with a variety of assessment strategies and methods for integrating technology into the curriculum. Over 150 participants attended interactive plenary and concurrent sessions led by educators with experience in assessing the use of learning technologies. In addition to learning how others are assessing the use of these technologies, participants actively applied what they learned at the symposium.

During the Symposium, recipients of Technology Literacy Challenge Fund (TLCF) grants were teamed with educators from University of Wisconsin institutions and Cooperative Educational Service Agencies and worked together to apply what they learned at the symposium to the assessment of instructional technology as outlined in their TLCF projects. Three team sessions were held throughout the symposium 1) to discuss project goals; 2) to determine measurable outcomes for these goals and 3) to identify instruments and data to measure impacts.

Three key presenters - Henry J. Becker, Susan Undelhofen and Janice Gordon added to the Symposium with their presentations that included Designs for Evaluating Educational Technology Programs, How to Identify Results An Evaluation Framework and The Reality of a Laptop Classroom. This rich combination of learning activities and presentations was promoted effective collaboration and the sharing of ideas among PK-16 educators who use technology to enhance teaching and learning.

DE FUNDING

THE ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION TARGETS DE - Pressing for a world in which anyone can learn at any time, the Sloan Foundation is targeting distance education. Its Asynchronous Learning Network has already granted $27 million to institutions involved in distance-education programs. The foundation favors proposals that create networks of learners and faculty members via email and is distinctive in its focus on asynchronous learning and how students interact and learn during the process. (Los Angeles Times 9 Nov 98).

LAAP Program - The Department of Education is moving quickly to implement the new Learning Anytime Anywhere Partnership (LAAP) program authorized by recent changes to the Higher Education Act. The program's purpose is to enhance the delivery, quality and accountability of post secondary education and career-oriented lifelong learning through technology and related innovations. Congress has appropriated $10 million in FY 98, at the request of the Clinton Administration to assist eligible partnerships in this program. (NUCEA.EDU 3 Nov 1998)

A NEW READ

A NEW JOSSEY-BASS PUBLICATION - "Distance Training How Innovative Organizations are Using Technology to Maximize Learning and Meet Business Objectives," is a newly published book co-edited by Deborah A. Schreiber and Zane L. Berge. The authors use in-depth case studies of sixteen progressive organizations, including NYNEX, Bell Atlantic and Unisys, to provide real world models using compressed video, satellite broadcasting, the Internet and other innovations. The book examines these new technologies and describes how each can be used to turn the home, office and meeting room into effective learning environments. See http://www.josseybass.com/genorder.html

INFO BYTES

COLLEGES MUST REPORT ON Y2K PROBLEMS - Public colleges and universities that report financial information to a city or state, as well as private colleges that have issued bonds must disclose how they are handling any Year 2000 problems and how they plan on resolving them to the Accounting Standards Board. The report must include what has already been done and what is in the process of being done to fix the situation. (Chronicle of Higher Education 13 Nov 98)

RISING EXPECTATIONS AND DEMAND FOR TECHNOLOGY - The Campus Computing Project's 1998 national survey of information technology in higher education says that classroom use of e-mail is up substantially (to 44.4%), that almost half of the institutions are using student fees to cover information technology costs and that more than a third of research universities have some type of policy addressing faculty-developed intellectual property on the campus. Project director Kenneth C. Green says, "Campuses are doing more with technology, and they are doing it better than in the past. But the real challenge at most institutions is to improve resources and services, given both rising expectations and exploding demand." See http://www.campuscomputing.net

NEW TECH TRENDS

WIRELESS EMAIL IS IN OUR FUTURE - Microsoft is teaming with Qualcomm Inc. to start a new company called WirelessKnowledge. The organization will focus on providing wireless data services to carriers, enabling them to offer customers seamless email, Internet access and other computing functions via wireless phones and handheld devices. Nine major wireless operators are involved in the effort and some will begin testing the services as early as next month. (Los Angeles Times 11 Nov 98)

PC INDUSTRY HEADED FOR A SLUMP - A Forrester Research report entitled "PC Industry Roller Coaster" predicts that PC sales will surge to $55 billion in 1999, as corporate buyers scramble to replace aging equipment run by Y2K-vulnerable software. After that, however, things are expected to head downhill, with sales dropping precipitously in 2000 and remaining stagnant through 2002. After 2000, the report predicts that the PC industry will be reshaped by a new set of market forces as computer makers fight for share in the sub-$1,000 PC market by cutting prices even further. Two-thirds of companies will focus their development efforts on making PCs with Internet browsers and on a new generation of Internet-connected appliances, which are expected to sell at much lower prices than today's PCs. (Reuters/St. Petersburg Times 2 Nov 98)

INTERNET 2 TARGETS INTERNET VIDEO - Headed by Joel Mambretti, Director of the International Center for Advanced Internet Research at Northwestern University, the Internet 2 Video Network Initiative is developing software to deliver high-quality video over the Internet. The digital-video project is part of a larger program called the Internet 2 Middleware Initiative. According to Mambretti, this new video technology could unleash a flood of niche broadcasting on the Web. Instead of just the History Channel, you could have the Roman-History Channel or the Early-Roman History Channel. (Chronicle of Higher Education 6 Nov 98)

CONTENT WILL COST - A report titled "Internet Service Providers, Proprietary Content and the Battle for Users' Dollars" says that as prices for Internet access decrease, fees for information and other content on the Web will increase. Prepared by the William Simon School of Management in Rochester, NY, the report predicts that the rise in fees for content will parallel the growth of "900" telephone services. In addition, the study cites an increasing trend toward taxing Internet access, which already is taxable in 10 states and District of Columbia. (Information Week 9 Nov 98)

FYI

THE NODE invites you to join your colleagues in a free, ongoing discussion "Technology and Transformation Teaching and Training Online!" Now in it's fourth week, this forum has attracted participants from over 35 countries who have been sharing their work, ideas, experiences, questions and concerns about justifying technology use, ownership/copyright of online courses, motivating online learners, ways to assess the effectiveness of online courses and institutional support for curriculum design. Participate by visiting http://node.on.ca/techtrans/ and clicking on "JOIN THE FORUM".

WISCONSIN WEBFAIR 1999 - The Third Annual Showcase of Wisconsin Students' Best Educational Uses of the World Wide Web is on the horizon. For registration information and examples of last year's winners see the WebFair website at http://webfair.wisc.edu Registrations are due March 1, 1999. Thanks to previous sponsors Ameritech, American Show Management Inc., Apple, IBM, ExecPC and CiscoSystems. WebFair is Organized by the University of Wisconsin System in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), Cooperative Educational Service Agencies (CESAs), TEACH Wisconsin, Wisconsin Educational Association Council (WEAC), and Wisconsin Educational Media Association (WEMA).

TELEGOV IV, a two-day event for federal, government, military and Department of Defense employees and support contractors is scheduled in conjunction with the 9th Annual IDLCON and TeleCon East. This March 17-19 Washington, D.C. forum for distance learning technology developers and users, will provide a way to share experiences, products and resources across government. It is sponsored by the Federal Government Distance Learning Association (FGDLA). The deadline for Proposals is January 8, 1999. Awards will be presented for the best paper in each of two categories 1) Case Studies and Lessons Learned and 2) Instructional Strategies. Demonstration proposals for TeleGov IV, should be submitted by December 15, 1998. For further information contact jolly.holden@gecapital.com

NORTHERN ARIZONA'S THIRD ANNUAL NAU/WEB CONFERENCE will be held May 15-17, 1999 at Flagstaff, Arizona. Proposals to Present are invited for pre-conference workshops, paper and panel presentations, and round table discussions. Deadlines are November 30 for preconference workshops and January 15 for papers, panels, and round tables. Proposals can be submitted by web form at the conference web site http://www.nau.edu/nauweb99

BEST PRACTICES IN OUTREACH AND PUBLIC SERVICE is scheduled for October 10-12, 1999 at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, State College, Pennsylvania. The conference is intended for faculty and practitioners in Outreach, Continuing Education, Distance Education, Technology Transfer, Governmental Affairs, University Relations and Public Broadcasting. Presentation Proposals are being solicited that focus on policy, institutional philosophy and administrative initiatives. Deadline for Proposals is February 1, 1999. For further information, see http://www.outreach.psu.edu/C&I/Bes tPracticesinOutreach/