FUNDING - Teach Wisconsin Announces $6 Million in Grants
UW MADISON - Adding Multimedia to Classroom Lectures
UW COLLEGES - New Instructional Technologist
MED ED - Groups to Deliver Live Medical Education via the Internet

FUNDING

-TEACH WISCONSIN ANNOUNCES $6 MILLION IN TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE GRANTS-

(Madison, WI) Doris J. Hanson, Executive Director of TEACH Wisconsin, announced today the 1999 recipients of its Educational Technology Training and Technical Assistance grant program. Six million dollars will be awarded across the state to schools, libraries, library systems, and cooperative educational service agencies to boost the technology skills of teachers, students, school, library staff, and library patrons.

The need for staff development for technology, often cited as one of the most important challenges facing schools and libraries, is evident in the strong response to the program's request for proposals - 84% of the schools and 80% of the libraries in Wisconsin submitted project ideas. A review panel, made up of professional educators, library staff, and technology specialists representing every area of the state, convened to review and score over $10 million in requests in order to award the $6 million available to 23 awardees. The list of funded projects is attached.

Projects selected for funding will improve the educational technology literacy and competencies of teachers, staff, students, and library patrons in a broad range of technology skills - from software applications and Internet skills to curriculum integration and assistive technology. Technology literate teachers, staff, and students will receive advanced training to coach, support, train and provide technical assistance to other teachers, staff, students, and library patrons. The improved technological expertise of teachers and library staff is expected to impact 238 schools with almost 590,000 students and 222 libraries with approximately one million library patrons.

The Educational Technology Training and Technical Assistance grant program is one of four major programs administered by TEACH Wisconsin to increase the investment in educational technologies for educational institutions and libraries. Other programs include: improving telecommunications access, providing wiring loans, and supporting school districts with grants for the purchase of educational technology equipment and services.

For more information, contact Mahrie Peterson, TEACH Wisconsin Grant Administrator, at (608) 261-7430 or mahrie.peterson@teach.state.wi.us.

Grant awardees are:
St Francis School-Library Consortium
Greenfield Consortium
CESA 6 Consortium
Waterford-Rochester Consortium
Milwaukee Consortium
Hartland/Lakeside Consortium
Madison Consortium
Waukesha Library System/Schools Consortium
CESA 4 Consortium
CESA 8 Consortium
CESA 7 Consortium
CESA 9/Wisconsin Valley Library Service
CESA 10 Consortium
Waukesha School District Consortium
West Bend - Cedarburg Consortium
Burlington-East Troy Consortium
Arrowhead Library System Consortium
Wausau-Marathon County Library Consortium
Fox Point-Glendale-River Hills Consortium
Sauk Prairie Consortium
DeForest Consortium
CESA 5 Consortium
Shorewood-Whitefish Bay Consortium

(From Mahrie Peterson, Grants Administrator, TEACH Wisconsin 15 Dec 98)

UW MADISON

-ADDING MULTIMEDIA TO CLASSROOM LECTURES-
Wednesday January 13, 10 am - 12 noon
Room 6210 Social Science

Six faculty from the College of Letters & Science will summarize their experiences revising lectures for multimedia enhanced classrooms. Demonstrations will include audio and video clips as well as software used to create and manage multimedia presentations. Faculty presenters include:Mary Layoun/Comp. Lit 203, Arik Levinson/Econ 101, Robert Lutfi/Com Dis 202, Brenda Plummer/Afro Am 628, Seth Pollak/Psych 509-589, Robert Wilson/Math 234. The faculty were recipients of L&S INTIME grants which provided hardware, software and technical support for Fall 1998 courses. For information see: http://polyglot.lss.wisc.edu/lss/intime/
(From Lisa Jansen, Learning Support Services, UW-Madison, College of Letters & Science at: lisa@lss.wisc.edu)

UW COLLEGES

-UW COLLEGES NEW INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGIST-

Pat Fellows has accepted the position of Instructional Technologist for the UW Colleges and will begin on Dec. 28

Pat's duties will be to work with faculty to identify technologies which will be of value in the classroom and to facilitate the creation or adaptation of course materials to technological environments, both in traditional classrooms and in the three modes of distance education. She will also be coordinating campus instructional technology staff and some aspects of our distance education program. I am excited that for the first time in the Colleges we can provide faculty with this kind of teaching support, training and consultation.

Pat's long tenure as faculty member and department chair coupled with her knowledge and enthusiasm make her well suited to 'create' this new job and I'm looking forward to working closely with her.
(From Dick Cleek, Assistant Vice Chancellor, UW Colleges)

MED ED

-PHYSICIANS WORLD COMMUNICATIONS GROUP SELECTS HORIZON LIVE DISTANCE LEARNING TO DELIVER LIVE MEDICAL EDUCATION OVER THE INTERNET-

New Technology Enables Physicians and Healthcare Professionals to Access Live Training and Information via Horizon

NEW YORK, NY - December 14, 1998 - Horizon Live Distance Learning Inc., a leader in interactive group learning and Physicians World Communications Group, worldwide provider of Continuing Medical Education (CME), today announced that they have entered into an exclusive agreement to provide live CME courses, interactive programs, presentations and seminars via the Internet.

"We are extremely pleased to announce this worldwide partnership with PW," said Bob Clyatt, Chief Executive Officer, Horizon Live Distance Learning, Inc. "Their leading role in the industry will help spearhead this new advance in physician education, and demonstrate the power of live distance learning for keeping professionals up to date in their fields," Clyatt added.

Martin E. Cearnal, CEO of Physicians World, commented, "We reviewed the various options available to us and found Horizon to be the best Internet solution for bringing the power of live distance learning to physician and other healthcare audiences worldwide. The Internet is a natural extension of our business, as it offers physicians the convenience and flexibility to learn and interact with their peers without leaving their offices. PW live courses are scheduled to commence during Q1 1999."

How Horizon Live Distance Learning Works
Horizon's intuitive design blends the best of classroom and computer-based training in an easy-to-use classroom atmosphere - live over the Internet. Running entirely within a standard Web browser over a standard Internet connection, the Horizon system allows organizations to train clients and staff, as well as to hold meetings on- demand around the globe in a cost effective and timely manner. An instructor or host leading a classroom discussion can speak naturally to participants by using live audio capabilities, while displaying content materials on each participant's computer screen.

Participants receive and review materials such as slides, which can be in any Web-ready format, and quiz material in real time. Users can talk to each other and to the instructor by simply typing in questions and responses. A specialized private message option allows for sidebar conversation among participants. Sessions can be recorded for later use by individuals who missed the live event, or who just want to review classroom notes. Horizon incorporates Real Network's streaming audio and video as well as a proprietary Firewall Friendly messaging system which enables organizations to deliver classes through most corporate firewalls using their existing Intranet.

About Horizon and PW
Horizon Live Distance Learning, based in New York, NY, connects geographically dispersed individuals via Web browser allowing real-time virtual group meetings in a classroom atmosphere. Physicians World Communications Group, based in Secaucus, NJ, develops medical education and communication programs. PW's Professional Postgraduate Services division is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to sponsor continuing medical education activities for physicians.
(From Martin E. Cearnal, Physicians World Communications Group and Cheri Grand/Robert Clyatt, Horizon Live Distance Learning at: cheri@horizonlive.com 15 Dec 98)