Easier Ways f

to Learn the New Tricks

Creative Partnerships Bring Training and Education Opportunities to

Adult Learners

I n just a few years, any adult who is not comfortable with technology will find it increasingly difficult to function in our society. Children starting school

today are likely to achieve computer literacy at a very young age; adults employed by progressive organiza- tions are receiving at-work training in a variety of com- puter applications pertinent to their jobs. However, those in the gap - - recent graduates of underprivileged schools, adults in low-tech jobs, retirees, and the un- employed - - are at risk of being perpetually behind their more technologically literate peers.

As this gap grows, the stratifying facets of our soci- e t y - income, education, literacy, leisure time, etc. - - will magnify the gap and intensify the polarization of the "haves" and "have nots." Adults who have been un- employed, or whose careers have stagnated in low-tech or no-tech environments, will be unable to compete.

Fortunately, many corporations see the wisdom of avoiding such a scenario and are playing an active role in the continuing education and training of adults. Following is a handful of examples of partnerships be- tween corporations and public institutions and schools, all with the goal of providing adults access to technol- ogy and ongoing education.

Bell Adantic and Lock Haven University

Teachers in rural Pennsylvania schools are traveling the information superhighway to attend graduate-level courses at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania (LHU) with the help of distance learning technology provided by Bell Atlantic. By using desktop video-

conferencing and a high-speed, digital telephone ser- vice available through Bell Atlantic All@once TM ser- vices, LHU's College of Education and Human Ser- vices is offering professional development training to elementary school teachers in several rural communi- ties. "This All@once solution helps fulfill our mission to improve education in the Commonwealth by reach- ing out to distant schools that are often isolated be- cause of difficult travel and weather conditions," said Dr. Craig Dean Willis, LHU president. '[As a result, teachers can attend our courses after school hours with- out leaving their own classrooms." LHU's faculty is using the Intel ProShare TM Personal Videoconferencing System which connects a video camera and microphone to a personal computer, permitting interactive voice and video communications between the instructor and stu- dents. LHU's ProShare System also uses a Bell Atlantic high-capacity, digital telephone service called Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) to communicate with students. ISDN carries video, voice, and data signals over a single telephone line. This spring, Dr. Susan Ashley, LHU associate professor of early childhood edu- cation, taught the first graduate distance learning course to teachers in two schools that are 94 and 28 miles from the university campus on secondary access road. "These are teachers who otherwise might not be able to par- ticipate," said Dr. Ashley.

LHU's next step will be to deliver courses to mul- tiple locations simultaneously. There are plans to use the video and remote access capabilities to monitor and evaluate student teaching (including lesson plans), hold conferences with cooperating teachers and deliver stu- dent teaching seminars. For more information call 1-800-846-1200, ext. 3010.

10 TECHTRENDS SEPTEMBER 1995

Westcott Communications and Top Business Schools Dallas-based Westcott Communications, Inc., recently announced the creation of the Executive Education Net- work (EXEN), an interactive distance learning satellite network which links corporations with the nation's top business schools to provide premier executive educa- tion courses to managers at their own corporate sites.

EXEN debuted this summer at corporate offices nationwide. Eight institutions, including The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University, Southern Methodist University, Babson College, The University of Southern Califor- nia, The Pennsylvania State University, The University of Massachusetts Amherst, and The Aspen Institute are partnering with Westcott to offer courses through EXEN.

Sessions are transmitted live via satellite from Westcott Communications' Dallas studio to downlink at various corporate locations throughout the United States. The system will provide two-way data and au- dio interactive participation with faculty members, en- abling instructors to answer questions from any class- room location and to administer tests and quizzes.

Companies subscribe to the network and provide this educational opportunity to members of their man- agement and executive staff. Westcott produces and broadcasts the classes over EXEN's private satellite net- work to subscribers who have specially-equipped, two- way interactive classrooms in their company offices.

Additional information on the network and how it works is available from EXEN, Westcott Communica- tions, Inc., 1303 Marsh Lane, Carrollton, TX, 75006 (1-800-483-EXEN).

Toyota and Pacific Science Center Pacific Science Center has received a $168,000 grant from the Toyota USA Foundation and a Toyota Previa minivan to expand its state-wide teacher education pro- gram. For more than 20 years, Pacific Science Center has provided staff development for elementary science teachers through its teacher education program. With the new Science Vision Van, the program will take to the Washington highways to provide the latest science curricula to rural districts and other areas in the state.

"Thanks to Toyota's grant, our staff will be further trained in a variety of science curricula, and will con- tinue to act as resources for the state's elementary school science teachers in helping them facilitate science cur-

Touch-screen computer monitor. EXEN's system enables executive education students to interact with professors and other participants, and enables professors to monitor the progress of participants.

ricula in their districts," said Dennis Schatz, Pacific Sci- ence Center's associate director for evaluation.

Over a three-year period, the Toyota USA Founda- tion grant will bring life science, physical science, earth science and technology workshops to eight school dis- tricts and six educational service districts from Clark County to Okanoga. In addition, the grant will allow teachers to communicate with Pacific Science Center's education department via the Internet.

Pacific Bell and California Public Libraries To meet the needs of Californians who do not have access to the technology required to navigate the infor- mation superhighway, Pacific Bell is offering to wire all public libraries in its service territory with Integrated Service Digital Network (ISDN) and help these insti- tutions obtain low-cost computers and videoconfer- encing equipment. The objective is to establish a pub- lic access network and facilities which would make elec- tronic services and information freely accessible to all citizens.

To showcase the Library of the Future concept, Pacific Bell and eight other technology vendors have equipped the Pasadena and Sacramento central librar- ies as special demonstration sites where government, business, and education leaders can learn about public access applications of ISDN technology. To date, the libraries have showcased the use of videoconferencing in a series of "electronic town halls" linking students and citizens with elected officials. �9

SEPTEMBER 1995 TECHTRENDS 11