From: tflavell@pbs.org
Newsgroups: comp.robotics
Subject: Oct. 22 Telecommunications Videoconf.
Date: 4 Oct 92 20:20:22 EDT
X-From: tflavell@pbs.org
X-Newsgroups: alt.education.distance
Followup-To: comp.robotics,alt.education.distance

X-Date: 4 Oct 92 20:03:33 EDT
X-Organization: PBS:Public Broadcasting Service, Alexandria, VA

CONTACT: TFLAVELL@PBS.ORG 

		PBS VIDEOCONFERENCE EXPLORES
	   TELECOMMUNICATIONS USE IN SCHOOLS 

Alexandria, Virginia, October 4,1992 - Educators and school 
administrators who are striving to change education can learn 
about innovative educational applications of telecommunications 
technology from award-winning classroom teachers, live via 
satellite.

On Thursday, October 22, 1992, from 2-4 P.M./ET PBS will present 
TELECOMMUNICATIONS: BRINGING THE WORLD INTO THE CLASSROOM, a two-
hour videoconference designed to focus discussion of issues in 
telecommunications use in schools from a variety of perspectives- 
from policymaker to practitioner.  The videoconference will be 
transmitted live from the INFOMART in Dallas during the 1992 
Technology & Learning Conference.  The National School Boards 
Association's (NSBA) Institute for the Transfer of Technology to 
Education, the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and The National 
Foundation for the Improvement of Education (NFIE) will present 
the videoconference with support from the Regional Bell Operating 
Companies.

The videoconference will feature NFIE's 1992 award-winning 
Christa McAuliffe Educators - Bonnie Bracey, Arlington, VA; Misty 
Brave, Kyle, SD; Carol Gilkinson, Covina, CA; Marilyn Schlief, 
Garden City, MI; Jim Zimmerman, Urbana, IL - who employ some of 
the most innovative applications of technology in schools today, 
such as:

* Connecting Students from Around the Globe Via Lumaphones and   
Slow-Scan-Video: Voice and picture messages are carried over 
telephone lines from Michigan to Japan connecting students and 
teachers in the Garden City Public Schools with their Japanese 
contemporaries.

* Teaching About Cultures Close to Home: Technology is being 
integrated into multicultural curriculum programs in Little Wound 
School in South Dakota to educate and to preserve value of 
traditional Native American culture & customs.

* Achieving Real Life Studies of Our Earth: Students in Arlington, 
Virginia are taking part in the National Geographic Kids Network 
to share current information in an international 
telecommunications-based science and geography curriculum studying 
acid rain.

* Opening Up the World of Science: Students are utilizing a 
variety of technological tools including computers, video disc, 
scanners, telecommunications, and robotics to complete classroom 
assignments and discover the world of science.

* Creating a Global Perspective, Community, and Classroom: 
Students in Covina, California are being introduced to Prodigy and 
E-mail and other educational technology to engage students in 
collaborative efforts to examine worldwide problems, increase 
cultural awareness, and promote a global perspective.

Telecommunications issues for schools, including planning and 
policy issues, governance, curricular issues, technical 
requirements, and financial impact also will be addressed.

The NSBA is a federation of all state school board associations in 
the U.S. and the boards of education of Hawaii, the District of 
Columbia, and the U.S.  Virgin Islands.  NSBA represents and helps 
serve American education through school board leadership.  The PBS 
Elementary/ Secondary Service is the school television arm of PBS, 
dedicated to serving the instructional needs of students through 
and on behalf of public television stations nationwide.  The NFIE 
is an independent affiliate of the National Education Association.  
The Foundation is dedicated to improving education through the 
fostering of teacher innovation and creativity.

In its sixth year, the "1992 Technology & Learning...Making 
Schools More Productive Conference" brings educators together to 
meet experienced technology practitioners and knowledgeable 
industry representatives and to learn about technology tools and 
their practical applications.  INFOMART is the world's first 
information processing market center which showcases the 
innovations of the Information Age.

For more information, to register as a downlink site, or to 
determine if a local PBS station or education agency is hosting 
the videoconference, please E-mail Tom Flavell at FLAVELL@PBS.ORG 
or call (703) 739-5402 or FAX (703) 739-8495.
The satellite downlink fee per site is $150, including on-site tape 
and print duplication rights. There will be an estimated 200 downlink
sites across the U.S. and Canada, including many university and
corporate sites. 
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