Collaboration: The Foundation of Learning in the Future

NetTech: An Introduction and Review Research and development are being conducted all over our planet to find ways to use technology to improve communication, health, finances, business, transportation and, in fact, every facet of life. The challenge for educators is not, "Should we be using the technology? ," but "How should it be used? " In addition, the fact that technologies are advancing so quickly poses a serious problem: It is unrealistic to expect everyone to know and learn everything there is to know about hardware and software and their constant upgrades, and all the subtleties and peripherals that accompany each, as well as being familiar with the almost limitless resources on the Web. To respond to the technology revolution, in 1995 the Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement, published a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a five year Regional Technology in Education Consortia (RTEC). In response NetTech (1) (Northeast Regional Technology in Education Consortium) was created and funded as one of six regional consortia in the country, and included all of New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Ohio. NetTech was designed as the City University of New York's (CUNY) response to that RFP. NetTech's underlying philosophy was to support programs and activities that fostered the development of community through the sharing of expertise and by keeping one eye on the developing future so as to not fall behind in the use of emerging technologies. While the RTECs were primarily funded to work with the PreK-12 educational communities, a secondary focus was on college faculty. NetTech helped to design and support networks of educators who shared a common vision and supported educators from one state to share knowledge and expertise with educators in other states thereby saving time and resources of the home state by benefiting from others who had gone through similar experiences in previous years. By chance on a plane flight, I (Dr. Brownstein) met Dave Murdock who has chosen the Rockefeller Center's Christmas tree for the past 18 years and arranged for NetTech to be contacted by representatives of Rockefeller Center to involve students with the Center's Christmas Tree. After lengthy discussions, a decision was made that NetTech would initiate a national science curriculum project through the RTECs. The first step would be for NetTech to coordinate the design and work for a banner, later named "Holiday Greetings from American's Children," that would cover the 30' x 50' scaffold covering the tree while it was being trimmed. NetTech arranged for cards to be designed by elementary school students from each state and ultimately the banner contained all of these submissions. Since the banner would cover the tree, NetTech arranged for classes of students to be present to videotape the tree when it was cut in Ohio and prepared for shipping as well as for students to be present when it arrived in New York and was placed at Rockefeller Center. The banner itself was attached to the scaffolding around the tree and remained in place for two weeks. Banner flyers were created and made available in kiosks at the Center for people who visited the tree and each contributing class received sets of the flyer. In addition to this dissemination, the banner materials, which highlight the RTECs, were distributed at the Secretary of Education's Improving America's Schools Conference. The Holiday Greetings banner was the kickoff event for the more important TreeTop Science project. NetTech arranged for the participation of the American Forest Foundation, the American Horticultural Society, and Ohio SchoolNet to provide a web-based exploration of science issues related to trees and horticulture. In addition to content contributions from these organizations, the TreeTop Science web site was linked to their web sites, and Ohio SchoolNet ultimately provided the web site where resources of these organizations were placed for teacher and students' use. …