PI: Spampinato 95-54330 With the advent of new technologies in distance education and interactive networks, students no longer need to be in a traditional school setting in order to access quality educational resources. How will this impact the future of education and learning? How can these new resources be used by schools to transform the way they do business rather than to simply incorporate the technological changes into their current models? How can these new resources be used to impact the lives of urban and minority children? In addition, how can these resources be used to assist teachers in their efforts to change their methods of instruction? Edison Elementary, a K-5 school in Denver, Colorado, in conjunction with the Denver Public Schools (DPS) Department of Technology Services, and other community organizations seeks to develop a network model, named. the "Edison Link", that will begin to answer some of the questions mentioned above. The curricular focus of the proposed network will be in the areas of elementary science, math and technology. Research shows that science receives the least amount of weekly instructional time of all the core curriculum in American schools. A recent survey also has shown that a vast majority of teachers want to institute reforms in the way they teach science and math. Knowing this, those involved in the proposed Edison Link see great possibilities in developing a network devoted to math and science that can offer educational opportunities for students and teachers alike. The Edison Link will utilize a variety of technologies to achieve its goal of becoming a valuable and far reaching interactive math and science resource. The current (or soon to be) available technologies are as follows: The DPS has installed a T-1 network, capable of audio, data and video transmissions, that connects all district schools and buildings. An ITFS broadcast tower, capable of reaching throughout the Denver metro area, will be ready in early 1996. This tower w ill be owned and operated by the DPS and will allow television broadcasts receivable by any Denver metro home or institution with a satellite dish. One way video and two way audio connections can be made utilizing ITFS World Wide Web connections, utilizing Netscape, are already available within the DPS. With CUSeeMe software and a computer top video camera, broadcast capabilities can be activated over the Internet and received throughout the world. To date, a number of distance education projects focusing on science and math have been implemented throughout the United States. Their successes have been duly noted by those involved in the Edison Link project. The Edison Link will be developed and implemented building on these successes but with an additional focus on incorporating greater interactivity and Internet access. In addition, the project will be developed and implemented by classroom teachers. This is a departure from most distance education networks currently available. It will therefore be particularly focused on and sensitive to the needs of students and teachers.
