Going Global

Are your teachers ready for the brave new world of the Internet?

By Carla Schutte

Carla Schutte, a computer resource teacher at Long Branch Elementary School, in Arlington, Va., is a member of the board of directors of the International Society for Technology in Education.

When it comes to using the Internet, three T's can stunt a teacher's growth: technology, telephone access, and training.

Even if we all had the technology and the telephone access, that still wouldn't ensure effective use of the Internet. How do we learn to integrate this vast resource into the curriculum when training is next to nonexistent? Most teachers have no model to show them the advantages of hooking up to the projects available on the Internet. And shrinking school budgets don't provide nearly enough money to train teachers in new or visionary techniques. The technology budget in my district--the Arlington County (Va.) Public Schools--has barely covered training in the basic uses of technology in the past five years.

Meanwhile, we can't escape the magazine and newspaper articles touting the Information Superhighway and heralding new ways of responding to, using, and learning information in our society. Well, who most needs to learn to traverse this road successfully? Society's future leaders--and their teachers.

Enter the Global Schoolhouse Project. This project, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) with support from private business, is designed to demonstrate how schools can use the Internet to allow students all over the world to work and learn together, by communicating with each other and with teachers, scientists, and national and international leaders. The technologies involved are videoconferencing, electronic collaboration, and distance learning, using the underlying Internet network architecture to join schools in multiple locations. Eighteen schools in 11 states currently take part in the project. (My school is one of a cluster of five, which also includes schools in California, Utah, Nebraska, and Illinois.)

Participating educators are given hands-on training, information on integrating telecommunications into the curriculum, and guidance in finding the resources available on the Internet.

Becoming 'Internauts'

The main objective of the project's activities is to demonstrate how to use the Internet's resources as tools for classroom research and as media for interactive, collaborative learning. At the same time, the project addresses the need to help educators learn both from and with emerging education technology and have access to up-to-date research information.

The project provides guidelines, strategies, training models, and lessons to help educators and their students become "Internauts" who explore and learn through their journeys over the networks that make up the Internet.

Staffing at each project site begins with enthusiastic teachers who request to become involved in the project--and who might be willing to help it spread. As teachers become comfortable with the technology and curriculum delivery style, they may choose to be "telementors" and conduct training in a subsequent year. Thus, the project can continue to grow, with new sites being guided by experienced participants.

Follow-up training is being conducted on-line. Experts in Internet navigation set up times with each site's teachers or students. Small groups of students are learning how to use the tools and are working side by side with teachers. These students are then doing their own turnaround training with other students.

It's like throwing a stone into a pond and watching how far the ripples will spread. In the first year, the pilot phase, four sites and four teachers worked with the project coordinators on setting up and getting out on the network. This school year, we'll have more than 20 sites, including Japan and Australia, with twice as many teachers and students involved.

Each school gets volunteer technicians to help with initial setup and trouble shooting. Project coordinators provide additional technical support through telephone help or site visits.

In 1993, all teacher and principal teams at all Phase One sites traveled to California for two days of intensive planning and training. At this session, the participants developed themes for activities during the 1993-94 school year. Here are the four themes, which are continuing during the 1994-95 school year: Living in Space, Alternative Energy Sources, Solid Waste Management, and Weather/Natural Disaster Preparedness. Each teacher selected a specific theme he or she wanted to pursue and met in "cluster groups." (Our cluster chose to pursue the theme of weather and natural disasters.)

Each cluster developed a draft of objectives and activities, plus a time line for its project. Once back at their own schools, the teachers kept in touch with one another through E-mail and videoconferences.

As word of the project has spread, schools are applying to become participants. E-mail on the Internet has included growing numbers of requests to be added to the "GSH Watch list," an electronic mail list that provides information about our activities. Newspaper and magazine articles and even several new books on the Internet have included mention of the project.

There's a good reason. Aside from the excellent support the project's leaders and volunteers provide for participating teachers, the project gives both students and teachers a chance to work with scientists and people around the world on real environmental issues, using real, up-to-date information. Our research and findings are added to the available information, which can be used electronically by government, business, or the scientific community. During videoconferences, students have briefed national leaders on the results of their research on improving environmental awareness. It doesn't get more exciting than that.

Getting started

The hardest part of getting started in the Global Schoolhouse Project--at least, in my experience--is securing and keeping a dedicated telephone line for use as an audio bridge for videoconferencing. (During my first year with the project, U.S. Sprint paid for the installation and monthly charges on the phone line and the installation of a T1 line for the direct Internet connection. Sprint continues to pay the monthly fees for the T1 line, but my principal has found school funds to pay for the separate phone line used for videoconferences.)

Most of the hardware, software, training, and resources have been provided by sponsors, businesses, and money allocated by the NSF and the Center for Networked Information Discovery and Retrieval, in Research Triangle Park, N.C. Most schools already would have the basic computer setup and the video camera a teacher would need to participate. In the project's three years, the cost to the individual schools and school systems has been minimal.

The necessary software is available free on the Internet. It includes Cornell University's CU-SeeMe software, which permits Internet videoconferencing. Cornell is continuing development of the software and makes updates available as improvements are made. Interested educators without full Internet connectivity can find out more about the project by using FrEdMail, a free electronic mail system designed explicitly for classroom use.

If you want to get started on this or similar Internet projects, my advice is to seek out local businesses or other sponsors that can help your school get up and running. If your school has a way to access the Internet through the regional telephone company's generosity, get that service brought into the building to permit full Internet access.

The Global Schoolhouse Project will continue to expand and train more educators and involve more students. In the meantime, teachers can begin to participate in telecommunications projects and cooperative learning projects on a smaller scale using programs or services such as FrEdMail-Global SchoolNet. National Geographic KidsNetwork also provides units that can help teachers learn to use cooperative, collaborative activities within their classroom environments.

For more information, contact Carla Schutte, Computer Resource Teacher, Long Branch Elementary School, 33 N. Fillmore St., Arlington, Va. 22201; (703) 358-4220. Internet E-mail: cschutte@nsf.gov