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Section E: On-Line Services

Situation:

In the past few years, advances in computational and communications technologies have altered the way information can be accessed and used. There are now a wide variety of tools available for acquisition and manipulation of information, one of which is the use of readily accessible, on-line information databases and other tools. Commercial services and the Internet offer the opportunity for students (and teachers) to access a variety of information readily. This information is typically updated very frequently, and its electronic nature makes it easy to access and search, making it far more efficient and correct than information obtained through conventional sources (encyclopedias, statistical yearbooks, etc.). This information can also be purchased (or used for free) on a need to acquire basis, unlike the typical documentation found in large reference manuals.

Other forms of communication have developed with the advent of on-line services. Electronic mail and conferencing allow people around the world to communicate inexpensively and quickly. This brings the opportunity to allow students to consult experts in various interests and communicate with other students in a variety of cultures to better understand issues of diversity, geography, and culture. It also gives young people an opportunity to voice their opinions in a manner which allows response from those other than classmates and the teacher.

Unfortunately, this information and communication has a number of problems associated with it. Due to the relative newness of this form of technology, much of the infrastructure which facilitates this communication is not in place. Those systems which do currently exist and are in place (i.e. telephone cabling, digital switchboxes, modem connections, etc.) are slow and costly to upgrade. Other concerns for this technology arise from its application in an educational setting. There are a variety of information sources which are recreational in nature, and are not appropriate for classroom use. Also, due to the vast quantity of information and number of sources of information, educators and students may find difficulties in finding specific, yet reliable sources of information. Finally, ease of access to information may create new difficulties regarding copyright infringement, etc.

MAPS is just beginning to become involved in the use of on-line services. Several teachers have acquired Internet accounts through the Traverse City Freenet or Education Central project at Central Michigan University. The MAISD is attempting to develop a server location for member schools to use to connect to the Internet. However, high speed connections (i.e. optical T-1 lines) are not yet available in this region of the state, nor will they be for at least the next two years.

Concerns:

Though the MAISD and/or commercial services may be able to alter access to various newsgroups available on the Internet, they are not able to restrict access to other sites (gopher, FTP, and World Wide Web) which may contain information which would otherwise not be allowed in the school. In a similar manner, it would be difficult to restrict access to information that students make available on the network.

Availability of information will alter the purchasing and selection policies of the media centers in each of the schools, as well as the adoption of textbooks and other written materials. The role of the media center as an educational resource will alter as greater access to information becomes possible. Media specialists and other educators may require retraining in order to deal with such issues.

Availability of information and ease of communication with individuals in other communities will force educators to alter the curricula. Issues of diversity, communication, and research methods will become more prevalent as a result of these technologies. Educators must be made aware of the opportunities (and fallacies) attributed to these services and be trained to alter learning strategies in the classroom to accommodate this technology. Educators must also understand development of these technologies to alter curricular outcomes for students.

Accommodation of such on-line services for all educators in the district (connection to all computers and classrooms) will require extensive facilities alteration (with respect to communications wiring and other instruments) and equipment purchases. Decisions on type of technology and efficiency of use must be made regarding these matters. It is important that administrators and teachers understand the accessibility and connectivity issues with regard to such technologies before decisions are made regarding the variety of technologies available to them.

Recommendations:

1. The technology committee for the district should maintain a sub-committee devoted to decisions regarding use of and selection of on-line services and information. This sub-committee should address such issues as exclusion of inappropriate services, student and teacher access to on-line information, training of teachers and students in use of on-line information, and ethics and copyright issues regarding on-line services. The nature of these issues would suggest that this sub-committee include, but not be limited to, a media specialist, an administrator, a teacher, a member of the Board of Education, and a parent. It is also important that this sub-committee seek appropriate information regarding use and content of on-line services. It is important that this group fully understand the content of any information for which they would decide to restrict access.
2. MAPS should maintain funds for subscription to several inexpensive on-line services which maintain general and specialty information services. Though these services need not be generally accessible to all faculty and students, it is important that these services be available to media specialists, as the information available through these services often includes information typically included in journal and periodicals, as well as commercial services not provided on the Internet. Media specialists should examine budgets to determine if information obtained from these services can replace printed materials typically obtained by the library.
3. MAPS should provide information and training to educators in the use and application of various on-line services and information sources. In order to further this training, MAPS should attempt to become involved in special educational programs dependent upon use of on-line information. Several of these programs (i.e. Blue-Skies, Project GREEN, NASA Goddard Space Program, Kid Cafe, Keypals, etc.) offer training and information regarding educational use of their specific service. MAPS should provide mandatory in-service workshops on use of Internet resources for educators, in order to make them aware of use and applications of these resources. MAPS should seek other information sources regarding information sites, including listservs and newsgroups dedicated to educational technology, and books and periodicals devoted to the topic. An abbreviated list of these books is included in the appendix. An abbreviated list of information sites and education specific on-line services are included in the On-Line Services Manual provided to the district.
4. The technology committee of the district should develop a student code of conduct regarding use of information services. This code should include decisions regarding ethical and appropriate use of on-line services, information regarding copyright legislation, and language clarifying content of written materials provided by students. Due to the nature of the Internet and similar on-line information, this language should address issues of appropriate access and language allowed for posting on the Internet, as well as issues of diversity and cultural bias. This code of conduct should be taught to all students in the district at all levels and enforced by all educators.
5. MAPS should determine which technology will be used to connect to the MAISD node of the Internet for the immediate future, and determine which software architecture will be used for such a system. On-line connection in the immediate future is generally limited to use of modems to connect to a server node, or a direct 56K asynchronous line directly routed into the server. Though the 56K line is far more advantageous in the near future, higher speed transmission technologies allowing greater access time and error correction will be made available in the foreseeable future (2+ years). It is important that the technology committee address this issue in the near future, in order to make most efficient use of funds for technology development.
6. The technology committee should examine acquisition of presentation technologies (LCD projection or other) for teacher use in presentation of on-line information. Due to the graphical nature of the World Wide Web and other commercial on-line services, and the current unavailability of a computer laboratory for individual on-line access, presentation technologies are required to allow for appropriate use of on-line services. Without such technologies, and with the current state of hardware access for students and teachers, access to on-line services would likely be limited to only a few classes.
7. MAPS should examine the alternative of developing an Internet node for student and community use. Though this possibility would be financially unfeasible at present, and without external support, the district should consider this concept when making long range facilities and financial plans. Several communities are developing information services for the local community, either through the use of bulletin board systems or community freenets. This possibility should be considered in any extensive facilities or hardware acquisition made by the district.