Introduction
During the past decade integrating new technologies into the learning environment has been gradually growing in importance as a goal for K-12 educators. In particular, networking has been highlighted as a cost-effective tool for improving learning opportunities for all students, supporting professional development, increasing the productivity of all members of the learning community, exponentially increasing the number of resources available to K-12 schools, and improving the efficiency of school, district, and state administration.
Today, schools across the country are working diligently to speed the introduction of networking into their learning communities so that they can capitalize on the vast benefits of this technology. However, although examples exist of productive uses of networking in schools, most schools are still resource-deprived and most students and teachers have little or no access to the networking tools of the information age.
In this section we address developments on the national level and then within California to provide some clarification and describe the correlation between the school networking plans described in this document, the state initiative called the Golden State Education Network, and the National Information Infrastructure (NII), commonly referred to as the Information Superhighway.
The National Information Infrastructure
The NII has the potential to improve equity of access to networked resources for K-12 schools nationwide. The NII is being designed to make possible electronic interconnection of the nation's industry, government, education, health, and research communities, including K-12 schools, thereby facilitating research and development collaborations and enhanced access to information resources and computational capabilities.
President Clinton's Administration announced the NII initiative in September 1993, spearheaded by Vice President Albert Gore. An excerpt from the document titled "The National Information Infrastructure: Agenda for Action" provides some insight into the meaning of the NII:
"All American have a stake in the construction of an advanced National Information Infrastructure (NII), a seamless web of communications networks, computers, databases, and consumer electronics that will put vast amounts of information at users' fingertips. Development of the NII can help unleash an information revolution that will change forever the way people live, work, and interact with each other:
- People could live almost anywhere they wanted, without forgoing opportunities for useful and fulfilling employment, by `telecommuting' to their offices through an electronic highway;
- The best schools, teachers, and courses would be available to all students, without regard to geography, distance, resources, or disability;
- Services that improve America's health care system and respond to other important social needs could be available on-line, without waiting in line, when and where you needed them.
The Clinton Administration's position, as described briefly above, grew out of the following five principles:
- Encourage private investment
- Provide and protect competition
- Provide open access to the network
- Avoid creating information "haves and have nots"
- Encourage flexible and responsive government action
The Administration has called for public-private partnerships to construct the NII. Changes in legislation that affect the telecommunications industries are being addressed by Congress, and those industries that provide telephone, cable, wireless, satellite, etc., are beginning the development of a national communications infrastructure.
The Statewide Perspective
California, a state which has been a leader in restructuring and other important reform initiatives, is taking a leading role by working to prepare its schools to take advantage of networking, the NII, and other emerging technologies which have not yet even left the drawing boards.
The Strategic Plan for Information Technology
In order to address the compelling need to assist schools in taking advantage of information age resources, help ensure equity of access, and position California as a leader in taking advantage of emerging information technologies, former Superintendent of Schools Bill Honig established the Advisory Committee on Information Technology (ACIT) in July 1990. The charge of ACIT was to develop a strategic plan defining the best approach to building a statewide electronic communications highway that would extend to all schools, districts, and county offices of education throughout the state. In September 1991, ACIT presented a document entitled Strategic Plan for Information Technology which described the vision, mission, and recommendations of the group.
As a result of the Strategic Plan for Information Technology , the Department of Education established a Technical Planning Committee consisting of representatives from local school districts, county offices of education, and institutions of higher education to determine the most expeditious and cost effective way to implement the plan's recommendations.
After thorough research and consultation with numerous advisors, the Technical Planning Committee recommended that California design its networking standards and protocols so that California education networks would be compatible with the Internet--the most pervasive, functional, democratic, and well supported network infrastructure that exists today. An infrastructure designed with this compatibility, it was successfully argued, would provide California schools and districts efficient and low-cost local communications capabilities, extensive cost-effective worldwide communications, and the ability to take advantage of new communications technologies as they emerged.
The Master Plan for Educational Technology
For reasons similar to those cited in the creation of ACIT, the Farr-Morgan-Quackenbush Technology Act (AB 1470) of 1989 established the California Planning Commission for Educational Technology (the Commission) to create a master plan for educational technology in California schools. In 1992, the Commission submitted The California Master Plan for Educational Technology identifying a number of objectives crucial to the future success of education in California. "Chief among these objectives are: 1) equity of access to technology resources; 2) equity of resources anywhere learning and teaching occur; 3) coordination of resources from public and private providers; 4) electronic linking of educational agencies; 5) and the coordination of educational technology among the four segments of California public education: K-12 education, California Community Colleges, the University of California, and the California State University." [1]
In addition, the Master Plan recommended the establishment of the Golden State Education Network (GSEN) coordinating an integrated voice, video, and data link of existing networks. GSEN will eventually become the schools connection to the NII.
The Educational Technology Act -- Senate Bill 1510
In 1992, the Morgan-Farr-Quackenbush Educational Technology Act (Senate Bill 1510) authorized the establishment of the statewide education telecommunication network, GSEN, to deliver voice, video, and data to all learning locations in California, including public schools, college and university campuses, homes, libraries, museums, and community agencies. The statute references both the ACIT and the Commission reports and lends legislative support to the Technical Planning Committee's endeavors to define a standard network infrastructure and set of network protocols for California.
SB1510 also mandated the creation of the Education Council for Technology in Learning (ECTL) to support educational technology in California. The ECTL is charged with allocating educational technology funds and implementing the Master Plan for Educational Technology as well as collaborating with the Industry Council for Technology in Learning. Currently, both groups are working toward the implementation of the statewide network infrastructure, identifying funding resources to support the effort, and developing the implementation of technology programs in the schools. The ECTL has appointed a GSEN-Communications Task Force as required by SB 1510. The work of the Technical Planning Committee will be continued through this Task Force. This group is composed of K-12, higher education, industry, and CDE representatives who will design the statewide communications infrastructure which will provide connectivity for school networks to larger existing networks across the state.
The K-12 Network Technology Planning Guide
This document, the K-12 Networking Technology Planning Guide, incorporates the research and recommendations of each of the three previously described efforts to bring networking technology to K-12 schools. However, unlike the earlier reports, this document specifically outlines the technical specifications recommended for the school infrastructure, implementation issues which must be addressed in order for the network to be successful, and the priority which must be given to each of the network's elements. Though not all of the technologies are readily available today to establish complete voice, video, and data networks for K-12 schools, the network design put forth in this document allows schools to move forward now, incorporating these technologies as they become available and affordable.
The Technical Planning Committee and the California Department of Education believe this document provides ample concrete information to make possible expeditious implementation of the networking infrastructure and, most importantly, will help speed the day when all members of California's learning community can enjoy the exciting benefits of networking on the statewide, national, and global levels.
[1] California Planning Commission for Educational Technology, "California Master Plan for Educational Technology," April 22, 1992, p.iii.
