University Support and Vision for K-12 Education

University Support and Vision for K-12 Education Technology
Dr. William Lewis
January 16, 1996

The Arizona Colleges and Universities have long recognized the important role played by the K-12 education system as they prepare students for a lifelong learning experience. In recognition of this role, Higher Education within the state has provided technology support to K-12 in many ways, the most notable being the Arizona State Public Information Network ( ASPIN).

ASPIN is a partnership between the State Universities and the Communityi Colleges that has been providing technology support to K-12 and the general citizenry of Arizona for several years. This support has been in many forms, from providing Internet connectivity to offering training for teachers in the use of the Internet in their classes. The Internet connections have been accomplished via a partnership between the K-12 schools and the ASPIN schools. One of the most recent programs is being funded by the US West Foundation and will result in providing one percent of the K-12 teachers in Arizona with laptop computers and training for their use in the classroom.

As K-12 education attempts to move into the INFORMATION AREA, it must do so in an environment of at-best level budgets and in many cases pressures to reduce the costs of providing a public education. It is not sufficient to provide schools with Internet connections! Schools must be wired to the classrooms! Classrooms must have computers!

Teachers must not only have training on how to use the technology in instructional delivery, they must have support staff to free them for their most important job, educating the youth of Arizona! Teachers need training in how to integrate appropriate technology, ranging from overhead projectors or presentation graphics to live video conferencing to provide the challenge that our youth need to spark the fires of learning. They also need training in how to transform the classroom from a teacher centered environment into a learner centered environment. K-12 teachers do not have the time nor in most cases the resources needed to develop the multimedia material required to fully use the technology when they have access to it. Just as we had film-strip libraries for teachers to check out materials for use in the classroom, we must develop multimedia content libraries and servers to deliver this content where it is needed. This type of change represents a major paradigm shift in how classical public education is delivered and can not be accomplished by the K-12 community without assistance from higher education, government and the community at large.

The issue of "HAVES and HAVE NOTS" becomes even more pronounced as we compare both rural and economically deprived schools with more economically advantaged urban ( suburban in contrast to inner-city ) schools with respect to technology. It's hard to talk about the World Wide Web in a rural classroom when a school may only have a single telephone in the principal's office. Going beyond the confines of the classroom, students, yes and parents, must have access to the material from home. Parents need to be able to be partners with the teacher in the process. This becomes even more difficult in rural communities which lack appropriately priced infrastructure to support information technology to the home.

The issues facing K-12 education as we move into the information age represent a challenge to us all ¾ a challenge that we must meet.

Dr. William Lewis
Vice Provost, Information Technology