A Bit of Early History

A number of the eSATSi team members came together in the 1970’s and early 1980’ to lead the advocacy for Arizona gifted education. After successful gifted legislationi with a mandate and funding they thought the job was done. With gifted programs in all Arizona school districts, the rewards of individualized student learning were expected to diffuse into all Arizona classrooms. Ten years later, not happened.

In the early 1990’s, team members were engaged in the Phoenix Futures Forumi and Arizona Strategic Plan for Economic Development. The use of learning technology emerged as a better horse to ride for transforming K-12 education. Learning/Researchi/Enterprise Institute, Arizona Telecommunications and Information Council, Arizona Software Association and the Arizona Learning Technology Partnership were formed and addressed this opportunity for a number of years. Meetingsi were held, statewide strategic plans were made.

Legislative advocacy resulted in wiring all the schools by the School Facilities Board, developing a million person Application Service Provider, and modernizing to one modern multimedia computer for eight students in 2000.

The team worked to develop the Governor Hull’s 1999 Arizona Plan for the New Economy in the eLearningi hot team. They implemented a recommendation to create Greater Arizona eLearning Associationi GAZeL (www.gazel.org), an eLearning enterprise organization. With about 40 enterprises and $3 million in reviews, Arizona is one of the few cluster regions for the eLearning industry. This industry includes vendors, providers, and research labs for not only K-12 education, but for workforce, higher education, individual life span learners, and military simulation markets.