Government Technology - July 2008 - (Page 50)

telecom S TAT E | L O C A L | F E D E R A L Synopsis: Five schools share one algebra teacher using video conferencing. Agency: Scott County, Tenn., Schools. Technology: Videoconferencing systems. Contact: Michael Lay, technology coordinator, Scott County Schools, 423/663-8486. Cash-strapped schools share an algebra teacher using Web-based video conferencing. P eople often think of virtual classrooms as liberation from the standard “brick-and-mortar” education. A growing number of public and charter school districts offer public education totally online. These projects are magnets for students and parents who want to flee the limitations of the schoolhouse, and Web-based video conferencing is critical to their functionality. But in another twist of the formula, Scott County Schools, a district in Tennessee, uses distance learning within its real-life classrooms. The district had eighth-graders at five schools, but only one teacher qualified to teach algebra, and that teacher worked at the high school. To solve the problem, the county deployed a Web video-conferencing system from Tandberg, a video-conferencing provider, in 2007. The system connected 68 students from the five schools for one math class period. Grants and free services from partnering organizations made the project possible. Advanced own campuses, thereby eliminating the bus rides. Lay said it saved the district $20,000. “By not having to bus kids, you are cutting down on fuel consumption right off the bat,” Lay said, adding that the system was part of a series of green initiatives. The green aspect helped the county attain grants for the project. The district has several more green projects in the pipeline, said John Cannon, diversified technology instructor of Scott County High School. The projects will mostly involve renewable energy facilities at the high school to provide students handson experience with the technologies. The district is currently installing a solar facility, donated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, Math No More Busing Advanced math students are the only eighth-graders who take algebra in Scott County. Before the video-conferencing solution, those students boarded buses in the middle of the day to travel to the high school for algebra class. The school shaved instructional time off the students’ other classes to accommodate the rides. Many students lost roughly 35 minutes of instructional time each day they had algebra class, said Michael Lay, technology coordinator of Scott County Schools. The video-conferencing system enabled students to learn from classrooms on their at the high school. It’s hoped the facility will be finished by June 2008. “We’re just now in our second year of really getting actively involved in the green initiatives,” Cannon said. District officials hope to fund other green projects with grant money from the federal Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998, which is distributed by the U.S. Department of Education. Like He’s in the Room Lay said students interact with algebra teacher Tony Duncan via video conferencing just as they would in person. Video of him is JULY_08 50 BY A N D Y O P S A H L | F E AT U R E S E D I T O R http://www.govtech.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Technology - July 2008

Government Technology - July 2008 Point of View The Last Mile Big Picture On the Scene Four Questions for ... Generation 2.0 at Work Dangerous Convenience Tainted Justice? Are You Ready? E-Discovery Basics Smart Docs Advanced Math Online Video Blues Spectrum Personal Computing Products signal:noise

Government Technology - July 2008

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