Getting The Message Out

On Saturday, October 19th of last year, schools around Oregon welcomed into their buildings many private sector volunteers who spent the day stringing network wire throughout the buildings. This was the "official" kick-off for Oregon NetYear97, a state-wide plan to help schools connect up with local businesses with the goal of preparing them for the twenty-first century.

Net Year 97

Modeled after a highly successful NetDay held in California the previous spring, the Oregon NetYear differs on two key points. The first is the decision to spread the concept over an entire year as opposed to focusing on a single day. The other difference is that, unlike the California and other state NetDays, Oregon's NetYear is not limited to just network wiring. Instead, a broad range of technology issues is being addressed, from distance learning to drafting acceptable use policies.

The key thrust of the Oregon NetYear plan is to facilitate a better public understanding of technology needs in local schools, and how schools can work together with individuals and businesses in their local areas.

There are three outcomes expected from NetYear97: increase public awareness of the limited access to technology experienced by Oregon classrooms; generate support from the parent and business communities for additional educational resources in the classroom; and create a public and private coalition of advocates. Ultimately, we want to bring together companies, agencies, and organizations who understand the importance of having technology in the classroom.

The key thrust of the Oregon NetYear plan is to facilitate a better public understanding of technology needs in local schools, and how schools can work together with individuals and businesses in their local areas. With this goal in mind, a meeting was held at Intel's Jones Farm facility in Hillsboro with the NetYear coordinators and state-wide Education Service District facilitators to better acquaint the state as a whole with how the effort can be applied locally.

On the agenda were representatives from the Oregon Department of Education, (ODE), Oregon Public Education Network, (OPEN) as well as OPEN and others.

Dee Carlson, Instructional Technology Coordinator from the NW Regional ESD gave an excellent presentation on how to approach potential business partners who may be willing to help out local schools. She gave examples of how she has received numerous equipment donations from different sources as well as assistance of the human kind to help with training and setup of the materials. She likens this to panning for gold and finding platinum.

Tom Cook, director of the OPEN, gave a status report on the OPEN Technology Needs Assessment Survey currently nearing completion. When finalized, specific data down to the school building level will be available to better determine individual school technology needs. This information will be available via the OPEN World Wide Web site.

A presentation by ODE's Larry Austin pointed out the value of a viable public & media relations strategy. Larry emphasized the need to develop a close working relation with local media contacts, and to keep them informed as to the needs of schools. He stressed four key tips when dealing with local media:

Speak English. When communicating, always speak in simple easy to understand terms.
Encourage "Guest Columnists." Newspapers are usually more than happy to publish public guest opinion or "Op Ed" pieces, especially when written by classroom teachers.
Tie Technology to News. A local tie-in to related news item can be valuable in peaking the interest of media outlets.
Recognition Programs. Whenever your school is awarded an honor or grant, make the media aware of it.

Many presenters emphasized that local schools, by way of their regional ESD organization, can and should seek assistance from local business partners in their communities.

The OPEN, working with NetYear and OPEN, are here to help make those connections. These resources should prove quite valuable in helping to identify potential partners in your communities and schools.

The OPEN, working with NetYear and OPEN are here to help make those connections. Contact your local ESD NetYear Facilitators as well as the NetYear '97 and OPEN home pages for more information. These resources should prove quite valuable in helping to match up potential partners in your communities and schools.