OPEN Update

By Tom Cook, OPEN

The Oregon Public Education Network (OPEN) began several years ago as a grass roots effort to help Oregon schools take advantage of the technology revolution, to encourage collaboration and the sharing of resources and expertise, and to provide telecommunications systems, including access to the Internet.

Two years ago, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Norma Paulus, challenged the state's ESD superintendents to take responsibility for this effort and to move the agenda along through a more formal and structured process. At that time, fewer than two hundred of the more than 1,200 Oregon schools had connected to the Internet. Today, through the cooperative efforts of ESDs and local school districts, that number has more than tripled. Even this progress must be viewed with caution, however, since "being connected" may mean only that one classroom computer, one computer lab, or one computer in the library is actually hooked up; it almost certainly does not mean that every student and every teacher in the school has Internet access. To have every student and every teacher connected is the goal, but, as a state, we are a long way from being there. And we could use your help. You can find out more about OPEN and our efforts to help Oregon schools by visiting the OPEN web site.

The next issue of the WEBster will feature the results of the OPEN technology survey, a statewide inventory of the current level of technology use and Internet connection on a school-by-school basis. This information will also be posted on the OPEN Web site. The survey will allow the educational community to answer a variety of questions from the state legislature and from business and industrial groups. The latter, for example, have expressed an interest in learning which Oregon schools need technology assistance and how the business community can support schools through the NETYEAR97 efforts.

Speaking of legislative activities, Governor Kitzhaber has included in his proposed budget $6 million to support the cost of installing telecommunications circuitry in each school building in the state, over a two year period. If these funds are approved by the legislature, they will be coordinated by OPEN. We are hopeful the legislature will agree that these funds are a critical priority and will find a way to allocate them. If you get an opportunity to speak to your legislative representatives, please share with them the importance of bringing telecommunications capability to every school in Oregon.

One way to encourage the legislature will be to convince them that whatever money they do allocate will be used effectively and efficiently. To that end, we have been working to lower the cost of installing circuitry. And we've found some success through an intergovernmental agreement between OPEN and the Oregon Department of Administrative Services. The agreement allows educational institutions to purchase telecommunications circuits from what is known as the Fast Packet Contract. Circuits can be purchased at a fixed cost, regardless of the location in the state, and regardless of what telephone company serves the area. (For example, a 56KB circuit is $107 per month and is guaranteed for five years at that rate; a T1 circuit is $450 per month.) In the past six months, schools have ordered more than two hundred circuits through this agreement. The result has been significant savings, especially to schools in more remote areas of the state. Any district considering a high-speed connection should consult with their local ESD to determine whether purchasing circuitry through the agreement will be less costly than buying through other channels.

Some of you may be asking, So what? We plan to get connected. We are purchasing computers for the classroom. Or, alternatively, we are already connected and we have the computers. But, how can we know whether we are using our systems effectively? How can we get the training our staff needs? How can we wade through all the information on the Internet and know we are getting appropriate, thoroughly tested, and high-quality information and resources?

That's where we at OPEN come in. The recently formed OPEN Clearinghouse (OPEN) has the task to focus on the instructional needs of Oregon's classroom teachers and students. And the most critical element of this entire effort is bringing tools to the classroom that will make a difference in the education of our students. But we need your help. How? Keep your eyes and ears open, provide information to the Clearinghouse; share any exemplary ideas and programs from your school, or any you learn about; and cooperate with your regional ESD as they work to improve our schools' access to and use of electronic technology.