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Not to put too fine an edge to it, but concurrent with this installation
there have now been attempts for 3 years to create a TLT Roundtable in
Boston, with interest expressed by only one of the 54 colleges in the city;
the Boston Computer Society folded, and with that ended its outreach to
communities and volunteer services to schools; and there is an even more
disastrous shortage of technically competent support staff - either teacher,
aide, student, or volunteer - who know how to turn the things on, let alone
fix or maintain them. Don't believe every press release for what it implies.
In this case it implies the need for much more support and much more
collaboration within the non-profit and education sector.


    -----Original Message-----
    From: AECT Issues Discussion Group [mailto:AECT-L@WVNVM.WVNET.EDU]On
Behalf Of Stan Diamond
    Sent: Thursday, September 17, 1998 7:43 AM
    To: AECT-L@WVNVM.WVNET.EDU
    Subject:


    Hi All!!
        I thought many of you would be interested in knowing about Boston
Schools' wonderful accomplishment.
    Stan
    *****************************




    Joint Venture Will Make Boston First
    Big City in U.S. to Network Every School

    The gulf between students who have a home computer and those who dont is
one of the most troubling inequities in the education systemIt isnt just
that the have nots are forced to turn in work that is less polished. They
also are falling behind in computer skills they will need in college and the
job market, and they are unlikely to be exposed to as many facts and ideas
as classmates who can navigate the Internet.               -- Class Problems
for Computer Have Nots by David Nakamura, The Washington Post, March 11,
1998

    Boston will become the first large urban school district in the nation
to network every school and library when it celebrates Boston Net Day on
October 26, 1998.

    The achievement is a major milestone in a two-year-old public/private
partnership that has attracted more than $26 million in outside funding to
bring computer technology to Bostons 64,000 students and 4,800 teachers.

    Concerned by the growing disparities in access to new technology between
urban and suburban populations, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino in 1996
announced his plan to install one computer for every four students and wire
all schools, libraries and community centers to the Internet by 2001. Also
that year, President Clinton and Vice President Gore unveiled a challenge to
wire every school in the U.S. to the Internet by the turn of the century. In
October, Boston becomes the first major urban school district in America to
meet that challenge.

    According to researchers, 70% of Americas families with incomes over
$50,000 have computers in the home. But 90% of Boston students lacked access
to computers at home when the initiative began. Now, every student will have
a chance to use technology as a learning tool and prepare for productive
lives in a city where 60% of all jobs will require technology skills by the
year 2000.

    Over 100 business partners, including 3Com, Intel, HiQ and Microsoft,
have joined government and the community, including labor unions such as the
I.B.E.W., to make Bostons goal a reality.

    Corporate donors also helped to create the first free training facility
to help teachers incorporate technology into their curriculum, to supplement
traditional chalk and talk teaching with new interactive learning
applications. And the Boston Teachers Union encourages every teacher to
undertake a technology assessment and develop a plan for utilizing new
school technology.

    Business executives say they invested in Boston because of Mayor Meninos
and the appointed School Committees commitment to education and because of
confidence in Bostons Superintendent of Schools, Thomas Payzant. The
Superintendent points to the new technology as another vehicle to reach
higher standards of teaching and learning in the classroom as well as
greater accountability throughout the system.

    The networking of every school and library in Boston will connect
students and teachers to educational resources outside the classroom. It
will equip students with new tools to enrich learning. It will provide
teachers with new ways to motivate students. It will allow greater use of
e-mail to enhance communication among educators and parents. And it will
enable schools to benefit from the Citys new contract with Cablevision,
which commits the cable company to provide every school and library with
free high-speed Internet service for the next ten years.

    For more information, please contact Steve Gag, Mayors Office,
617-635-2338, steven.gag@ci.boston.ma.us  One City Hall Square, Room 608,
Boston, MA  02201

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<DIV><SPAN class=3D920531113-17091998><FONT color=3D#0000ff face=3DArial =
size=3D2>Not to=20
put too fine an edge to it, but concurrent with this installation there =
have now=20
been attempts for 3 years to create a TLT Roundtable in Boston, with =
interest=20
expressed by only one of the 54 colleges in the city; the Boston =
Computer=20
Society folded, and with that ended its outreach to communities and =
volunteer=20
services to schools; and there is an even more disastrous shortage of=20
technically competent support staff - either teacher, aide, student, or=20
volunteer - who know how to turn the things on, let alone fix or =
maintain them.=20
Don't believe every press release for what it implies. In this case it =
implies=20
the need for much more support and much more collaboration within the =
non-profit=20
and education sector.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D920531113-17091998><FONT color=3D#0000ff face=3DArial =

size=3D2></FONT></SPAN>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff solid 2px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: =
5px">
    <DIV class=3DOutlookMessageHeader><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman"=20
    size=3D2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> AECT Issues =
Discussion=20
    Group [mailto:AECT-L@WVNVM.WVNET.EDU]<B>On Behalf Of</B> Stan=20
    Diamond<BR><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, September 17, 1998 7:43 =
AM<BR><B>To:</B>=20
    AECT-L@WVNVM.WVNET.EDU<BR><B>Subject:</B> <BR><BR></FONT></DIV>
    <DIV>Hi All!!</DIV>
    <DIV>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I thought many of you would be interested in =
knowing=20
    about Boston Schools' wonderful accomplishment.</DIV>
    <DIV>Stan</DIV>
    <DIV>*****************************</DIV>
    <DIV><BR></DIV>
    <DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D-3><BR></FONT><FONT =
color=3D#000000=20
    size=3D-1><B><BR></B></FONT><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D+2><B>Joint =
Venture Will=20
    Make Boston First<BR>Big City in U.S. to Network Every=20
    School</B><BR></FONT><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D-1><BR>The gulf =
between=20
    students who have a home computer and those who dont is one of the =
most=20
    troubling inequities in the education systemIt isnt just that the =
have nots=20
    are forced to turn in work that is less polished. They also are =
falling=20
    behind in computer skills they will need in college and the job =
market, and=20
    they are unlikely to be exposed to as many facts and ideas as =
classmates who=20
    can navigate the Internet.<X-TAB>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</X-TAB><X-TAB>=20
    &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</X-TAB> &nbsp;&nbsp; -- =
Class=20
    Problems for Computer Have Nots by David Nakamura, <I>The Washington =

    Post</I>, March 11, 1998<BR><BR>Boston will become the first large =
urban=20
    school district in the nation to network every school and library =
when it=20
    celebrates Boston Net Day on October 26, 1998.<BR><BR>The =
achievement is a=20
    major milestone in a two-year-old public/private partnership that =
has=20
    attracted more than $26 million in outside funding to bring computer =

    technology to Bostons 64,000 students and 4,800 =
teachers.<BR><BR>Concerned=20
    by the growing disparities in access to new technology between urban =
and=20
    suburban populations, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino in 1996 =
announced his=20
    plan to install one computer for every four students and wire all =
schools,=20
    libraries and community centers to the Internet by 2001. Also that =
year,=20
    President Clinton and Vice President Gore unveiled a challenge to =
wire every=20
    school in the U.S. to the Internet by the turn of the century. In =
October,=20
    Boston becomes the first major urban school district in America to =
meet that=20
    challenge.<BR><BR>According to researchers, 70% of Americas families =
with=20
    incomes over $50,000 have computers in the home. But 90% of Boston =
students=20
    lacked access to computers at home when the initiative began. Now, =
every=20
    student will have a chance to use technology as a learning tool and =
prepare=20
    for productive lives in a city where 60% of all jobs will require =
technology=20
    skills by the year 2000.<BR><BR>Over 100 business partners, =
including 3Com,=20
    Intel, HiQ and Microsoft, have joined government and the community,=20
    including labor unions such as the I.B.E.W., to make Bostons goal a=20
    reality.<BR><BR>Corporate donors also helped to create the first =
free=20
    training facility to help teachers incorporate technology into their =

    curriculum, to supplement traditional chalk and talk teaching with =
new=20
    interactive learning applications. And the Boston Teachers Union =
encourages=20
    every teacher to undertake a technology assessment and develop a =
plan for=20
    utilizing new school technology.<BR><BR>Business executives say they =

    invested in Boston because of Mayor Meninos and the appointed School =

    Committees commitment to education and because of confidence in =
Bostons=20
    Superintendent of Schools, Thomas Payzant. The Superintendent points =
to the=20
    new technology as another vehicle to reach higher standards of =
teaching and=20
    learning in the classroom as well as greater accountability =
throughout the=20
    system.<BR><BR>The networking of every school and library in Boston =
will=20
    connect students and teachers to educational resources outside the=20
    classroom. It will equip students with new tools to enrich learning. =
It will=20
    provide teachers with new ways to motivate students. It will allow =
greater=20
    use of e-mail to enhance communication among educators and parents. =
And it=20
    will enable schools to benefit from the Citys new contract with =
Cablevision,=20
    which commits the cable company to provide every school and library =
with=20
    free high-speed Internet service for the next ten years.<BR><BR>For =
more=20
    information, please contact Steve Gag, Mayors Office, 617-635-2338,=20
    </FONT><A href=3D"mailto:steven.gag@ci.boston.ma.us"><FONT =
color=3D#000000=20
    size=3D-1><U>steven.gag@ci.boston.ma.us</U></FONT></A><FONT=20
    color=3D#000000>&nbsp; One City Hall Square, Room 608, Boston, =
MA&nbsp;=20
    02201</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>

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