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(my last post today, I promise!)
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ACADEMY ONE:
A National Online Educational Community


OBJECTIVE:

To establish a national online educational resource for primary 
through secondary students, parents, educators, and administrators 
which operates at low or no cost to the users or the participating 
schools.


BACKGROUND:

The National Public Telecomputing Network is a non-profit 
organization which develops free, public-access, community 
computer systems in cities throughout the country. Similar to 
National Public Radio or PBS on television, NPTN helps to 
establish these systems, links them together into a common 
network, provides them with high-quality network-wide information 
features, and develops online programs which target special 
populations. An example of one of these latter services is NPTN's 
Academy One program which allows K-12 schools from throughout the 
world to access the resources of its community computer systems 
and participate in a variety of online events.

While remaining committed to developing general purpose community 
computer systems, NPTN supports any effort to introduce 
information age technology to K-12 students, teachers, 
administrators, and parents. As a result, we have developed a new 
category of affiliate membership to our organization-- the 
Educational Affiliate--and have designed a program to weave these 
systems together into, in effect, a "Public Broadcasting System" 
for educational telecomputing. For additional information on how 
to become an educational affiliate, contact those persons listed 
at the bottom of this document. 


IMPLEMENTATION:

The Cleveland Free-Net was the initial host for Academy One and 
still serves as a flagship system. However, several state-wide 
educational networks are now hosting Academy One, in addition to 
community computer systems in many other cities around the world. 

The Cleveland Free-Net is a multi-user community computer system 
serving northeast Ohio. Its 88 modem lines, campus network, and 
Internet connections, provide over 300 computerized information 
and communications services to over 12,000 users a day. Academy 
One participants have access to the full range of Free-Net 
communications features including: private electronic mail, chat, 
the Teleport (real-time connections to other computerized 
information resources around the country), as well as a wide range 
of information resources in areas such as health, government, law, 
education, and the sciences.

A special area was established on the Cleveland Free-Net which 
served as a central meeting place for Academy One participants. 
Included in this area are: a) special sections for students, 
educators, and administrators; b) an Academy One electronic 
library; c) a place where telecomputing project ideas can 
disseminate; d) an area where individual schools can operate their 
own special interest groups; e) an open bulletin board, and more. 

In addition, a series of network-wide online educational events 
are held each semester which focus on a variety of K-12 skills. 
(See list of Academy One Offerings.)

Schools may register to be Academy One participants by sending a 
letter of intent to NPTN (see "How to Join Academy One" below). 
Registration on the Cleveland Free-Net can be accomplished online 
by selecting "visitor" at the initial log-in menu. However, you 
may participate from any NPTN affiliate carrying Academy One. The 
Cleveland Free-Net is provided as an example for those with telnet 
capabilities.

The school must: a) provide their own personal computers and 
modems; and b) make arrangements for an Internet connection 
(again, as described below). Users may then dial into the Free- 
Net via the Internet and use the system at will. (Users may also 
dial into the system via direct long distance phone call, but due 
to the costs involved this may be prohibitive for most schools.) 


COST:

Other than for personal computer equipment--none. 

There is no charge for registration or for use of the Cleveland 
Free-Net. The service is free to the user in the same sense that a 
public library, for example, is free to its patrons. As mentioned 
above users will, however, have to provide their own computer 
equipment, modems, and local telephone costs. 

The Internet is an international academic and research network 
whose costs are borne by the participating colleges and 
universities. In most cases, these are fixed yearly charges which 
will not increase as a function of allowing you to participate in 
this project.


WHY JOIN ACADEMY ONE?

Academy One will provide students, educators, and administrators 
with:

   * Access to the information and communications resources of the 
Cleveland Free-Net, NPTN, and other agencies; 

   * A common meeting ground for schools all over the country (and 
the world) to exchange ideas and information; 

   * A platform upon which a whole host of inter- and intra-school 
projects can be conducted;

   * A platform upon which telecommunication and information age 
grantsmanship can be performed by the individual schools; 

   * A means of (finally) being able to teach telecomputing and 
other information age skills in a cost-effective environment.


HOW TO JOIN ACADEMY ONE:

To be a part of Academy One:

   1) Find out if your local college or university; 

      a) is connected to the Internet (call their computing  
         center);

      b) if so, find out if they have "telnet" capability (the   
         ability to access other college computers in real-time 
         via the Internet); and,

      c) if so, would they provide you with an account you and 
         your students can use to connect to the Cleveland Free- 
         Net for purposes of this project. You might want to point 
         out that you will ONLY be using the account for 
         communications and will NOT be using their computer for  
         any other purpose.

         - They will have to issue you an account, password, and 
           any other login instructions, as well as tell you how 
           to invoke the telnet function.

   If they would first like more information about the project, 
they can telnet into the Free-Net at: freenet-in-a.cwru.edu or 
they can call: Dr. Tom Grundner at CWRU at (216) 368-2733. 

   2) Write a letter on your school or district's letterhead (or 
      e.mail) indicating:

      a) that your school wishes to participate in the Academy One 
         Project;

      b) the name, address, and phone number of the person who 
         will be your school's Academy One coordinator; 

      c) approximately how many students, at what grade level(s), 
         you expect will be participating; and

      d) via which college, university, or other point, will you 
         be connecting to the Internet.

   Send the letter to: Linda Delzeit at one of the addresses shown 
below.

   You can then come online to utilize the various resources, plan 
and execute telecomputing related projects with other schools; and 
whatever else you can think-up.


HOW TO SUPPORT ACADEMY ONE:

   Academy One depends upon corporate and individual donations in 
order to continue and expand the work that is being done.  To 
facilitate this we have created the ACADEMY ONE PARTNERSHIP 
PROGRAM to help with raising monies to support the program.  

   The program works like this:

   1. When a school registers to be a part of Academy One, they 
will be asked for the names of several local corporations or 
foundations which they think might be interested in sponsoring 
their school.

   2. Those corporations and/or foundations will be asked to 
donate $500 to NPTN to become a partner with that school in that 
year's Academy One activities.

   3. If the donation is granted the following will occur:

     a) The school will receive unlimited access to any and all 
        community computer systems which are participating in 
        Academy One.
                                        
     b) The school will receive an Academy One teacher's guide and 
        30 copies of student user manuals for the community 
        computer system they are on.  They will also receive a 
        copy of an "original set" which can be xeroxed off for 
        further distribution within the school.
    
     c) The sponsoring agency will receive a letter acknowledging 
        their support of an Academy One school, and a copy of a 
        letter to the superintendent of schools for that district 
        announcing their support.
    
     d) The sponsoring agency will have their name listed along 
        side that of the school, as a partner with that school, in 
        all online lists and printed materials.
                                                                                    
   Please note that ALL monies contributed to Academy One will go 
toward Academy One purposes.  NPTN will take out no overhead on 
these monies.
    
   Corporations, or even individuals, wishing to sponsor Academy 
One may do so with a contribution aside from the Partnership 
program.  All monies are tax deductible under the 501 (c) 3 status 
of NPTN.

   Please keep in mind--NO SCHOOL WILL BE DENIED ACCESS TO ACADEMY 
ONE IF THEY DO NOT HAVE A SPONSOR.  Academy One is open to all and 
free to all.  If you can help us to keep it that way, however, 
we'd very much appreciate it.


AN UN-HIDDEN AGENDA (or a word from our sponsor): 

   The central purpose of NPTN is to promote the development of 
free, open-access, community computer systems in cities and towns 
throughout the country. One of the major reasons for doing this 
project (other than it is long overdue) is to showcase the power, 
versatility, and utility of community computers. 

   The Cleveland Free-Net is doing nothing that YOU couldn't do in 
your own home town by setting up a community computer system of 
your own. Information on how to do that can be obtained from NPTN 
at the address shown below.


FOR MORE INFORMATION:

The project director and sysop for Academy One will be: 

   Linda Delzeit
   NPTN, Director of Education
   6330 Lincoln Ave., Suite 117
   Cypress, California 90630

   Voice: 714-821-4472
   Internet: aa002@nptn.org


The overall project coordinator will be: 

   T.M. Grundner, Ed.D
   Director, Community Telecomputing Laboratory 
   CWRU, 303 Wickenden Building
   Cleveland, Ohio 44106

   Voice: (216) 368-2733
   FAX: (216) 368-5436

   Internet: aa001@cleveland.freenet.edu,
      or tmg@nptn.org


For more information on NPTN and community computing contact: 

   National Public Telecomputing Network
   Box 1987
   Cleveland, Ohio 44106

   Voice: (216) 368-2733
   FAX: (216) 368-5436

   Internet: aa622@cleveland.freenet.edu

-- 
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Tim Arnold                      Instructional Computing
Internet: arnold@stat.ncsu.edu  North Carolina State Univ.
BITNET  : ARNOLD@NCSUSTAT       Dept. of Statistics, Raleigh NC 27695