MobileLearningLabsOverview

Mobile Computer Learning Labs and vSKOOL.org: A Common Sense Response to the 2005 Hurricanes How did this initiative come about? Just days after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast, a number of concerned individuals, organizations and corporations began to work together to identify common sense ways to provide assistance to K-12 students and educators affected by the devastating storm. Members of this coalition quickly recognized the unique advantages education technology had to bring to communities and schools damaged by the hurricane – some beyond repair – including access to information and valuable educational resources. When Hurricane Rita hit shortly thereafter, the coalition’s efforts expanded to include the educational needs of those affected by that storm as well. One of the efforts spearheaded by the coalition (working closely with the affected state departments of education) was the donation of mobile computing learning labs to districts most severely impacted by the hurricanes. These labs – configured with the input and advice of educators in the affected areas – are secure, portable, and flexible. They are designed to be wheeled from classroom to classroom where they can provide access to a wide range of instructional opportunities for students of all ages and their teachers. In conjunction with the mobile learning lab donation was the establishment of an online clearinghouse of donated educational products and services from over 100 companies and organizations at www.vskool.org. The vSKOOL website lists dozens of offers of free (or, in some cases, reduced-price) support to all students and educators affected by the hurricanes. Categories of offers include donations of online courses, tutoring and test preparation services, software and digital content resources, professional development, and other valuable products and services. The resources listed in the online clearinghouse are especially suited to being accessed via the mobile computer learning labs. Also available at the vSKOOL website are links to free online resources to help educators and parents talk with their students about the hurricanes, as well as to a wide variety of articles and research reports to help school leaders and policymakers better understand the current status of K-12 online learning. Finally, in an effort to share news to help members of the coalition and others to respond to the devastation wrought by the hurricanes, a blog was launched to share news and insights into ongoing relief efforts as they pertain to K-12 education. What does a mobile computer learning lab include? Each mobile computer learning lab consists of all of the necessary hardware, software, internet connectivity, and technical support to enable a robust, shared computing environment (i.e., about a 2:1 student-to-computer ratio or better) for a class of typical size. Each of the donated labs include: 1 Version: 5/8/2006          16 Dell Latitude laptops 1 Datamation mobile laptop cart 1 wireless access point 1 Dell laser printer 1 wireless print server 3 years Dell technical support Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003 Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements software (including 2 sets of the associated series of hands-on software training workbooks) Additional software and online learning resources donated via vSKOOL In partnership with Cable in the Classroom, the cable industry’s education foundation, efforts are being made to provide donated broadband internet access via the local cable providers in each of the impacted districts slated to receive a mobile lab (including Cable One, Comcast, Cox Communications, Mediacom, and Time Warner Cable). The free access that is provided can either provide dedicated bandwidth to support the mobile lab or it can provide additional broadband access where there is a statewide network or infrastructure in place. How were eligible districts identified? In consultation with the affected state departments of education, two critical eligibility criteria for the mobile learning labs were determined. First, a school or district must have been severely impacted by Hurricanes Katrina or Rita: either because they were severely damage by one of the storms or because they are serving a large number of displaced students from the hurricaneravaged districts. Second, a school or district must be “ready” to receive the learning lab and put it to immediate and effective use. In most cases, this means that an instructional technology coordinator within the school or district stands ready with a plan to put the lab into use, as well as the know-how to effectively integrate internet access, educational software, and online learning resources into instruction. The coalition worked directly with the states to identify eligible districts and schools. The first fifteen donated labs were deployed in December 2005/January 2006 in five of the most severely impacted districts in each of three states: Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. These districts include: Louisiana Jefferson Parish Plaquemines Parish St Bernard Parish St. Tammany Parish Vermilion Parish Mississippi Biloxi School District Moss Point School District Pascagoula School District Bay-Waveland School District Pass Christian School District Texas Buna ISD Deweyville ISD Nederland ISD Sabine Pass ISD Spurger ISD More learning labs are being made available at special “hurricane” pricing. In an effort to expand on the initial generous donation of 15 learning labs, the participating companies have agreed to offer special hurricane pricing for any other schools or districts, identified by the states, 2 Version: 5/8/2006 as meeting the necessary eligibility criteria. These labs can be purchased by the school district or by a donor organization on behalf of the school district. See the "computer hardware" category on the vSKOOL Offers page for more details at www.vskool.org/organizations.html. Through a generous grant of the Cable Hope Fund, a cable industry non-profit whose aim is to contribute to the long-term rebuilding and recovery of the Gulf Coast region, and Cox Communications an additional 4 learning labs have been secured for: Lamar County School District, MS; St. Charles Parish, LA; Terrebonne Parish, LA; and, Vermilion Parish, LA. These learning labs are being deployed in April/May 2006, and bring the total number of labs donated through this effort to 19. THANK YOU These mobile computing learning labs are possible because of the extremely generous donations and pricing being offered by the following companies: Dell Computer, Intel, Microsoft, Adobe and Datamation Systems. Additional donations of educational products and services listed on the vSKOOL website have been made by over 100 companies and organizations with the coordination and support of:         Cable in the Classroom (CIC) North American Council for Online Learning (NACOL) Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) Education Industry Association (EIA) International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Elliott Masie’s Learning Consortium Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) See www.vskool.org for additional details. For More Information Contact: Mary Ann Wolf Executive Director State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) P.O. Box 10 Glen Burnie, MD 21060 - 0010 Phone: (410) 647-6965 Fax: (309) 210-7073 www.setda.org mwolf@setda.org Douglas Levin Director, Education Policy Cable in the Classroom (CIC) 1724 Massachusetts Ave, NW Washington, DC 20036 Phone: (202) 775-1072 Fax: (202) 775-1047 www.ciconline.org dlevin@ciconline.org 3 Version: 5/8/2006