This newsletter is designed to outline events and happenings in the Arizona State Public Information Network and throughout the State of Arizona. If you would like to submit an article to be published in ASPIN News please contact:

Jim Casey
jim.casey@asu.edu
(602) 965-8437

 
E-Rate Briefing: Hooking up to the information superhighway just got cheaper for as many as 1,000 public schools in Arizona thanks to a federally implemented discount rate. An informational session at Arizona State University on Thursday, August 14 will show educators how to apply.

The education rate, or E-rate, discounts equipment and connection services by as much as 90 percent for qualifying school districts and libraries. It will help make the resources and information services of the Internet available to students throughout the nation.

"Right now schools with fewer economic resources don't have access to Internet technology. They can't afford to plan it into their budgets." said Jim Casey, program coordinator for the Arizona State Public Information Network. "This discount will create new opportunities for them. It makes access affordable and enables them to incorporate these resources into the classroom."

Representatives from 80 schools around the state will attend the briefing, but it is also open to anyone who is interested in receiving more information about the E-rate.

School districts and libraries must apply for the E-rate, and the level of their discount will be based on need and location. The conference will prepare interested districts for the application process and help them identify the resources they will need to connect to the Internet.

"Unfortunately, the districts that can benefit most from the E-rate are the ones with fewer resources to devote to planning and applying," said Casey. "this briefing is a chance to get the word out about the upcoming application process and help Arizona's schools and libraries take advantage of this opportunity."

The E-rate was established as an amendment to the Telecommunications Act of 1996. It provides discounts ranging from 20-90 percent on telecommunication services, Internet access and internal connections. Funding for the discounts comes from the Universal Service Fund to which all interstate telecommunication service providers contribute.

The Universal Service Fund is capped at $2.25 billion per year. Applications for discounted rates are taken on a first-come, first-serve basis. Discount percentages for school districts and libraries are based on economic need and their location in an urban or rural area. More than 1,000 public schools in Arizona are eligible for the E-rate.

The conference is sponsored by the Arizona State Public Information Network (ASPIN), the Arizona Education Association, the Corporation Commission, Arizona Department of Education, and the Mohave Educational Services Consortium.

If you have any questions about the briefing, contact Jim Casey at (602) 965-8437 or jim.c@asu.edu
The briefing agenda is available at http://aspin.asu.edu/news/erate/confschedule.html

 
E-rate: On July 2, 1997, the Arizona Corporation Commission voted to adopt the federal discount matrix for distribution of universal service support funds. Arizona schools and libraries will now be eligible to apply for significant discounts on all telecommunication services. The actual distribution method in Arizona has not yet been determined, but schools and libraries can take several steps to position themselves to apply for discount funds as funds will be distributed on a first-come first-served basis. First, schools and libraries must develop a technology inventory and assessment that will provide information on their current capacity and future plans. Second, they should look at forming consortia with others in their area. The FCC believes groups will receive greater price breaks for telecommunication and information services than each could negotiate alone. ASPIN will disseminate additional information on this topic as it becomes available. For additional information regarding the E-Rate, check out our Universal Service Fund page.

Children of Migrant Workers Make the Education Connection

This summer, 60 students, sons and daughters of migrant farm workers, are participating in the Conexiones Project at Arizona State University. The students will learn about career and education opportunities through a variety of hands on activities designed to build self-esteem and expose them to a campus environment.

The project identifies children of migrant workers where tradition and family obligations often discourage them from seeking an education past high school. During the four-week program from July 21 - August 15, the students will visit different areas of a university campus, meet faculty and employees, some of whom are also children of farm workers, and learn about personal computers and other information technology.

In the fourth week of the program, the students will use the skills they have learned to produce a printed newspaper with a complementary on-line version. The students will use stories and interviews they have written and videotaped in the first part of the program to document their experiences. They will share these experiences with their classmates and others by distributing the newspapers to valley schools and returning in the fall to help train the next group of Conexiones students.

Organizers hope the experience will have a positive impact on the students and show them the doors that can open with education. Conexiones is an ongoing project that will continue with new groups of students in the fall and spring.

The Conexiones Project was initiated by the College of Education and is currently administered ASPIN. It is funded by the Arizona Department of Education and supported by ASU Information Technology, and the Department of Migrant Education.

ASPIN would like to extend a special thanks to sponsors of the Conexiones Project: ASU Chicano/Chicana Studies, ASU Hispanic Business Alumni, ASU Student Affairs, Intel, Pennysavers, Marriot, Albertsons, Cyclemoto, Valenzuela Association, Chicanos Por La Causa, Inc., and the Hispanic Association of Real Estate Professionals.

Eruditio Project Teacher Training to Begin: More than 400 Arizona teachers will pick up their laptops and receive their first lesson as the next stage of the US West/NEA Teacher Network Eruditio Project gets underway on August 5 - 7.

The teachers were selected by application to represent 1 percent of Arizona's teaching population. They will receive the portable computers and training as part of the Eruditio Project's efforts to bring the resources of the Internet into the classroom. The initial training session is the first of three on-site lessons. They will learn how to use the computers to access websites that will provide more training and lessons in the future.

ASPIN is actively involved with the project which establishes a statewide network of teachers and administrators with telecommunication skills to improve student achievement and integrate use of the Internet in the classroom as a learning tool for students.

New ASPIN partners: ASPIN welcomes two new non-profit organizations now housed on its server. Web sites for the Arizona Navigable Streams Adjudication Commission and the Scottsdale Foundation for the Handicapped will soon be up and running.

These sites and others are part of ASPIN's commitment to the community, providing the support and services necessary to develop a network of statewide resources. If your non-profit organization is interested in starting a web site, please contact Jim Casey for more information.

Bi-Weekly NIC Phone Conference - You can join the ASPIN NIC staff on their weekly phone conference every other Thursday at 10:00 a.m. Please email Jim Casey beforehand at jim.casey@asu.edu. The phone call helps to ensure mutual coordination and support. We hope that you find this service helpful.