1. Connectivity:
A physical connections to the Internet is established using the local cable television provider's (Cox Communications) fiber infrastructure. Installation and connectivity costs are covered by the grant for a twelve month period. There is no obligation on the part of the schools/district to assume costs following the period of the project. During the course of the Project, the district, in conjunction with ASU, will conduct an assessment of the viability of this type of connectivity as a low-cost, high-bandwidth network infrastructure that will allow these schools to make use of multimedia and other bandwidth-intensive applications in support of science curriculum. We will report to the National Science Foundation our assessment of the utility of this method of connectivity, in terms of cost effectiveness, performance, and impact on the instructional/educational environment.

2. Network Information Center (NIC):

Based on the understanding that a fast Internet connection is not sufficient to guarantee effective and appropriate integration of technology within the educational setting, Network Information Center support services will be provided, assisting with the connectivity of the data circuit to the school equipment. As sites implementing highspeed connectivity must gain local technical and user-support knowledge to be a successful and sustainable model, this project component will establish a comprehensive technical support structure for participating K-12 schools. The NIC will assist local support personnel; becoming a ready reference desk for technical issues, user training, and functional coordination.

3. Curriculum Integration:

A primary component of the project is to establish, evaluate, and refine specific applications that support the needs of students and teachers in terms of math and science curriculum goals. Educators and students will have the opportunity to form working partnerships with university researchers, allowing direct access to resources via the highspeed network, that would not be possible using existing network connectivity. Educators will have access to resources such as scanning electron microscopes, allowing educators and students to examine remote-control of these sophisticated instruments.

4. Evaluation and Assessment:

Besides providing connectivity and access to curriculum supporting resources, the project will examine and report on issues related to the deployment and use of new technologies within the participating schools. The project will yield information that can be used not only to make decisions about connectivity for other schools, but to guide the successful integration of technology with education. The ASU research group has extensive experience in conducting K-12 technology and internet-based projects. The Project is designed with the needs of k-12 educators and their students as the primary concern. District educators participate as partners with the University researchers. The classroom teacher remains the ultimate decision-maker in terms of curriculum application. Appropriate use guidelines governing internet connectivity and research activities are supplemented with safeguards in accordance with the District requirements.