DISTANCE LEARNING AND TECHNOLOGY-BASED EDUCATION

Telecommunications have opened up educational choices that would not otherwise be available to rural Americans, Native and non-Native. It is important to remember that technology-based educational delivery systems are still evolving as technologies and telecommunications infrastructure change. The federal "E-Rate "program has brought Internet access to school districts across the nation, including rural Alaska and American Indian reservations in the Lower 48. Across the nation, at least 96 percent of American Indian and Alaska Native students in rural schools have Internet access (Riley, Nassersharif, & Mullen, 1999, and Snyder & Hoffman, 2001).

All school districts in Alaska are connected to the Internet through the E-Rate program. Alaska schools are in the third year of the program, which gives U.S. elementary and secondary schools a discount on telecommunications carrier services, including Internet access. ¹⁸ E-Rate grants come from the federal Universal Service Fund, used to offset operating expenses of telephone service providers in high-cost areas, such as Alaska. Through the E-Rate, schools receive a reduction for telecommunications services based on the number of students eligible for the National Free Lunch Program. Despite the availability of Internet service, the quality of the connection remains a question as well as the quality and availability of computers in the schools (McDowell Group, Inc. , 2001).

While students and teachers can access a dizzying variety of data, "access to data does not automatically expand students ' knowledge;the availability of information does not intrinsically create an internal framework of ideas "(Dede 1996, in Kerka, 1996) . Skilled facilitation by teachers who know how to use these technologies to educate is crucial.

Technology-Based Education

Using CDs or the Internet as learning tools can enable students to be more active and effective learners than they would be in a standard learning environment. Educational studies show that students retain 20 percent of the data they are exposed to in a "see-hear "learning environment. The retention rate jumps significantly in situations where they are engaged in "see-hear-do "activities, such as using technology (Hewitt, 1998). Technology-based education can engage the learner through multimedia (text, sound, video, images, and music), requiring the learner to make choices about navigating within this environment. Because data feedback and access time are nearly immediate, "the learner can constantly make critical branching decisions, choosing new paths to follow. "The teacher functions as a collaborator/facilitator, rather than the source of all information (Hewitt, 1998).

It is possible for school districts to develop localized software that is more appropriate for the language community than commercial software designed for the general population. The Yukon-Koyukuk School District has developed English language software for Athabascan students (Kleinfeld & McCurry, 1986). Through the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative and Alaska Rural Challenge, a team of Southeast Alaska education experts and elders are developing "I am Salmon "curricula and educational resources. These resources include Tlingit Cultural Atlases, Electronic Tlingit Language drills, Electronic Salmon part drills, Tlingit Plants, and Salmon Units.

The Web site, http://www.alaskool.org, offers educational resources to Alaska teachers and students. The site features Alaska Native education and history resources, K-12 curriculum, Alaska Native literature, and Alaska Native languages, including an Inupiaq phrasebook and dictionary. The site is developing other units, such as Alaska Native place-name maps.

Federal Technology Innovation Challenge grants provide funding for technological innovation in schools serving American Indians and Alaska Natives. To improve the way teachers teach and students learn through technology, the Chugach School District was awarded a five-year $8.4 million grant in 1998 for its Alaska Reform in the Classroom through Technology Integration and Collaboration (ARCTIC) program. The project also involves developing and implementing a self-sustaining statewide technology consortium.
(See the Web site: http://www.ed.gov/Technology/challenge/98ab.html) .

Distance Learning

Distance learning is generally considered a subset of technology-based education, where the teacher and the student are in separate locations. It can take on different forms including coursework delivered over the Internet, by audiographic means (computer graphics and telephone communications) , and satellite television.

Research shows that the effectiveness of distance education programs often hinges on the level of comfort the instructor has with the technology. Student interaction can also increase the success of the course. (See Garrels, 1997, in Mielke, 1999).

A number of distance learning programs are offered by the University of Alaska, through the Alyeska Central School of the state education department, and the Interior Distance Education of Alaska (IDEA) Correspondence program in Galena. ¹⁹ In addition, the U. S. Department of Education ' s Office of Educational Research and Improvement has developed the Star Schools Program to deliver distance education. A number of Alaska school districts subscribe to Star Schools, especially in rural areas. (See the Web site: http://www.dlrn.org/star/program.html ).

¹⁸ Beginning in 1997, the Alaska Science and Technology Foundation provided funding for wiring and hardware for school Internet connections. The statewide investment was approximately $5 million.

¹⁹ IDEA is a home schooling/correspondence program of the Galena City School District, serving the needs of students throughout Alaska (http://www.galenaalaska.org/idea/idea.htm) . It provides resources and support to parents who educate their children in the home. The program has home school consultants in most regions of Alaska.

Return to the Alaska Native and American Indian Education: A Review of the Literature

Return to the McDowell Final Report

Return to Alaska Native Knowledge Network