Friday, May 6, 2011
Lawrence County Schools Receives RUS Grant For Distance Learning
From the Memphis Business Journal:
The Memphis Zoo will introduce a new educational program using nanotechnology to help improve math, science and technology skills.
The zoo is using a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that will link the zoo with 14 rural elementary, middle and high schools across Tennessee, according to a release.
The initiative, NanoZoo Connects!, will help demonstrate how scientists use nanotechnology to mimic particular traits of animals and plants to solve engineering and technological problems, according to a release issued by U.S. Sen. Steve Cohen’s office.
“If we are going to successfully compete in a rapidly changing 21st century global economy, our children must have the necessary tools to get ahead,” Cohen said. “The NanoZoo Connects! Program will help us accomplish such a goal.” Jackson State University in Mississippi will provide technical expertise for the project, said Memphis Zoo director of education Helen Beady.
Jay Ridgeway, Supervisor of Technology for Lawrence County Schools shares, “The RUS Grant is a Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant sponsored by the Department of Agriculture.
Lawrence County Schools will be receiving distance learning equipment for three high schools and three middle schools.
This consists of six mobile distance learning carts and a high definition bridge that will allow all twelve schools be linked together over video. Along with receiving free content from the Memphis Zoo, each school will be able to conduct professional development trainings for faculty and staff, engage in collaborative sessions with schools locally and worldwide, offer dual enrollment and specialty classes, along with being able to participate in the emerging educational experience known as the virtual field trip.”
Examples of popular virtual field trips can be found at the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration website, www.cilc.org. Students can connect with experts in any subject area such as physics, paleontology, marine biology, and have live two way interaction.
communicate over video and be able to ask questions to an expert across the country and even the world. This opens up a brand new window of learning that hasn’t been available until a few years ago.
Another key benefit of this technology is being able to offer all classes to every student within the district. For example, a high school on one side of the county may have a highly qualified math teacher who is only able to teach at that location.
That doesn’t help students who are zoned for a different high school and can’t take that class. With the implementation of this distance learning technology, the aforementioned math class can now be offered to students at both locations.
The teacher simply conducts class from his usual location and students at the other high school are brought in over video conferencing and can communicate with the teacher as if they were there sitting in his/her classroom.
Distance learning is the wave of the future in education. It offers more opportunities and most importantly better opportunities for the 21st century learner. Our first virtual field trip using distance learning is scheduled for May, 9th.
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