Education First
In the beginning...
The Education First Initiative was designed to provide educational institutions with ISDN technology and enable access to online resources and videoconferencing. The original offer ended December 31, 1997; but our commitment to education remains the same. In 1994, under the auspices of the former Pacific Bell, we launched the "Education First Initiative," a $100 million project aimed at providing technology resources to the 9,000 California schools and libraries in the company's service territory.
The goal of Education First was to help schools establish the telecommunications infrastructure -- ISDN lines, hardware and software -- needed to access the Internet, participate in videoconferencing, and develop skills to effectively exploit the value of interactive data and video applications. By June of 1998, 9,581 ISDN lines were installed as a result of the Education First Initiative. Approximately 95% of these lines remained in service after the free offer ended.
It wasn't just about access lines.
It was about changing the way that teachers and librarians did their job. It was about exposing students to a whole new world of resources and activities. It was about increasing opportunities to communicate and interact with others. From 1995 through 1997, twelve demonstration sites were funded to serve as models of technology integration. The Education First demonstration sites were:
- Bloomington Junior High in San Bernardino County
- Bryant Elementary in San Francisco
- Century High in Santa Ana
- Juarez-Lincoln Elementary in Chula Vista
- Los Angeles Harbor Community College in Wilmington
- Manual Arts in Los Angeles
- Martin Luther King Middle School in Seaside, Monterey County
- McLane High School in Fresno
- Mendocino School District
- Pasadena Central Library
- Sacramento Public Library
- West Valley Community College in Saratoga, Santa Clara County
Realizing that access to technology is not enough, three fellowships were funded in 1995 at San Diego State University in the Department of Educational Technology. Together, these two teachers and one librarian began creating the online lessons and resources that are now found in the Wired Learning section of the Knowledge Network Explorer.
But wait, there's more!
Access to technology and the existence of compelling lessons are no assurance of success. In 1996, we hired four Education Advocates to conduct workshops and presentations in California. In 2003, the Advocate program spread to the Texas, Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. An additional eight Advocates serve these states. These former teachers and librarians understand the realities of classroom teaching and technology integration.
The Education First ISDN offer ended December 31, 1997
But our intentions are still the same. Although the original offer has expired, our intent is still to help make interactive, two-way learning come to life. We do this by continuing to provide a website with lessons, activities and webquests. We support the use of technologies such as Videoconferencing. We provide free value-add workshops and presentations for our education customers. We participate in the various discount programs now available for school and libraries and post information about how to use them.
Everything we do is designed for teachers, librarians, principals, and others interested in helping schools and libraries make the most effective use of technology. Our web pages are written for a non-technical audience, with the intent of providing basic information about the benefits and uses of technology. The scenarios, examples, and ideas presented represent some of the easiest and most affordable ways to get started.
Please share the Knowledge Network Explorer [URL = http://www.kn.att.com] with others, particularly with the technical coordinators for your site or district. You may contact us for more information or to send comments and suggestions.
