Educational Policy Recommendations   Overview In the images we hold of American education, none is as prominent as the self-contained classroom. The classroom is an island on which a teacher, a group of students, standardized textbooks and other limited resources determine the educational process. From time to time, the teachers and students make forays into the world outside to do research or take field trips to relevant sites. On the whole, though, the educational process is focused inward on the resources that exist within the classroom and the activities that occur there. The use of telecommunications technology in classrooms literally inverts the typical locus of educational activities. Classrooms face the world outside rather than the world inside. Instead of islands, classrooms have become links in communications highways transmitting data, video and voice to thousands of other sites. Teachers and students have easy access to vast databases and participate in joint activities that involve classes in other states and countries by traveling on these highways. The committee overwhelmingly agreed that education employees are central to the success of any telecommunications project and must be involved in every state - planning, design, curricular objectives, equipment selection, staffing, implementation, evaluation and future policy direction - if the project is to have any educational value. The committee found that distance learning networks, which can broaden the horizons of both teachers and students through course offerings and educational enhancement programs, have the capacity to reduce inequities and to be effective tools in school restructuring efforts. To further develop the ties between the school and the community that are basic to successful restructuring as well as to permit access to the growing world of electronic bulletin boards and on-line databases, the committee strongly recommended telephone service for every classroom. Noting the tendency of school systems to fund the acquisition of equipment and neglect the ongoing provision of training and maintenance, the committee emphasized the need for both technical assistance and compensated training at all levels coupled with sufficient preparation time for the development of effective learning strategies. Although the committee found no evidence to date that education employees have been replaced by telecommunications technology, it recommended that a policy of no direct or in direct reduction of positions, hours or compensation be a part of any telecommunications project. Agreeing that there is no one best model for the use of telecommunications technology, the committee recommended that schools choose the system that is most appropriate for them and that participation on the part of education employees be voluntary and based on skills as well as seniority. The committee recommended that states be encouraged to develop specific policies for licensing teachers involved in distance education and that standards and policies regarding facilitators in telecommunications projects be developed by the district and the local association. The committee concluded that telecommunications providers should have the opportunity to develop, produce and distribute products and services relevant to public education; and that NEA and its state affiliates have a responsibility to inform their members concerning current telecommunications regulations and the impact of proposed regulation changes on the accessibility and affordability of telecommunications technologies. Further the NEA and its affiliates should work with appropriate agencies and government bodies to secure low-cost access to telecommunications services for schools and classrooms. Policy Recommendation The Special Committee on Telecommunications recommends 1. That the NEA adopt the following policy positions: Education employees are essential to the success of any telecommunications project. Telecommunications technology is an effective tool to enhance the curriculum and support the restructuring of schools. No one best model exists for the use of telecommunications technology. Schools must choose the system that is most appropriate for them. Telecommunications technology has the capacity to reduce educational inequities within and among schools and school districts. Education employees, including representatives of the local association, must be involved in all aspects of telecommunications projects. Maintenance, technical support, training, evaluation and staffing, as well as equipment purchases must be fully funded. Participants in projects involving telecommunications technologies should be recruited on the basis of skills identified as necessary for success as well as seniority. Participation should be voluntary. Standards and policies regarding facilitators in telecommunications projects should be developed by the district and local association. Compensated training should e provided for teachers and facilitators in the use of telecommunications equipment, the development of effective materials, and appropriate instructional strategies. Prospective teachers should receive training in telecommunications technology and the instructional strategies to be employed in its use. Telecommunications technology can be an effective vehicle for professional and staff development. The local association has three fundamental roles with respect to telecommunications technologies; to support efforts to improve the quality of instruction in local schools, to enhance the working conditions of its members and to protect their rights No reduction of positions, hours, or compensation should occur as a direct or indirect result of any telecommunications system. Individuals who teach classes over interactive telecommunication networks should be given sufficient time to prepare for their classes. Additional preparation time should be granted to teachers using telecommunications technology to enrich their regular programs. Class size and load should be educationally sound and determined by agreement between the district and the local association. Education employees should receive compensated training provided by the district. If training occurs outside the school year, staff members should be compensated at their normal hourly rate for time spent in training. The discipline of students at remote sites should be the responsibility of the district at the remote site. Teleteachers should be held harmless from any and all actions, suits, claims, or other forms of liability that arise from their involvement in a telecommunications network. Employers of teleteachers should be obligated to provide a legal defense for them in the event that they are named in a negligence action. The evaluation of teleteachers should be conducted openly and meet the requirements of the local collective bargaining agreement or evaluation policy. Telecommunications technology should be used to enhance the roles and instructional opportunity of teachers. Telecommunications technology should be used to support the development of critical thinking an collaboration skills as well as to expand opportunities for students. Every classroom should be equipped with a telephone. Every classroom should have access to the resources necessary to make full use of telecommunications. Telecommunications providers should have the opportunity to develop, produce, and distribute products and services relevant to public education.   Action Recommendations The Special Committee on Telecommunications recommends That the NEA encourage the development of public and private funding to allow schools to purchase, maintain and upgrade telecommunications systems and connections. That states be encouraged to develop specific policies for licensing teachers involved in distance education. That NEA state affiliates monitor changes in state telecommunications regulations that will impact accessibility and affordability of advanced telecommunications technologies to public schools. That existing NEA publications be used to inform NEA members regarding the impact of proposed amendments to current telecommunications regulations. That the NEA support the efforts of the Consortium for School Networking to promote K-12 inclusion in the development of a nationwide fiber optic network backbone. That the NEA and its affiliates encourage state legislatures and state public utility commissions to grant school districts reduced rates for telephone service. That the NEA and its affiliates work with appropriate agencies and organizations to ensure that telecommunications providers and networks offer free or low-cost access to schools and classrooms. That the NEA and its affiliates begin to explore the ways in which schools and classrooms are prevented from receiving the benefits of telecommunications technologies and develop appropriate strategies for dealing with these problems. Next   from "A Technical Guide to Teleconferencing and Distance Learning," 3rd edition