An e-learning initiative from the NetSchools Corp. has been launched by four rural counties in West Virginia.
Calhoun, McDowell, Hardy and Nicholas county public schools will partner with the governor's office and the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to incorporate the Internet and other technology into everyday learning activities for students and teachers.
Students will receive a NetSchools laptop computer that features a wireless Internet connection at school and a modem connection for home use. Teachers will also receive a laptop, ongoing support, and other instruction and technology training.
In addition, the technology firm will give teachers full access to the NetSchools.com Orion database of educational Web sites and other K-12 services, such as remote curriculum management and help with SAT preparation.
David Ice, West Virginia’s secretary of education and the arts, said the NetSchools initiative will allow every student in participating schools to access reference materials available on the Internet, not just students whose families can afford a computer or those who leave near a public library.
Judging by the NetSchools demonstration conducted at Hundred High School in Hundred, W.V., Ice’s point may be valid. The rural school was wired to the Internet in 1998 and students showed some impressive results after only one semester, according to the company:
89 percent used e-mail daily, compared to 19 percent before;
87 percent used computers daily, compared to 24 percent before the service;
80 percent used the Internet every day, compared to 26 percent before;
78 percent used a computer at home, compared to 48 percent before;
and 70 percent logged on to the Internet from home, compared to 37 percent before the trial.
The full text of this press release is currently found at:
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/001204/
ga_netscho.html
