A panel of experts convened before the FCC yesterday to talk national broadband strategy and online safety.  The clear consensus: While there are roles for government and industry, the best solutions are rooted in consumer education.

Adam Thierer, Director, Center for Digital Media Freedom and Senior Fellow at the Progress and Freedom Foundation, offered promising news.  In his research, he has found no correlation between online safety concerns and broadband adoption.  Thierer cited household media rules, parental controls and outstanding benefits of broadband as reasons for this positive outcome.

Facebook’s Director of Public Policy, Timothy Sparapani, urged the FCC to maintain perspective, since many stories of online safety violations are sensationalized.  “Every day people share 1 billion pieces of themselves without incident on Facebook.”   Therefore, Sparapani believes resources should focus on the most vulnerable populations.

For purposes of the broadband plan, panelists urged a focus on media literacy that reflects changing expectations of privacy among different generations.  Schools, educators and parents must help guide this mission by helping people find the best that the Internet has to offer.  Industry should continue to provide technical and other solutions in today’s rapidly changing environment.  Finally, the government must continue public awareness campaigns like OnGuard Online.   Through this concerted and collaborative effort, we can have a safe and thriving Internet.

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Is the world of online learning on par with classroom instruction? “Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning,” a report prepared by SRI International for the Department of Education, reveals just how effective broadband-powered education is proving to be.

Evaluating 99 studies that quantitatively compare online and classroom performance, SRI International found that, on average, students who did some or all of a course online ranked higher than those who did their schoolwork exclusively in the classroom. In particular though, blended instruction – combining online and face-to-face elements proved to be a stronger education method than pure classroom learning.

The effectiveness of online learning is in no small part due to the ever-evolving dynamism of broadband. After all, distance learning has come a long way from staid correspondence courses. With the arrival of online video and individualized online curriculums, online teaching has the potential to be more tailored and effective. And given young students’ interest in the Internet and attraction to multi-media, websites like Brightstorm and TeacherTube are not only appealing, they even manage to make learning cool.

Given the rapid rise of technology-based distance learning across the nation, it’s excellent news that online education can go the distance, enhancing knowledge no matter where you live via a simple broadband connection.

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Broadband’s ability to improve education is the topic of the day at tomorrow’s FCC broadband workshop. Broadband has seemingly unlimited potential to advance how we learn. Think of smaller school districts that struggle to provide a full slate of Advanced Placements courses. Broadband can bridge that divide. Remember the days of covering your textbooks with old grocery bags? What if instead we had educational materials that could be continuously updated and are accessible digitally (not to mention the cost savings and environmental benefits). And, the ability to get a degree online—affordably and on your own time—can change lives, particularly for the many Americans who are making career transitions amid today’s challenging economy.

NGW is committed to bringing you a steady stream of insights and inspirational stories on the future of education in a broadband world. We’ve talked with Susan Patrick of iNACOL, the national association serving the growing numbers of K-12 students learning online, and Ron Packard, CEO of K12, Inc., a leading online curriculum provider, and others who want to harness the full potential of broadband to both enhance education and help more Americans reap the benefits of life-long learning.

From using the appeal of online gaming to help students master their lessons to addressing over-crowding through the rising trend of virtual public schools, broadband can play a game-changing role in advancing U.S. education. We commend the FCC for shining a spotlight on this important issue, and we look forward to the conversations at this workshop. Of course, if you have a question, don’t raise your hand and wait to be called on — participate in the FCC webinar here.

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The future of the classroom as we know it was the topic of discussion today at an ITIF event held to release a new study “How Information Technology Can Enable 21st Century Schools.” The study details how technology can remake the American classroom, raising performance while potentially cutting costs.

Just as technology has transformed American industry and increased productivity, with broadband networks and all of the information and resources they deliver to us, we have the capability to transform education. Connected education can be individualized to meet a student’s learning style, maximize areas of expertise and strengthen areas where a student may be struggling. The information, resources and interactive tools available for students to access online provide the core information, so teachers can focus their time on fostering creativity and critical thinking skills.

Curtis Johnson with Education Evolving spoke about the power of technology at the event and told the audience that, by 2017, the majority of high school students will learn online. We all remember struggling through a subject, trying to keep up as the class moved onto the next level. Imagine a classroom where you could have had more time to really understand that algebra lesson while your classmates move on to geometry. Meanwhile, you may be acing your chemistry exam, while another classmate takes some extra needed time to master biology.

NGW is committed to exploring how technology and online learning can open doors to new educational opportunities through distance learning, access to diverse subject matters, innovative teach tools and more. Today’s discussion showed how we can use technology to help customize learning to maximize the potential of every student. Remember learning about Ford and the Model T? The story of the early days of connected education just might be a lesson future generations of students learn about in history class.

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The Consortium of School Networking (CoSN) hosted a conversation today in Washington, DC on technology in K-12 during the economic crisis. One idea shared during the open discussion was that the current economic climate underscores the value of technology.

We know broadband provides an economic boost to communities and opens doors to new educational opportunities, but today’s discussion offered new thoughts and ideas on how educators are using technology to cut costs. One educator said his school is having people work from home during the summer break, so they can save money on energy costs. Another administrator mentioned how his school is working to reduce textbook costs by using resources available on the web. He also noted the important role a robust network plays in making these options possible. Another panel participant addressed the amount of time and resources used to develop emergency preparedness and contingency plans. She stressed how virtual learning options can overcome many of these challenges during emergencies, citing schools that were forced to close because of the swine flu this spring.

Economic challenges often drive innovation, and these educators are looking to broadband-enabled technologies to save costs and still meet student needs.

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NextGenWeb was blogging, tweeting and conducting interviews today at the Internet Innovation Alliance’s Symposium “Developing a National Broadband Strategy: Deployment, Adoption and the Stimulus.”

The importance of universal broadband access was stated many different ways throughout the event. However, the variety of voices there promoting broadband deployment speaks volumes. The audience heard from a governor, an NBA All-Star and an online education company CEO…to name just a few.

West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin delivered the keynote speech, addressing how far his state has come in expanding access and the importance of public-private partnerships.

Chris Bosh, NBA All-Star, blogger and Toronto Raptor, made an appearance to talk about the promise of technology, and how he is utilizing broadband.

The morning panel featured diverse voices. Ron Packard, CEO and founder of K12, Inc. spoke about the growth of online education and how the Internet is giving students across the country access to a quality education. NextGenWeb caught up with him after for an { interview}.

We’ve posted already on John Horrigan’s new study for the Pew Internet and American Life Project. It shows that broadband is soaring in popularity across demographics. Here’s our conversation with John on his latest findings.

Lots of diverse people. One consistent theme: Broadband is the future—and the time is now for our nation to push to see that its opportunities reach everyone.

John Horrigan, Pew Internet and American Life

Ron Packard, CEO and founder of K12

West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin
Chris Bosh

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Libraries are playing a vital role across America in getting people connected who have previously been unable to experience broadband’s life-enhancing benefits. Nowhere is that more apparent than in Arkansas, where this past Thursday and Friday, the Arkansas Opportunity Online Summit was hosted by the Arkansas State Library. The summit was funded through a pilot initiative from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and sponsored by Connected Nation and the American Library Association. It brought together library leaders, community partners and statewide stakeholders to examine the current state of connectivity in Arkansas libraries and ways to continue the progress.

Highlights included addresses from Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe and Arkansas Speaker of the House Robbie Wills and a video message from U.S. Senator Mark Pryor. Governor Beebe, Speaker Wills and Senator Pryor understand the importance of broadband expansion throughout Arkansas to ensure the state maintains its competitiveness, provides access to 21st century health care and education, and becomes a leader in the green revolution.

As Speaker Wills put it, “the health-care system, the education system in this state, and certainly creating jobs in this tough economy depend on broadband access all across the state of Arkansas.”

Governor Beebe added that “if we can accomplish broadband accessibility in all of our libraries across the state, then…think about the educational advancement that can be achieved in our rural school districts with the ability of the local library able to provide this important resource. Imagine the quality of life issues that come into play. Imagine the economic development opportunities if this technology is available. Imagine the ripple and ramifications that this one single thing can provide to a community that doesn’t currently have it.”

And in a video message delivered to the audience, Sen. Pryor said, “Broadband technology has enhanced economic development and public safety for communities across the nation, improved healthcare and educational opportunities and created a better quality of life for Americans. I want to expand these opportunities throughout Arkansas.”

As our nation crafts an ambitious strategy to connect all Americans to broadband, libraries are emerging as a key community-based component of these efforts. Whether you have a computer at home or not, connected libraries help ensure that all of us have at least one place in our community where we can access all that broadband has to offer.

United States Senator Mark Pryor

Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe

Arkansas Speaker of the House Robbie Wills

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Linda Sharp, Project Director for CoSN’s Cyber Security and IT Crisis Preparedness Initiative

CoSN was pleased to have the opportunity to hold an emergency preparedness webinar with NextGenWeb. The informative discussion addressed broadband as a key player in helping schools prepare for emergencies and communicate and share vital information when crisis hits a campus. During the webinar, we heard from experts in this area:

• Tom Soroka, USTelecom
• Robert J. Gravina serves as the Chief Technology Officer for the Poway Unified School District, CA
• Tom McDonald, CEO of BeSafe Technologies
• Kevin Carman, AT&T’s Education Segment Marketing Manager

All were able to touch on the broadband-enabled technologies and tools that help schools prepare for and respond to emergencies. Tom Soroka addressed the need for rapid communications and all of the different organizations that need to be connected in real-time—first responders, public safety officials, public safety call centers, hospitals, and government agencies.

Robert Gravina helped participants understand the benefits of remote learning. Broadband can help students continue with their schoolwork at times when they may not be able to learn in the classroom.

Tom McDonald addressed the need for coordination and how readily available information can help first responders make critical decisions. Messaging tools that allow schools to broadcast information and the ability to access information about facilities—floor plans, building features, digital photo and occupant information all help to save lives.

Kevin Carmen provided some interesting information on the types of new tools we have at our fingertips. We now have school bus tracking systems that help track where buses are and also the names of children on a specific bus at any given time. Interactive websites are also helping schools prevent emergencies by allowing students to share anonymous information about potential violence, drug abuse or other potential threats.

These are just some of the highlights from the webinar. As you can see, broadband is helping to improve safety, so that schools can keep the focus on learning and being prepared for any type of emergency.

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Julie Young
President and Chief Executive Officer at Florida Virtual School

NextGenWeb and COSN recently hosted a webinar on virtual education that I had the privilege of taking part in. During the webinar, presenters discussed how the Internet is transforming the education experience for students and teachers. From Missouri to Louisiana and where I live in Florida, virtual education is expanding educational opportunities in new and exciting ways.

The effect of virtual education is very prevalent within the state of Florida. Florida Virtual School (FLVS) is working daily to create a new paradigm within education – we want to re-invent the classroom, not just replicate it. Through specific programs and classes that are tailored to individualized learning needs, we have been able to modernize and customize curriculum to meet the learning limits and strengths of each student – thus re-inventing the educational experience. FLVS now offers more than 95 courses online, and these courses are continually updated and expanded to reflect Florida’s Sunshine State Standards and National Standards, ensuring that students are offered not only up-to-date material, but an engaging virtual learning experience.

The internet is utilized for many other types of programs that are beneficial to school districts, like professional development programs, which are administered online, as well as virtual teacher mentorship programs that provide support to teachers in real time. Thanks to these types of online resources, students have access to a better education than they could have dreamed of only 10 years ago. Broadband is transforming K-12 education all across America, and we are happy to be involved in this positive movement toward helping our youth realize their full potential.

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Don Kent
President & Chairman of Net Literacy

At Net Literacy (www.netliteracy.org), we have four core digital inclusion programs, and the intergenerational Senior Connects program was this nonprofit’s first community service outreach initiative. Senior Connects (www.seniorconnects.org) is an intergenerational program that benefits both the student volunteers and senior citizens. In about eight 45 minute lessons, they learn basic computer, Internet, and Internet safety skills. Senior citizens also receive email accounts so they can correspond with their friends, family members, and especially their grandchildren. While senior citizens learn how to use the Internet so they can access local news and weather, keep up with their hobbies, and play bridge and crossword puzzles, it’s reconnecting them with their adult children and grandchildren that motivates most of them to take the Senior Connects classes.

Access to the Internet via broadband makes senior citizens’ world “grow a little larger.” Teaching computer, Internet, and Internet safety literacy to mature Americans has many benefits. To some seniors that are mobility-impaired or lack reliable transportation, they tell us that their world is “growing a little smaller.” Empowering seniors to be Internet literate shows them how they can stay connected with friends and family, gives them access to online health information, and provides them access to new forms of entertainment. That is why it is so important to maintain policies that encourage continued private-sector investment in the broadband network.

The success of the Senior Connects program proves that “friendly student volunteers” can teach computer and Internet skills to seniors who were born long before the dawn of the Internet Age. The students believe that broadband and the Internet can enrich the lives of seniors and “make their world grow a little larger.” Through our Senior Connects program at Net Literacy, we are proving that nothing can reduce the generational gap quite like broadband!

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