Instructional Capacity
Students must be provided with adequate technology tools and appropriate environments to learn effectively. The K–12 School Technology Initiative has actively supported and increased instructional capacity in South Carolina schools by allowing districts to meet state and federal legislative mandates addressed under this dimension. The provision of online learning, the supplying of data to school leadership and teachers along with tools for data analysis, and moving the state toward computer-based assessment are all important initiatives supported by partner activities and efforts.
K–12 School Technology Initiative funds also support current technology, including television through school cable systems, satellite, and the Distance Education Learning Centers (DELC). K–12 School Technology Initiative funding help build the largest closed-circuit TV system in the nation with 35 school-based facilities. Each DELC is equipped to broadcast a minimum of four TV channels simultaneously with educational resources that can support each schools instructional needs. Every DELC has access to an interactive TV studio, which allows a presenter to communicate with its viewers.
The K–12 School Technology Initiative funds helped build ETV’s satellite, DELC infrastructure, and also funds ETV’s Network Technical Support to maintain the systems:
• 35 - ITFS Distance Education Learning Centers
• 67 - Four Channel ITFS Systems
• 38 - ITFS Transmit Antenna Systems
• 40 - ITFS Transmit and STLTowers
• 679 - ITFS Receive Sites
• 528 - ITFS Receive Towers
• 1,235 - Satellite Downlinks at K–12 Schools and School Related Facilities
• More than 3,500 - Satellite Receivers at K–12 Schools and School Related Facilities
• More than 1,000 - Open Circuit Antennas at K–12 Schools and School Related Facilities
Emerging technologies and new Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) regulations are driving plans to transition the current technologies to meet the ongoing needs of the educational community. For example, new digital satellite data stream technologies need to replace present one-way transmissions, and the FCC is mandating the analog DELC infrastructure to become wireless digital 2-way services. These and other emerging technologies will require more effective interactive and accountable educational content. Additional K–12 School Technology Initiative funds will be needed in order to create and manage quality programming that results in measurable learning.
The Division of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) utilizes K–12 School Technology Initiative funding to provide the mission-critical telecommunications network and Internet Connectivity for K–12 schools and public libraries statewide so that appropriate instructional capacity can be achieved in South Carolina. Without this connectivity, schools and students would not benefit from key initiatives such as the South Carolina Virtual School and StreamlineSC that increase teacher, administrator, and student learning.
The K–12 School Technology Initiative funding played a critical role in ensuring that the Palmetto state was one of the first five states in the country with tele-communications connectivity including a statewide network and Internet access provided to all K–12 schools. In addition, South Carolina was one of the first states in the country with connectivity to all public libraries. 100 percent of the schools in South Carolina meet the CEO Forum’s standard of “high-tech” schools for connectivity. The CEO Forum determines technology readiness through an assessment which ranks schools, districts, and states on four levels. The “high-tech” score is the highest an educational entity can receive.
K–12 School Technology Initiative funding has enabled South Carolina to surpass the national average for student per Internet-connected computer. Unfortunately, this status is declining each year. The 2005-06 South Carolina SDE Technology Counts survey indicated that South Carolina schools have 3.04 students per instructional computer compared to the nation’s average of 3.8 students per computer (Education Week, 2005). However, when these numbers are dissected into adequate computers (less than 18 months old), moderate computers (more than 18 months old but less than 48), and low end computers (more than 49 months old) the ratio of students per adequate instructional multimedia computer is 18.18 students per adequate, multimedia computer in the classroom.
Essentially, while our students have access to computers, the capacity of these computers to run critical programs such as StreamlineSC, Virtual School courses and computer-based assessment is lacking. The need for multimedia rich computers to support today’s curriculum with video, audio, and digital images is paramount. The legislature is moving SC in the right direction in the areas of virtual learning and online assessment, but adequate technology infrastructure must be provided to support these applications and initiatives.
See what South Carolina educators are saying about StreamlineSC and other Virtual School courses: