Sponsor Statement for HB 385

Technology in Education
2/17/98

Education and learning are going to change more in the next 10 years than they have in the past 350 years. The choice is simple. We either move ahead confidently and aggressively into the 21st Century or we will be left behind.

We now have the technology to bring the virtual world of learning to every student in Alaska, regardless of location. The typical classroom of today will soon be as archaic and as limited as the one room school of Abraham Lincoln. Alaskans must decide to seize the opportunity.

I have introduced legislation that mandates that within two years every student in Alaska will have access to a computer; a computer they can take home with them to do their homework and independent study. The intent is that a computer will become standard student issue just like the textbooks of today. Only the difference is this new learning tool will be a window to every library in the world.

I am proposing that every student be provided with educational software that is appropriate for their age and ability. The bill also requires that every student have access to the cyberspace world of the Internet and the world of information it accesses.

The goal is to accomplish this before the turn of the century.

A few imaginative and innovative administrators are independently moving ahead with integrating technology and learning. The Galena School District is the fastest growing school district in the state with its distance learning program, IDEA (Interior Distance Education of Alaska). The Delta-Greely School District is pioneering with its charter school, the Cyberschool. In Florida people have integrated their home school program with computer technology. Enrollment has increased 300%. All of these students voluntarily transferred from other school districts that offered less learning opportunity.

House Bill 385 is a commitment to Alaskans that they can aggressively and confidently face the 21st Century. It is a commitment that all Alaskans will have the very best in educational opportunities. The will have the opportunity and ability to "Be what you want to be."

There is a difference between education and learning. Education is when somebody gives you something to learn and recognizes you for having learned it. It is the result produced by instruction. Education stops for most Alaskans at high school. Learning is the process of adding to one's knowledge or information. It is an acquired skill that we can carry with us for the rest of our lives.

Access to opportunity in the 21st Century will require constant learning and improvement. Every type of employment opportunity, every facet of the employment we take, our health, our safety, and our quality of life will all require that we constantly learn and improve to meet ever-rapidly changing challenges.

Alaskans must be able to work in a global economy. Mining, fishing, tourism, oil, gas, technology, economic investment, and every other resource of Alaska compete on a world-wide basis.

House Bill 385 establishes three goals: It mandates that every student in Alaska be issued a personal computer; a portable computer they can carry home so it becomes an integral part of their learning experience and skills. Software and educational applications appropriate for their grade level and ability are to be provided. Provisions are to be made for every student in Alaska to have access to the Internet.

Individual Learning Programs will become the norm for all Alaskan students. While other students study the ocean from textbooks, Alaskans will study the ocean floor from a bathysphere via the virtual world of the Internet. As a community Alaskans will help each other on an unprecedented scale. One of the key elements of HB 385 is the integration of learning between individual students, individual Alaskans, and the private sector. It would take the imagination of a Carl Sagan, a Bill Gates, or a Steve Jobs to imagine the potential of all this synergy.

Five years ago Representative Kay Brown came into my office to sell me on a program to bring technology into our schools. Kay was foresighted enough to see that the information age could transform learning. At that time computer hardware, educational software, and information access were both cumbersome and expensive. It was not a user-friendly environment.

Computer prices have decreased to the point where powerful machines can now be purchased for under a $1000. The internet and on-line storage offer unlimited access to information. The FCC's $2.25 billion dollar Universal Services Fund offers to help pay for wiring our schools.

House Bill 385 differs from most legislation in that it proposes an answer to a problem. It does not initiate a study. It simply says we are going to do it. The program will be expensive (nearly $200 million), but we can't afford not to move forward.