IP: NetDay

[Dave Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>]

Posted-Date: Thu, 4 Jan 1996 00:30:33 -0500
Date: Thu, 4 Jan 1996 00:30:27 -0500
X-Sender: tkalil () vax darpa mil
To: farber () central cis upenn edu
From: tkalil () ARPA MIL (Tom Kalil)
Subject: NetDay


Dear Dave:


Could you pass this along to Interesting People?  Thanks!


Please support NetDay96!!


What is NetDay?


*  On March 9, 1996, thousands of parents, engineers, and other volunteers
will spend a Saturday deploying networks in California's schools. Companies
such as AT&T, MCI and AOL have agreed to provide a free year of access to
the Net.


How can I sign-up?


*  You can get more information and sign up to help a school at http://www.
netday96.com.  There is a "home page" for each of the 10,000 California
K-12 schools.  Please consider adding a link to your internal or external
Web servers.


Is wiring the schools enough?


*  NetDay is an important first step.  We also need to increase the number
of computers in the classroom, develop compelling educational applications
related to the curriculum, and train teachers to use this new technology
effectively.  Hopefully NetDay will serve as a catalyst for relationships
that go well beyond March 9th.


Who supports NetDay?


*  NetDay has been endorsed by President Clinton, Vice President Gore,
the California State Superintendent, and over 100 of California's leading
companies, unions, and educational institutions.  It was announced following
a meeting the President and Vice President held with a number of high-tech
CEOs on September 21st.


Why are computers and networks important for our schools?


* They have the potential to change the way our teachers teach and students
learn.  Students engage in a more "active" style of learning.  They are able
to take virtual field trips, collaborate with their peers all over the world
on projects, browse through digital libraries, "do" science instead of
just reading about it, publish their writing on the Internet, and participate
in "Ask a Scientist" programs.  Teachers are able to exchange lesson plans
with other teachers, communicate more frequently with parents, and keep
up with developments in their field.


P.S.  NetDay may also prove to be a useful model for a new kind of politics.
It is:


On-line, but impacts the "real-world";


Decentralized and self-organizing - since each of the 10,000 school home
pages becomes the nexus for community action and communication;


Results-oriented; and


Designed to promote accountability, since on-line maps wil eventually show
the level of activity across the state.


So -- please sign up and help out!


*********************************************************************
Thomas Kalil
Director to the National Economic Council
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
(p) (202) 456-2802
(f) (202) 456-2223


"What do we want?  Bandwidth!  When do we want it?  Now!"
*********************************************************************