Distance Learning Programming and Resources A-G H-O P-W TEAMS TEAMS is a national distance learning consortium with members in urban, suburban and rural school districts. It produces live, interactive direct student instruction in mathematics and science for grades 2-6. TEAMS programs are designed for active viewing and participation. Programs provide participants many opportunities for hands-on activities and discussion, interaction with other students, interaction with the classroom teachers, and interaction with the studio instructor via phone or fax. TEAMS provides staff development opportunities for teachers which cover effective mathematics and science instruction and offer techniques for teaching language minority students as well. Participating teachers benefit from increased knowledge and proficiency in mathematics and science education. TEAMS studio instructors model effective instructional strategies for teachers in a team teaching approach while providing lessons which motivate and challenge students to master new skills. The site teacher is an active participant in the instructional process. TEAMS distance learning provides successful learning experiences for all students. They learn to value mathematics and science, become confident in their own ability as scientific thinkers and mathematical problem solvers. TEAMS programs have been successfully implemented with students having a wide range of learning abilities, including, gifted, special needs and limited English proficient because the classroom teacher is an important member of the TEAMS instructional team and can freely adapt the programs to the students' needs and abilities. They are designed to be used by an entire class and are not pull-out programs. The programs encourage active rather than passive learning. During a "Your Time" feature of each program, students engage in activities at their own site. They share theories, construct their own learning, and develop strategies for problem solving. Students can also call in to the studio to report data and observations. TEAMS parent program focus on helping parents support their children's learning of mathematics and science, are broadcast in English and Spanish, and can be used as an integral part of a school district's outreach to their parent constituents.   The Education Coalition - TEC The Education Coalition is the only organization of its kind in the U.S., which is established solely to promote educational improvement through collaboration and the use of multiple technologies. It is the only organization which brings together K-12, post-secondary and broadcast agencies, with libraries, museums and other resource agencies to connect learners of all ages. TEC has affiliate and resource agencies in 24 states which represent over 300 school districts, 2,000,000 students and 50,000 teachers. Many are from low income rural or urban environments. TEC agencies develop and share programs and services for students, parents and staffs via satellite and Internet. to: parent skills to improve literacy and prevent violence, world-class learning opportunities is social studies, geography, literature and the arts, school to work transition. The TEC University and College Collaborative in cooperation with the K-12 districts, provide pre-service and in-service course work in those areas. Student programs provide teachers with opportunities to see theory translated into the classroom and they to practice new instructional methods for important, meaningful content. National resource agencies to TEC include the Smithsonian, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the John F. Kennedy Library, WGBH-TV Boston, and the Peace Corps. TEC is guided by a National Advisory Board with members representing school reform, technologies, the business sector, and public and private agencies. TECemail@aol.com   The History Channel (THC) (Cable in the Classroom) Features historical documentaries, movies and mini-series that bring history alive for both students and educators. THC Classroom airs commercial-free Monday-Friday from 8:00-9:00 a.m. ET Free educator support materials kit each semester include study guides and program calendar. World Wide Web Site: http://www.historychannel.com Danielle Jackson (212) 210-9780   The Learning Channel (TLC) (Cable in the Classroom) Offers all ages an enjoyable, entertaining way to learn. TLC Elementary School, designed for use in K-6 classrooms, airs Tuesdays at 4:00 a.m. ET with commercial-free segments in science, social studies, language arts, and math. TLC offers a free teacher's guide. 1-800-321-1832. World Wide Web Site: http://school.discovery.com 1-800-321-1832   Television Food Network (TVFN) (Cable in the Classroom) The first television network devoted to cooking and nutrition. Cable in the Classroom programming is in development. Likely subject areas will include nutrition, health news, geographic and historical looks at foods and cooking techniques. World Wide Web Site: http://www.foodtv.com Samantha Graham (212) 997-4491   Texas Education Network - TENET An ambitious statewide effort to enable the state's K-12 educators and students to communicate electronically, share resources, and gain access to databases available on the Internet. More than 15,000 educators and administrators currently use the network to collaborate and to tap into various sources of electronic information. TENET has many classroom applications. Students in the Cajun area around Beaumont have exchanged information about their community and economy with students in the west Texas city of El Paso. High school students have used the network to respond to letters to Santa Claus written by elementary students. In some middle schools, students have downloaded weather information and tracked hurricanes. TENET includes traditional information sources such as a daily newspaper and an encyclopedia. Computer equipment also is in short supply in some schools in some parts of Texas. The Texas state legislature has established a fund to help these schools buy equipment. TENET will be available to all 200,000 of the state's K-12 teachers. Participating teachers or schools will pay a small startup fee and on-line connect charges to 1 of 16 Internet sites across the state.   TERC TERC is an education research and development organization committed to improving mathematics and science learning and teaching. The strands of their work include creating innovative curriculum, fostering teacher development, conducting research on teaching and learning, and developing technology tools. It is a private, non-profit. TERC supports a national movement toward increased use and understanding of data through the dissemination of a model of computer-supported, data-based inquiry in grades 4 through 8. The model uses Tabletop, a new-generation data software tool that provides dynamic visual representations for organizing, exploring, and analyzing data. The project is training, providing support, and getting feedback from a community of teacher leaders who use the software in their own classrooms. For the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory Hands-On Universe project, TERC is developing curriculum units that support student investigations in astronomy ranging from studies of the solar system to supernovae in distant galaxies. Using telecommunications, the project links high school classrooms to a remote telescope and an image database. Students can request and download their own astronomical images and manipulate and analyze their images using WinVista, an image processing program. TERC is involved with other projects including LabNet: The High School Science Network, literacy in a science context, The Global Laboratory, the National Geographic Kids Network/Middle Grades, and the Princeton Earth Physics Project (PEPP).   TI-IN Network The TI-IN Network offers programming for elementary, middle, and high school students. High School courses include anatomy & physiology, Latin, Spanish, German, French, physics, AP physics, marine science, astronomy, Japanese, sociology, psychology, AP psychology, and environmental science. Most high school sites have voice and data interactive keypads so that students can be in direct contact with their teacher to ask questions or make comments, to privately signal comprehension difficulty, or to respond to oral quizzes during class. The keypads allow students to become active participants in their class sessions, enhancing learning through improved interactivity. Elementary programming includes The World Around Us and Spanish. Middle school programs include Languages Around the World, a cultural and linguistic awareness program. Staff development includes learning styles and strategies, technological awareness and implementation, school administration and management, health/welfare of student, and curriculum specific topics.   Travel Channel (Cable in the Classroom) Commercial-free programming is under development. Likely program offerings will include strong educational links to geography, math and history. Check Cable in the Classroom magazine for programming updates and air times. Support materials are being planned and will include study questions, vocabulary words and advance program schedules and will be available semi-annually and periodically to support specific programs. Many offerings of The Travel Channel will lend themselves to special screenings. Contact Stephanie Clark at (770) 801-2424 World Wide Web Site: http://www.travelchannel.com   TV Ontario TVOntario offers a number of telecourses including teacher education and a wide variety of curriculum-based series for pre-school through postsecondary that can be used as components of distance learning courses. from "A Technical Guide to Teleconferencing and Distance Learning," 3rd edition