4/28/91 8:01:04 PM Opening "AED CHAT LOG - 4/28" for recording. AFA Bard : Welcome Brez! KeithGH : Okay Bard and Tooter: What is AFA and AFC AFL Gayle : AFA=America Online Forum Assistant AFL Gayle : AFC=America Online Forum Consultant AFL Gayle : AFL=America Online Forum Leader MaryEz : And then there's the rest of us}:> AFC Tooter: My AFC = almost finished correcting. KeithGH : AFL Gayle: How do you achieve such distinquished stardom! (seriously) :) AFL Gayle : Distinguished stardom? Gee, that's a different way of looking at it. AFL Gayle : Seriously, Keith, it varies. For me, I spent 2 and a half years as the Forum AFL Gayle : Assistant. The Forum Leader decided to move to England, so I was asked to take the job. Brez : Ever hear of Learningways? AFA Bard : Welcome Mark! MaryEz : Great!! AFA Bard : No Brez.. tell us! AFA Bard : Welcome Anaise... great screenname! AFL Gayle : Welcome, Anaise! :) KeithGH : I think I got it...Spend a lot of time on one of the boards...and eventually you get asked? Brez : Learningways is a Mac/AppleII software developer. We've done stuff for Jostens, Sunburst/Wings, DC He AFL Gayle : We're very informal tonight. Our topic is planning for next year's computer AFA Bard : OK folks.. we'll be getting started in just a second! AFL Gayle : budget, but we're flexible. If you've got something else you'd rather discuss, AFL Gayle : no problem. We have 2 free hours to give away to the lucky people who say the AFA Bard : Welcome Vincent! AFL Gayle : secret word. You MUST be present at the end of the chat to be eligible to win. Brez : so, most of our stuff goes right into schools without ever seeing the home audience. (big mistake) AFC Tooter: Congrats to Mary who is also a distinguished person this evening. AFA Bard : Sounds great Brez! AFA Bard : Does ANYONE even HAVE a budget for next year? MaryEz : Gayle, I think it's too late for next year's budget. We need to talk about how to survive the MaryEz : budget cuts and what to do if we lose our jobs. Consultant, anyone? AFL Gayle : So are you a programmer for Learningways, Brez, or what is your role with the AFL Gayle : company? Anaise : The Richmond CA School District just went bankrupt. They had a Mac lab. Any offers? AFA Bard : Anaise.. tell us about it! Are you a teacher? Brez : Yeah, I'm an Engineer there. AFC Tooter: I'll give you everything in our computer budget for it. Anaise : Used to be. Now do consulting @ Macs (LOL at Mary!) Brez : (forgive the use of the capital 'E'!) AFL Gayle : What programs has LearningWays developed for those companies? Anaise : Brez. Did some consulting at Computer Curriculum Corp., competitors of Jostens. You know? LawrenceF7: Ummm, I guess, HELP!!! AFA Bard : Welcome Lawrence! We're chatting about budgets and educational software! AFA Bard : Help, Lawrence? AFL Gayle : Lawrence, what specifically do you need help with? LawrenceF7: Oh, and to think that I actually found the RIGHT place for help on my homework! Brez : Point of View for Scholastic. (the history processor) for Mac, the Explore-a-Story on the Apple II AFA Bard : Brez.. we were a Beta site for POV. An awesome effort! Brez : Most of our stuff is targets K-4. Point of View. LawrenceF7: See, I am doing a report on Portland, OR, and Ideas on where to go?? Brez : targets high school level. LawrenceF7: What does? Brez : Bard, are you in Mass.then? AFL Gayle : Bard is in GA. AFA Bard : LOL! No Brez.- near Atlanta, GA - but Scholastic uses us as a test site. AFL Gayle : Have you tried the online encyclopedia, Lawrence? MaryEz : Hi, Frank! AFC Tooter: Hi Frank. Brez : POV 1.0 was fair, 1.1 was okay. 2.0 is great! BCS Frank : Mary, Toot, Hi :) AFA Bard : Welcome Frank! BCS Frank : Bard :) LawrenceF7: Kool, here goes, lone insta comming at ya! AFA Bard : Agreed Brez... next step should be POV for CD-ROM, no?? AFA Bard : Welcome Gaylon! Brez : It's certainly designed to handle a great deal of info. It would be the next step, but that's AFL Gayle : Hi, Gaylon! Glad you made it back tonight. :) Brez : in Scholastic's hands. BCS Frank : Point-of-View? Graphics program? Writing program? Drama program? GaylonG : HELLO AFL GAYLE AFA Bard : POV is a "history/outline processor" from Scholastic, Frank. BCS Frank : Ahh, a roll your own historical Gantt chart application. :) GaylonG : GOT STUCK IN THE WRONG CHAT ROOM AFA Bard : Right, Frank. Interactive outlines, animated maps, live action speeches... neat stuff! If's for the AFA Bard : Mac, though, Frank. :( LawrenceF7: but that's that nastee edcuational softwaare maker that is a joke at my school! AFL Gayle : Wrong chat room? This is the right chat room, Gaylon. :) BCS Frank : There are other chat rooms?! Anaise : CCC has K-12 curriculum on CD-Rom for IBM, Mac AFA Bard : So Frank... if you had a budget.. what would YOU buy for next year??? MaryEz : I'm curious to know what people have for a software budget? AFA Bard : Welcome Muench! BCS Frank : Hmmm... I wonder if HCgs would support an "history/outline processor?" GaylonG : YES I KNOW PUSHED WRONG KEY BCS Frank : Budget? Maybe try to fund last years' budget. Muench : HOW DOES YOUR SCHOOL HANDLE TEACHER TRAINING? BCS Frank : Hire a staff person to work with the Apple IIe dust collectors. Brez : The gs will die soon. The LC was the last nail. MaryEz : NO!!!!!! BCS Frank : Right, Brez, any decade now. :) LawrenceF7: APPLE suxxx, get an IBM!!! LawrenceF7: cyphering a man! AFL Gayle : Careful, Lawrence. You're in the Apple // Education Forum Chat Room right now. AFL Gayle : :) Brez : Look, here's a good one, IBM can't even design a good personal computer. On the old model 25/30s AFL Gayle : Muench, most of our teacher training is done by other teachers. How is it done AFL Gayle : in your school system? Brez : there is a hardware bug that prevents you from moving mouse and using the keyboard at the same time! GaylonG : GONE FROM THIS ROOM BYE AFL Gayle : Let's hold off on the hardware wars here. Let's get to our subject. Muench AFL Gayle : wants to know about staff development. Does anyone have any ideas to share Anaise : Lawrence, I live near both IBM and Apple. IBM just came out with a MAC+ equivalent. They know it. AFL Gayle : with him on staff development? BCS Frank : Staff development... BCS Frank : sure do. AFC Tooter: We have both outsiders and insiders involved in training. BCS Frank : I used to say schools should get in touch with local BCS Frank : user groups BCS Frank : (and I still do) AFC Tooter: Staff dev at our school is currently fueled by our move toward student competencies. BCS Frank : but this weekend I found out about several Anaise : Staff Development in general or computer literacy for teachers? BCS Frank : ongoing projects to place volunteer computer BCS Frank : experts with non-profits, including LawrenceF7: I still hate apple, as immature as that sounds, you can't didley squat on them!!! BCS Frank : schools, on a regular and formal basis. LawrenceF7: sept for edcuational junk. AFL Gayle : Well, Anaise, we're flexible. Muench just mentioned teacher training in AFL Gayle : general. AFA Bard : We respect your opinion, Lawrence. Please be reminded that this is an education chat. :) LawrenceF7: Well, ask me a question form a student standpoint!! LawrenceF7: to form your AFL Gayle : Mary expressed a concern earlier about maintaining funds for computer positions AFL Gayle : Does anyone have any ideas of how to help her with that dilemma? AFA Bard : We've asked our business partner to kick in to help fund the position. They now fund 1/2 of a $25K AFA Bard : per year job. AFL Gayle : That's a good suggestion, Bard. Who is your business partner? LawrenceF7: er, Ask me a question that might help you understand what a student thinks! MaryEz : I understand that in some counties in Maryland the Power Co. funds 50% of the computer hardware!! AFA Bard : Well, we have 4. Two local technology companies, a bank and a fast food chain. :)) BCS Frank : Maintaining funds for specialized computer positions is increasingly difficult. AFC Tooter: We were adopted by IBM and they promised to let there experts teach instead of the teachers. That was AFC Tooter: all. BCS Frank : It may make sense to try to get more teachers computer literate. AFL Gayle : Did their experts carry through on helping, TooT? AFC Tooter: Our teachers are pretty computer literate. It doesn't help sway voters. MaryEz : I'm happy to report that 3 teachers in our school bought their own computers this year as a result of AFC Tooter: No, they had little to offer. MaryEz : what we have been doing. BCS Frank : Way to go, Mary.... BCS Frank : Tooter, what I'm saying is that may reduce your need for a dedicated computer BCS Frank : guru. MaryEz : We have a strong string music program in our system that serves about 15 kids in our school. The AFL Gayle : OK. Staff development seems to be a priority for consideration in budgets. What AFC Tooter: Yes, but how do you get computers in the schools for them and their kids to use? AFL Gayle : else should we look to add for our computer programs? MaryEz : program was cut and the parent uprising was tremendous. 9 other academic teachers were cut and MaryEz : nobody raised a voice!! AFL Gayle : Welcome, Sweeney! We're talking about computer budgets. AFC Tooter: We have no dedicated computer guru, Frank. AFA Bard : Welcome, Sweeney! Sweeney99 : just stumbled in here, looks interesting tho. AFL Gayle : What? I thought YOU were a dedicated computer guru, Frank. :) AFL Gayle : Err, I mean TooT. BCS Frank : It is, Sweeney. :) AFC Tooter: Dediucated, but not payed. AFC Tooter: I teach English. AFL Gayle : So true, TooT. BCS Frank : Moi, Gayle? Yeah, but I'm a freebie.... no tax expenses here. :) Sweeney99 : Goodbye AFL Gayle : That's the best kind, Frank, particularly since you're such an expert. :) MaryEz : TooT, we could use you. Our high school doesn't even have a word processing lab at this point. AFC Tooter: Make an offer. AFC Tooter: Say no more. I'll take it. MaryEz : That was one of the criticisms of the recent accreditation team. Many faults having to do with BCS Frank : Offer? Toot, that WAS the offer! MaryEz : technology. AFC Tooter: Taken sight unseen. AFL Gayle : Does accreditation reports hold any sway in budget times? I know it helps us AFL Gayle : keep our library book budgets at least stable. AFC Tooter: It holds moreweight with the Board of Ed than wityh the public. We're suffering from great parent apat AFC Tooter: apathy. AFL Gayle : Make that Do accreditation reports help increase the budget? Muench : I am back. I touched my caps lock and was locked out. Now back to topic--budgets. We are in MaryEz : Unfortunately the public feels there is a lot of padding in the budget which is not true this year. Anaise : Computers even come in the back door in industry. Many bring their own in until they can't live withou AFC Tooter: In our school they talk about increasing productivity which means teach more, bigger cvlasses AFC Tooter: with less help and less equipment and no books. MaryEz : However, the contract went to arbitration and now there is even more resentment against teachers. AFA Bard : Good point Anaise. That's happened, to some extent, here too! Anaise : The integrated learning systems offered by CCC seem to raise student levels dramatically AFC Tooter: I know that well, Mary. Anaise : here in San Jose area slums Muench : We are in difficult times. Our budget is at a low. If it doesn't pass we will see major progs cut AFL Gayle : Muench, did you have something to share? AFL Gayle : What is CCC, Anaise? AFC Tooter: I learned today that becasue of cuts I am the sole teacher of theteam-taught humanities course that AFC Tooter: has been a model in the district. AFC Tooter: The cut was made so quietly that the parents don't even no how to deal with it. Anaise : CCC is division of Simon & Schuster. AFL Gayle : What the parents do here, TooT, is go to their BOE elected members and complain Muench : My district is looking into writing grants to obtain money for expansion of technology. Anaise : They have a K-12 curriculum, integrated learning system AFL Gayle : They sometimes will rescind prior decisions if enough parents complain. AFC Tooter: We've been through all that, Gayle. Everyone is sick of the battles from last year. Anaise : All subjects--including writing and ESL LawrenceF7: Ok, thanks's anaise, laterz all! AFL Gayle : Thanks, Anaise. What computer do they run on? Muench : AFL Gayle : Welcome, Trey. We're talking about budgets. Anaise : Atari, IBM, Apples and color Macs--LCs Anaise : No not Apples Anaise : Software runs off a file server. Tests and tracks student learning Anaise : Reteaches or moves on as appropriate Anaise : Creates reports for teachers AFA Bard : Big bucks, Anaise?? MaryEz : Anaise, I have a pilot for the MECC Management Master. We have the Objectives based on the Anaise : Most school districts do have grants to help pay for complete systems AFL Gayle : What is the name of the program, Anaise? MaryEz : Addison-Wesley Math 1989 and so far the Math teachers like it very well. AFA Bard : Rehi, Muench!!! Anaise : Its not a little program. You buy modules. eg. Language Arts K-12 curriculum. Muench : What exactly is the topic? Budget is very broad. AFL Gayle : Well, specifically, the computer budget, Muench. :) AFL Gayle : Does the whole thing have a name, though, Anaise? MaryEz : Do you have separate budgets for hardware and software? Anaise : CCC does sell its whole curriculum on a CD AFL Gayle : About how much money would it be, say, to buy the Language Arts module? Anaise : No. Its not like buying Reader Rabbit. Its a whole system, including HW if you need it. Muench : We wrote an entire proposal for a multi-media center. We developed this as a school wide lab AFL Gayle : We do, Mary. Hardware is handled at the county BOE. Software purchases are AFL Gayle : made out of each individual school's budgets. AFL Gayle : OK. Thanks, Anaise. Anaise : Pricing is very complicated. Depends alot on # of workstations being provided for. Muench : With NJ destroying school budgets, the money is not their. Each dept budgets for their own software AFL Gayle : Who did you turn to for your grants, Muench? Anaise : Some school districts centralize on there own computer networks Muench : We haven't yet. But we are not looking at alternate routes to raise money and one is grant writing. Anaise : With the graphics part at the actual school site. Muench : My district is 9-12 as we are regional. A new set of budgeting problems. AFA Bard : *** Note: In just a few moments we'll be announcing the winners of our FREE HOURS! *** AFC Tooter: So long everyone. I'm also NFC, Not Finished Correcting. Have a good chat, all. Anaise : It's worth looking in to. AFC Tooter: Goodbye BCS Frank : Luck, Toot! :){S Boing} MaryEz : With all the people writing grants and looking for business partners Boing AFC Tooter: Nite Frank. Everyone. Good luck on the budget, and congrats, Bard and Mary. Muench : I did secure for the 7 sending schools free modems and free time from Prodigy. Anaise : Here's Their #: 408-252-0608AFC Tooter is not currently signed on. AFL Gayle : Thanks, Anaise. OK. It's the time you've all been waiting for... Time to AFL Gayle : announce tonight's winners. AFL Gayle : But first, a short commercial. ;) MaryEz : It would be nice if AOL could make some kind of special price arrangements for prime time for MaryEz : teachers AFL Gayle : Next week is a very special chat night. We are having a two hour joint chat AFL Gayle : with the AppleWorks Forum. Our special guests will be Walker Archer, Gary AFL Gayle : Morrison, and John Link talking about AppleWorks and education. Quality AFL Gayle : Computers has some new products out for education. AFL Gayle : Winner of one free hour is Muench, for saying grants. AFL Gayle : Winner of our other free hour is MaryEZ for saying budget. BCS Frank : Congratulations, Muench and Mary!!!! AFL Gayle : Congratulations to you both! :) Muench : Thank you! AFA Bard : Hooray!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Way to go Muench and Mary! Your free yours will be credited soon! AFL Gayle : The hour will be credited to your account later this week. AFL Gayle : Applause MaryEz : Thanks, Gayle. My credit card thanks you too!! MaryEz : Budgets have been very much on my mind this week. I hope we will have it all settled before school is MaryEz : out. AFL Gayle : That would be nice, Mary. I doubt we will around here, though. MaryEz : Are you going to NECC? AFL Gayle : Me, no. :( AFA Bard : Well g'nite all! Have a great week!!! See you next week for the TERRIFIC co-chat with the AW folks! Pest II : hello all. What did I miss this week? MaryEz : OK, Bard. Have a good week yourself!! BCS Frank : Night y'all, see you next week for sure! MaryEz : Night Frank Pest II : bye Frank{S Goodbye} MaryEz : Goodbye everybody, see you next week! AFA Bard : :::::::::::::: poof ::::::::::::: 4/28/91 9:07:42 PM Closing file.