There are no meetings scheduled for the week of March 27 - March 31, 2006. The House of Representatives will be hearing the supplemental budget during this time.

On Tuesday, March 21st, Carl Rose presented the Consortium for Digital Learning to the House Special Committee on Education. For those that were not able to attend, the presentation is available by clicking on the following link:

http://alaskaice.org/aasb-podcast/

Simply click to get to the site and page down to "Consortium for the Digital Learning Presentation". It takes a few minutes to download and is about an hour long. If you haven't had the opportunity to visit the site or listen to a podcast, detailed instructions are located at the end of this message.

An article about the presentation is also included below to give a brief summary of the presentation and AASB's Proposal for Expanded Digital Learning:

Juneau – The Consortium for Digital Learning, an AASB plan to give laptop computers to public school students, has received a warm welcome from a key legislative committee. The next step is to plant seed money in the state and federal budgets, says Executive Director Carl Rose.

"Computers and the Internet have changed the way we work, communicate and collaborate," Rose told the House Special Committee on Education on March 21. "Access to a digital learning environment will help prepare Alaska’s students to succeed in an increasingly competitive global economy."

AASB, a private, non-profit organization representing Alaska’s school districts, is pursing $5 million in federal funding to create the consortium as a means to implement the digital learning initiative in schools and entire districts. AASB envisions an investment of $5 million in federal funds, matched with state and local funds, to bring $15 million to the initiative.

In his briefing to the House committee, Rose said membership in the consortium would be available to all K-12 schools and districts in Alaska, including Mt. Edgecumbe High School and the ChalleNGe Program. AASB will administer all facets of the consortium and broker technology-related services and equipment to members. An advisory council to offer technical expertise and review funding requests will be established.

Rep. Mark Neuman, chair of the House Special Committee on Education, said during the hearing that the creation of a digital learning environment in K-12 classrooms would represent a significant step in improvement public education. Other committee members expressed similar sentiments.

"A growing body of evidence suggests that many jobs are migrating out of the U.S. due to the technology proficiency in other countries," Rose said. "The creation of digital learning environments in Alaska schools will help our students unleash their tremendous potential, raise their achievement levels and prepare them to arrive in the workplace well-versed in relevant employment skills."

For more information, contact Carl Rose at 586-1083 or crose '' @ '' aasb.org

This page contains basic instructions on how the podcast can be accessed in two different ways. Here are detailed step-by-step instructions:

Option 1: Subscribe Using iTunes (Recommended - Faster Download Time)

This method requires iTunes software to be installed on your computer. iTunes is available free of charge for Mac and PC computers. If you don't already have iTunes, go to the AASB Podcast Archive page and click on the "Download iTunes" button. When it has finished downloading, install iTunes on your computer.

Once iTunes is installed on your computer - or if you already have iTunes - go to the AASB Podcast Archive web page and perform the following steps to view the podcast:

1. Click on the "Subscribe to the AASB Podcast" button. It will take you directly to the AASB podcasts in the iTunes Music Store.
2. The AASB podcast titled "Consortium for Digital Learning Presentation" will be listed. Click on the "Get Episode" button for this podcast. (you may have to scroll to the right to see the "Get Episode" button) 3. The podcast will begin downloading to iTunes on your computer.
3. When it is done downloading, the podcast can be accessed by clicking on the "Podcasts" button in the left side column of iTunes. This is where iTunes stores podcasts you have downloaded.
4. Double click on the "Consortium for Digital Learning Presentation." It will begin playing in a small window in the bottom of the left side column of iTunes. (HINT: to launch a larger viewing window, click on the small window. Launching a larger window will make it easier to read the PowerPoint slides in Carl Rose's presentation)

Option 2: Access from AASB Website (Slower Download Time)

This method requires Quicktime media player to be installed on your computer. Quicktime is available free of charge for Mac and PC computers. If you don't already have Quicktime, go to the AASB Podcast Archive page and click on the "Download Quicktime" button.

When it has finished downloading, install Quicktime on your computer.

Once Quicktime is installed on your computer - or if you already have Quicktime - go to the AASB Podcast Archive web page and perform the following steps to view the podcast:

1. Click on the "Consortium for Digital Learning Presentation (Video)" link.
2. The podcast file will begin downloading to your computer.
3. When the podcast is done downloading, double click on it to launch the Quicktime media player.
4. The podcast will automatically begin playing on the Quicktime media player. (HINT: to make the Quicktime viewing window larger, click on the "View" pull down menu and select "Double Size" - or - click on the bottom right corner of the Quicktime media player and drag to the desired window size. A larger window will make it easier to read the PowerPoint slides in Carl Rose's presentation.)

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