Monthly Archives: April 2012

Cloquet Valley looks at Better Broadband

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I am delighted to share a guest blogger post today from Janet Keough town board supervisor for North Star Township and Chair of the Cloquet Valley Internet Initiative Steering Committee. Jan is part of a crew in Cloquet Valley that is working towards better broadband…

The Cloquet Valley Internet Initiative (CVII) is an effort by seven rural townships north of Duluth to bring broadband internet to our region. These townships (plus 2 unorganized townships) are located between two big fiber optic projects (Lake Connections and North East Service Coop) but so far are not being included in their development or in development by any of the private internet providers.

Internet to our citizens is, at this time, provided by dial-up, satellite, and a patchwork of low-speed DSL and wireless. This is a grass-roots effort by rural township government and interested citizens. With advice from many experts, including Bill Coleman and the Blandin Foundation, the CVII team developed educational materials and distributed them to citizens in the area.

The team developed a questionnaire to gauge the level of satisfaction with current internet access and interest in paying for improvements. The Blandin Foundation team (thanks Ann and Bill!) turned the questionnaire into an on-line survey. The CVII team used the on-line survey, plus door to door distribution, mailings, and newsletters for distribution. The results showed strong dissatisfaction with current internet access and also showed a very good market for improved broadband. We took this on the road to various providers, but generally got the message that our population density is too low.

The next step was to conduct a broadband feasibility study to understand the details of what it would take to expand broadband and what it would cost. Grants were obtained from AgStar Financial Services and from the Blandin Foundation, and St Louis County and Lake County facilitated the matching funds. At the same time, the ad hoc team developed a joint powers agreement among the townships to create a single organization to promote and leverage broadband internet. We all realize that individual rural townships simply don’t have enough people to attract the infrastructure for broadband, and we have to work together.

We are embarking on two feasibility studies. The first study will provide an objective analysis of the capacity, capability, monthly cost and pros and cons of all the potential broadband provider types. The second study will provide an engineering analysis for fiber to the premise and fiber to the node with DSL to the premise. These two options are likely the most expensive to deploy, yet would yield the greatest capacity and capability for broadband levels at or above the Minnesota state standard. Both studies will give us valuable information for our town supervisors and for our citizens to understand the costs and benefits of various types of broadband internet. And we can use the results to further convince providers that it is feasible and profitable to build in our region.

A real challenge for rural townships such as ours is the limited capacity and capability of rural townships to initiate broadband projects on our own. Our townships do not have an “anchor” city, county, hospital or school within our borders. We are a tiny part of St Louis County, that already has areas of broadband deployment – our situation is, rightly, not viewed as county-wide, although our county has a lot of rural under-served areas and other townships in a similar situation.

Our government offices have very limited administrative capability; town supervisors, clerks and treasurers all work on part-time schedules – most less than 10 hours per month. There are no full-time administrative staff. Rural townships are typically in the business of fighting fires (by volunteers), grading and plowing roads, and some have cemeteries. We have no larger organizations with deep capabilities and deep pockets to seek the large sums required to deploy broadband infrastructure. However, within our townships, our citizens are small business owners, doctors, lawyers, professors, public and home school children, fire departments, and seniors, all needing high speed internet capability and capacity, the requirements of which are growing daily.

When we look across the broadband development landscape, we see mostly cities, counties, telephone companies, and electric coops in public-private partnerships to develop broadband infrastructure. We are likely not unique in Minnesota, since the state has many rural areas that are under served for broadband. One good thing that rural townships have is neighbor-to-neighbor relationships and trust among our citizens. These relationships will be valuable for communication, education and promotion, if and when we can find partners to work with us to leverage broadband. We have received a great deal of encouragement in our strategy, and we are hopeful that we can demonstrate a good market and an unfilled niche for broadband from one or more providers.

Update on Anoka County – looking for last mile providers

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Just a quick update on the ARRA-funded project in Anoka County. As you may recall, Anoka ia working on building fiber to anchor institutions – and they are hoping to find a last mile provider to serve local residents and businesses. In fact, part of my reason for mentioning their progress is to help them find a good last mile partner – so please feel free to share the news…

Their next Governance Group meeting is scheduled for June 21. The plan is to invite last mile providers to make presentations on their services. If you know of any last mile providers who might be interested, please have them contact David Minke.

The meeting will start at 9:00 AM in Room 705 at the Anoka County Government Center. Please pass the word along to all those who may be interested in learning more about last mile connectivity including council/board members, EDA members, economic developers, cable commissions, etc.

Minnesota High Tech Association Spring Conference: Notes

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Yesterday I attended the Minnesota High Tech Association Spring Conference. Margaret Anderson Kelliher, current chair of the Minnesota Broadband Task Force hosted the event (as President of the MHTA) and former Task Force chair Rick King gave the keynote presentation. So it seemed as if there was a lot of broadband in the air.

The buzz about the conference was the announced relocation of the MHTA. They will be moving downtown to the Grain Exchange Building. In the sessions, folks were talking very specifically about how to use technology to improve business. Social Media, Cloud Computing and Security were hot topics.

Talking to attendees, it was good to hear that most folks feel business is good. From Involta to the Eagan Data Center, folks were talking about growth and building capacity – broadband, workforce and knowledge. Folks were telling stories of how technology has worked for them and what they are doing to make sure that it continues to work.

I took notes from the sessions I attended. They aren’t full notes – but I offer them for folks who weren’t able to attend….

Margaret Anderson Kelliher

Recent jobs report indicates that the computer sectors is reaching levels we haven’t seen in 10 years. The question is – are we producing enough quality people to meet that need? We will be looking into that with listening sessions with MNSCU today.

MHTA is moving this summer to downtown Mpls – the Grain Exchange Building

Gov Dayton

Rick King – what sets you apart matters

Will talk about how to work with and create a community & culture in a global company. Branding comes down to image – and those who control the image control the brand.

Do you want to define your brand or do you want someone else to define your brand personally and professionally? You don’t want to leave yourself with nothing.

If you don’t know anything about something – you will define it yourself and generally less complementary terms than a product would want.

Thompson Reuters focuses on: Authentic – Transparent – Courageous

My job is to make the company and the brand better than you found it. You need to be able to walk the talk. The Brand Becomes the Verb

Continue reading →

New Map is report card on broadband deployment & adoption in MN due to BTOP funding

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NTIA has developed a new, interactive map that displays how BTOP investments across the US are connecting people, communities, and institutions. The Map allows users to locate BTOP-funded infrastructure investments and community institutions connected in their region, find new and improved public computer centers and identify locations where broadband training and adoption programs are available.

I think the main purpose of the map is to connect the user to information about their community. You can do a search by zip and find out what’s happening in your area. You can also track information by state, which provides a sort of nice report card on the impact of CTIP in MN. The quick take on info for MN:

  • Broadband adoption percentage in MN: 70.6 percent (National average 68%)
  • Communities connected via BTOP funding: 3
  • Communities planning to be connected via BTOP funding: 12
  • Institutions connected via BTOP funding: 1
  • Institutions planning to be connected via BTOP funding: 148

Adoption progress in MN due to BTOP funding:

  • 14 new public computer centers
  • 143 new or improved workstations
  • 121 total broadband adoption programs
  • 31.2K total new household subscribers
  • 22.9K total training hours delivered

Sibley County Commissioners vote for Fiber

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A quick update on the Sibley County Commissioners’ vote from earlier today thanks to KEYC in Mankato…

Sibley County Commissioners voted to move forward with a multimillion–dollar fiber optic broadband project that would bring faster Internet to Renville and Sibley Counties and even individual farms in the area….

The proposed fiber–optic system would be publicly owned, but privately run and connect every home, farm and business in the area to high speed Internet.

Sibley County EDA Tim Dolan says, “Each person has the choice to either opt in or out.”

The involved communities would sell around $70 million in revenue bonds to build the network, which will be paid off with user fees.

Dolan says, “We’ve gone over the 55% mark that are interested in the project which when we do our cash flows and projections gives us profitability for all 30 years.”

ConnectMN new maps unveiled

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Last week, Connect Minnesota unveiled an updated version of the Minnesota Broadband maps…

The mapping tool, called My ConnectView™, is a valuable tool for consumers, policy makers, Internet providers, and planning teams working to increase broadband access, adoption, and use in communities across the state and nation. …

 My ConnectView, developed by Connected Nation, Connect Minnesota’s parent organization, replaces the previous mapping tool and is faster and easier to use; features more interactive data layers and additional tools to explore data; and allows users to e-mail, print, and send feedback on custom maps.

From what I’ve seen it is faster to use and seem smoother. I still wish I could get info by county – but I wasn’t able to find a way to do it on the map. There will be a webinar demonstration of the new tool on Wednesday – unfortunately I’ll be at the Minnesota High Tech Association conference…

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/451387954

This webinar will provide a demonstration of the new interactive broadband mapping application published by Connect Minnesota called “My ConnectView.” The interactive map offers unique tools to view the state’s technology landscape and analyze broadband penetration down to the street level. Attendees will be shown some of the tool’s basic features and can ask questions during the presentation about the underlying data and the map’s functions.

 Title: Connect Minnesota Demo – My ConnectView
Date: Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Time: 10:00 AM – 10:30 AM CDT

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.
System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server

Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer

Big Vote in Sibley County Tomorrow

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Tomorrow is a big day for folks in Sibley County – especially for folks who live in the outskirts of town, between towns or the back and beyond. Tomorrow the Sibley County Commissioners vote on whether or not to be part of the RS Fiber Network, which will bring fiber to the area. The vote was slated for a couple of weeks ago but was postponed.

Many of the area cities have voted to be part of the network; Renville County has also voted in. Arlington has voted not to participate.

Minnesota Public Radio highlighted the potential impact on rural residents – some of which are still using dialup connections…

Linda Kramer and her family grow corn, soy beans, even a little wheat. The family’s farm is on 1,100 acres in rural Sibley County, about 85 miles southwest of the Twin Cities.

Kramer pays about $60 per month for Internet access that by today’s standards is archaic.

“My husband on the farm needs to send files… He’ll throw them in an email, send it out, let it run overnight, come back in the morning and two-thirds of them haven’t gone through,” Kramer said.

They talk about the community support – as demonstrated by local residents signing up for service…

So far, over 50 percent of the residents said they would take some combination of phone, Internet or cable TV service from the broadband project. In parts of rural Sibley County it’s closer to 80 percent of residents.

The meeting begins at 10 am tomorrow; the vote is expected to happen soon after the meeting begins.

National Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign: Stop Think Connect

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Last Friday I attended a cybersecurity event at University of Minnesota co-hosted by the Department of Homeland Security. It was a combination Public Service Announcement, FBI/Secret Services/Homeland Security job fair and cybersecurity discussion. (You can get more info on the event and the PSA aspects on the Stop Think Connect website.)

I’m going to start with the finish of the day when the moderator (Massoud Amin) asked a panel of distinguished panelists (Angie Curry, Brian Isle, Mark Ruchie, Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth Kasprisin and Steve Kelley) what they thought attendees should do as a result of attending the session in terms of improving their security and/or promoting community-wide security.

There were a couple of themes….

  1. The US is not on the leading edge of security – although some countries still seem to think that we might be. It would be nice to have  a more concerted security effort – but one issue is that security – even just cybersecurity crosses so many departments.
  2. While it seems as if we’re pretty far behind and I wasn’t getting the feeling that our situation was on the mend – there is a push to educate users and administrators. The conference itself was a demonstration – but the attendees also seemed focused on this mission. Other attendees, including corporate IT directors, were interested in programs that would help train staff on security measures at work but seemed equally interested in making sure folks used the skills at home as well.
  3. Folks seemed to feel as if we’re in this security game together. That we’re only as strong as the weakest link and that breeches spread like wildfire.
  4. Security often comes down to human error – or maybe human weakness. People open links they shouldn’t, download software they shouldn’t, transmit info via insecure wires networks. Sometimes that’s because people can be gullible; sometimes that’s because hackers can be good and persistent. Administrators don’t keep up on updates or take the time to shut all security doors and windows.
  5. Smartgrid might be a place to start really doing things right. If we can do Smartgrid security well, we could become leaders again.

There were also some interesting tidbits…

  • Minneapolis ranks 7th in the top 10 riskiest online cities.
  • Cybercrime has surpassed drugs trafficking as money-maker.
  • In 2010, 24 Hours: Unplugged – a study where they asked students to unplug for one full day – studnets presented like addicts.
  • Social Media is a tool for over-sharing. Giving out too much info lets criminals in the real world know when you are most vulnerable.
  • Library of Congress is cataloging all Tweets right now.
  • Be careful of cyber predators – if you divide the number of your Facebook friends by 11, the resulting number is the real number of friends you have in life.
  • In 2010 the Secret Service arrested more than 1,200 suspects for cybercrime violations – involving more than $500 million in actual fraud and loss. Average cost of a breach is $5.7 million.
  • 92% of successful attacks are not difficult to implement – or thwart.
  • Most business do not know that their files have been stolen – they are told by government agencies
  • Cloud Computing – it’s a huge issue. There are multiple aspects. Hackers can hide in the cloud. The bigger concern is what happens when businesses move everything into the cloud. And what happens when the business outsources support – we don’t know where that info resides, especially if it’s in another country. We don’t see much activity there now.

Finally there were some suggestions and tips..

Things you need to do create your online identity

  • Set-up privacy restrictions
  • Think about your future
  • Never use the same password twice

Anatomy of Nation State Attack

  • Establish an attack infrastructure (tools, methods, techniques)
  • Conduct recon on target
  • Draft a spear-phishing email
  • Compromise the end-pint
  • Obtain valid credentials
  • Map of victim’s network
  • Set up hidden director for data capture
  • Compress/encrypt data for transfer

What may your cell-phone reveal?

  • Weekday GPS track for 3 months
    • Patterns of life
    •  Usual places and visits
    • Rare place and rare visits (find anomalies)
  • Don’t want to be followed? Turn off your GPS.

Infragard – http://www.infragard.net/ InfraGard is an information sharing and analysis effort serving the interests and combining the knowledge base of a wide range of members. At its most basic level, InfraGard is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the private sector.

Countermeasures – What can you do to protect yourself and your network

  • Firewall & Antivirus
  • Lock Browser (browse smart)
  • Stay current (Software/security)
  • Separate Powers (admin vs user)
  • Encryption (PGP, GPG, TrueCrypt)
  • Virtualization
  • Process Controller
  •  TCP View – Sysinternals
  • Detection/Prevention

Follow-up Sites

10 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Save Money Through Broadband

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I’ve always thought that one good way to reach non-broadband-adopters would be to create a line item budget that would explain how much money you could save having broadband. So, I was pleased to see that the Internet Innovation Alliance has created a tool that walks a business through the saving. Unfortunately it was a little large for me to download (on the U of M guest wireless) so I’ll at least outline the types of savings they address. The tool will walk you through more details:

  1. Online accounting services – potential annual saving $1,833.70
  2. Online marketing materials – potential annual saving $378.07
  3. VoIP for Phone – potential annual saving $432
  4. Website design – potential annual saving $2,098.20
  5. Mobile apps – potential annual saving $3,502.72
  6. Specialty logo service – potential annual saving $458
  7. Home office – potential annual saving $6,180
  8. Incorporating online – potential annual saving $296
  9. Video Conferencing – potential annual saving $1,023.12
  10. Read News Online – potential annual saving $348.71

PCs for People 5 Cities Down in the 10-City Computer Refurb Tour

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In January PCs for People set out on a Computer Refurbishing bus tour of rural Minnesota. The plan was to hit 10 communities to bring their tricked out bus, collect computers in various communities, fix them up and leave them behind for the community to disperse to deserving homes. I wanted to share an update on the tour from PCs for People’s Casey Sorenson…

I just wanted to provide a quick update since we are half way through the 10 scheduled events. With Faribault, Fairmont, Alexandria, Marshall and Crookston under our belts we are starting to get pretty good at mobile refurb. At our last event in Crookston we were even able to quit at 6PM one night. That’s a big change from the first event when we had to work until 3AM to get everything done! So far we have distributed 387 computers and trained almost 800 people on computer basics. The work has also provided new life to approximately 13.5 tons of computer equipment. No wonder my back is tired!

We applaud their efforts and their continued progress. Going back to their original list – you can check to see if they will be in your neighborhood anytime soon…

  1. Alexandria
  2. Bemidji
  3. Crookston
  4. Fairmont
  5. Austin
  6. Marshall
  7. Hutchinson/Litchfield
  8. Faribault/Rice County
  9. Cambridge
  10. Hibbing

Contact PCs for People for more info.

Bridging the Digital Divide – a gathering in St Paul

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Yesterday (April 18) I attended a Bridging the Digital Divide session in St Paul. It was an interesting session – partially because the organizers had done a great job getting a varied list of speakers. Folks spoke about policies to deploy affordable broadband, access to computers, training to boost adoption and broadband as an advocacy tool. As always, it would inspiring to hear about so many options and tools available for folks on the far end of the digital divide. It was disheartening to hear that the main concern, almost with all speakers was budget – budget to continue with the success they have been seeing.

Another big challenge was getting the word out to the target audience. Sending an email to get folks online isn’t going to work. Folks who had success reaching people spoke about using tried and true means of outreach – door knocking, signs in buses, connecting through the libraries. The need is striking – everyone spoke about working with people who have never used a computer. They also mentioned that as that far end of the digital divide remains – another issue is emerging and that’s the that bar determining digital literacy is rising. It’s not enough to be online these days – you have to know what to do once you get there.

Here are some notes from the various presenters and rough notes on the conversation that followed…

Corrine Bruning – E-Democracy

What interests organizers?

The power of the forums. Free, safe online space for conversation, local promotion of events and getting connected. A challenge is getting the information to the residents. Get to many people through face-to-face outreach. We have people sign up on paper and add them to the list electronically. We’ve made a concerted effort to reach new people. We are hiring 9 new people this summer and are working on outreach to increase numbers but also increase diversity.

James Nicholson – Hennepin County Library, Software Instructor

We teach public technology classes. We can’t keep up with the demand. With unemployment rising we have seen an increase in people looking to update skills. The library is the first place most people go.

First barrier – getting people to recognize the digital divide. That has been accomplished.

In the library we’re dealing with budget issues.

New face of digital divide is unemployed people looking for job skills – from how to attach a résumé, to how to use a spread sheet. The definition of digital is changing – it’s not enough to be online you need to know what to do online.

In MN people of color are twice the unemployment and poverty as counterparts.

Chris Mitchell – Institute for Local Self Reliance

We want to make sure that libraries have the access they need affordably. We work on issues such as pricing and does the connection go to your home? For example when cable came into the market, the cities said they had to go everywhere – not just potentially profitable markets. Now the city can’t make the same demand of other broadband providers.

Communities have stepped up to build fiber networks. It probably won’t happen in St Paul anytime soon.

There are two issues – there’s a rural and an urban divide.

I just wrote a report on community networks.

Price of broadband is absurd and does not reflect cost. Once you have a network in place, the costs are not high – it’s just electricity. Comcast sets prices to suit stakeholders. When the community sets price, we can create a situation where the library may get reduced rates. There’s no consistency in pricing. Everyone pays a different prices. We’ll want these networks for a long time – so why don’t we (as communities) but instead of rent.

Abdi Ali –Broadband Access Program

Idea of the program is to break the digital divide. We have 11 labs in the Twin Cities. We offer free training. We also provide custom training for nonprofits. Unfortunately there is funding only for 3 years; there is some talk about giving the labs to the communities.

Many of the people who use the centers have not used computers before – there’s a huge population of people who have not used computers – the elderly, disenfranchised youth…

Without access to the Internet people cannot apply for jobs, cannot keep up with kids’ school, cannot keep up with current affairs and news.

Our challenge is budget and marketing to people in the area. – Broadband is a powerful tool that can change lives! Many people take it for granted – but there are so many people who don’t have it.

QUESTIONS:

Do you work with touchscreens?

  • Henn. CO Library – we don’t have many. But we do have e-readers and tablets.
  • Our trainers do use Smartboards.
  • The Minneapolis Digital Inclusion Fund gave money to put a senior book club on Kindle. It will be interesting to see if that has an impact,

Does anyone have success using technology as an advocacy tool?

  • It’s not a technology issue as much as an outreach issue. People still think – build it and they will come – but that’s does get you a mirror of the actual community. You ned to go where people are.
  • Smartphones are making a difference. More people are getting Smartphones.
  • Texting might be a way to reach people. That has been a good way to get parents at the school connected.
  • Community Action Against Racism is an example. They have seen successful use of Facebook. In Dayton’s Bluff – they tore down the house across the street. We decided to have a rogue BBQ. We promoted on the email lists – but got a very homogeneous attendance. Next time we’re going door-to-door.

We need to look at who owns the computer, connections, news… Wall Street isn’t doing us any favors. The Tea Party and Occupy might encourage change.

  • In Ward 1, we are about 39% of median income of St Paul. We’re bringing in about $3000/month for a family of four. The expense is an issue.

I don’t think broadband is the number one issue in some communities. But the policymakers need to know that it is a problem.

Can we go to the next step? What do we do once they get online? There needs to be a reason for people to get online. They need to be part of a conversation towards an end. We need to pay attention to doing that. We will have people working with Skyline Tower & Gordon Park Youth. We may be working on a three ring garden.

Many people don’t see the relevance of the Internet – maybe we need to improve outreach. People on the far end of the divide don’t’ even know why they should care about being offline.

Maybe we need to get people info on how residents can to get broadband.

E-Democracy

  1. We will be experimenting with block clubs. There’s a tool called voice drupal that might allow people tp post via phone.
  2. We are working on www.beneighbors.org
  3. We are recruiting forum managers

In Minneapolis

  • We are getting ready to release results of digital inclusion survey
  • Our plan is to hold 4 community meetings to dive into the details of the survey
  • We also have the Tech Literacy Collaboration (TLC)

Having an online presence – it works best when you have a real world component. It’s so important to have an integrated approach – going door-to-door, ads on buses, billboards, fliers in libraries.

Free Phone Minnesota – is not a nonprofit. It’s a cell phone company in Tennessee. They give these out through Lifeline program. The PUC finally recognized the company and gave permission to this company. Unfortunately the company is giving out the cell phones as quickly as they can – but they aren’t providing info on how to get more minutes…  They use refurbished phones and 250 minutes. There are other companies on the PUC docket to give out more phones.

E-Democracy – we want to bring info and people together.

Building websites in Marshall

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It’s always nice to hear about more Minnesota businesses learning about how to better use the Internet to boost business and/or make their lives better. It sounds like a new cohort of businesses are learning to build websites themselves from a University of Minnesota Extension class. According to the Marshall Independent…

A diverse group of more than 20 people gathered at the Marshall MERIT training center Monday for a seminar on “Websites, from Simple to Complex.” The seminar was part of a series sponsored by the Marshall Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with the University of Minnesota Extension, and the Southwest Initiative Foundation.

The article spoke about how a few folks in the class would be using their newly developed skills…

Lori Skaar and her husband raise show pigs and farm near Marshall.

“We’re looking to sell our pigs to 4H-ers, and FFA kids,” Skaar said. “We have a website and we’re looking for things we can change. We have a pig sale in spring when most kids are looking for pigs to show in August, so we want to get out name out there.”
Skaar is one of a growing number of entrepreneurs who market exclusively over the Internet.

Minnesota Broadband Task Force meeting April 17, 2012 – Full Notes

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Yesterday I attended the Broadband Task Force meeting. It was held at Unisys in Eagan – so after the meeting we got a fun tour of their data center. The power accoutrements alone were impressive!

There were quite a few presentations at the meeting. Dakota County is developing a lot of best practices in terms of how to streamline broadband/utility development in the area. I think the presentations from the Dakota County folks will be of particular interest to anyone else looking to make it easier for providers to come into your area. (Thanks to everyone for sharing!) Also because Eagan is the home to so many high tech companies – they are experiencing the pain of too much success – specifically over crowded rights-of-way – and talking about solutions.

Much of the meeting was also spent in working group mode. Task Force members and attendees got into small groups and addressed the issues at hand. It was interesting to see what’s been happening outside the public meetings in terms of creating the roadmap that will be unveiled in the annual reports. It was also nice to see the public at large getting involved. It does make the point that folks showing up are having an impact. (Mentioning that to encourage more people to show up!) Because several groups met consecutively I could only take so many notes – but I was able to record a couple of the sessions. So while we have video from the session – the value is in the audio.

Here are the full notes, thanks to the presenters for sharing their presentations. Continue reading →

The Challenge of Online Teaching and Learning

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The Twin Cities Daily Planet is running a series of articles on online learning. Yesterday Sheila Regan wrote about some of the options and reasons that students in Minnesota go online…

Online learning takes many different forms. Sometimes it is a teacher using internet resources in the classroom. At other times, students take a fully-online course, working either from home or in the computer lab or media center at their school. In blended or hybrid courses, the students meet with the teacher once or twice a week. In the most fully online format, students go to an online-only charter or alternative school. The Minnesota Department of Education’s (MDE) provides a list of all the accredited online learning providers statewide.

Some of the reasons for going online to learn include making up credits, scheduling issues, an alternative to regular school – and in rural areas specifically online classes are an opportunity to take classes that might not otherwise be available or may not be available when a student needs them. Online programs are also offered (in a related article) as an option for kids who learn at a different pace, especially if that pace is very fast. In the spirit of full disclosure, I know the family featured in the article about online programs; they as a family are very technically inclined and very bright. Online courses have been a boon to parents and kids!

Today the Sheila looks at best practices for teaching online. One practitioner offers advice…

Robert Bilyk, Director for the Center for Online Learning at Metro State University, said the key to successful online learning is having a structured presence. “It’s really important that the instructor reaches out,” he said. Instructors need to be welcoming, and must respond to students in a timely manner. The instructors must “help students one on one,” he said. “That is the number one key thing,” he said. “Once a student feels the course is instructor-less, the student gets alienated from the course.”

The article also looks as recent audit of online learning programs…

The state audit showed that while the number of online course registrations had quadrupled in the last few years, online students were less likely to finish the courses they started. Full-time online students were more likely to drop out than students in general, and had significantly lower proficiency rates on the math MCA-II, although their proficiency rates in reading were similar to those of other students.

One reason noted for the discrepancy is that some students who move to online learning have had challenges in traditional school setting so they may not be predisposed to succeed in an academic setting. I was surprised to hear the downside of online learning, as it  was somewhat contrary to results I had previously read – but I suspect it depends on what you want to measure and find.

It makes sense to take a closer look at online learning; I reported earlier this month on legislative strides to bring a little online learning to all students. There are pushes from almost all side to move on it – we just need to make sure that the students, teachers, parents and infrastructure are prepared to help it move forward! (An online education roadmap like Wisconsin’s might help.)

Digital Differences from Pew: Who’s online? Who’s not? Why not?

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Who is online? According to the most recent Pew Internet & American Life survey, 78 percent of American adults use the Internet. As they point out that’s a steep climb from the 1 in 10 average in 1995. As I look at the chart of who is an who isn’t online, there are a few statistics jump out:

  • 41 percent of Americans over the age of 65 are online
  • 43 percent of adults without a high school diploma are online
  • 62 percent of adults making less than $30,000 are online
  • 68 percent of Hispanic adults are online

This rings true with other studies we have seen, such as stats listed in the 2011 Minnesota Broadband Task Force report…

  • 53% of low-income households do not subscribe
  • 51% of Hispanic households do not subscribe
  • 39% of rural households do not subscribe
  • 68% of seniors do not subscribe
  • 79% of low-income seniors do not subscribe
  • 54% of low-income households with children do not subscribe

Granted these stats reflect different things. Pew is looking at Internet access in the US; the Task Force was looking at broadband access in Minnesota but they are pointing in the same direction.

Pew also looks at why people aren’t online and again the answers will sound familiar…

More recent research by the Pew Internet Project has shown that among current non-internet users, almost half (48%) say the main reason they don’t go online now is because they don’t think the internet is relevant to them—often saying they don’t want to use the internet and don’t need to use it to get the information they want or conduct the communication they want. About one in five (21%) mention price-related reasons, and a similar number cite usability issues (such as not knowing how to go online or being physically unable to). Only 6% say that a lack of access or availability is the main reason they don’t go online.

Being a broadband proponent, I have to wonder how we get these people online. Pew added a fact that I found very interesting and may help answer that question…

Most of these non-users have never used the internet before, and don’t have anyone in their household who does. About one in five (21%) say that they know enough about technology to start using the internet on their own, and only one in ten told us that they were interested in using the internet or email in the future.

Interesting to me that there are folks who have never used the Internet. It seems as if once someone spent time online the relevance would become apparently. (Of course I’m projecting.) One way to think about how to get folks online is to look at what the folks who are online are doing. Here are the top 5 activities:

  • Search (92 percent)
  • Email (91 percent)
  • Buy a Product (71 percent)
  • Use Social Networking Sites (64 percent)
  • Bank Online (61 percent)

Perhaps just offering opportunities for folks to check out these tools and applications online would help. Sometimes it’s just a matter of opportunity, I know that the public computer set in the American Legion Hall in Morris MN has gotten people going online (many in the 65+ category). Sometimes guidance is the key; DEED has some (MIRC-sponsored) online training to help get people over the learning curve.

Pew also looks at why folks stay on dialup, the reasons they don’t upgrade – cost is the top issue.

In the spring of 2009, we asked adults who had dial-up internet what it would take for them to switch to a broadband connection at home. A plurality (35%) said the price would have to fall, and 17% said it would have to become available where they live. One in five (20%) said nothing would get them to change.

Perhaps some of the new programs to offer lower cost access to low-income households will help here.

It’s nice to know that we have programs in place to help boost adoption with the 22 percent of American adults who aren’t online. I think the key is getting word to the households who aren’t using it, and haven’t tried it. Many communities have had success working in senior centers. I was in a community broadband planning session in Benton County last summer – and still one of the best ideas I remember was public computers in the launderettes. Go where the people are, when they have time, give them a taste of the Internet and information on how to get more. (I know one group I have not mentioned here is non-English speakers. I’m hoping to have news on programs in other languages soon.)