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October 15, 2008
ROCKEFELLER VISITS VIRTUAL CLASSROOM AT MERCER COUNTY SCHOOL
~Rockefeller-Created E-Rate Program Helped Fund Major Technology Upgrade~
Washington, DC – Flanked by students and teachers and administrators, Senator Jay Rockefeller today participated in a virtual classroom between PikeView High School and Montcalm High School in Mercer County. The technology to connect the two schools is supported in part through the Rockefeller-created E-Rate program. The new high speed connections are purchased from Suddenlink.
The Senator participated in two different events at the school. The first was a virtual psychology class with students of the two schools. The second was a demonstration of “smart board” technologies to help students learn human anatomy. Along with Senator Rockefeller, Jerry Kent, CEO of Suddenlink, and Dr. Deborah Akers, Mercer County Superintendent also participated in the events.
“This kind of technology not only makes learning fun, but opens up countless possibilities for teachers and students to look beyond traditional lesson plans and allows the to take full advantage of the enormous opportunities on the Internet,” Rockefeller said. “The students are getting the 21st Century education they need to be successful after high school. I commend the Mercer County Board of Education for being so committed to their students’ futures.”
“We know advanced broadband technology is increasingly critical to education, and that’s why we are proud to have been a lead partner in this effort with Mercer County Schools,” said Jerry Kent, Chief Executive Officer of Suddenlink Communications, West Virginia’s largest cable broadband provider and the primary contractor for the Mercer County project. “The platform that enabled this network is the outgrowth of a major capital investment – part of our ongoing commitment to West Virginia, its citizens, and our customers.”
The Mercer County Board of Education is launching a high-speed broadband network to enable their students and teachers to use the Internet for a variety of educational purposes.
Today’s demonstration of a virtual classroom was made possible because the school system upgraded from a slower T-1 line to a 100 MB wide-area-network (WAN) – which offers ten times more connectivity and speed. Because of the new infrastructure, students will be able to better use on-line resources, including text books, virtual field trips, even Internet-based testing. Already, a number of Mercer County students are enrolled in distance-learning, advanced math classes taught through Concord College or West Virginia University.
Every school in Mercer County will eventually be connected to this higher speed which will enable the schools to use more advanced education technology. Teachers can also use the network to access streamlined professional development tools and classroom resources.
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