February 2003 — Special Feature
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Streaming Technology Improves Student Achievement
Education Technology Goals
The No Child Left Behind Act requires schools to use instructional approaches that work. This is both a challenge and an opportunity for the educational publishing industry. The challenge will be to develop instructional materials, then subject them to scientifically based research. The opportunity comes with an unprecedented level of technology that is available to publishers and the learning environments within which learning can take place. Cometrika, using the unitedstreaming online education delivery system has provided the first such study that complies with the requirements of the NCLB Act. "The United Learning standards-based application, unitedstreaming, is a great example of how technology can be used to further student achievement," said U.S. Rep. Johnny Isakson, vice chair of the Web-Based Education Commission.
According to the U.S. Education Department, the use of video streaming technology can help accomplish the following National Educational Tech-nology goals:
- All students and teachers will have access to information technology in their classrooms, schools, communities and homes.
- All teachers will use technology effectively to help students achieve high academic standards.
- All students will have technology and information literacy skills.
- Research and evaluation will improve the next generation of technology applications for teaching and learning.
- Digital content and networked applications will transform teaching and learning.
"The use of educational technology in Illinois public schools has had 'a small but significant impact' on student performance, according to a statistical analysis. The Illinois State Board of Education commissioned Westat, a research firm based in Rockville, Md., to find out how the state's classrooms use technology and what affect computers and the Internet have had on student performance" (Branigan 2000). This study reports that "students' scores on certain subjects tended to be higher." Longitudinal science-based research and evaluation, which includes video streaming for content delivery, needs to be conducted over the next several years.
From Promise to Practice
The on-demand feature of video streaming embraces anytime, anywhere, any pace and anyplace learning. Since January 2001, thousands of schools and classrooms have made video streaming available to students. Teachers are learning to prepare lesson plans and student activities in print, graphic, sound and video formats to give teachers and students multiple paths for understanding and retaining content.
Largely as the result of E-Rate programs, which provide discounts on telecommunication services to schools and libraries, 98% of schools and 77% of classrooms are connected to the Internet. Upgrading Internet connections to robust broadband availability is becoming a reality. By 2000, "schools tended to use faster dedicated-line Internet connections" (Cattagni and Farris 2001).
Currently, downloading video streamed clips can overcome existing bandwidth limitations in the classroom. Downloaded clips can be built into Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, electronic reports, as well as other traditional and nontraditional forms of education. The on-demand feature of video streaming fits well with Internet use at school by students before and after regular school hours. "Of the 54% of schools making the Internet available to students outside of regular school hours, 98% made it available after school, 84% before school and 16% on weekends" (Cattagni and Farris 2001).
