THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234

 

TO:	The Honorable the Members of the Board of Regents
FROM:	Carole F. Huxley
COMMITTEE:	Cultural Education
TITLE OF ITEM:	Digital Public Television and Education
DATE OF SUBMISSION:	May 28, 2004
PROPOSED HANDLING:	Discussion
RATIONALE FOR ITEM:	Development of Policy, Regulation and Support Governing Public Television.
STRATEGIC GOAL:
AUTHORIZATION(S):

 

SUMMARY:

 

          The long-awaited new digital capacity of public broadcasting is now a reality. All but one of the stations have turned on a digital signal, providing the ability to send and receive video, audio and text data, provide on-demand services, and broadcast four to six channels simultaneously. It is the merger of TV and computers, eventually accessible to anyone with a digital television set. Anticipating that capacity, the Regents have put the role of public television in the digital era on their 24-month calendar.

 

This month’s discussion will enable the Regents to begin consideration of the ways in which public television might serve education broadly; its role in the development of the Quality Committee’s technology policy; and what steps the Regents and the Department might take to ensure that the potential of digital television in the service of education is realized.  Based on the discussion, we will develop a plan of action for your review at the September meeting and for approval in November.

 

The attached document provides background for the Committee’s discussion.

 

Attachmet

 

New York State Public Television

Examples of Digital Projects

 

TeacherLine

         

TeacherLine provides online professional development instruction to teachers in mathematics, science, reading/language arts, technology integration and best practices.

 

Think Bright

         

Think Bright (WNED) is a family of digital learning services that work together including   a dynamic online website and a new digital television channel which will soon converge for interactive learning.

 

Video on Demand

         

Video on Demand enables teachers, parents and students in New York State to access over 20,000 video clips and supporting print materials. 

 

Homework Hotline

 

          Educators bring classroom teaching to a statewide audience of 8-13 year olds focusing on their homework problems in a live, interactive program produced by WXXI.

 

Empire Channel

 

          New York’s public broadcasting stations have pledged to set-aside a portion of the new digital spectrum for a statewide channel dedicated to supporting the State’s education goals.

 

Do the Math!

 

          Do the Math! a proposal to produce an integrated family of highly visible, cross-platform initiatives to enhance public perception of standards-based math instruction and improve the use of technology in mathematics instruction.

 

Kids Thirteen

 

          The New York City area’s first 24-hour digital broadcast educational channel for children.

 

 

New York State Public Television

Status of Digital Conversion

 

Digital Service as of May 12, 2004

 

Number

                    Analog         Digital          Digital          of Digital

                    Broadcast    Broadcast    Cable           Channels     Comments

 

New York City    Yes            Yes             Yes                 4

(WNET)

 

Long Island        Yes            Yes              No                  3

(WLIW)

Buffalo               Yes            Yes              Yes                3

(WNED)

Rochester          Yes             Yes             Yes                4

(WXXI)

Syracuse           Yes              Yes             Yes                3

(WCNY)

Recently received $2 million federal

grant for digital conversion, anticipate

Watertown         Yes             No                 No                No           12/04 start of digital broadcast

(WPBS)                                                                                       

 

Binghamton       Yes              Yes               No                1

(WSKG)

 

Albany               Yes             Yes               Yes              2

(WMHT)

Plattsburgh        Yes              Yes               No                2

(WCFE)

 

New York State Public Television

Issues for Regents Consideration

 

• Regents regulations governing public broadcasting have become obsolete because of digital technology.

 

• Digital technology affords significant opportunities to help achieve Regents priorities especially in “closing the gaps.”

 

• Lack of equal access to digital technology widens the gap between the have’s and have-not’s.

 

• Public Broadcasting has the power to reach virtually every home and every parent, teacher, student, and child in New York. It will bring digital capacity to all of them by 2006.

 

·       This capacity can provide cost-effective delivery of master teaching, professional development and massive resources for learning to people at their convenience and wherever they are situated.

 

 

New York State Public Television

Recommendations for Implementing Regents Priorities

 

Programmatic implementation

 

·       Support creation of a statewide public television digital network to provide educational services to all New Yorkers.

 

·       Investigate, analyze and prioritize the best uses of public television’s digital services by all USNY institutions.

 

·       Promote full access to those priority services by all New Yorkers who can benefit from them.

 

·       Use these digital resources as a tool to close the performance gap.

 

Building capacity to support implementation

 

·       Provide hardware and software needed to renovate and expand the State’s public TV’s digital capacity. (2005/6 draft budget)

 

·       Improve the capacity of New York’s public TV stations to meet the special needs of rural and urban communities. (2005/6 draft budget)

 

·       Strengthen the capacity of New York’s public TV stations to help teachers and all learners acquire the skills needed to maximize the use of digital technologies.

 

·       Enhance access to public television’s educational content to improve achievement of all New Yorkers and support the development of new content. (partial support in 2005/6 draft budget)