Districts will be able to use SchoolNet Plus funding to purchase items offered on the Equipment and Services Catalog in accordance with the SchoolNet Plus Grade 8 Guidelines . Additionally, Ohio schools can purchase from the Catalog using other funding sources such as local, state or federal funding that allows the purchase of educational technology equipment.

Visit the SchoolNet Plus home page for more details about SchoolNet Plus Grade 8. Contact coordinator Steve Crumbacher at 877.383.2406 or your eTech Ohio Education Technology Consultant for additional information.

Contact Larry Koslap at 877.383.2406 with questions related to the Equipment and Services Catalog.

December eTech Ohio E-Rate Workshops will offer step-by-step instructions on preparing and filing the Form 471 to request discounts on eligible services. eTech Ohio December 2006 E-Rate Workshops are scheduled for:

• December 1: NWOCA, Archbold/Toledo area
• December 4: Auglaize ESC, Wapakoneta (AM)
• December 5: SCOCA, Piketon (AM)
• December 6: Upper Arlington Library, Columbus
• December 7: NOECA, Sandusky (AM)
• December 8: WNEO, Kent (AM)
• December 11: Jefferson Community College, Steubenville (PM)
• December 12: SOITA Conference, Dayton (PM)
• December 14: Muskingum Valley ESC, Zanesville (AM)

Details and registration will be provided on the eTech Ohio website.

Eligible Services Update

The FCC has approved the eligible Services List and the SLD has announced the Form 471 filing window for funding year 2007-08. The Form 471 application filing window for Funding Year 2007 will open at noon EST on Tuesday, November 14, 2006 and will close at 11:59 pm EST on Wednesday, February 7, 2007.

The filing window will be open for 86 days. In addition, the approved Eligible Services List contains some significant changes from the draft list including information about:

• Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) eligibility
• Blackberry eligibility
• Cost allocation for ineligible services

Award Update

In funding year 2006-07 Ohio schools and libraries received just over $54.8M million in total discounts through 31 waves of funding commitment awards. Priority 2 internal connections and maintenance on internal connections equipment awards have been approved at the 90% funding level only at this time, and all applications for internal connections at 60% and below have been denied. It is expected that the internal connections funding level will gradually move lower as FCC and SLD determine remaining available funds.

Ohio applicants received $63.7M in E-Rate discounts in funding year 2005-06. Priority 2 awards for 2005-06 are down to 81% with only 80% still to be decided upon. Applications for internal connections below the 80% discount level have been denied.

For more information on the federal E-Rate program, contact Dan Farslow at 877.383.2406.

For questions about eLearning, please contact the eLearning Team at 877.383.2406.

The online interactive exhibit hall tool is now available! You can browse the Exhibit Hall before the Conference and find exhibitors by company name, booth number or keyword. The list of exhibitors will continue to grow, so check the website often.

eTech Ohio is pleased to announce that one semester hour of graduate credit may be earned by attending the 2007 Conference. Graduate credit is offered by Ashland University. Tuition is $185.00. There are two options to register for credit:

• online from February 11-15, 2007
• in-person from February 13-14, 2007 at the Conference Information Booth

Visit the eTech Ohio website for more details.

Deadlines:

Wednesday, December 13, 2006, is the early bird registration deadline. Discounted registration rates will not be available after this date.

Additional questions or inquiries about the eTech Ohio Educational Technology Conference can be directed to the Conference Team at 1.877.383.2406.

To be eligible to receive FY07 PD Grant funds, districts must have completed and submitted their FY06 Final Project Reports, FY06 Final Expenditure Report and the FY07 application. The status of an entity's previously submitted Final Project Report can be accessed through the PD Contact's Hall Pass account.

FY07 PD Grant recipients should review the FY07 PD Grant Spending Guidelines in planning their professional development.

Contact Steve Crumbacher or your local eTech Ohio Educational Technology Consultant at 877.383.2406 with questions related to PD Grant.

WMUB is First in Ohio with a Third Channel of HD Radio! This summer WMUB-FM at Miami University in Oxford became the first station in Ohio to "triplecast," using digital HD Radio technology. HD Radio is the de-facto digital broadcast standard in the U.S, allowing AM stations to sound more like their FM counterparts. This system allows FM stations to split their signals to deliver additional channels of programming that can be heard on the new HD Radios, now available to consumers. WMUB is believed to be among the first ten stations nationwide to add a third channel.

WMUB began transmitting a secondary (HD-2) channel of 24-hour jazz programming in June of 2005. The tertiary (HD-3) channel features 24-hour access to the BBC World Service. Future plans include addition of an HD-4 channel for special event coverage such as congressional hearings or other long-form programming. Partial funding for the project was provided by a Digital Radio Conversion Fund grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. For more information about WMUB's HD Radio efforts, contact Chief Engineer Jim Keen or Program Director John Hingsbergen at 513-529-5885.

Think^TV

High School History Resources for the Ohio Graduation Test. A dedicated team of teachers and curriculum supervisors from the Miami Valley Teaching American History Project, in conjunction with ThinkTV, Greater Dayton Public Television, and Wright State University, has developed online resources for students who have difficulty with the history portion of the Ohio Graduation Test (OGT). These resources are aligned to the Ohio Academic Content Standards for social studies and are intended to improve student performance in the history classroom - and on the OGT. Five types of resources are available online at http://lpdc.montgomery.k12.oh.us/History/ogt/index.htm.

Contact Gloria Skurski for more details about these resources.

ideastream

On November 7 and 8, the international radio and online call-in program World Have Your Say, was broadcast live from the Westfield Insurance Studio Theatre at 90.3 WCPN ideastreamsm. The WHYS visit to Cleveland coincided with the U.S. national mid-term elections and the global interest in the campaign issues and outcomes. The Cleveland broadcasts were part of a multi-day tour, including stops in Washington, DC and Detroit, MI. Produced by the BBC World Service, World Have Your Say can be heard on public radio stations throughout the United states. It airs weekdays at 1:00pm on 90.3 WCPN.

World Have your Say program hosts Ros Atkins and Rabiya Parekh, together with ideastream news and information staff, discussed key election issues and results with the in-studio audiences and facilitated dialogue between program listeners around the world who telephoned or submitted comments and questions online. During the broadcasts, emails and calls were submitted from India, Slovakia, Russia, Afghanistan, Kenya, Germany, Poland, England, Pakistan, and many locations in North America, including Maryland, Texas, Ohio, California, New York, Ontario and Quebec.

The programs were made available as podcasts from wcpn.org and the discussions the Cleveland shows sparked were also posted on the World Have Your Say blog.

For many, going back to school can be intimidating but with the help of your own Regional Coordinator and the Ohio Learning Network's helpful planning page distance learning can be a rewarding experience. Other adults just like you have found distance learning is right for them. It can offer you the flexibility you need to fit education into your work schedule and family life without sacrificing your time or gas to go to class. So, what are you waiting for? Start your distance learning education today!

Contact Ohio Learning Network Regional Coordinator Nancy Ragias at 740.588.1523.