HB 242-PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING: DIGITAL LEARNING  8:26:29 AM CHAIR DICK announced that the next order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 242, "An Act relating to funding for digital learning as a component of public school funding." 8:26:55 AM REPRESENTATIVE WILSON presenting HB 242 as the prime sponsor, paraphrased from a prepared statement, which read as follows [original punctuation provided]: House Bill No. 242 establishes a "digital learning funding factor" in law to assist school districts in implementing a full range of digital technology. The bill proposes to multiply the Average Daily Membership (ADM) by 1.005 to create a new digital learning factor. The new factor should provide about $6 million per year to spread across the state. Funds can be used to acquire a range of technologies, such as mobile devices, tablets, notebooks or smart boards, plus software and services like professional development and technical support. School districts will retain complete flexibility to use the funds based on local priorities. We have heard a lot of rhetoric around the building about education and how there is resistance to just increasing the Base Student Allocation. The bill provides the direct method for change that will improve our educational outcomes. The digital Learning program has been proven with the "Leveling the Playing Field" Pilot Program. I think it fits the goal of spending funds to get measureable improvements in outcomes. I have been asked by the Association of Alaska School Board's Consortium for Digital Learning (CDL) on digital learning, the implementers of the pilot, to introduce this legislation. I believe the Digital Learning program could be one of the tools we need to engage our students and help keep them in the classroom. There are Consortium for Digital Leaning members present that will be able to answer your questions relating to this program much better than I. Mr. Chair, with your permission, I ask that they come forward and answer program questions the committee may have. 8:29:25 AM CARL ROSE, Executive Director, Association of Alaska School Boards (AASB), directed attention to the committee handout titled "Transforming Alaska Education through Digital Learning" [Included in members' packets] and indicated how quickly the change had progressed since 2006. Referring to Representative Wilson's testimony, he declared that the infrastructure to support this rapid advance was necessary to ensure that the network would work. He shared that curriculum apps were now on line, and that the infrastructure support was growing as connectivity became available. He opined that the impetus behind proposed HB 242 was to sustain this effort for technology seed money. 8:32:52 AM BOB WHICKER, Director, Consortium for Digital Learning (CDL), stated that the proposed bill accomplished some necessary sustained program funding. He detailed that it would enable new projects, expand existing projects, and refresh other programs. 8:34:51 AM MR. WHICKER reported that, since his iPad demonstration during the past year, the Consortium for Digital Learning had progressed to become a service organization which provided aggregate ordering, broad reaching professional development, leadership training, projects, and a library of courses based on Alaska themes. 8:36:58 AM MR. WHICKER directed attention to the Consortium's latest project, detailed in the HD6 IPADS4LITERACY handout [Included in members' packets], which described that nine school districts had received a total of 600 iPads, targeted at the third grade level. He said that the data results of the program were still being received. He indicated page 3 of the handout, "Have the iPads changed your instruction?", noting the overwhelming affirmative response. He referred to an additional handout titled "Rationale for Inclusion of Digital Learning in Education Foundation Support" [Included in members' packets] and stated "we're in a place of change right now where all the efforts that you see with these [digital learning] projects are starting to move to ... change." He opined that proposed HB 242 would encourage this forward movement. 8:40:05 AM MR. ROSE, referring to page 2, line 8 of the proposed bill, explained that the funding factor of 1.005 equaled $5.9 million from the state to be used as "seed money." He opined that "when districts have skin in the game, they pay close attention to what they're doing." He suggested the three funding options for sustainability to be the general fund, grant processes, and capital budgets. He declared that this was a model for all schools to follow, and this seed money would create opportunity and impetus. 8:41:21 AM REPRESENTATIVE SEATON, directing attention to the aforementioned ratio for 1 to 1 distribution of the iPads, asked why the devices were left in the classroom. He relayed that other reports indicated that it was educationally beneficial when the devices were taken home by the students. He offered his belief that some of the gains for extending the educational day were being lost if this optional use was not allowed. He asked if the consortium was considering an expansion to the usage. 8:43:21 AM MR. WHICKER voiced his agreement, stating that research supported the expanded use outside of the classroom. He pointed out that, since 2006, the laptop take home policy was strongly encouraged, even though each district made its own determinations for management of the devices. He reported that the iPad program policies were not scrutinized and, referring to the graph in the aforementioned handout titled "Rationale for Inclusion of Digital Learning in Education Foundation Support," he declared that the adoption of change in schools did not come as quickly as the change in technology. He professed his strong support for the use of iPads outside the classrooms. 8:45:48 AM REPRESENTATIVE SEATON, addressing concerns for the breakage of technology when taken from the classroom, reported that the students were very responsible and protective of the devices. He pointed out that the apps on the devices allowed for use without connection to the internet. 8:47:18 AM REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI, directing attention to page 4 of the aforementioned HD6 IPADS4LITERACY handout, asked to clarify why Fairbanks had such a small number of users. He opined that tying proposed HB 242 to the average daily membership (ADM) student count would not allow for the necessary program seed money in all the school districts, and he asked how to ensure equity among all the school districts. 8:49:02 AM MR. ROSE explained that the 53 school districts were each governed by a local school board, which allowed for different policies and approaches. He gave examples for different means of implementation by the districts, and pointed out that smaller school districts had more flexibility for change. He explained that funding was from a block grant. 8:50:48 AM REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA asked how the technology interfaced with culture and local knowledge. MR. WHICKER, in response to Representative Cissna, said that students were able to use the laptops to record cultural activities, including the filming of dance groups, conferences, and oral histories by the elders. He said that CDL had helped bring people together around a common infrastructure, which brought many different projects to light. 8:53:13 AM REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA offered her belief that built-in incentives were motivators, and she asked whether the separate school boards were involved, especially as mentors to each other. 8:54:34 AM MR. ROSE replied that the diversity of the school districts was broad and that, although the technology and information was shared with each of the districts, it was necessary for each district to determine its local need and to find the money to invest. REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA asked if legislators were invited to the AASB meetings. MR. ROSE extended an invitation to the annual conference. 8:57:09 AM REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON, referring to the handout [included in members' packets] titled "Transforming Alaska Education through Digital Learning" and read: "The challenge is that all children do not have access to an equitable education experience." She expressed her agreement with the statement, and continued reading: Additional designated funding will help school leaders meet that responsibility. Adding funds to the foundation formula and collaboration between individual legislators and school districts to expand digital learning opportunities for students can transform education in Alaska. For us to miss this opportunity to change the face of teaching and learning now would be a tragedy. She offered her belief that it was necessary to recognize this as a sustainable opportunity and for the legislature to make it happen. 8:59:54 AM REPRESENTATIVE FEIGE stated his support for the advantages of digital learning. He questioned whether enough money was being requested in the proposed bill. MR. ROSE replied that the requested amount was a starting point, but that it could be larger. He opined that it was better to ask for an amount that would be accepted rather than rejected as too large. REPRESENTATIVE FEIGE remarked that technology, as it changed, required an ongoing capital investment. He suggested that it would require more funding to accomplish what was necessary. He asked if there were controls in the proposed bill to ensure that the funds were spent on digital learning. MR. ROSE expressed agreement that definitions for accountability should be included. 9:02:38 AM REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked if the Alaska apps were free to the school districts. MR. WHICKER replied that all the content at iTunes U was free, and that CDL was continually working with partners to "help to fill that repository." He noted that other groups were also working to collect and distribute information, and he stated, "That's a good thing in that this is too big of an issue for any one entity to take on by themselves." 9:03:49 AM REPRESENTATIVE SEATON referenced a report from a school district that district purchases of iPod Touch were double that of iPads. He reflected that the iPod Touch offered the same applications, was smaller, and was less expensive. He asked if iPads were more effective for increasing education. MR. WHICKER replied that the proposed bill allowed each individual school district to select its device. He agreed that, although there was a lot of current excitement about the iPad, many devices were available and that proposed HB 242 allowed funding for a variety of devices to meet the differing needs. He stated that there was no explicit advantage to any of the devices, but rather it was "a decision of form factor." 9:07:26 AM REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked to clarify that the consortium would offer a comparison of each technology, instead of focusing on a single piece, to ensure the best results for each user group. 9:08:42 AM REPRESENTATIVE PRUITT asked what controls would be implemented to allow that individual users would not be distracted by other uses. MR. WHICKER, in response to Representative Pruitt, explained that each school loaded different apps on the iPads, based on its instructional strategy, and that the distractions were a result of work online. He shared that schools had installed filters to support established policies and were offering professional development for teachers to learn how to teach with this technology. He suggested that kids would often use the tools for their own learning enhancement. 9:13:26 AM CHAIR DICK relayed that Dell was developing a system to allow teachers to monitor each student's use of the device. 9:13:58 AM REPRESENTATIVE PRUITT asked if there was a way to ensure that teachers were ready to integrate these technologies, even though some teachers were resistant to change. MR. WHICKER offered his belief that professional development and training for the use of these tools were the most necessary fundamentals, and that funding was usually the key to both of these. 9:16:29 AM REPRESENTATIVE SEATON indicated that the technology had to be synched with the school computers which could erase any unauthorized applications. MR. WHICKER confirmed this, and he pointed out that future technology allowed for easier management, noting that the iPads had teacher, rather than tech, managed solutions. 9:18:21 AM REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON directed attention to page 2 of the fiscal note, and read: "this legislation will need to be updated to include new vocational education factor, or CTE, which passed in the 2011 legislative session and signed by the governor into law." She asked if the committee would like this included. REPRESENTATIVE FEIGE opined that the House Finance Committee would request it. REPRESENTATIVE SEATON, directing attention to page 2, line 8 of the proposed bill, asked if the funding factor of 1.005 eliminated the 1 percent which had been passed during the prior year. REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON replied that that the 1 percent had been a one-time distribution. MR. ROSE offered his belief that this was now 21 percent in the block grant, and he agreed that it was ongoing. 9:20:15 AM CHAIR DICK announced that HB 242 would be held over.