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Member
Spotlight |
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WECB Executive Director Tom
Fletemeyer, speaking at the dedication of a NOAA weather radio facility in Prairie du
Chien |
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(Posted August 1, 2003) For more than a century, universities have provided
“extension courses,” the forerunners of today’s “high tech”
distance learning opportunities. In 1972, as
communication and educational technologies were advancing rapidly, the Wisconsin
Educational Communications Board (ECB) and the University of Wisconsin-Extension joined
forces. The result was the forerunner of a statewide educational telecommunications system
like no other in the nation. (See stations map.)
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The state created ECB in 1971 to build television and
radio networks to meet Wisconsin’s educational needs.
Since 1992, its five stations and the university’s station in Madison have
operated as Wisconsin Public Television. ECB
is responsible for K-12 instructional programming for the network, and its mission
includes the diffusion of advanced technologies. “We strive to be an essential
community institution. We work to increase
the use of public and instructional broadcasting by our state’s diverse population
and to ensure that population’s access to technological advancements,” said
Executive Director Tom Fletemeyer.
(Note: Mr. Fletemeyer retired in January 2004. Wendy L. Wink is the
current Executive Director at WECB.)
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Much of the network’s locally produced programming
addresses different aspects of a topic common to all of those diverse viewers, Wisconsin. General audience programming and media packages
for classroom use explore the state’s history, culture, government, geography, and
community issues.
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Cultural
Horizons of Wisconsin, a ten-episode classroom series on cultural
diversity in the state, won a regional Emmy last year.
The “Beyond Borders” program of the series received a gold Aurora Award
this year. Building on these successes, ECB created Cultural Horizons of North
America, which received the 2003 Wilbur Schramm
award at the NETA Education Leadership Summit in July. The Working
Together series on conflict resolution is the winner of a Central Educational Network
award and the 2000 Schramm Award. The companion Harmony Tree CD-ROM and
teacher guide won a first place NETA award in 2001. Teaching Through Technology,
which features exemplary Wisconsin instructors using technologies in their classrooms,
also won a first place NETA Award that year.
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Nearly 70,000 Wisconsin teachers
can select from ECB’s Instructional
Database of more than 1,800 ITV programs (including more than 140 series) to
enhance the learning experiences of the state’s 1,000,000 students. These educators, through ITV PreView, can also
participate in the network’s selection of new classroom series.
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ECB provides online opportunities for teachers’
ongoing professional development. In
2002-2003, ECB, in partnership with 35 school districts in Central Wisconsin and the
Madison Metro School District, piloted TeacherLine to
document the PBS project’s benefits for Wisconsin teachers. This year, ECB is expanding TeacherLine to
additional areas of the state.
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As ECB works through the digital
conversion process, its transition plan includes testing the impact of digital television
in classrooms. Digital Wisconsin, a
media library of Wisconsin studies and professional development materials, supports
teachers striving to bring digital technologies to their classrooms. This project, which involves 15 school districts,
was showcased at the recent Education Leadership Summit. (See the PowerPoint slides.)
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The network’s educational mission goes beyond K-12. College-level telecourses, this century’s
version of “extension courses,” are
offered on Wisconsin Public Television and Milwaukee Public Television.
“Our goal is to offer formal and informal educational opportunities for
learners of all ages. Our outreach projects
reflect that and help us to forge partnerships and foster cooperation to make a difference
in the communities that we serve,” said Fletemeyer.
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 Visit
the Wisconsin ECB Web site: ECB.org |
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