NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR ANNOUNCES FREE, WEB-BASED TRAINING
TO HELP TEACHERS INTEGRATE THE INTERNET IN THEIR CLASSROOMS
GLOBAL CONNECTIONS ONLINE (WWW.NSGLOBALONLINE.COM)
WILL PROVIDE INTERNET TRAINING TO TEACHERS ANYTIME, ANYWHERE
May 7, 1998 - Responding to teachers' feedback and delivering on its promise to show teachers how to use the Internet in their classrooms, National Semiconductor Corporation today announced the latest component of its Internet training initiative: a free, comprehensive Web-based training course to help teachers enrich their lesson plans using the Internet.
Available anytime, anywhere, National's online training is designed to help teachers around the world integrate information from the Web in their curricula and enhance their knowledge regardless of what level of Internet competency they possess.
"The Internet can bring a world of information into the classroom. With today's announcement, we're showing any teacher in the world with Internet access how to use this incredibly powerful resource," said Brian L. Halla, National's CEO. "Studies reveal that many schools have access to the Internet, yet a vast number of teachers have not been trained to use the technology. National wants to close that gap."
Several studies point to the important impact the Internet is having on the classroom and to the immediate need for more widespread teacher training. In research conducted by Market Data Retrieval, 76 percent of educators say the Internet is a useful tool for research,
and 53.4 percent say it's useful for connecting students to the "real" world. In the same study, lack of training for teachers was cited by 80.5 percent as an obstacle to Internet use.
Another study, by Quality Education Data, points to the fact that although $5.2 billion was spent on technology in public schools in the United States in 1997, only 15 percent of all teachers have received at least nine hours of technology training. This percentage decreases when other countries are included.
Global Connections Online includes the following 30-minute training modules, adapted for teachers:
- The World Wide Web (navigating, searching, organizing bookmarks and off-line browsing)
- Internet Basics (history, glossary of terms, technology crash course and the Internet in education)
- Issues to Consider (issues faced by teachers using the Internet in the classroom)
- Developing an Internet-rich Lesson Plan
- Designing and Building a Web Page (advantages, loopholes and "how-to's")
The site also features an online chat room and bulletin board where trainers and teachers provide participants with additional support as they go through the training modules in the program. National built the support feature into the program to ensure teachers got the assistance they needed as they progressed through the course. National's goal is to address any questions that arise within 24 hours.
Response from initial testers and industry experts has been positive:
"I was looking for ways to help train my school's staff, and this is self-explanatory and easy to follow," said Eric Brandt, a fourth grade teacher at Linwood School in Visalia, Calif.
"This program is a step in the right direction. Teachers don't have time to take out-of-class training, and this will help them get up to speed at their own pace with the Internet and use it in their curriculum," said Jim Holt, senior vice president of Quality Education Data, an education research firm.
Global Connections Online is an extension of National's Internet training initiative for teachers. In October 1997, National launched its $2.5 million program with "Global Connections: Making the Most of the Internet in Your Classroom," a hands-on, leader-led training program showing teachers how to integrate the Web in their lesson plans. This course is available for teachers in California, Maine and Texas, where the company has a major presence. Global Connections and Global Connections Online were developed in collaboration with PCC, Inc. (People's Computer Company) of Berkeley, Calif., an internationally recognized expert in the use of technology in education.
To reward teachers who are already using the Internet effectively in their classrooms, National created the Internet Innovator Awards. The company will provide $1 million over the next three years to teachers and schools in California, Maine and Texas that are using the Internet in innovative ways to enhance their curricula.
More information about National's Internet training initiative can be found at www.national.com/training
About National Semiconductor
National Semiconductor Corporation produces system on a chip silicon solutions for the information highway, based on its leadership in analog and mixed signal technologies. National is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and focuses on the communications, personal systems and consumer markets. National has annual sales of approximately $2.5 billion and 13,700 employees worldwide. Additional company and product information is available on the World Wide Web at www.national.com.
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