[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 125 (Thursday, September 12, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1606]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 GETTING CONNECTED TO THE 21ST CENTURY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. GEORGE MILLER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 12, 1996

  Mr. MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, today, I am pleased to 
introduce a bill commending California's NetDay96 activities and the 
tens of thousands of NetDay participants, and affirming this House's 
commitment to providing the Nation's school classrooms with the 
necessary technology for the 21st century.
  The State of California is know for its high technology economy and 
as the birthplace of the personal computer. Yet, we rank 33d nationwide 
in overall technology spending per student in our schools, at $3 per 
student per year. Most classrooms still lack telephone wires. 
Nationally, many schools are struggling with outdated textbooks and 
lack the resources to purchase the latest informational and 
instructional resources. Fieldtrips to museums, laboratories, and other 
off-campus sites are an expensive luxury that cannot be enjoyed 
frequently. And, only a handful of schools can afford to send their 
students to visit overseas locations
  Providing Internet access to our classrooms has the potential to be 
an important educational asset. This is more than about learning how to 
use a computer. It's about access to information. Information about 
scientific discoveries, information about historical findings, 
information about the latest legislative activities in government. It 
is also about the excitement of direct interaction. The excitement of 
interacting with top museums all over the world; the excitement of 
interacting with laboratories on the cutting edge of scientific 
research; the excitement of interacting with field scientists working 
at remote locations; the excitement of interacting with other children 
halfway around the world.
  Such learning enhancement provided by the Internet is not limited to 
science and technology. A survey of more than 130 recent academic 
studies showed that technology-based instruction improved student 
performance in language arts, math, and social studies, as well as in 
science.
  On March 9, 1996, my State of California held its NetDay96 to wire 
3,500 schools statewide to give our students access to the Internet. On 
this one Saturday, over 50,000 volunteers participated, ranging from 
students, teachers, and parents to local community groups. On this 1 
day, over 1,000 sponsors contributed, ranging from high technology 
companies to donut shops. I was joined by President Clinton and Vice 
President Gore at Ygnacio Valley High School in my district, where we 
helped install wires.

  I would like to extend my appreciation to President Clinton and Vice 
President Gore for their leadership and support in providing technology 
to our schools. I also thank the two cofounders of NetDay96, Mr. John 
Gage of Sun Microsystems and Michael Kaufman of KQED, the thousands of 
sponsoring companies, and the tens of thousands of volunteers, for 
bringing the Internet to California schools.
  After hearing about California's successful NetDay96, some 40 States 
and 15 countries have asked the NetDay96 organizers to put together a 
similar event in their State or country. The organizers responded with 
a nationwide NetDay96 Month, to be held over four Saturdays this 
October. Members of Congress, and anyone else, can find out if their 
State has signed on for this event by going to the NetDay96 Web site at 
www.netday96.com.
 Mr. Speaker, more and more companies are eager to contribute to this 
effort. Just recently, the cable TV industry announced that it would 
assist in providing Internet connection to schools all across the 
Nation. I urge my colleagues to take advantage of this opportunity and 
help their States' schools to gain access to this valuable tool called 
the Internet and join me in this resolution promoting NetDay96 
throughout the entire Nation.
  As wonderful as the Internet is in providing information, we must 
also keep in mind that it is an unregulated medium and that there is 
much unverified information. To guard against inappropriate or 
inaccurate information, proper technological barriers should be put in 
place, proper supervision provided, and proper information review 
exercised. In that regard, teachers must be trained not only on how to 
use the Internet, but also to be aware of and compensate for the 
pitfalls in the system.
  We must remember that the Internet is only a tool; how this tool is 
used by teachers, students, and parents will determine its usefulness 
and effectiveness. Regardless of the availability of the Internet in 
schools, we must not forget that we still need dedicated teachers, 
effective administrators, concerned parents, and adequate funding to 
have the best educated children and work force in the world for the 
21st century.

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