TANDBERG has helped schools and organizations throughout Texas expand education beyond the walls of the traditional classroom. Through its Grant Services program, TANDBERG assists schools such as Region 14 near Abilene apply for and win federal funding for distance learning technology. Students throughout Texas have gained virtual access to dozens of distance learning destinations including Mote Marine Laboratory, the Smithsonian Institute and Liberty Science Center through the TANDBERG Connections program, which allows schools to attend virtual fieldtrips at no cost.

TANDBERG executives have donated their time and expertise to the Texas Distance Learning Association to improve educational opportunities in the state. Jim Goodyear, Texas account manager, serves on TxDLA's Executive Partnership Council and has just been elected to the Board of Directors. Dr. Deborah Harrison, TANDBERG's global marketing manager for distance education and corporate training, was a founding TxDLA board chair and past president.

"TANDBERG has been a strong supporter of the association and a constant advocate for distance learning," said Patrick Pluscht, chairman of the Texas Distance Learning Association board and director of the Center for Distributed Learning at the University of North Texas. "By offering the time and expertise of top executives and by providing top-shelf products, support and grant services, TANDBERG has spurred the evolution of distance learning in Texas and helped more students achieve academic excellence."

Texas, with its large rural school population and scarce teaching resources in some school districts, is a national leader in distance learning with nearly 90 percent of its districts equipped with distance learning and visual communication technologies. Many Texas colleges and universities are also using TANDBERG visual communication to resolve distance learning and resource challenges.

"We're advancing toward a world that increasingly depends on visual communication as an essential tool we use every day," said Tommy Bearden, distance learning coordinator, Region 14 Education Service Center. "Beyond the basic improvements that distance learning introduces, we're helping students become developers and producers of educational content. And that's certainly an emerging professional skill."

North Texas schools located within Region 10's service area are equipped with visual communication technology, including more than 150 TANDBERG systems. The region's extensive distance learning program represents a comprehensive credit-bearing educational network. It offers dual credit courses and fosters student collaboration across school districts. Region 10 also offers master and doctoral degree programs as well as certification courses for school district staff through local universities.

"Visual communication technology has a tremendous power to unify," said Bob Barnes, Network Manager, EdNet10 Video conference Network, Region 10 Education Service Center. "In Region 10, we are matching students with the teachers they need to advance academically, creating collaborative links among students in different districts and providing professional development for our dedicated teachers."

TANDBERG is a provider of distance learning and video communication products and services. TANDBERG designs, develops and markets systems and software for video, voice, data and are widely used by educational institutions for distance learning initiatives. Visit http://www.tandberg.net for more information.