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This
summer, 35 youth, 7-16, experienced the future of Internet research
when they were able to use a portable, high-speed satellite link
to do research on piñatas at a Life Skills Day Camp in King
County. This link to the Internet was provided by a Ford van equipped
with a wireless computer network and high speed data via satellite
system controlled by global positioning technology.
The
van was funded in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
to Washington State University's Center to Bridge the Digital Divide
(CBDD) as part of grant for a Cooperative Extension 4-H technology
initiative, the 4-H T4 project (Teens Teaching and Training Technology).
The other part of the funding came from ADEC,
the American Distance Education Consortium,
as part of its Advanced Internet Extension satellite Project (AIESP)
which is funded by the National Science Foundation.
Scott V. Fedale, Director of Extension Information Technology,
conceived the idea of a 'mobile computer training laboratory
with high speed
Internet' while he was working with CBDD director Bill Gillis to
write a grant proposal for a 4-H technology project for submission
to the Gates Foundation.
Fedale's concept was to be able to bring a wireless computer laboratory,
complete with high speed Internet connectivity, to any location
in the state of Washington where 4-H'ers wanted computer training,
whether they had a computer lab or internet connectivity at their
location.
4-H'ers, under the watchful eye of long-time volunteer Chuck Todd, unload portable computers from the rear of the 4-H T4 van via its Tommy Lift gate.
The van makes use of a global positioning system to assist the
satellite dish in locating the satellite It's using. The satellite
connectivity
for this project is being provided by
Tachyon, Inc., a partner in AIESP with
ADEC. The van also carries a wireless network of 15Dell laptop
computers in a wheeled cart, which can be unloaded from the van
via a Tommy
Lift gate mounted at the rear of the van.
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4-H T4 technology van.
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The
van has already been used for training and demonstrations at
events
such as the King County Fair and at a Latino Youth Day Camp.
During the 4-H State Teen Conference it was used to provide
an 'Internet
Cafe' where teens could use the connectivity to communicate with
their parents and friends everyday via email. The van also
appeared
at the Evergreen State Fair in Monroe, the Puyallup Fair and
then was part of a live broadcast originating from the annual
meeting
of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians in Pendleton, Oregon,
in late September. This broadcast was part of the research
and
development portion of the ADEC AIESP project and was the first
test within the project of transmitting full broadcast quality
video via the Tachyon technology. State 4-H staff and volunteers
staffed the van. These individuals, along with several staff
in
the Information Department, took part in a training session in
May about how to operate the van. Since then, it has been scheduled
regularly for appearances and demonstrations around the state.
Snohomish
County Chair Curt Moulton has used the van for 4-H events in his
county and is enthusiastic about its potential. 'The mobile technology
van opens new doors for 4-H learning and service. Youth cannot
only learn about cutting edge Internet technologies, but also
create interactive discovery activities between remote research
sites and their classrooms and offer disaster management services
in emergencies. This self-contained communications van is creating
new horizons for 4-H youth.'
Scott
Fedale ,
Chair, Information Department
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