[OT] tele-education

[KRFinch at dstsystems.com]

They also do similar operations in the remote parts of Alaska.  There just
aren't enough students in many areas to warrant a full-time teacher.  Back
in 1992 they were doing all of this through video satellite uplinks.  The
state had a contract with Alascom to provide the satellite time.

Marginally funny anecdote:
Because of the harsh environment and weather in many parts of Alaska, they
had problems with ice build-up on equipment.  It can get so bad that the
weight of the ice can easily take the dish out of alignment and kill the
uplink.  Hence, one of the requirements of the remote receiving equipment
all over the state is that it be able to withstand someone going at it with
an axe to get rid of the accumulated ice.

- Kevin

                                                                           
             Garrett Goebel                                                
             <garrett at scriptpr                                             
             o.com>                                                     To 
             Sent by:                  "'Bryan Richard'"                   
             owner-kclug at kclug         <bryan at booknerd.net>, Leo J Mauler  
             .org                      <webgiant at juno.com>                 
                                                                        cc 
                                       kclug at kclug.org, kulua-l at kulua.org  
             02/10/2004 11:06                                      Subject 
             AM                        RE: [OT] tele-education             
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           

Bryan Richard wrote:
>
> I actually had something like this in High School. Pre-Internet, they
> hooked three classrooms up via video cameras and you watched
> televisions of the teacher and students from as far off as the next
> county. Woohoo!
> The teachers rotated each semester.
>
> Zero discipline, couldn't read the chalkboard, worksheets were faxed
> back back and forth, &c. This was high technology back then -- I don't
> recall computers be involved -- and I imagine that the video
> link cost a pretty penny. It would probably not take much more than
> a couple of modern PCs and an ISDN line to do the same thing now.
>
> Not an ideal way of handling the education of Seniors in High School,
> even if it was a bunch of nerds in AP Lit. I mowed through several
> Stephen Kings in that class.

Sounds like failures in implementation.

Australia is supposed to have pioneered solutions a lot of the
tele-education problems in order to improved the educational opportunities
in the outback. I'd be curious to hear what their implementation looks
like. Though I wouldn't be surprised if the same solution still wouldn't
work with America's undisciplined uninterested attention span challenged
youth. -I fell asleep in the classes when the teachers were present...

--
Garrett Goebel
IS Development Specialist

ScriptPro                   Direct: 913.403.5261
5828 Reeds Road               Main: 913.384.1008
Mission, KS 66202              Fax: 913.384.2180
www.scriptpro.com          garrett at scriptpro dot com