Higher-quality, faster internet service unveiled to Ky. educators at statewide technology conference at The Center @ 19 November 2008 09:25 AM
The nearly 300 attendees at a statewide education technology conference this week at The Center for Rural Development in Somerset, Ky. were awash in a live, simultaneous blend of visual and performing arts spanning Somerset, Philadelphia, Cleveland, and New York City—all without having to leave their seats.
What’s more, the public rollout of the “Internet2” network gave educators, librarians, and technology support specialists at the two-day Kentucky Convergence 2008 conference a firsthand look at the cutting-edge possibilities of internet service delivered at a higher speed and higher quality than ever before.
The conference, held Nov. 13 and 14 at The Center, showcased how Internet2 video conferencing technology can be used to collaborate on educational projects with partners at multiple locations without requiring travel between those sites.
While Somerset artist Daniel Dutton was painting onstage at The Center’s theatre, the audience listened to a jazz number performed by a trio from the Manhattan School of Music, watched another artist in Philadelphia create a colorful collage painting, and viewed various masterpieces at the Cleveland Museum of Art. The images were shown on a large theatre screen through a high-definition (HD) projector in real time, giving the audience the sensation they were in the room with the artists.
“The idea is to provide a kaleidoscope of enriching events with participants who are not geographically located in the same place at the same time,” Susan Lancaster said following Thursday’s performance. Lancaster, who is the Internet2 Applications coordinator for the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, facilitated the Internet2 project demonstration.
“What we tried to do is plant the seeds so that colleges and universities could go back to their campuses and apply what we demonstrated in different content areas,” Lancaster said.
High-speed Internet2, she continued, can be used for interactive collaborative conferences, virtual field trips, and other partnerships to enhance distance learning or communication avenues. The interactive demonstration with the Cleveland Museum of Art, she said, is one example of how schools can utilize Internet2 to take their students on virtual field trips to view unique pieces of art without having to leave the classroom.
CenterNET2, a video conferencing network provided by The Center, is an Internet2 provider. CenterNET2 is breaking new ground in the area of technology by providing a growing list of video feeds to schools and distance learning opportunities for all age groups across Southern and Eastern Kentucky.
“There are limitless possibilities available to Kentucky students through Internet2 delivered through CenterNET2,” CenterNET2 Project Manager Robyn Phillips said after viewing the Internet2 demonstration. “The Internet2 content, when viewed through video conferencing technology and integrated into a traditional classroom, will mesmerize this generation of students who are accustomed to today’s immediate, hands-on technology.”
Internet2 programming is engaging, interactive, and collaborative, Phillips said. The state-of-the-art video conferencing technology allows for real-time collaboration between sites, immediate access to long-distance expertise, and high-quality programming with real time audio and video interaction.
Erica Burchett, a computer specialist for the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, said she was impressed with the clarity of the images and quality of the sound of Internet2.
“I thought it was neat to be able to react in real time and see technology in motion,” she said while taking a break from the workshop sessions at the conference. “My group could use Internet2 to connect with other agriculture extension agents throughout the state without having to travel to different sites.”
Northern Kentucky University librarian Mary Chestnut could visualize using Internet2 to take a group of students on a virtual learning experience to study history and other subject areas.
“I thought it was amazing,” Chestnut said. “I think it would be wonderful if I had a group of students studying about the Underground Railroad and we could go to an Underground Railroad site.”
Dutton, who painted a collage at the Internet2 event in celebration of World Kindness Day, said he would like to collaborate artistically in a similar manner in the future through the use of video conferencing technology.
Dutton painted two outstretched hands representing an act of kindness. The art work is symbolic of how “we use our hands to reach out and touch others,” he said.
Dutton’s painting will be donated to the Carnegie Community Art Center, which will open Dec. 4 in the former Pulaski County Library building in downtown Somerset.
The Internet2 project demonstration was presented by the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education in partnership with The Center. It was part of the session “Wow, Can My Students Do That? Utilizing Internet2 Resources,” which spotlighted the innovative ways in which technology can be used in the classroom.
The Center, located at 2292 South U.S. 27 in Somerset, provides economic and community development programs to residents in a 42-county service area of Southern and Eastern Kentucky and is home to several statewide and national technology-based programs. For more information on these programs, call 606-677-6000 or visit www.centertech.com.
Photo Caption 1: Somerset artist Daniel Dutton paints a watercolor of two outstretched hands while a multimedia demonstration of high-speed Internet2 video conferencing technology is shown in the background. The live, interactive performance also involved the Cleveland Museum of Art, musicians from the Manhattan School of Music, and another live painter in Philadelphia. Nearly 300 Kentucky educators, librarians, and technology support specialists viewed this state-of-the-art, cutting edge technology in a project demonstration at The Center for Rural Development in Somerset during the statewide Kentucky Convergence 2008 conference. The conference, now in its fifth year, was held Nov. 13 and 14 at The Center, which provides Internet2 technology through its CenterNET2 video conferencing network.