Many areas of Ohio are still in the midst of the digital divide – and emergency services personnel are no exception.
A volunteer fire department in Bashan, Ohio felt the brunt of the divide when firefighters began losing their certification.
“Three lost their fire certification because they had no Internet here and the certification had to be completed online,” said Luck McDaniel, a Bashan volunteer firefighter.
Though the fire station housed one computer and had dial-up Internet access, McDaniel said the Internet capabilities were “not functional, wouldn’t download and took forever”. He approached the Wireless Internet Service Provider for the area, New Era Broadband, for any possible solutions.
David Hannum, with New Era Broadband, LLC, explained Bashan’s predicament.
“Point-to-Multipoint [Wireless Connectivity] has limitations due to terrain and foliage. You cannot get the signal over or around hills and into hollows directly most of the time,” he said.
Bashan is located in a low-lying area surrounded by elevated forest terrain.
New Era Broadband found a cost effective way to relay the Wi-Fi signal from one of their Access Point’s to a siren tower, then directly to a receiver atop the fire department’s building. With the help of Bart Winegar, Technical Outreach Manager for Connect Ohio, a partial grant provided by the Governor’s Office of Appalachia, the Meigs County Community Investment Corporation and New Era Broadband, the Bashan Volunteer Fire Department now has free broadband service.
“Now we can communicate with the State. Our firefighters are in compliance and staying in touch,” said McDaniel.
Winegar said, “This is an example of how a community can come together in a private/public collaboration to solve last-mile broadband issues.”
The relay system also offers high-speed Internet access to nearby residences. New Era Broadband can currently serve ten homes within 1000 feet of the siren tower. The company is planning some upgrades, which would increase that number to thirty.
New Era Broadband is also using the Bashan relay method as a pilot for other parts of their coverage area.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Ohio school district makes snow days into virtual learning days
Making up school calamity days can often be a struggle for school districts. One Ohio school district is piloting an innovative program to ensure students continue their education from home while the district shortens their number of calamity days.
Mississinawa Valley Local School District in Darke County has been granted a waiver from the Ohio Department of Education to provide education online during two calamity days, after their state-issued three are used.
“Mississinawa Schools approached us with a complete proposal. They compiled all of the research and knew how many of their students had access to Internet in their homes,” said Scott Blake, Press Secretary with the Ohio Department of Education.
The school district conducted an informal survey, finding 75% of their students had Internet in their home and 89% had access through a neighbor, friend or relative. The district also held informational meetings for parents.
“We’ve received very positive feedback. Parents say they are glad their children will have something to do during days off school,” said Lisa Wendel, Mississinawa Valley Local School District Superintendent.
The few concerns about the program are whether households with dial-up connections or multiple school-aged children will have any difficulty utilizing online courses. Wendel says students will have two weeks to complete the online lessons if they are unable to do so during the day off school.
The program also allows for classroom innovations.
”This project provides 100% of the staff a reason for extending instruction beyond the walls of their classroom,” Wendel said. “There is an untapped potential of technology that can extend and enhance face to face instruction”.
The University of Dayton is researching the implementation of the program. Their research will assist the Ohio Department of Education’s review of the program’s success. Wendel, as well as the Ohio Department of Education, have received multiple inquiries from school districts throughout Ohio interested in the possible implementation of the program for their own districts.
Mississinawa Valley Local School District in Darke County has been granted a waiver from the Ohio Department of Education to provide education online during two calamity days, after their state-issued three are used.
“Mississinawa Schools approached us with a complete proposal. They compiled all of the research and knew how many of their students had access to Internet in their homes,” said Scott Blake, Press Secretary with the Ohio Department of Education.
The school district conducted an informal survey, finding 75% of their students had Internet in their home and 89% had access through a neighbor, friend or relative. The district also held informational meetings for parents.
“We’ve received very positive feedback. Parents say they are glad their children will have something to do during days off school,” said Lisa Wendel, Mississinawa Valley Local School District Superintendent.
The few concerns about the program are whether households with dial-up connections or multiple school-aged children will have any difficulty utilizing online courses. Wendel says students will have two weeks to complete the online lessons if they are unable to do so during the day off school.
The program also allows for classroom innovations.
”This project provides 100% of the staff a reason for extending instruction beyond the walls of their classroom,” Wendel said. “There is an untapped potential of technology that can extend and enhance face to face instruction”.
The University of Dayton is researching the implementation of the program. Their research will assist the Ohio Department of Education’s review of the program’s success. Wendel, as well as the Ohio Department of Education, have received multiple inquiries from school districts throughout Ohio interested in the possible implementation of the program for their own districts.
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