ECO Location Receives Help From Area Students

When the Kate Love Simpson-Morgan County library received 20 large boxes, each holding a new computer to enable their Every Citizen Online (ECO) training, library director Blythe Schubert knew just where to turn for help to get the computers from boxes to public use.

John Robbins, teacher of electronics and networking at Morgan High School in McConnelsville, had a class full of juniors and seniors eager to learn. The students build computers daily in class. They even repair computers for those in the community at no cost.

The students jumped at the chance to utilize their technology skills to help set-up the new laptop and desktop computers for their local library. They also connected the devices to the library’s network.

“They build old computers over and over in a lab,” said Robbins. “Rarely do they get to build new computers.”

Robbins, accompanied by 22 students, visited Schubert at the library and had the task completed quickly.

“It was an immense help,” said Schubert. “Each student unpacked a computer. They were unpacked and ready within about an hour! It saved us about 22 hours of work.”

Schubert says the students plan to help with the library’s future IT needs. Robbins continues to keep the new laptop computers current with the library’s network.
The students have plans to reformat about a dozen older computers no longer being used by the library, in order for them to be recycled to others in the community.

“It’s an opportunity to show the students the world is a little bigger than just themselves,” said Robbins.

Kate Love Simpson-Morgan County Library received 10 new laptop and 10 new desktop units as a sub-recipient of the ECO program. The laptops enable the organization to provide a mobile computer lab, which it utilizes to offer ECO training at its branch in Chesterhill. It plans to utilize the mobile lab further, with hopes of visiting county senior centers and fire stations, making the Internet available to those who cannot conveniently travel to the library locations in Chesterhill and McConnelsville. When the laptops are not being used for ECO training, they are open to public use at the main library branch.

The library can train 8-10 participants per ECO class and have been steadily full since the launch of the program. Adults from neighboring counties are even driving to McConnelsville for the training. By the end of March, nearly 50 adults have completed the free computer and Internet training offered by Kate Love Simpson-Morgan County Library.

To view additional photos of the students' help at the library, visit our Facebook page by clicking here.

Connect Ohio Technical Outreach Team Provides Broadband Expansion Model to Morgan County Officials

Connect Ohio technical outreach staff presented Morgan County officials with a financially viable and sustainable broadband expansion model in a meeting Wednesday, March 16, at the Morgan County Extension Agent in McConnelsville, Ohio.

Following months of data collection, cost estimation, and propagation studies by Connect Ohio technical outreach manager Bart Winegar, coordinator Ira Dye, and Matthew Pepper of Chesterhill municipal wireless Internet service provider, the model was presented to Morgan County officials for review. The model leverages efforts from local eCommunity Strategy planning that began in 2009 with the assistance of Connect Ohio. Many local leaders participated in these early meetings and provided valuable input.

“This presentation was the culmination of a lot of work,” said Winegar. “I’m encouraged that county commissioners and economic development staff were present and agreed to take time to review the model.”

According to Connect Ohio’s 2008 Consumer Technology Assessment for Morgan County, only 25% of households received broadband service to the home, significantly less than the state average at the time, which was 55%.*

“This is positive for the area and the residents of Morgan County,” said Pepper. “(Broadband) adoption is not the issue. Availability is the issue.”

In a few weeks, the group will reconvene to discuss the next steps needed to make the model a reality.

“I’m excited about the opportunity and potential partnership between Chesterhill and the county and to be able to provide a service to so many unserved households,” said Shannon Wells, director of the Morgan County Development Office.

Those in attendance for Wednesday’s meeting included:

• Dean Cain, Morgan County commissioner
• Steve Hook, Morgan County engineer
• Bo Powell, Morgan County Engineer’s Office
• Matthew Pepper, Chesterhill municipal wireless Internet service provider
• Shannon Wells, director of the Morgan County Development Office
• Ira Dye, technical outreach coordinator at Connect Ohio
• Tom Fritz, executive director at Connect Ohio
• Bart Winegar, technical outreach manager at Connect Ohio
• Chip Spann, director of engineering & technical services at Connected Nation

During the meeting, Connect Ohio presented Matthew Pepper with a Broadband Hero Award, acknowledging him for the many hours and resources he donates to help other households in his community get connected to broadband, as well as aiding his local library with their computers, network and broadband connection.

Because of Pepper’s work, 50 homes in the Chesterhill area have access to high-speed Internet.

“One-third of those currently using Chesterhill wireless have home Internet businesses and there’s no shortage of people asking to be put on the system,” said Pepper. “This (expansion) is positive for the area and residents.”

*A 2011 Residential Technology Assessment for each county will be available later this year.

To view additional photos from the meeting, click here.