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State's schools get access to Internet2
Wednesday, March 14, 2001
By RUTH SCHUBERT
Washington's school children will soon be able to plop in front of a computer and tap into real-time science experiments, view the heavens as seen through a research telescope or watch better-than-TV-quality video presentations from places like the Smithsonian Institution.
This is not their big brother's Internet.
The state's school districts are getting hooked into Internet2, the super-powerful network being created exclusively for researchers.
The University of Washington is a hub for Internet2, also known as Abilene, which uses fiber-optics to transmit data and audio-visual files at speeds up to 1,000 times faster than the Internet we know today. Districts will be able to hook into the Abilene hub at the UW via the state's $61 million K-20 Network.
"Connecting the K-20 Network to Internet2 will literally open whole new worlds to Washington's school children," said Susannah Malarkey, executive director of the Technology Alliance. "For example, they will have the opportunity to observe and interpret scientific data and participate in science experiments in real time. This allows our middle school, high school and undergraduate students to really be scientific investigators."
The group that runs Internet2 selected Washington for this project based on the infrastructure that already exists here and programs the UW has developed with school districts around the state. One of the first offered over the Abilene connection will be "Virtual UW in the High School," which makes for-credit UW courses available over the network.
From there, the UW and schools will work together to create new teaching tools, resources and materials that take advantage of the high-powered network.
"Connecting the K-20 Network to Abilene will keep Washington at the cutting edge in our efforts to bring students the highest-quality, most diverse curriculum and learning tools that can be made available over the Internet," Gov. Gary Locke said.
P-I reporter Ruth Schubert can be reached at 206-448-8130 or ruthschubert@seattle-pi.com
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