Learning Leadership Through Technology

WSULC-NOP was honored to host ten students, aged 15-18 years, from the North Valley Provinces of Imbabura and Pichincha in Ecuador. A two-day workshop was taught by Pamela Roberts, Jefferson County 4-H Coordinator. With the stamina of a marathon runner, Pamela shared her knowledge of many free software programs available. With Pamela's instruction, everyone created an e-mail account with Gmail , created their own blogs using blogger, participated in a Skype conference to Africa, uploaded their pictures from their digital cameras to their blogs, and learned how to use their to use their cell phones as microphones for long distance interviews. Pamela taught them some useful interviewing skills and how to take photos and video and upload it to Youtube and how to embed this video into their blogs. In all, Pamela showed them about 30 different open source programs. Robert Force and Susan Lionhart from the LC staff demonstrated the virtual world of Second Life.

These young people (with teachers & translators Oscar Beltran, Valentina Benavides, Rodrigo Flores and Barry Moses) visited the Learning Center as part of a month-long visit to WSU and Washington State to learn about tools and technology related to democracy, the environment, and leadership. The excursion was funded by the State Department and in order to participate students are part of a rigorous selection process. Theses were top students in their schools and active volunteers and leaders in their home communities for the environment, human rights and democracy.

Colleen Taugher (Coordinator, WSU International Programs) Valentina Benavides (Teacher, Translator, In-Country Partner and Support Services) have been working around the clock with the kids, providing everything they need to make this experience beneficial to the students while they are here and helping them acquire the valuable tools and information they will take back to their homes in Ecuador.

Pamela Roberts created a group blog for the youth leaders and their teachers so they can stay connected with one another and continue to share ideas and information. This blog is beautiful to view, with many pictures of the group's adventures and links to the individual blogs the students created.

The Second Life Adventures of Kittie Serendipity

The WSU Learning Center has our own Second Life cheerleader, Kittie Serendipity. Kittie is always on the move and out researching new places in SL, attending SL classes, meeting people and learning how they are utilizing their Second Life .

She will be taking snapshots of her adventures and gathering useful information and links to the places she visits.
The Second Life Adventures of Kittie Serendipity is the blog where you can find out what's new and exciting in her Second Life.

Although Kittie's main focus in Second Life is education and new media, she also likes to have fun on the way. She will report on places of exceptional beauty or unique interest she encounters on her quest for knowledge.

WSU Learning Center is on Second Life

The WSU Learning Center has rented virtual property and is making an online presence in Second Life. After researching different areas of the second life world, the Learning Center decided to rent land from the NMC, (New Media Consortium) a large community of educational organizations. The island where we are located is also the home of Lund University (Sweden), University Lille1 (France), Capella University (online) and Mt. Holyoke College (Massachusetts, USA).

Washington State University in Pullman Washington can be found in Second Life. They have two islands where they are recreating the Pullman WSU campus.

We are learning, building and growing. It is very exciting to discover new ideas and possibilities in distance education. We would love to have you join us in second life. If you are not yet familiar with the Second Life environment, we have created a tutorial that may help you get started. We hope to see you here soon.

PTTV - Future Tense

Late in January, Pat Perreault conducted 2 interviews with LC technology coordinator, Kris Raikes, at Port Townsend Television. PTTV airs on cable channels 97 and 98 and also online.

The first interview covered the topic of the mandated conversion of analog television to digital television. The change was set to take place on February 17th 2009. Congress has since moved that date forward to June 12th 2009 in order to give television stations and viewers more time to prepare. Some broadcasters already had prepared for the change and may go ahead with the transition to DTV as scheduled due to the cost of airing both signals.

The second interview regarded recycling our used electronics. Kris points out the importance of reusing as much as we possibly can as this will help reduce production. If reusing is not an option than recycling is our next best choice. Kris has compiled a list of links to assist in finding information about digital television, reusing our electronics, and the best recycling options for us.

DTV

DTV
DTV Coupon Program
DTV=ATSC Digital Broadcast Format
Miro - Opensource Video Podcast Program
Netflix - Streaming Movies
Hulu - Streaming TV and Movies
Boxee - Streaming TV for Mac and Linux

Reuse

TigerDirect Computer Parts and Electronics
NewEgg Electronics
Apple TV
Roku - Netflix Digital Video Player
XBox Live

Ecycle

Jefferson County Electronics Recycling
Ecycle Washington
FreeGeek Oregon
GreenPeace Green Electronics
Greenopia Eco Living
Dell and Staples recycling

OlyCAP & the LC - pt. 3

Continued from Pt. 2

Image courtesy of The Cougar Room - click to enlarge

Susan Lionhart was initially brought by OlyCAP to us as an un-paid Supported Works client to polish her professional skills and gain insight on developing technologies. She studied at Lake Washington Technical College in the field of multimedia and 3-D computer animation.

Soon it became apparent that Susan had a wealth of skills that fit well into the Learning Center's objective of discovering new channels of discovery and education. One such outlet with which Susan was familiar was Second Life, a virtual environment that allows interactive collaboration and connections to people around the world.

Her capabilites spurred the Learning Center to rent space in this virtual network to develop a presence for WSU. We then hired Susan to create 3-D objects to customize our area, find educational content, network with other interested individuals, and assist state-wide Learning Center staff in navigating this new world.

The near goal was a free, interactive, and easy-to-use substitute for teleconferencing. The ultimate goal was to test the virtual world as a viable area to facilitate distance learning. Susan has proven an apt researcher and, with her natrually bubbly personality, a great asset in networking and relations.

If you want to see some of the results: Susan complements her virtual work with updates on her blog and and Twitter (which are new phenomena, yet more tradtionally website based).

Read Pt. 1 of this onging article

OlyCAP & the LC - pt. 2

Continued from previous article

Image courtesy of The Cougar Room - click to enlarge

One of the recipients of the program, Erik Montoya, was placed with the NOPLC as a paid (by OlyCAP) intern as well as in the capacity of a part-time, non-credit student. During the time he was at the LC (thirty hours a week) not only did Erik achieve his GED from Peninsula College, but he also graduated from the Clemente Course with 6 college credits. After his initial placement for six months, his LC-directed job skill acquiring regimen was assessed as having been been so effective that he was given a time extension by OlyCAP, ten months total.

During his internship, Erik digitally remastered three years of Chimacum Valley TV footage for the LC's Community Archive Project (in cooperation with the Jefferson County Historical Society and Port Townsend Television). He gained new skills in hardware and software maintenance as well as in networking. As he worked on various community video projects, Erik decided he would like to become a video journalist. For the short term, he also looked into the possibility of starting a local, small business installing high-tech entertainment systems.

In addition to the other projects Erik worked on at the LC, he was also able to put his new knowledge to use for the Port Townsend Film Festival, creating an animation sequence for the 2008 Festival's 36 film trailers, seen nearly 6,000 times by over 750 attendees. Working with the LC staff and the creative directors at the PTFF, Erik was an integral team member in designing and executing the spotlight-in-sky portion of the animation

Through his LC study and paid internship, Erik was able to advance his education, provide a living wage for his family, and to learn to apply new skills to creatively solve technical issues in a state-of-the-industry, publicly-acclaimed manner. The development of his technical capacities, social and office skills, and the creation of a contemporary, well-rounded and documented portfolio has provided Erik with the confidence to be an asset to the community, whether as wage-earner or as an entrepreneur.

OlyCAP & the LC - pt. 1

Image courtesy of The Cougar Room - click to enlarge

In Fall of 2007, Karolina Anderson approached the WSU Learning Center-North Olympic Peninsula in her new position with the Olympic Community Action Program (OlyCAP). Karolina was familiar with the LC from her participation in the Bard College Clemente Course that takes place here. After graduating from the course she came to the LC for counseling and as a consequence enrolled in, and graduated from, The Evergreen State College.

After getting her degree Ms. Anderson came back to Jefferson County and began working on the Community Jobs program at OlyCAP to assist those in her community with similar hurdles to those she had had prior to beginning her path to further education. As part of her new job, she asked if we would collaborate on working with her clients in conjunction with WorkSource, a State-run employment assistance agency. She believed our strength in the technical & computing fields could greatly help those in need of these skills for the contemporary workforce.

Continued>> Read More

Biz Kid$

Image courtesy of The Cougar Room - click to enlarge

The crew from Biz Kid$ (Shilpa, Rusty & Mark), filmed Pamela Roberts and her 4-H youth on location and in the Learning Center's Otter Room computer lab using the tools that their involvement with the organization has taught them. Claire Turner (pictured above) spoke about her use of blogging to communicate with the world and Jesaint Baril gave insight into the shooting, editing, benefits and online posting of video.

Biz Kid$, produced by the same people that made Bill Nye The Science Guy, is filmed for public television to engage youth in the entrepreneurial opportunities available to them today.

Youth Revolution in Jefferson County

From the desk of Robert Force:

Four young Jefferson Extension workers, including Kris Raikes here at the NOPLC, are going out this weekend with a new look in the form of a youth forum for jobs and sustainability called the Rhody Revolution.

In a series of brainstorming sessions with myself, Kris, and the the founders of the "revolution"-- Shelby Smith and Kai Wallin-- the concept for the name was born, building on recognition for the local Rhododendron Festival which regularly attracts 20,000 people back home to Jefferson County.

Their idea is to promote online forums about what it would take to get youth to move back to the area. Kris helped set up interlocking web pages with access to popular youth sites such as MySpace, FaceBook and Twitter.

The LC dot.commed the name for them to get them started. Assembling the parts of the promotion in less than 72 hours-- and with the festival just a day away-- the RhodyRevolution.com movement now has a website, stickers to hand out at the parade that say "Join the Rhody Revolution", and a coordinated look for volunteers handing out information.

Give it a look at http://RhodyRevolution.com

As a personal note, having taught three of the organizers during some phase of their High School experiences, it is wonderful to have this circle come 'round full.

The local newspaper carried an article on the movement today as well as a ran a full-color picture of the organizers.
(link to original article online)
The project is supported and funded by JeffExt and their economic development group, Team Jefferson.

Good luck all-- and welcome home!

PTFF Silent Auction

Image courtesy of The Cougar Room - click to visit

Utilizing a simple blogging solution, an email address and some coding know-how, the LC is helping the PT Film Festival to conduct their silent auction online this year. The current offering of items and services will be ongoing until 4/18/08 or until the guaranteed bids have been fulfilled.

Due to the local-nature of many of the items, using a global medium was not an ideal option. The LC also whole-heartedly supports the local film community. Partnering with PTFF to help generate funds, along with the many generous companies and individuals, was a logical extension.

Visit the site at: PTFF.blogspot.com

To start your very own social network, try Ning.com

Horse Park Development Project

We are pleased to announce that the information publicity DV that the NOPLC made for the new Jefferson County Horse Park is now finished. The 15-minute DV will be used by members of the Jefferson Equestrian Association as part of their fundraising presentations to public and civic groups.

The goal of the promotional effort is to begin gathering people and resources for the planned 1/2 million dollar facility located on 40 acres off Loftus and Cape George Roads. The DV features many local youth horse champions from Jefferson County talking about how the facility will help them and others to hone their skills. The Washington State Department of Agriculture estimates that horse parks are potentially a 1.2 billion dollar income area for the state with regional horse parks, such as this one in Jefferson County, expected to provide hefty boosts to local economies.

View online!

Mobilisa Unveils New Buoy

Image courtesy of Pamela Roberts of 4H - click to enlarge

Dr. Nelson Ludlow, WSU graduate and CEO of Mobilisa, unveils the company's newest project, a buoy that can be multi-tasked to wirelessly report on shipping, tides, water quality, and more.

To his left is Port Townsend City Councilwoman, Michelle Sandoval. To his right is WSU Extension's Vice-president for Economic Development, John Gardner. Next to him is Team Jefferson's, Bill Wise, and WSU Jefferson's, Kai Wallin. Dr. Gardner was part of a group from WSU Extension and the newly-formed local economic development consortium, Team Jefferson, for a presentation acknowledging the company's innovation and its contribution to local economic development. NOPLC 's Robert Force is pictured documenting the event, viewable at:
http://video.google.com

Historical Society Learns FC Pro

Image courtesy of Ann Welch - click to enlarge

Seven members of the Jefferson County Historical Society are pioneering methods by which historical information will be gathered and preserved for future generations. Previous archiving relied on voice recordings, written transcripts, and photographs. With the aid of the digital technology available at the NOPLC, these archivists are learning to capture people, stories, and locations using high-definition video. Narratives are recorded with wireless microphones. Priceless photograph albums serve as memory prompts for the interviewees and scripts for the Society's interviewers. The 20-hour class in camera technique, editing and DVD manufacture was taught by NOPLC staff, Kris Raikes and Robert Force.

WCFS Presentation

Image courtesy of The Cougar Room - click to enlarge

In October, the Western Cascade Fruit Society completed a tour of Northern Italy. The group visited numerous fruit producing regions, comparing horticultural practices with their own here on the North Olympic Peninsula. WCFS member, Judy Stewart, came to the NOPLC with a technical problem: how was she to get the 500+ photos off of her camera and into a presentable format for the next evening's meeting? Not only were the pictures successfully downloaded and backed up to presentation discs in both Mac and PC formats, but a third disc, pictured, used the Otter Room Lab's capacity (and staff expertise) to create a DVD with background music and "Ken Burns" transitions-- a 45-minute show.

"Walk" Accepted to PT Film Festival

Image courtesy of Al McCleese - click to enlarge

Walk, the documentary created by Gabe Van Lelyveld, has been officially accepted to the 2007 Port Townsend Film Festival. The entire project was edited, printed, duplicated and promoted by Gabe in our Otter Room computer lab (view earlier posts on "Walk"), including the creation of a website (using experimental online web-design software) and posting of the film's trailer to various video-sharing networks for world-wide accessibility.

The festival takes place September 28th-30th and Walk will be shown in one of the "shorts" series - times TBA when the program is released in the beginning of September. Check the PTFF website for updates.

Congratulations Gabe!

Getting A Grip On CSS

Image courtesy of The Cougar Room - click to enlarge

Raphael, a Bard College Clemente Course graduate, has been utilizing the Otter Room as a resource since 2004 to embark on self-directed learning. Here he is seen taking an exam on CSS (cascading style sheets) on the W3Schools site, an online web-building education knowledge-base. He is upgrading his web-design skill-set with this relatively new layout medium to apply in concert with his graphic design, video and audio abilities to gain a foothold in the competitive digital field.

Karen Russell Marrowstone Island History Project

Karen Russell

Image courtesy of The Cougar Room - click to enlarge

Karen Russell moved to Marrowstone Island in Jefferson County in the early 1970's. Having been raised on an island herself, Oahu in Hawaii, she was intrigued by the history of the people and places of her new home. In 1978, along with Jeanne Bean, she co-authored a book on the history of the island. In a partnership with the WSU Learning Center-North Olympic Peninsula and the Jefferson County Historical Society, thirty years later she is employing modern technology tools to add to the knowledge of the area. Working with NOPLC Director, Robert Force, together they interviewed residents and created archival quality, high definition digital videos that preserved invaluable pictures and stories of the island's past. DVDs of the interviews are available at the Historical Society for research. To further the use of this medium, the LC provides classes in videography and editing in its state-of-the-art computer lab.

Go to the Historical Project section on our site for the complete story

Lavender Conference - 2nd Edition

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Last year (2006) WSU Clallam Extension was approached with the project of filming the 3rd North American Lavender Conference in Sequim. Key speaking engagements and lavendar workshops were recorded and the resulting products was a 21-disc DVD set.

50 sets were created with full production additions (such as opening sequences, credits and menus). That means that over 1,000 discs were duplicated and printed in this first run. Each set sold for $149.00.

The discs were so popular that the Sequim Lavender Growers' Association sold out. This year they asked us to produce 20 more sets with the possibility of creating single DVD offerings of the more sought-after segments of the set, including cooking techniques and aromatherapy.

Local WSU Alumnus Works with ISSS

Image courtesy of ISSS - click to enlarge

Jack Scherting, Ph.D (WSU, 1970) recently approached his local WSU Learning Center to find a format transfer solution. He needed to convert VHS video-tape of a model demonstrating the dynamics and permutations of 'monads' to digital format. The original version was done at Utah State University in 1992.

The model is to be used as the basis for a presentation at a meeting of the International Society for the Systems Sciences. The conversion to digital format was necessary to enable a technician in Malaysia to develop an updated, animated version. We outputed a cross-platform accessible copy of the video and hosted it on the web for the overseas technician to use as a template. By using the web to transfer the visual content the problem of getting a physical DVD to Malaysia was solved, saving time and money.

NASA Comes to the NOPLC

Image courtesy of The Cougar Room - click to enlarge

Laura Tucker (shown in screen insert) is viewing the inside of a Russian space station via telecast from the Glenn Research Center in Ohio. She is employed by the Lawrence Hall of Science at UC Berkeley, a resource center for preschool through high school science and mathematics education.

Laura lives in Jefferson County and uses the WSU-LC tech lab to reach educators across the country, working with a NASA grant to facilitate strategies for K-12 math and science teachers of disadvantaged youth.