New Community Networks
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Wired for Change
In 1988, Frank Odasz of Western Montana University in Dillon, an ex-dude-ranch operator with a degree in Educational Technology, started the Big Sky Telegraph (BST) community-network system (Odasz, 1991) with the idea that computer technology could help tame the vast distances of the American West (Fig. 3.6). His first task was to electronically link more than 40 one- and two-room schoolhouses and 12 rural libraries across Montana with microcomputers and modems. Linking these schoolrooms provided a low-cost way for teachers to share information such as subject curricula, to ask questions and discuss concerns with other teachers, and to "check out" educational software in order to evaluate it before purchasing it.
Odasz describes Big Sky Telegraph as an "action-oriented rural telecomputing testbed," which is intended to overcome some of the problems of the rural American West associated with its sparse population and the long distances between communities. Big Sky's epicenter, Dillon, has 4000 souls; approximately 10 percent of the households own computers. From this location, Big Sky Telegraph uses "appropriate technology" to demonstrate "low-cost, low-tech, high-imagination, scaleable networking models." Big Sky Telegraph is now replicated in various "Big Skies" and "Little Skies" located across Montana and other Western locations and is in daily use by hundreds of people, many of whom are in rural locations.
Education is the focus, and economic opportunity and individual and regional self-sufficiency are the goals of the Big Sky Telegraph. The system offers 600 K-12 lesson plans serving as a "telecurricular clearinghouse" for K-12 projects running on networks all over the world. The system also offers on-line courses on how to use network and bulletin-board services. Odasz uses the telegraph as a metaphor for all aspects of BST, reflecting the communication technology of the last century that was influential in the rural American West. As their "Homesteading the Educational Frontier" brochure (BST, 1993) states, "Teachers in rural Montana serving as Circuit Riders, Community Telegraphers, and Teletutors have used modems to overcome time, distance, and economic limitations to empower rural education and community survival through the Big Sky Telegraph network." Although technology is central to the program, Odasz advises us not to lose sight of the real objective, developing "communities of purpose," which address "caring, commitment and cause," and he is quick to point out that he'd prefer 50 pages a week of high-quality material (over a 1200-baud modem) to 500 channels of high-band-width tripe. Odasz is particularly concerned about building an infrastructure that is self-sustaining. For several years Big Sky Telegraph has offered an on-line course in Microcomputer Telecommunications that covers the basics of telecomputing and modem use. Other courses covering free self-study and teacher in-service training for recertification are available, thus supporting self-directed and economical educational opportunities both within and outside of the educational institutions.
Big Sky Telegraphy - Lessons and Essays for the On-line Class (see also http://lone-eagles.com/lessons.htm)
CLASS FILES Quickstart 3730 Dec-91 Quick Reference Guide to Getting Started. Startup 15190 Dec-91 Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners. BeginClass 1666 Sep-90 How to Begin the On-line Class. Syllabus 6598 Nov-88 The On-line Course Syllabus. Lesson1 8926 Jan-92 Sending and Receiving Messages. Lesson2 6797 Jan-92 Capturing and Printing Text. Lesson3 11368 Feb-92 Conferencing and Sharing Resources. Lesson4 6219 Oct-91 Word Processing and Telecommunications. Lesson5 11605 Feb-92 Accessing On-line Library Services. Lesson6 9777 Oct-91 Calling Other On-line Services. Lesson7 10369 Oct-91 Receiving On-line Text Files and Using Databases. Lesson8 10438 Mar-91 Contributing On-line Text Files. Lesson9 9984 Aug-91 Becoming a Community Telegrapher. Lesson10 14504 Oct-91 Teleliteracy: Understanding Instruct. Telecom. Acropmsg 82603 Aug-90 Collection of Messages from the Acropolis Conf. ProfTest 1469 Feb-92 Proficiency Test for the Advanced Class. LessonTasks 2311 Aug-90 Homework Required for Credit. DemoTips 15479 Aug-90 Tips for Your Community/School Board Demos. BBSLecture 8055 Aug-90 A Discussion on Using and Running BBS's. Unixtour 7008 Aug-92 A Walking Tour for Unix. Unix Id's Needed. Akcstour 4041 4Feb 4 WalkingTour for Global AKCS. Unix ID's Required.
I hope that this information is useful to you. Please feel free to send me (Doug Schuler) your questions, comments, and corrections. I will try to keep the information in these pages current.