SOUNDINGS

The JASON Foundation for Education..............Vol.4 Fall/Winter 1994

Mind Extension University (ME/U): The Education Network, the only basic cable network devoted to education, joined the JASON Project last year and created the JASON Classroom Network. Programming developed, written, produced and aired by ME/U expanded the reach of the JASON Project to more than 25 million television households. Because ME/U cablecasts in the clear, any schools, communities, or homes with satellite dishes can receive ME/U programming unscrambled.

ME/U developed programming to complement the live Primary Interactive Network Sites (PINS) broadcasts. Pre-produced JASON Classroom Network programming was designed to include complex topics that are difficult to cover during the live PINS broadcasts. These programs illustrated some of the amazing experiments and scientific discoveries from JASON V expedition to Belize. Teacher training, scientist profiles, expedition highlights and newsbreaks, and a live Earth Day teleconference (see box) enhanced the scientific methods of investigation and highlighted the discoveries made by the JASON V scientists and student argonauts.

This year, as the JASON Project travels to the island of Hawaii, ME/U plans to continue its efforts that complement the PINS activities, and help students and teachers prepare for their PINS visits. ME/U plans to include programming that extends the PINS activities and encourages more participants for JASON VI. Programming produced by ME/U for JASON VI: Island Earth will be designed specifically with teachers in mind.

Using the JASON Project Classroom Network programs directly in the classroom will enable teachers to understand the JASON Project better, add excellent video material to their printed JASON curriculum (all Classroom Network programs can be taped and re-used at will), and provide a general overview of some of the most exciting technology used in education today. Central themes will be how JASON Project material can be used in their classrooms; how teachers can make technology work for them, from JASON Online materials to distance learning via direct satellite signal or cable television; and how teachers can work toward achieving national goals and standards through the JASON Project.

Each broadcast of JASON Classroom Network programs will be 10-15 minutes long, based on key components of the JASON Project printed curriculum, and will feature an 800 number viewers can call for more JASON Project material. The Classroom programs are below.

JASON Classroom Network on ME/U

• January 17 The JASON Project and Technology
• January 24 Down to Earth: Geology and Earth Systems Science
• January 31 Human and Animal Life: The Exciting Interaction with the Environment
• February 7 Beyond Earth: Astronomy
• February 14 Science Profiles: Scientists in Action
• March 5 JASON Project Special: Voyage to Island Earth. This 30 minute magazine program provides expedition "findings"; an overview of the JASON Project; and increases the understanding of the technology used by the JASON Project.

Earth Day Teleconference JASON V: Belize Discoveries was aired live from Denver's PIN Site, the Museum of Natural History. Pictured left to right are Jeff Corwin (naturalist), Aletha Holmes (Student Argonaut), Meg Lowman (ecologist), Bryr Ludington (Student Argonaut), Dr. Ballard (via satellite), Krissy Ludwig and Teresa Angel (both JASON IV Argonauts and teleconference hosts). This teleconference offered the participating scientists, teacher and student argonauts the chance to present their findings. It also offered students who had participated in the JASON Project, either through the PINS or through the JASON Classroom Network, the chance to call-in and ask questions about the expedition, adding another layer of interactivity to JASON V.

The goals of the JASON Online system are to introduce students and teachers to the wealth of science and education resources available on the Internet and to provide up-to-date information about the JASON Project to a growing community of network users.

JASON Online this year is not a single system or computer. Rather, it is a network of computer resources, including a homepage on the World Wide Web, a bulletin board system, newsgroups and e-mail lists, giving several ways to access information.

The JASON Project homepage on the World Wide Web is available through Mosaic, software that provides direct access to the Internet and is used to browse and retrieve information from the World Wide Web. A World Wide Web address is called a URL, or Uniform Resource Locator. The URL for JASON is listed above.

Mosaic is a state-of-the-art platform for multimedia presentations. This provides an excellent venue for the JASON Project because it allows access of JASON Project graphics and photographs, as well as background materials and curriculum information. In the future, short video clips from the expedition will be available. Using hypertext, Mosaic allows the JASON Project homepage to link users to other science and education resources on the Internet.

The World Wide Web is the universe of network-accessible information with many participants. It has a body of software and a set of protocols and conventions. The World Wide Web uses hypertext, hypermedia and multimedia to make it easy for anyone to browse and contribute to. Hypertext is text that has links to other texts. Hypertext is not limited to text. It can include graphics, video and sound, and is called hypermedia.

Hypertext and hypermedia are concepts, not products and are the foundation for the World Wide Web.

In addition to a World Wide Web presence, the JASON Online bulletin board system will provide dial-up access to users who don't have a direct connection to the Internet.

Through a partnership with Global SchoolNet Foundation, a system will be set up to provide JASON information directly to students' and teachers' e-mailboxes.

To access the JASON Project homepage, Mosaic software is available via anonymous FTP from ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu. "Helper Applications" or applications that Mosaic needs in order to display images, sounds and movies are also available from this site. Mosaic comes in Macintosh, X-Windows, or Microsoft Windows versions.

Todd Viola has recently joined the staff of the JASON Foundation for Education as Coordinator of Special Projects.

At the JASON Foundation for Education, Viola assists in coordinating the Student and Teacher Argonaut program, including planning events and helping with the student selection process. In addition, Viola works on developing and implementing JASON Online services and participates in the Foundation's ongoing fundraising efforts.

Viola comes to the JASON Foundation for Education from Yale University, where after receiving a cum laude bachelor's degree in Applied Mathematics, he served for two years as Science and Engineering Coordinator for Yale College.

While at Yale, Viola coordinated the university's efforts to recruit outstanding undergraduate science students, including planning events for prospective students, producing promotional literature and assisting the admissions staff in evaluating applications.

Viola is originally from New Castle, Delaware. Todd Viola, new JASON Foundation for Education staff member.

President Bill Clinton sports a JASON V Belize t-shirt and hat during last year's expedition.

JASON Project homepage || Teachers' Guide || Students' Corner || Search

Gene Carl Feldman (gene@seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov) (301) 286-9428
Todd Carlo Viola, JASON Foundation for Education (todd@jason.org)
Revised: 17 Oct 1995