Videoconferencing Field Trips
Shared Two Way Interactive Classes
Class and Videoconferencing Schedule
Academy Programs and Distance Learning
College/University Degree Programs
Professional Development Classes
Charges for Using the VBISD Facilities
Basic Videoconferencing Terminology
History of VINES Links to
facilities offering programming |
History and Overview of Distance Learning at the Van Buren
Intermediate School District
In 1994, the Van Buren Intermediate School district and Lake Michigan
College paired up to receive a grant and implement a program of
instruction in which classes would be linked through the use of a two-way
interactive video network. The grant allowed Lake Michigan College to
provide Dual Enrollment and regular college credit classes at the Van
Buren Intermediate’s Technology Center, where the Van Buren Intermediate’s
Distance Learning Lab, is located. The classes began with some generalized
classes like The History of Western Civilization, National Government, and
progressed to selecting classes based upon the needs of the Van Buren
Technology Center’s academy programs for Business, Health, Marketing, and
Pre-engineering.
The Technology Department, over a period of seven years, went from one
distance learning lab connected to one other site, Lake Michigan College
through a dedicated T-1 connecting the two sites. Today, through the use
of an Avaya videobridge, we are able to connect to as many as 16 separate
sites at a time, and not including us as members of each conference. We
are able to monitor and troubleshoot videoconferences that we aren’t
directly connected to.
After the original project and partnership, the Van Buren ISD installed an
Ascend “I-MUX (inverse multiplexor)” which allowed us to connect to other
sites on the MiCTA Network (www.micta.org)
including Grand Valley State University. We began working as a site for
Grand Valley to present two-way interactive classes for their BSN and MSN
programming and also for education classes from Grand Valley. We were able
to connect to the many other members of the MiCTA network for classes
(Eastern Michigan University, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Kellogg
Community College, Southwestern Michigan College, as well as for meetings,
videoconferences, and more.
In the winter of 1999, the Department of Technology got approval from the
VBISD School Board to provide “seed money” in the amount of $25,000 to
each local district who would use it towards installing distance learning
labs in their district campuses. There were few restrictions, only that
the money had to be used to set up a distance learning labs, and that each
lab needed to be able to function independently from the VBISD. Our goal
was to form a network, but it was not desirable that other districts would
not be able to act independently for program offerings, field trips, etc.
In the first year, the Bangor Public Schools were the first to install
their distance learning labs, installing a MiCTA Network T-1 line. After
that, the Van Buren Intermediate installed a $250,000 Lucent 16 Port
Videobridge.
After Bangor installed their distance-learning lab, the Decatur Public
Schools were next, installing two permanent rooms and the ability of
connecting all of their classrooms with a rolling cart system.
In the fall of 2002, we began testing with the Lawrence Public schools as
their Distance Learning Lab became operational. The next school to have an
operational lab come up was Gobles not until the summer of 2004. They
became the fifth school to install a distance learning lab.
Bloomingdale Public Schools have installed all of the equipment for their
Distance Learning Lab with the exception of the Codec, which is scheduled
to be installed during the 2004-2005 fiscal year. That will make it the
sixth school district with a Distance Learning Lab in the VBISD. With the
capabilities of our videobridge, we will be able to connect all six of
those districts together for interactive conferences.
The Bloomingdale Public School District is planning to install a
distance-learning lab as part of a building expansion project. This will
allow 5 sites in the VBISD to connect together as a group for meetings,
classes, professional development, and more applications. |
