End of 2nd Quarter

• 

Project Connect- 2nd Quarter Update

The ECF Consultants (http://www.educf.org) were busy analyzing and compiling data this quarter after their trip to the islands in January.

This is a brief report from Mike – the guru of the airwaves-
“Our measurements confirm what we had originally hoped to see, that the margins are good enough so that license-free low-cost commercial equipment will be able to meet the requirement.
We are working on theoretical numbers given to us by the manufacturers, and are our best working values at this time. Precise estimates will be generated when the equipment is purchased and field-tested before being shipped to NMI for deployment; we expect testing to occur in May with an anticipated deployment in this summer.
In conclusion….All systems are looking good at this time. One area that needs to be handled is the downlink to the Saipan campus, because links are expected to share the same tower with the FM radio station. This is an area of concern because the Power is relatively high; it will require that we use pipe to shield the wire going to the tower-mounted radios and careful grounding of the network switching equipment. All other locations are bereft of 5.7 and/or 5.2 GHz signals, and therefore, are not expected to be impacted by interference. Special considerations will be given to the environmental conditions on the islands.”

In addition to the technical aspect of the grant, we are in the hiring stage of grant personnel. We have posted the job descriptions for both Project Director and Network Systems Administrator. We should be interviewing shortly and hiring quickly thereafter.

We have been readying the DE rooms on all 3 islands and installing the AirCon in the new DE Room in Building V. Also we have purchased the server and installing the software to run the web-based, communication program - Elluminate Live. Elluminate Live will provide the Online, Synchronous Classes and workshops scheduled for Fall '07.

This Spring Semester a few Faculty Instructors have been under going a semester-long Online Course instructing them in Distance Learning Pedagogy and the use of Online Communication web 2.0 Tools, and are preparing their course curriculum with the help of NMC’s Instructional Designer to offer Online in Fall 2007. These courses along with a variety of other classes and workshops will be offered this fall to Tinian & Rota.

It’s been a busy 2nd Quarter!

Project Connect - On Its Way

ECF Consultants- Testing Bandwidth Saipan, Tinian & Rota

During January of 2007, the technical staff of the Educational Consulting Foundation visited the three campus sites of the Northern Marianas College. The purpose of this visit was to measure the level of bandwidth between the Saipan campus site and the two remote sites on Tinian and Rota. Measurements were taken between Saipan and Tinian, Tinian and Rota and Saipan and Rota. The results of the test indicated that the purposes of the ANA project should be capable of being established.

At the present time, the Educational Consulting Foundation staff is evaluating the equipment that would best serve the project with the data gathered. Once the solution is established, it will be tested in California before it is shipped to NMC.

Based on the information gathered, it is projected that the initial installation will be completed by the start of the fall, 2007 academic semester.

Project Connect: Inter-Island Distance Learning Network

Project Connect: Inter-Island Distance Learning Network is funded by The Administration for Native Americans (ANA) through The Department of Health and Human Services and The Administration for Children and Families. The project will be located at Northern Marianas College on Saipan.

The Commomwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are extremely excited and appreciative that Project Connect was funded for the years 2006-2009 by ANA. The goal of Project Connect is to connect the 3 remote islands of Saipan, Tinian and Rota with reliable and consistent access to education, information and vital resources through new Internet Communication Technology (ICT), a point-to-point wireless network, which will allow the transmission of critical knowledge, valuable resources including educational courses, workshops, telemedicine, and community services to increase economic opportunities and services to the island's native population.

This weblog is established to communicate project events and activities to the community members of the CNMI, especially the islands of Saipan, Tinian & Rota.

The blog will be updated regularly by Project Connect Staff to keep everyone up-to-date with the latest project happenings. Make sure you return frequently or subscribe to the "blog" often to see what new learning experiences are planned for you and your community.