School Kids to Steer Internet Boat Around the World.HOPKINS, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 5, 1996--Johnny and Sue may not have your car keys yet, but come April 1997, they'll be driving a 46 foot Education/Exploration boat around the planet ... via their classroom keyboards. In the interest of education, communication and technology, a Minneapolis non-profit organization A non-profit organization (abbreviated "NPO", also "non-profit" or "not-for-profit") is a legally constituted organization whose primary objective is to support or to actively engage in activities of public or private interest without any commercial or monetary profit purposes. is taking elementary school elementary school: see school. students around the world - virtually. With modern computer and navigational technology, students can get a customized tour of the world, without ever leaving the classroom. The Internet Circumnavigation cir·cum·nav·i·gate tr.v. cir·cum·nav·i·gat·ed, cir·cum·nav·i·gat·ing, cir·cum·nav·i·gates 1. To proceed completely around: circumnavigating the earth. 2. Education Expedition (ICEE ICEE International Conference on Engineering Education ICEE Indiana Center for Economic Education (Purdue University) ICEE International Centre for Eye Education (Sydney, NSW, Australia) ) is set to launch their trans-global expedition early next year. The boat will stay in constant contact (via the Internet) with elementary schools until its return on New Year's Eve 1999. Using sophisticated internet software, students can direct the crew to research and investigate anything along the itinerary. After launching from the U.S.A. in April of 1997, the boat will island hop the rest of that year, traveling through several Hawaiian islands, the Society Islands, Samoa, Tonga and Fiji. The following year sees New Zealand New Zealand (zē`lənd), island country (2005 est. pop. 4,035,000), 104,454 sq mi (270,534 sq km), in the S Pacific Ocean, over 1,000 mi (1,600 km) SE of Australia. The capital is Wellington; the largest city and leading port is Auckland. , Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Suez, Greece and Italy. The 1999 home stretch includes stops in France (via canal), England, Portugal, New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , Minneapolis (again via canal and river), New Orleans and Panama. With digital cameras, sound recording devices and a satellite hook-up to the Internet, the boat's crew will be able to transfer all their experiences to the students in real time. It's a somewhat futuristic spin on the notion of a field trip. The boat, a 15 meter trawler designed specifically for trans- oceanic navigation, acts as a floating communications hub and information lab. The trip's website is updated daily. Water testing instruments check global pollution levels, and staff journalists chronicle the journey. Provisioning, detailed itinerary charting, and educational exercises are already underway. Check status, progress and provide input by visiting the ICEE website, http://www.circumnavigator cir·cum·nav·i·gate tr.v. cir·cum·nav·i·gat·ed, cir·cum·nav·i·gat·ing, cir·cum·nav·i·gates 1. To proceed completely around: circumnavigating the earth. 2. .org. CONTACT: Phil Dunn (800) 397-9211, pdunn@hoptechno.com |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion