Saturday, April 29, 2000
Students blaze research trail
Newport teens use equipment Apple donated
By Ray Schaefer
Enquirer Contributor
NEWPORT — Andrea McIntosh didn't know salamanders could swim until she found them paddling in Taylor Creek.
Soon Andrea and the 21 other members of Newport High School's Aquatic Biology Club will be able to share findings with the world.
Newport High is the first school in Kentucky, and only one of about 15 schools nationwide, to receive Apple computers and equipment that will allow them wireless access to the World Wide Web. With five notebook computers, a desktop machine, video camera and software Apple donated, Andrea and her classmates plan to record and transmit their findings and do research via the Internet.
First-year biology teacher Lisa Ann Hampton started the aquatic biology club in February. She said the idea is to learn about life in Taylor Creek and Four Mile Creek south of Silver Grove while leaving everything in the streams.
“With the video camera, while we're in the field we'll videotape different organisms, plants, all the things we do at the creek,” Ms. Hampton said. “We'll bring that footage back to the classroom. .. With my desktop, I'll edit the footage and identify species through the Internet.”
Newport High is part of Apple's national Seed Project. The computers and equipment are worth about $17,000, said Tammy Bedinghaus, Apple's account executive for K-12 education in Kentucky.
“Wireless technology is very new,” Ms. Bedinghaus said. “Apple's very excited putting it in the hands of kids to foster creative thinking and learning.”
Ms. Bedinghaus said students at one end of a stream will be able to send messages and files to classmates at the other end.
Newport's equipment in cludes what is called an airport base station, but it has nothing to do with airplanes.
Students are able to work away from computer labs thanks to a transmitter — the base station — that allows them to access the Internet from up to 150 feet away.
When they return to school, students will help with the research. “They can work in teams at their desk around a central laptop,” Ms. Hampton said.
And maybe discover more new things about their environment, like sophomore Amanda Thompson did about the water spiders at Taylor Creek last week.
“I didn't know about the little water spiders,” Amanda said. “I didn't know how they lived. Actually, I learned how they mated.”
Added Andrea, also a sophomore, “We'll be able to keep track of all our information and research on the Internet.”
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