Grant Opportunity

2008 Technology Grants for Rural Schools

Technology Grants for Rural Schools program was created to help meet the growing need for innovative technology in the classroom. The grants are funded by a donation from Rural Telephone Finance Cooperative (RTFC) and strive to help public schools in rural areas served by OPASTCO members bring modern computers to every classroom, connect schools to the information superhighway and make sure that effective and engaging software and online resources are an integral part of the school curriculum.

Download an application here!
Applications are due into the FRED office on or before September 13, 2008
Eligibility Requirements
1. Must be a public k-12 school
2. Must be in the service area of an OPASTCO telephone company

OPASTCO is an association for small independent telephone companies throughout the United States and Canada.
To find out if you are in the service area of an OPASTCO member contact your local telephone company.
Schools that are served by large telephone carriers such as Verizon, BellSouth, Frontier, AT&T, Sprint, Qwest, etc. are not eligible to apply.

2007 Technology Grant Recipients
Thanks to the generosity of RTFC, rural schools located in OPASTCO members' service areas are able to make huge strides in the effort to close the digital divide. In 2007, $50,000 in technology grants was awarded to public schools.
With close to half a million dollars in funding requested, it is clear that RTFC's program fills a great need in our rural communities for technology that enhances the learning experience. Of the more than 60 applications that were reviewed, the following 7 schools.

Sesame Street

A couple of months ago I heard that the original episodes of Sesame Street were being released on DVD. In and of itself, that wasn't very interesting. What was of interest was that these early episodes came with a warning saying they weren't appropriate for young children. Of course, I had to see these. The first episode introduces many of the characters who have been mainstays ever since. Bert and Ernie, Oscar the Grouch, Big Bird, Gordon, Bob and Mr. Hooper show up here. There was counting and letters that are introduced. There is also a long tedious segment on milking cows. No kid would sit through that. I don't really know why the show is considered not fit for children other than what we consider politically incorrect was common place back in 1968. Also included on the first disc is a selection of the best bits from the first season. A very young James Earl Jones counts to 10, Jackie Robinson reads the alphabet and Kermit the Frog sings about being green. I watched 1 episode and that was enough for me. Brings back memories of raising kids.

Gallery Walk

Last night my lovely wife Sheri and I went downtown for a gallery walk.  We haven't been to one of these for a couple of years.  The weather was almost okay for June.  Overcast and chilly is better than rain and downright cold which it has been here most of the month.  We stopped going to these walks because most of the art wasn't very good.  The exception last night was going to the Whatcom Museum.  They had 2 exhibits that were both very good.  John Franklin Koenig was a northwest artist that I had not heard of.  He had a long history of producing abstract art in many forms.  I was impressed with his paintings that represented many decades of work.  The styles were similar but always fresh and evolving.  This was a large show and I was able to get a real feel for this artist.  Another exhibit going on down the street at the Arco annex was the World of the Shipwright.  This show had many locally built boats from the last 100 years.  Being next to the water, we have had numerous boat builders set up shop and provide the country with great boats.  Part of the exhibit was focused on Uniflite.  These boat builders were quite successful over the years with both pleasure boats and government contracted boats.  I worked at Uniflite for a short time in the 80's.  It was fun to see how some of these boats have held up.

After the gallery walk, we went to the Honeymoon.  This is a mead bar in Bellingham.  They are a winery that makes mead, cider and wine.  We go here on Wednesday nights for trivia.  On Friday's they have live music.  It was fun to go and see this small local place packed with locals.  All in all, it was a fun Friday night.

Is Summer Ever Going to Get Here?

The weather here is miserable.  It is the coldest June I can recall.  On top of that it has been raining pretty steady all month.  We had huge amounts of rain with thunder and lightning yesterday.  Not much fun.  I get home from work and it's too cold to spend any time outside.  My JetSki is getting lonely.  One nice thing is watching the hummingbirds.  I have a feeder outside my living room window.  We have 5 or 6 birds at a time eating.  They sure have a lot of energy.  

The Mariners are living up to their reputation this season for being awful.  They haven't won more than 3 games in a row all season.  It has been a struggle to be a fan.  This reminds of the old Kingdome days.  There were games we would go to back then when I swear there weren't 5000 people at the games.  You would spend the entire game wandering around looking for something interesting to eat.  It was better than watching the game.  Today you go to the game and I sit tight in my seat.  I know I can't afford to buy food at the games.  I think that the Mariners raised the prices on almost all of the food items by $1.  The other day I was at a game and they were advertising that it was 2 for Tuesday.  You could buy 2 baseball caps for the price of one.  I went to the concession stand.  Lo and behold, I couldn't get a decent looking cap.  The only ones available were pink or white non standard hats.  A classic case of bait and switch.  I'm getting real tired of going to see a poor team that doesn't seem to give anything back to the fans.  The least they could do is win a game of two.

My son Tom is back working at the supermarket this summer.  He tells me that it is a very difficult year for students to get jobs.  Most of his friends haven't been able to get summer jobs.  Tom may not like working where he is, but it is better than many kids his age this year.  

Cable Time

As summer approaches, you are going to have many projects that are going to require updating your wiring and infrastructure. Here are a few items to consider. Cat6 cabling available.











D-Link DES-1026G 24-Port Switch


Gigabit $179.95 10/100 $99.00

Summary

Maximize your network potential with this feature-rich, high-performance switch. Efficiently migrate your network to Gigabit speed with the DES-1026G unmanaged 24-Port 10/100 plus 2-Port 10/100/1000 Switch. This switch delivers a combination of Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, and Gigabit solutions, all in one compact solution. Remove server bottlenecks, extend the network's size, and speed up access time for all your users in just one move. The non-blocking architecture of the DES-1026G enables optimal wire-speed network processing, while data flow control filters out faulty packets, minimizing their propagation. In addition, easy-to-read, front LED's show ongoing switch status and simplify troubleshooting. A reliable, easy-to-use solution with hassle-free setup and no configuration required.

Features

• Data Link Protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet


• Port Quantity: 24

• Switching Protocol: Store and Forward


• MAC Address Table: 8k entries

Cisco Aironet 1131AG Wireless Access Point $499.00

Features

• Type: Wireless Access Point


• Enclosure: External


• RAM Installed: 32 MB


• Data Link Protocol: IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11g

• Remote Management Protocol: SNMP, Telnet, HTTP, HTTPS


• Features: Uplink, Auto Sensing Per Device, Power over Ethernet (PoE), BOOTP Support


• Warranty: 1 Year Warranty

Grant Opportunities

Ezra Jack Keats Minigrant Program

Minigrant Award = $500 Minigrant Application Instructions

Minigrant Application Instructions Click here to download the Minigrant Application Form

1. We accept applications from public schools and libraries anywhere in the United States and its protectorates. 2. Funds will not be granted for: - general operating costs - administrative costs - transportation of the audience - purchase of books, tapes, software or equipment unrelated to a specific program described. 3. Creative programs funded in the past have included: - Ongoing pen-pal projects bringing disparate communities together, - Multi-cultural portrait projects, - Art projects culminating in art shows, murals, or quilts, - Bookmaking, - Creation and performance of puppet shows, - Inter-generational journals.* * These are examples...we welcome new ideas. 4. Applications will only be accepted if they are submitted on the form and in the space provided without reformating or attachments. 5. Only one application will be considered from each library or school. 6. Applications cannot be accepted for consideration if: - they are for programs being held in any type of private or parochial school or library, - they are for duplicated programs, - they are emailed, - they are sent by registered mail, - they require a signature upon delivery, - they are postmarked after the September 15 deadline of each year. 7. If an award check is not to be made out to the library or school: - please indicate clearly the name of the entity cashing the check, - how it is connected to the institution using the award, - who at that institution is serving as contact for the program and - how we can reach them. 8. We cannot send you a replacement if you lose the award check. 9. Make sure you have: - answered all the questions - signed the application - stapled the pages together - checked the accuracy of your return address and email (or we will not be able to inform you of your status.) - kept a copy of the application for your files. 10. Mail the completed application form to: Ezra Jack Keats Minigrant Program 450 14th Street Brooklyn, New York 11215 11. Decisions will be announced by December of each year. You will receive notification by mail whether or not you have been awarded a grant.

Click here to download the Minigrant Application Form

Computer Closeouts

I have a few miscellanious systems here that I want to clear out. Limited quantites at these prices!

Lenovo 3000 desktop

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+ 2.1GHz

1GB DDR2 667 PC2-5300

320GB hard drive

DVD-RW

ATI Radeon X1250 graphic set

Gigabit ethernet

Windows Vista Home Premium

1 year warranty

Was $799 now $699

Blue Mountain Spectrum 301

Intel Core 2 Duo E6500 2.33 GHz

2 GB DDR2-667 DIMM

320 SATA hard drive

20x DVD-RW

19-IN-1 Card reader

Logitech USB Keyboard/mouse

Windows Vista Home Premium

3 year warranty

Was $899 now $849

HP DC5700 Desktop

Intel Core 2 Duo E4400 2 GHz

1 GB DDR2 RAM

80 GB hard drive

CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive

Gigabit ethernet

3 year on site warranty

Was $899 now $799

Blue Mountain Eon 14.1"

14.1 Wide Glossy Screeen WXGA 1280X800

Intel 950 Integrated graphics

Core 2 Duo T5500 (1.6GHz)

1GB DDR533 (1 STICK)

100GB SATA hard drive

DVD-RW

Intel 802.11ABG wireless

Windows XP-Professional

1 year warranty

Was $1399 now $1299

Blue Mountain Eon 15.4"

15.4" Wide Glossy Screeen WXGA 1280X800

Intel X3100 Integrated graphics

Core 2 Duo T7100 (1.8GHz)

1GB DDR2-667 RAM

DVD-RW

Intel 802.11ABGN wireless

100GB 5400RPM SATA hard drive

Intel turbo memory

Windows Vista Home Premium

1 year warranty

Was $1399 now $1299

HP Notebook

Mobile Sempron 3500+ 1.8GHz

80 GB hard drive

512MB DDR2

CD-RW/DVD

Radeon X1250

Gigabit ethernet

Wireless 802.11 B/G

Fingerprint reader

Vista Home Basic

1 year warranty

Was $699 now $649 with free RAM upgrade to 1 GB!

Offers good only through this offering. Cannot be combined with other coupons or specials.