I just learned (from my new favorite listserv from TIES) that Glencoe-Silver Lake High School was featured on Kare 11 news for their cool tech programs.

Glencoe-Silver Lake recently participated in a program sponsored by NASA that allowed students to communicate directly with folks at NASA. The article mentions other projects as well.

The article mentions that this is possible because of a “technology called a CODEC”. The Codec is actually the machine or program that (I think) encodes the signal for transmission, storage or encryption and decodes it for viewing or editing. In my not so technical mind I think of it as a modem that turns the signal from something I can transport (across the phone line) to something I can access (see/hear/use) on my computer. (Here’s a better definition.)

Broadband is obviously also necessary for these cool programs and projects. I just think it’s important to point out that broadband is required. I think it’s often assumed, which is great. But sometimes people forget that you have to plan and pay for the assumed part of a program.