Category Archives: LightSpeed

News from Hutchinson and Little Crow Telemedia Network

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Here is a link to our Veterans Day presentation where we brought in a chaplain who was serving in Iraq and presented to the student body in Glencoe. KARE-11 did a nice job on covering the story.

We also recorded the event so others could watch who could not make it to the presentation. The link was made through our video gateway on Internet 2, which is a broadband channel set up for these kinds of broadband applications. We linked with a group out of Washington, DC to help us find a video endpoint in Iraq.

We also connected two separate times to area high schools who were able to watch and interact with a surgical team as they performed a live total knee replacement. ACGC schools in Grove City, MN and YME schools in Granite Falls, MN each had high School Science classes be part of a live surgery. The students were sent curriculum kits before the surgery so they understood the procedure and why they needed to do the surgery but also the procedures involved in replacing a knee. The students were able to interact with the entire surgical team which was based in Ohio. During pre event questions about one half of the students were looking into the medical field. After the surgery over 70% of the students were now interested in going into the medical field. We only had one student leave during the surgery as it was pretty graphic and even though it was connected at 384 kbs the picture quality was fairly good.

We did get some press, but I am unable to find the article.

We also just completed our second year of Chinese language. The teacher is from the Metro area and we connect via videoconferencing. This is not unusual as about 8 years ago we received Japanese from Brooklyn Center and Russian from St. Cloud State. This is just a continuation of what we are able to do as a technology cooperative and an emphasis on Distance Learning. Since the Little Crow Telemedia Network (LCTN) and the Minnesota River Valley Education District (MRVED) share a gig WAN we are able to cooperatively share some servers and services. We bring Atomic Learning into the districts which is tutorial systems of quicktime movies instructing students and staff in how to use a variety of software. The step by step procedures allow students and staff the ability to watch the quicktime movie and then go and do the same steps on their software. They can also pause and replay the quicktime movies as they learn how to use their software.

In addition to the videoconferencing applications, the LCTN-MRVED WAN hosts a video streaming server which allows students and staff to watch and download educational videos which have been digitize and broken up into components which are also tied to grad standards. In the past we used United Streaming, but now we are switching to Learn360 which will give us better quality to the desktop.

The LCTN also hosts a Moodle server which allows us to host Online classes as well as provide a support for traditional classroom instruction. Moodle allows students to get resources from instructors 24×7 as well as allowing for discussion groups and live documents, wikis.

light speed communityThe Blandin Foundation is supporting four standout broadband programs through the Light Speed program. The program’s purpose is to stimulate the deployment of bandwidth intensive applications that connect local institutions to area resident’s home. This post comes from a Light Speed community leader.

Initial Post – Project Update

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We have finally started moving with some of our initiatives:

Equipment and software has been purchased for our “Video Production and Community Server” project.  The hardware has been setup, software installed and we’ve started working on our first deliverable video, which will be an informational video about my son, Nick Riordan’s, trip to Washington, DC for the National Spelling Bee.  We’ll be working up the production and should have it available on our school and city cable channels, as well as hosting it on our community web server very soon.

Our next steps for the project are:

Setting up a room at the Windom Area High School to serve as our video production center.  Now that school is out for the year, our Mass Media teacher will have some time to put towards planning his fall class outlines and determining how best to use the video equipment in his classes.

Getting school staff assigned to the “Homework Helper” project and purchasing laptops and webcams.

Working with our Meterology teacher to determine the best use of technology in his classroom and how best to deliver that class across our network.

That’s it for now, hopefully more to come very soon.

light speed communityThe Blandin Foundation is supporting four standout broadband programs through the Light Speed program. The program’s purpose is to stimulate the deployment of bandwidth intensive applications that connect local institutions to area resident’s home. This post comes from a Light Speed community leader.

Little Crow Telemedia Network

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Pete RoyerI had the opportunity to visit Pete Royer in his spacious office in Hutchinson earlier this week. Pete shares his space with a colleague, multiple computers and monitors and stacks of assorted stuff that tech coordinators rely on to get through the day. Blandin Foundation helped to fund the acquisition of digital recording equipment so that Pete can record multiple video conferences at one time. He was able to show me a sample of a Chinese language class originating from Hopkins with participating students from multiple districts (see picture and note the Chinese instructor). One of the ironic things about making site visits on technology projects is that the use of the technology is so exciting, but the electronics that make it possible are so boring to look at! While a rack of electronics may have multiple purposes, to my untrained eyes the boxes all look alike! Nevertheless, Pete is extremely excited about the opportunities that the new equipment enables, especially combined with some new Adobe streaming video software that they are just installing. Pete recently posted some information elsewhere on the Blandinonbroadband blog about how to view some of the video conferences that they have on their public server. Check them out! Of course, advancement on one side of the network infrastructure places strain elsewhere. Video storage capacity is next on Pete’s agenda.

IP VCR url

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For anyone who would like to view some of the meetings we have recorded on our IP VCR please go to the following url:

http://156.98.62.56

Click on the pull down menu and select the speed, I would suggest 128kbps in either quicktime or WMV.

have fun,

Pete

light speed communityThe Blandin Foundation is supporting four standout broadband programs through the Light Speed program. The program’s purpose is to stimulate the deployment of bandwidth intensive applications that connect local institutions to area resident’s home. This post comes from a Light Speed community leader.

Re-launching the Light Speed and Open Access Feasibility Fund

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light speed communityThe Blandin Foundation is re-launching the Light Speed and Open Access Feasibility Fund especially to communities in southwest Minnesota:

Chippewa, Kandiyohi, McLeod, Meeker, Nicollet, Renville, Sibley, Lac Qui Parle, Lincoln, Lyon, Redwood, Yellow Medicine, Brown, Cottonwood, Jackson, Martin, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone, Rock, Watonwan, Blue Earth, Faribault, Freeborn, LeSueur, Rice, Steele, and Waseca.

To assist potential applicants, a series of grant workshops will be held as follows: June 18 in Willmar and Appleton; June 19 in Mankato and June 27 in Slayton. The workshops are hosted by the area regional development commissions and co-hosted by the area Initiative Foundations.

To get more information, please visit the Blandin Foundation web site.

Home and Community Options, Inc.

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Light Speed Grant Recipient

Peter Walsh, Project Coordinator

Project Update

May 21, 2008

 

 

The new news is that we have been playing with our IP Video with two-way audio.  Not quite video conferencing but quite workable.  The fiber connection between the two sites really enhances performance.  When I ran the same configuration via the cable modem the delay was objectionable but over the fiber it was almost non existent.  My next step is to train a staff person and her supervisor so they can conduct some supervision via the IP video.  We also intend to experiment with a real video conferencing solution.  We will get to that next month.

 

The staff training is in its final stages and we are just rounding up our stragglers so we can have attained a uniform base level of competency.  It is so encouraging to hear the staff verbalize their satisfaction and to have them reinforce the importance of everybody getting the training.

 

We now have eight sights implementing our eFile program.  We have four sights fully implemented, four about 75% implemented and we have another two just starting the process.  This system enables a program to go completely paperless with all of the required documentation and standardizes all the forms and templates across all programs.  Another side benefit that we just realized was how much it reduced training of existing employees who transfer from one program to another.  We just had one staff who had been using the eFile switch to a new program and there was no lag time at all as the eFile was the same in her new program.

 

Our remote monitoring program is progressing slowly, but progressing.  We have now solved our IP Intercom problem and by the end of June we should have full duplex audio streaming out of our test facility.  This is quite a robust application and we are anxious to start testing other facets of it.

light speed communityThe Blandin Foundation is supporting four standout broadband programs through the Light Speed program. The program’s purpose is to stimulate the deployment of bandwidth intensive applications that connect local institutions to area resident’s home. This post comes from a Light Speed community leader.

Home and Community Options, Inc

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Blandin Light Speed Grant

Six Month Progress Report

Peter Walsh, Project Coordinator

April 22, 2008

 

 

We have just completed the first six months of our Light Speed Project and it is exciting to provide an update on the progress we have made toward our goals.

 

All in all we have made good strides in either completing or moving forward on our goal related activities.  Perhaps the biggest disappointment has been the slow progress of HBCI making the FTTH connections.  We hope that with warmer weather their technicians will be better able to complete this task.  HBCI has indicated that they will be starting to lay underground cable now that the ground is frost free and they assure us that once they get started installations will flow steadily.

 

We are very pleased with the response of our staff and their desire for additional training.  We are excited to see the ease in which our E-File system is being deployed and we have programs clamoring to be next on our installation list.  Fortunately, that decision is made by the agency Directors and they select programs on the basis of need and readiness.

 

Our remote monitoring venture is unfolding very nicely.  We have a model home in the midst of implementation with a variety of security devices working and progress being made every day.  We have most of the call escalation program completed and are designing the user interface screens.  We are testing the phone interface and find that it works well.  I am sure we will find more things that we need to adjust as we start playing out some scenarios.  

 

We are meeting monthly with a local group made up of providers of care to the elderly who are seeking ways to improve the delivery of service to seniors within the Winona community.  They are excited about our participation and we hope to find some opportunities to implement some of our remote monitoring solutions within their care population. 

 

We are grateful to the Blandin Foundation for this opportunity to implement our broadband applications.

 

light speed communityThe Blandin Foundation is supporting four standout broadband programs through the Light Speed program. The program’s purpose is to stimulate the deployment of bandwidth intensive applications that connect local institutions to area resident’s home. This post comes from a Light Speed community leader.

Lakewood Health System Update

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We continue to research our telemonitoring purchase options. Last week, we had a representative from Patient Care Technologies demonstrate their well@home device.  The well@home model is unique in that it interfaces with Patient Care Technologies’ current Home Health software.  Our home health agency purchased this software a number of years ago.  This would mean our nurses would not have to re-enter the client’s telemonitoring statistics into the client’s online chart.  It would directly interface the information each time the client completed their vital signs, answered questions related to their health condition, or did not complete their tasks.  The newest well@home monitor includes the capability to obtain a 1-lead ECG- something that we have not seen in other telemonitoring products.  On their website: http://www.wellathome.com/ they include an interview with a well@home user from Minnesota. 

In Patient Care Technologies’ own one year study of CHF patients, patients who utilized well@home showed a 37% improvement in the management of their oral medications, 19% reported improved dyspnea, along with a 45% reduced ER care visit rate and 47% rate of decreased acute care hospitalization.  As we look for Medicare to begin the “pay for performance” standards for home care agencies, we are looking to improve our care and utilize more evidence-based process measures, like telemonitoring. 

Our last telemedicine demonstration is scheduled for May 1st from a company called Viterion. 

light speed communityThe Blandin Foundation is supporting four standout broadband programs through the Light Speed program. The program’s purpose is to stimulate the deployment of bandwidth intensive applications that connect local institutions to area resident’s home. This post comes from a Light Speed community leader.

Home and Community Options, Inc.

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Light Speed Grant Recipient

Peter Walsh, Project Coordinator

Project Update

April 9, 2008

 

Small steps but progress continues!!  We have another facility connected with FTTH!!  Now we can begin experimenting with some of our broadband applications.  Videoconferencing and “Thin Client” connectivity will be our first two projects and we hope to get started on those very soon.

 

Our Remote Monitoring efforts are gradually coming together.  We have two IP cameras set up with two-way audio.  This week we will be training the staff at the facility in the use of the cameras.  We will also continue testing the IP Intercom; we ran into some complications last week as it doesn’t seem to like our router.  Need to tweak it a bit.  We will also be arming the wireless window and door alarms this week and testing the remote configuration and monitoring of the security system.  The manufacturer is changing some of the interface code and we decided to wait until the new version comes out before we write our program that will integrate the security system with our Remote Monitoring program.

 

We are now on our third set of Outlook and Excel classes.  We are excited about the impact this is going to have on overall agency productivity.  We have become very dependent upon email of course and have been using that for internal and external communication for several years but the use of the Outlook Calendar and Tasks were just not evolving the way we had expected.  Now, with everyone taking the classes, we will expect everyone to use the Outlook Calendar and scheduling meetings will be much simpler.  We also clustered our Resources (conference rooms, projectors, etc.) as a separate Exchange group so staff can more easily reserve them.  This really makes managing our resources much easier.

 

Our e-File program is being implemented at a nice pace.  We now have five programs either completely running or in the final implementation stages of running our electronic file system for our Residential Programs.  This is an integration of Outlook, Excel and Word to provide a paperless record keeping system.  This e-File program was developed internally by our staff so it really fits our needs.  Now that our lead staff have seen its effectiveness they are all clamoring to be next in line for installation.  A nice problem to have!

 

We have lots of things happening on different fronts and that keeps me busy, but what fun to be able to integrate these applications on a fiber backbone!

light speed communityThe Blandin Foundation is supporting four standout broadband programs through the Light Speed program. The program’s purpose is to stimulate the deployment of bandwidth intensive applications that connect local institutions to area resident’s home. This post comes from a Light Speed community leader.
 

April eNews is on the Streets

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We posted the April eNews yesterday. I wanted to share the parts of the eNews that aren’t on the blog already with the blog readers…

Community News

Alexandria
All State Wireless a subsidiary of All State Satellite Depot Inc. opened a new Sprint store March 1 in Alexandria.

Crookston
Secretary of State Mark Ritchie visited Crookston, mentioning the possibility of allowing absentee votes via the Internet. It was a suggestion that Governor Pawlenty voted down last year, but will probably resurface. (http://tinyurl.com/3y4g34)

Eagan
Eagan Mayor Mike Maguire, reflecting on the last year, mentions efforts to bring broadband to the community. “Broadband is as vital to our wellbeing as good roads, electrical power and safe water,” he said. (http://tinyurl.com/324pch)

Iron Range
The Iron Range Network Joint Powers Board is committed to a high speed network but they are at a crossroads and are considering their options for building and deploying the network. (http://tinyurl.com/2pdefq)

Isanti
A conference for parents entitled, Youngsters and the Internet, draws 150 attendees in Isanti. Parents learn how to teach their children about the Internet and how to keep safe online. (http://tinyurl.com/2lr3bv)

Marshall
Insight School of Minnesota, an online high school will open next fall. The school expects 200 students. Insight School opened in Washington in 2006 and has been popular and well regarded. (http://tinyurl.com/2jckuc)

Minneapolis
Minneapolis Wireless network is set to be completed by the end of March, 2008. (http://tinyurl.com/27x5vz)

Monticello
A columnist for the Monticello Times provides a rave review of YouTube and its religious brother God Tube. (http://tinyurl.com/3csclj)

Red Wing
Senator Amy Klobuchar visited in March to discuss broadband in Red Wing, among other things. (http://tinyurl.com/394kqy)

Sebeka
CrossUSA recruits technology workers to rural areas to remotely manage networks and mainframes in such a way that keeps the jobs in the country rather than offshore. (http://tinyurl.com/39v2d5)

St Cloud
St. Cloud Recreation Department will no longer be printing catalogs; program information will now be posted online only. Community members have concerns but the impact will be closely monitored. (http://tinyurl.com/2mzy7d)

Thief River Falls
Police offer the old mantra – if it seems too good to be true, it probably is – as sage advice on the Internet. (http://tinyurl.com/2uj4tb)

Todd County
Todd County started an FTTP program with a meeting with committee members, key stakeholders and Bill Coleman representing Blandin Foundation. They discussed the need for the community to invest in telecommunications to get the network they want and need for their future.

Twin Cities
The Twin Cities are beefing up their communications networks to support the GOP National Convention this September. Verizon Wireless expects a 150 percent rise in data transmissions on its broadband network. Qwest Communications International will add more than 100 miles of fiber-optic and copper lines in and around the Xcel Energy Center. (http://tinyurl.com/2uc2hx)

Waseca
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Waseca County Sheriff’s Office are working out a new system that will allow residents to activate burning permits online. Online permits will be $5 but can be reactivated throughout the year. (http://tinyurl.com/2my9aj)

Winona
Home and Community Options Inc is in the midst of wiring one of their residences. Once it is installed, the home will not need night staff on premises; it will be monitored remotely. (http://tinyurl.com/2pm8y5)

Bill Coleman

Coleman’s Corner

Blandin Foundation’s broadband programs enable me to work with many communities throughout the state. My work this week was especially interesting. On one day, I met with leaders in a community that is just embarking on the journey to better understanding of their telecommunications services. They are asking the right questions – “What do we have? …What do we need? …. How do we get there?

Through the Community Broadband Resources program (http://www.blandinfoundation.com/html/public_bb_cbr.cfm), I will be helping them understand the current offerings from incumbent providers and the telecom needs of their business community and residents. While I work on getting information from the providers, the community leaders will be out visiting with the businesses. We will be able to pull this information together, have some informed meetings with the providers then talk about next steps.

The following day, I was able to participate in a consultant selection process for a community FTTP feasibility study. This community has been working for some time to get to this point. They have talked extensively with their incumbent providers and potential competitive providers. They have worked through the Blandin Foundation Get Broadband program (http://www.blandinfoundation.org/bsite/bbsite.html) to inform community members and businesses about the importance of broadband for economic development and quality of life. They have their local governments, school district and municipal utilities working together to identify future needs for bandwidth and technology applications. This community is seeking the definitive information necessary to make informed decisions about their next steps.

Each community is unique and has their own set of decision making factors and priorities. What is not unique is the need to bring community leaders together around the issue of broadband and technology. It is clear that communities that work aggressively on both sides of the equation – ensuring high quality services and building demand and technology sophistication – will emerge on the positive side of the digital divide and new economy. Community Broadband Resources (CBR) is designed to provide communities with the assistance they need when they need it. Go online to the Blandin website (www.blandinfoundation.org), find out the details and apply for the type of assistance that would move your community forward. While making progress is sometimes hard, the CBR online application process is quick and simple! I look forward to working with you!

HCO Project Update

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Home and Community Options, Inc.

Light Speed Grant Recipient

Project Update March 21, 2008

Peter Walsh, Project Coordinator

We have had an exciting couple of weeks as we have been wiring one of our residences with a plethora electronic security and remote monitoring devices.  The men at the residence are really excited and look forward to the day when they will not need a night staff on the premise.  This is really a big deal for them as it impacts directly on their sense of self and independence. 

We will be in the testing phase for some time as we work out the bugs and develop our intervention protocols.  Surprisingly one of the biggest challenges has been full duplex IP audio.  There are not very many options to provide at-the-moment dialog.  For example to get a response to the query “Are you alright?” in places where an IP camera is not allowed such as bedrooms and bathrooms.  We have located a solution and will begin testing it this week.

 

Our employee training is starting to catch on.  The word is out that the classes are very beneficial and we now have waiting lists for the next round of classes that start this week.  So we may decide to offer a couple more sessions to accommodate the increased interest.  I think one of the responses from one of our former foot draggers speaks volumes:  “You know that if we are really going be able to take advantage of this system everyone is going to have to be up to speed.”  We may be approaching the downhill slope and all because of our Light Speed Grant!!  Thank you Blandin!

light speed communityThe Blandin Foundation is supporting four standout broadband programs through the Light Speed program. The program’s purpose is to stimulate the deployment of bandwidth intensive applications that connect local institutions to area resident’s home. This post comes from a Light Speed community leader.

Windom Update – Student PPTs on Cable

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Thanks to Dan Olsen, Director of Operations from Windomnet for sending us a report from the Windomnet project:

The first item to be activated is an informational channel on the local city owned cable system. Students create a power point presentation and then FTP the presentation to the server located at the cable headend. This is then displayed on a local cable channel. Open source software was used to produce the power point. In the near future this server will be moved to the high school and used as part of the overall video learning and information system.

Fiber optic splicing has begun for the the interconnect from the Windom areas high school to the City Of Windom Network Operations Center (Noc) and the headend. This will allow for Ethernet transport to the Noc, and live video streaming to the headend.

light speed communityThe Blandin Foundation is supporting four standout broadband programs through the Light Speed program. The program’s purpose is to stimulate the deployment of bandwidth intensive applications that connect local institutions to area resident’s home. This post comes from a Light Speed community leader.

ISPs Say the Broadband Glass if Half Full

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The US Internet Industry Association (UIIA) recently published a study (by David McClure) that paints a pretty rosy picture of broadband in the US.

Here’s a quick view of the report from the UIIA themselves in a letter to Congresswomen Pelosi:

It is a status report on how well we cover the nation’s rural areas with broadband Internet services, and I believe it will surprise you, for three reasons:

  1. Most of what we think we know about broadband deployment is based on old data, bad data or deliberate distortions of the data.
  2. We now have broadband available in at least one form for virtually every household and business in America – and we have achieved this in the shortest deployment time of any new technology in human history.

It’s not the regulation of broadband networks that needs to be a national priority, but rather solving issues that keep people from subscribing to the services that are available to them.The big point they are making is that deployment isn’t the problem – adoption is the problem. I think I remember hearing this in the 1990’s when I worked for an ISP. The problem was always take rate.

Here is their quick take on public policy: Continue reading →

Little Crow Telemedia Network Update

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The IP VCR has been used many times since we installed it.

We recorded our Veterans Day connection to Iraq to “bring home” by video a local pastor.

We have used to record training sessions for Erate, Online Testing and Financial training.

It has become an expected thing for us to record videoconferencing session for anybody to watch later, what a great great tool!

light speed communityThe Blandin Foundation is supporting four standout broadband programs through the Light Speed program. The program’s purpose is to stimulate the deployment of bandwidth intensive applications that connect local institutions to area resident’s home. This post comes from a Light Speed community leader.

Lakewood Health System update

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Our telemonitoring equipment project is going well!  Last week, we invited American Telecare Inc for a product demonstration.  American Telecare is a Minnesota company specializing in video-based home telemonitoring equipment.  Currently, Medical Assistance will reimburse for a skilled nurse visit completed by video.  The video equipment is similar to a webcam but the picture quality is amazingly clear even with regular POTS (regular telephone service).  In the future, with the expansion of broadband technology service areas, it will make the ability to communicate and assess the needs of our clients by video almost as easy as in person.  American Telecare has remote monitoring equipment (like BP cuff, scale, oximeter for assessing daily vital signs) and even a stethescope for the nurse to listen to the patient’s heart and lung sounds. 

This month, I will be scheduling the last two telemonitoring manufacturers we are interested in.  With this information, we will be able to make our purchase decision soon.

light speed communityThe Blandin Foundation is supporting four standout broadband programs through the Light Speed program. The program’s purpose is to stimulate the deployment of bandwidth intensive applications that connect local institutions to area resident’s home. This post comes from a Light Speed community leader.