The power of television is staggering, and in Buffalo, public television has committed itself to educational programming for years. As reported in the Buffalo News on Oct. 29, Buffalo's public television station has received the largest grant it has ever seen and is parlaying the money into the creation of a new public broadcasting station. With the Buffalo public schools, teachers' organizations, and UB as partners, WNED will begin broadcasting on a digital signal starting in 2004 and will likely become fully interactive in two to three more years. This is an encouraging example of UB reinvesting itself into the communities of the city that is its namesake.
With the resounding successes of "Cable in the Classroom" programs, an interactive learning network used as a supplementary educational device in a classroom is on the cusp of new learning technology. The network will be capable of broadcasting different programs with different options simultaneously. In short, digital television is the wave of the future, and it seems UB is helping that wave reach Buffalo's oft-maligned public schools.
The problem with this initiative, however, is that schools in Buffalo do not yet have the equipment needed to broadcast a digital signal. While the new channel will not be ready for at least another year, there has been no outside commitment to fund the school districts' effort to upgrade their technology. It seems that while all parties involved steam full speed ahead, the shabby fiscal state of the Buffalo schools has been forgotten.
UB, on the other hand, will gain much from this partnership, while contributing much as well. UB's Center for Applied Technology and Education, according to WNED Manager of Communication Darwin McPherson, will be designing the applications needed for the development of WNED's digital programming. UB, in turn, will reap the benefit of hands-on, technical know-how in broadcasting.
Buffalo's schools need a hand, but WNED is providing a glove. If this initiative is to have a positive effect, schools must be given the chance to benefit. Presently, the idea is for teachers to have a say on what program would be used, not as the primary teaching device, but as a supplement to the curriculum. The televised tutorials would have an instructor teaching a lesson, while having the option of in-depth explanations on simulcast, should the students have questions on the material.
If this exists, and the Buffalo schools are a partner, then there should be something guaranteeing their ability to harness this interactive technology. This becomes even more important, as many students in Buffalo undoubtedly cannot and will not be able to afford a digital connection in their homes. If all television is to be digitalized, as the Federal Communication Commission has set forth, then the public schools should come first and not suffer as a result.
WNED is an asset to the Buffalo community and its cooperation with UB is an advantage to both the network and the university. The third party, however, cannot be forgotten. Buffalo's public schools deserve new technology, but they also deserve the equipment needed to make the technology work. Hopefully, the creation of an interactive educational television network will give more than just lip service to the school district. Instead, it should be beginning of cooperation between the media, the university and the public schools.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
