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Shoreline Schools Step Into The Future — Classrooms Are Linked To World

Note: The date on this article is February 2, 1990

For lack of a better name, Shoreline officials call the experimental room the “Classroom of the Future.” The room is but an appetizer for a high-tech feast to come.

The School District’s dream is a district-wide “fiber-optic highway” that will allow any teacher or student to call up video images, music, artwork, historical information or computer data from around the globe at the touch of a switch on a “magic box.”

Officials from Apple Computer and AT&T say the system’s scope is unprecedented in the world.

By Ron Judd

Full Story: http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19900202&slug=1053984

Many thanks to Anne Little of Sunrise Coffee Shop and Moonlight Kitchens http://www.matr.net/article-63087.html for sharing. She adds: "Shoreline is just north of Seattle and known for its good schools.

They did indeed "wire" the whole school district and saved hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. They were helped by the fact that a Japanese Telecommunications Company ran a trans-Pacific cable right through the middle of the district (right down the middle of Highway 99 – underground). In the process the state upgraded the highway substantially but it was a construction mess for years. It ended up being a collaboration of state highway funds, foreign investment, local visionaries, and Federal dollars. The cable was pushed through by a very forward-thinking school superintendent, MAK Mitchell.

You can Google more. A cable system is very expensive but it’s right up there with having our own water system. However, the collaboration end of it is essential."

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