E.A.S.T. Program
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The E.A.S.T. Initiative
E.A.S.T., short for Environmental And Spatial Technologies, is a high school program which operates primarily in the southern United States. It is unique for offering students and teachers professional technology and software for use in a loosely-structured, self-driven environment. The E.A.S.T. philosophy, taken from the E.A.S.T. project website ([1]), is as follows:
All students have value and deserve the opportunity to demonstrate their value to their school and community.
Education must be relevant, challenging, purposeful, and student-centered.
Educators should serve as resource guides and learner facilitators.
Learning should be self-directed and oriented towards real-world projects.
High expectations must be maintained and must drive all student efforts.
To further this, E.A.S.T. lab instructors (known idiomatically as facilitators) maintain a curriculum designed to allow students to familiarize themselves with technology (granted through partnerships with leading technology firms, such as Intergraph, Microsoft, Dell, and Avid among many others) while at the same time helping their community and/or school. Major technology groups used in E.A.S.T. labs include software for computer animation,computer modeling, and video editing, as well as GPS utilities and CAD.
Reproduced from the E.A.S.T. website:
"As a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, the EAST Initiative is supported by a dynamic collaboration of government,education, and business partnerships that share a common goal of striving to make a difference in the lives of children and their communities."
A Brief History of E.A.S.T.
E.A.S.T. was founded at Greenbrier High School in Greenbrier, Arkansas in 1996, under the leadership of Tim Stevenson. Since then, it has expanded wildly and sparked national recognition – there are now hundreds of E.A.S.T. labs in over 200 schools in 7 states. Greenbrier High School was recognized as one of Wired Magazine's Top-10 Wired Schools in 1997.
States with current operating E.A.S.T. labs include Arkansas, Alabama, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
E.A.S.T. Training (Student)
The E.A.S.T. foundation offers free training with nationally recognized educators to both students and teachers. Student training is primarily intended to educate students on technology groups while offering a team environment in which to learn. While slots are limited, an effort is made to accommodate all students who wish to attend. As of April, 2005, students have the following course options (taken from the E.A.S.T. website):
Technology Training:
Microsoft Operating Systems/Windows Server Management
GIS/GPS ( Geographic Information System/Global Positioning Systems) with Trimble, ESRI, and Intergraph
Geospatial Projects
Advanced Vector Analysis and Visualization
Advanced Cartography
Advanced Image Processing and Visualization
3D Animation with Softimage XSI (introductory and advanced)
Architectural Design with Bentley's MicroStation
PC Upgrade and repair
Microsoft Visual Basic and Visual Studio (introductory and advanced)
Website Design with Macromedia (Dreamweaver, Flash, and Fireworks)
Digital Video Editing with Macrosystem's Casablanca system
Virtual Reality Development Lab with Digital Tech Frontier
3D modeling and engineering with Solid Edge from EDS
Online Course Offerings:
EAST Geospatial Virtual Camp
School Mapping Project
ESRI Virtual Campus
E.A.S.T. Training (Facilitator)
Facilitators, especially those new to the E.A.S.T. program, are given a three-phase training course. The first phase exists to acclimate teachers to the often-challenging role of facilitator; the second and third exist to further explain the goals of the project and educate the facilitator in the basic operation of the various technology groups that make up E.A.S.T. This pedagogical training is offered annually. On-going education is provided afterwards to keep facilitators acclimated to recent technological developments.
Project-Based Learning
E.A.S.T. students are expected (and in many cases required) to generate an idea for a project which helps the community or school that acts as host to the lab; after the brainstorming process, individual and group plans of action are constructed and refined. This is the process in which the facilitator plays the largest direct role, as supervisor and mentor – when the actual projects begin, the facilitator's primary role changes to that of observer and supporter. Projects vary in goal and method of execution, but share the same central philosophy: with motivation, encouragement, and access to professional technology, students are capable of great things.
The E.A.S.T. Conference
The culmination of any given E.A.S.T. project can be seen at the E.A.S.T. conference; traditionally held annually at the Peabody Hotel in Little Rock, Arkansas, the E.A.S.T. conference brings together teams and projects from all participating schools with the purpose of allowing students to demonstrate what they've accomplished. In the formative years of the E.A.S.T. program, projects were displayed individually, with each team bringing one project to display; however, in more recent years, this has shifted towards an "overall" presentation, allowing each project the individual lab has worked on time in the spotlight.
At the end of each E.A.S.T. conference, various awards are given to recognize the projects that are determined by a panel of judges to be superior, and the winners receive monetary and technological rewards for their efforts.