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Show cmc Computers and Technology UTA'S FlexTrans Program on Track By Ron Farnsworth A Westminster adjunct professor recently donated $45,000 worth of computer equipment to Hill View Elementary allowing students there to be more creative in playing with their toy trains. Gary Charles Taylor, local marketing representative for Tandy Computers, was instrumental in obtaining a Tandy corporate donation of 20 computers for the Hill View "Computers and Technology on Track" program. Dr Paul McCarty, Hill View principal, developed the Idea of an interactive learning system using model trains. Using ,$10,000 .worth of digital model .trains donated by the Marklin company of Germany, McCarty worked with Career Research Corporation (a computer software firm) and Dr. Tom Catherall of the Brigham Young University's Office of Youth Research and Development to develop a format. The format of this program is a layout of a proposed light rail system for the Salt Lake Valley. The Wasatch Front Regional Council offered their blueprints for this rail system. Hill View students built an eight foot by 16 foot representation of the valley with the rail system in place. Students, parents and the community in general have all been very supportive of this project. Over $100,000 worth of equipment and time have been donated to this project. "Our original plans that we got from Wasatch the Regional Council just had one (train) going up and down State Street, and , the kids thought that's boring," said do it all McCarty. "So the kids just said let's over the valley." Still working with the Wasatch group, the Hill View students studied growth patterns and traffic patterns to determine where to operate their rail system. As they have set it up, the Hill View rail system runs as far east as Foothill Boulevard, west to 2700 West, south to 5600 South and north to the State Capitol. Major landmarks have been represented. Some models, such as the Hogle Zoo were donated by the organizations themselves while other, such as the Salt Palace, the Temple, and the State Capitol were built by the students and their parents. McCarty would be happy to display a model of Westminster College if someone from the campus would build one. Taylor became involved with the Hill View project when Tandy Computers were chosen to run the train system. Computers operate the speed and direction of the trains. "We put together a network of 20 computers so that it is an instructional model built around the Salt Lake Valley train system," said Taylor. Three computer stations actually control the train system while the rest are used for instruction. "Classrooms will come In and actually develop computerized instruction for logical thinking skills using the train." Taylor further points out that Wheels for the handicapped these logical thinking skills can be utilized at all grade levels. By Skip Gregory "The Utah Transit Authority's Flextrans Program has become a political football, pitting one handicapped group against another," said Sherry Repscher, director of the Utah Governors Committee for Employment of the Handicapped. "Kindergarten students for example can plan a trip to Hogle Zoo. Let's plan how we will get there; so they can logically see the Salt Lake Valley, where Hill View school is and then have a geographic lesson on how to get from one place to another." Higher level students gain further benefits by programming a number of trains to run on different routes. Career Research is currently developing software for use with the train system. Taylor believes the computer lab application in the school environment is unlimited. "The use of the trains is a marvelous idea, but it's Just the tip of the iceberg," said Taylor. "Just basically, we are doing social studies and social science activities, logical thinking skills, we are doing computer literacy as a foundation and extending it up the grade levels, we are doing arithmetic calculation because we have to think and analyze, we are doing reading comprehension skills because we are making those things embedded into the machine so that the kids have to really, understand, comprehend and then do a . -- Kathy Authority's Utah Transit services transit special McCune, coordinator, added that' originally the UTA was very lenient about qualifying persons for the service. "We didnt require verification from physicians or agencies," McCune said. "We accepted everyone who called. Then as word of the service spread, more and more calls came in, especially during peak hours of the day. . Now, we cant handle them all," she said. The curb-to-bu- s present system provides service, taking the one of three routes' with handicapped facilities. If the final destination is not along one of these routes, the service is curb-to-cur- b. On Wednesday, Nov. 9, a meeting was held to allow the public to voice its views on any changes in the system. McCune said that one of the last meetings held for the public before initiating the system only drew two people. This one was attended by 80 people. Craig Rasmussen, community relations director for the UTA, said the most concern ' was voiced by the wheelchair-boun- d who demanded access and the blind who emphasized their needs. Carl Smith, of the National Federation for the Blind, stated that the blind who are ambulatory and independent have the responsibility not to tax the Flextrans system. Repscher said that one of the major problems is for those with borderline handicaps, as blindness such and retardation. "With some training, most of these people can be on the self-sufficie- nt regular routes." "Right now we have 15 Flextrans buses, but its Just not enough," McCune said, "Now we must consider whether we can get more funding from the government or the private sector, or if we will have to resort to limiting the service through stricter limitations. If not, we may be forced to meet Just the minimum federal requirements of putting wheelchair lifts on 50 percent of the current mixed services." Rasmussen said, "It was like everyone else who was providing this service suddenly stopped when UTA started." He said UTA is hoping that these agencies and organizations can provide some financial support, now that they are no longer providing the actual service. The UTA advisory committee met immediately after the Nov. 9 public forum to draw up recommendations for the executive board. Rasmussen said he does not expect any immediate action. "This will take some serious consideration," he handicapped individual from his home to said. task." The system works most effectively to augment the educational program because the kids enjoy the activities provided by the train system. Teachers at Hill View have noticed the students coming to school early, staying late and using their recess time to be in the computer lab. Students are gaining experience with technology through computer labs such as "The key to the one at Hill View. Instruction, In my opinion, said Taylor, "is not so much what I gain but how I internalize what I've gained and be able to take that internalization out and do tasks." The benefit of the computer train lab is that students use the knowledge they have obtained to perform tasks and see results. t Hey , let's surprise 'em and vote , for the Independent Candidate . Checks And Balances: Salt Lake County By Skip Gregory f against their candidates and the initiatives. Although Jones said her office does to several test runs prior to the elections to With an attache case hand-cuffe- d her wrist and surrounded by a group of check the computers, she said she ran a grim-face- d men, the Executive Director of special count using ballots the concerned the Salt Lake County Election Department, parties had prepared themselves to Merrllea Jones, made a quick trip from her alleviate their concerns. The result was an offices to the county's data processing accurate count. Members of the press, candidates, computer center. The general election ballots were arriving in the basement of the interested citizens, and representatives county offices as the group rushed down from political parties are able to supervise the process. In order to provide security, the underground passage. warehouse Butch Dierman, manager they must be approved and accompanied by for the election department said the group a staff member, but the only area actually initiative is the computer room. Yet the with Jones was from the pro-ta- x the fairness and were who loading groups questioning running of ballots can be and accuracy of the system. He said they viewed through a window. could have the that after the said Dierman that computers polls close, suspected been "loaded", much like dice, to read the registered agents deliver the ballots to . off-limi- ts wire-mesh- Issue 9 November 22, 1988 ed the county offices. An armed guard oversees their arrival. "Every year we get people who think that the computers will make an error or that someone is manipulating the count," Dierman said. "But we are extremely careful with every ballot, " he added. When a ballot has been damaged, Jones said that it is removed from the bunch, a duplicate is made, a report is made on it, and then it is counted. The process is done by hand. And like everything else In the process, it is done in the company of other employees and under the supervision of registered agents. "We have checks and balances and supervision over every step of the process." Jones said. . , J Forum 3 |