EAST Initiative

The EAST (Environmental And Spatial Technologies) Initiative an east is an educational non-profit that oversees and trains for a school program, EAST, that operates primarily in the United States. It is unique for offering students and teachers professional technology and software for use in a loosely-structured, self-driven environment. The EAST philosophy, taken from the EAST project website ( [http://www.eastproject.org] ), is as follows:

To further this, EAST 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 ESRI, Intergraph, Microsoft, Dell, SoftImage, Adobe, Macromedia and Avid among many others) while at the same time helping their community and/or school. Major technology groups used in EAST labs include software for Geographic Information Systems, computer animation, computer modeling, and video editing, as well as GPS utilities and CAD.

Reproduced from the EAST 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."

Brief history of EAST

EAST was founded at Greenbrier High School in Greenbrier, Arkansas in 1996, under the leadership of Mr. Tim Stephenson. Since then, it has expanded wildly and sparked national recognition — there are now hundreds of EAST classrooms in over 200 schools in 8 states. Greenbrier High School was recognized as one of Wired Magazine's Top-100 Wired Schools in 1997.

States with current operating EAST programs include Arkansas, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania.

EAST Training (student)

EAST students routinely receive training from accomplished professionals in the fields that they represent. 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 EAST website):

Technology Training:
* Microsoft Operating Systems/Windows Server Management
* GIS/GPS ( Geographic Information System/Global Positioning System) with Trimble, ESRI, and Intergraph
* Introductory GIS/GPS
* 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)
* Photo editing with Adobe Photoshop
* Digital Video Editing with Macrosystem's Casablanca system
* Music Editing with FL Studio
* 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

EAST training (facilitator)

Facilitators, especially those new to the EAST 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 EAST. This pedagogical training is offered annually. On-going education is provided afterwards to keep facilitators acclimated to recent technological developments and to share best practices.

Project-based learning

EAST 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 EAST conference

The culmination of any given EAST project can be seen at the annual EAST Partnership conference; traditionally held in the Spring of each school year. The EAST conference brings together teams and projects from all participating schools with the purpose of allowing students to demonstrate what they've accomplished and learn from each other. In the formative years of the EAST 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 EAST conference, various awards, including the biggest award, The Timothy R. Stephenson Founders Award, 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.Hunter Parker of Greenbrier, Arkansas says "E.A.S.T. really keeps you on your toes with new technology and new software" he also says that "It's awesome that E.A.S.T. started right here in his home town of Greenbrier, Arkansas."

External links

* [http://www.eastinitiative.org EAST Initiative]
* [http://www.eastproject.org/ EAST Project]