PROJECT DISCOVERY is being taught entirely over the
Internet using a revolutionary new combination of software
and hardware developed by Lucent
Technologies/Bell Labs. Students for Phase I assembled
in the Television Production Studio at the University of North
Florida in Jacksonville to meet, electronically, with Professor
Neipris who led the classes from The Gertrude Stein
Repertory Theatre on West 26th Street in New York City.
Using The Lucent Collaborative Video system's simple "point and click" interface, the
network connection is quickly established and even more
quickly forgotten as the classroom's natural intimacy soon
asserts itself. Students take part in in-class writing exercises,
read assignments out loud and critique each other's work
all with the completely fluid and spontaneous interaction
between student and teacher that define the traditional
educational environment.
The Lucent Collaborative Video system
As part of the first generation of truly affordable
products capable of delivering professional level
videoconferencing over the backbone of the Internet,
The Lucent Collaborative Video system, currently under development at Bell Labs, is the
technological engine which drives PROJECT DISCOVERY.
With an Internet connection and a PC equipped with
Lucent's innovative video capture cards and client software running
under Microsoft Windows NT ¨, The Lucent Collaborative Video system can make use of
varying bandwidths to deliver fluid, two-way, stereo audio
and video at resolutions up to and including full-motion,
NTSC broadcast resolution. But the real power and utility of
the system is in its engineering: the system has been designed
to provide the user with complete control over almost
every conceivable parameter of operation. The operator
has the option of choosing what, if anything, to sacrifice in
order to best meet his or her needs and bandwidth
restrictions. In other words, this means that the user can
respond, as needed, to any internet congestion or
changes in network activity to make full use of whatever
bandwidth is available without ever over-taxing his or her
network, or compromising the flow of information.
The Connection
PROJECT DISCOVERY is being carried over a T1 Internet connection in
both Jacksonville and New York City. For Phase I, the Jacksonville end
of PROJECT DISCOVERY's connection was established,
installed, maintained, staffed, and provided by
MediaOne, the nation's leading Broadband services
company. Taking advantage of the extensive fiber-optic
LAN which they have already brought to the University of
North Florida as part of their continuing commitment to
higher education, MediaOne provided PROJECT
DISCOVERY's Phase I connectivity in Jacksonville as well as
technical, material and network support for the program.
PROJECT DISCOVERY wishes to thank The Gertrude Stein
Repertory Theatre, John Reaves, Executive Director, for their
invaluable technical assistance in the transmission of
PROJECT DISCOVERY.
Phase I 