mikel@cbmvax.commodore.com (Mike Levin - Ed Marketing) (05/10/91)
The ideas and news herein are public knowledge. It is NOT representative of Commodore. The article was compiled & published by the Philadelphia Amiga Users Group (PAUG) for the May, 1991 issue of the Blitter. I usually don't post these on the net, but I have some news and ideas I would like to get out there regarding user groups. I took a guess that comp.sys.amiga .advocacy was the best news group for it. I would greatly appreciate people doing a text-capture and re-posting it on local BBS's. I give permission for user groups to re-print it. Things are as exciting as usual in the world of the Amiga. While everyone else is worrying about how to make their computers video compatible, Commodore and company are moving steadily forward. Receiving lots of press lately is CDTV, which is now released in several test sights in California, New York, and Illinois. You can also find it at some Amiga dealers. The Commodore 2410 University of Lowell board is very close now. I have been playing with it personally. It is supported by X Windows under the UNIX operating system. It will drive a large screen monitor like the Mitsubishi Diamondscan, yielding resolutions of 1024 by 800 with 256 colors out of 16 million. If all goes well, I'll be able to show it at this month's meeting. One group of people who are very much looking forward to the 2410 card are the folks at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. If you remember from previous Blitters, this is the school where all incoming computer science majors purchase the Amiga 3000UX. They are a beta test site for Commodore and are very happy with the wares. To demonstrate commitment to VPI, Commodore hosted an exciting show. Items on exhibit included a network of 3000UX computers. One sported the 2410 card with the Diamondscan monitor while another 2410 system drove the regular Commodore 1950 multiscan monitor. Another system on the network drove the Commodore 2024 high resolution monochrome monitor, and yet another 3000UX drove a 1084S and controlled a laserdisc player and genlock under UNIX! A third party company was showing EMACS programming environment. Of even more interest to many of the folks at VPI were the AmigaDOS oriented applications which were on display including the NewTek Video Toaster, Digital Creation's DCTV, the Mandala virtual reality system, AmigaVision, Deluxe Paint 3, and several CDTV units. Seminars were hosted throughout the day and a keynote address was given by the vice president of UNIX International: an organization committed to the UNIX System V release 4 open system. Another item which went over extremely well was the presence of the actual Commodore UNIX engineers. The VPI Amiga Users' Group which consisted of almost exclusively the computer science majors talked at length with the people who would be sitting down the next day working on the code. What an opportunity! The atmosphere was generally one of good feeling, common goals and exciting things to come. VPI serves as yet another example of what happens when an organization chooses their computing equipment based on the merit and value of the machine. One of the aspect which I see as very valuable about VPI is the connection of a school with a user group. As we all know, the user group serves many important functions; not the least of which is support. Now, VPI is lucky enough to have a unique relationship with Commodore. And to some degree, our own user group is connected to a major University (one of Apple Computer's strongholds) as well as having a somewhat unique relationship with Commodore. The question arises: are we on to something? What would happen if when the support of a major user group is coupled with a school that is in need of the type of support a user group has to offer? We have seen it happen with universities, but how about primary and secondary schools? We have all heard of the occasional school or instructor who goes out on a limb to obtain an Amiga for their classroom because of it's clearly superior but often denied educational value. Think of the good things that could come when the efforts of these special teachers is combined with the volunteerism we have so often seen demonstrated in the user group. Lack of curriculum-based software is going against the Amiga. Going for the Amiga is its awesome array of creativity oriented software including animation, paint and music. Despite the fragmented progress the rest of the computer industry has been making in these areas, no other computer can touch our price and performance on a single piece of out-of-the-box hardware! These are the areas that build confidence and self-esteem in a child. These engaging applications empower the students to do things that are supposed to be out of reach and reserved for only professionals; applications that allow the student to keep and share the results in the form of video-tape, slides, print-outs and computer disks (for when their parents buy them their own Amigas). My vision is for public and private schools who are interested in becoming involved in the relatively inexpensive and arousing possibilities of using the Amiga computer be adopted by a local Amiga user group. It could be the basis for student extracurricular activities, for professional guest speakers to talk to classes, for free technical assistance for the school, for possible meeting places for the user group, and a recruiting pool for membership. Everyone benefits! An logical extension to these cooperative activities would be for the students, teachers and user group members to engage in art or audio/visual projects. Public access television would be the medium for sharing the results with the masses and a justification for their activities as well as a tremendous esteem-boost. Because projects like this are team-oriented and there are so many areas in which to contribute, even the most timid, shy, least talented and hard-case students could participate. The creative potential of students (empowered by the Amiga computer) coupled with the volunteerism of user groups is mated perfectly with the legally obligated and programming-Hungary public access channels of cable television. Now, all we need is school to serve as a model and some people to get the momentum going. Oh, what luck! We happen to have a couple of outstanding models and some superb people. The user group adopt-a-school idea is by no means my own. In fact, it has been independently suggested and initiated from several sources including our own members, Jack Schwartz and Stuart Goldman, in addition to Sid Schaudies and Chuck Cave of the Central Ohio Amiga Users' Group. Stephen Schneider of the Sherwood Alternative Middle School heads a lab consisting of 18 Amiga 2000's where he teaches digital art to over 650 students. On April 17the, the school was adopted by the Central Ohio Amiga Users' Group. The event coincided with an article in the USA Today that spoke about Stephen Schneider and the use of the Mandala virtual reality system. Stephen and the user group have already produced a program for their local public access channel and are working on a second involving the students. Sid Schaudies, the Secretary of the group who I spoke to on May 3rd is excited about this 3 tiered approach involving user groups, schools and public access channels. To educators and people outside the Amiga community, activities like this often sound unmanageable and expensive. We know better. It is very plausible and indeed proven as long as the three vital elements are present: user group with active members, a school with the teacher and Amiga facilities, and a public access channel. I believe that almost all students would be excited to participate in such activities especially if it were incorporated into part of their curriculum such as art or music class. Closer to home is our own member Jack Schwartz, a G.E. engineer whose activities would bring tears to your eyes were I to go into detail. He is changing lives with the help of his Amiga computer at St. Vincent's Home for Children in Philadelphia where he volunteers his weekends to lead the Amiga Adventure Club. In his own words, "The children who are disadvantaged, abused, and abandoned--with every reason in the world to turn off to life--light up like a Christmass tree at the new world opening to them. A computer with dazzling ability like the Amiga makes it easy to get the children to sit still for a period of instruction. And after that, the Amiga continues to captivate and hold their attention." The orphanage that Jack is involved with is not exactly a public school, but it exemplifies the Amiga's potential in education if only there were people to personally bring them the message. The approach discussed here does not put the burden of responsibility on a single person. Rather, it forms a brain trust between people who have much to share and gain from such a relationship. And don't forget the greater significance. We are all familiar with the elements of Amiga user groups. We have our share of professionals, students, blue and white collar workers, visionaries, quiet thoughtful types, programmers, teachers and artists. Undoubtedly one of the more favorable cross-sections of society which shares an unlikely number of exciting common interests: music, art, writing, games and science--of which most fall under the category of Renaissance activities. There is a positive energy and a feeling of accomplishment at each meeting. So what will happen when we Amiga User groups start a national movement to instill these same elements into the educational system of our youth? Now, how to make it happen? First of all it will need some leadership and places serve as models. We've got that with people like Sid Schaudies, Stephen Schneider and Jack Schwartz. I'm willing to write articles and document progress. Next, we need to make it happen in more places. That requires recruiting the help of all those Amiga crusaders out there. You know who you are. I would think that the Amiga magazines would participate since their future is wrapped up in the Amiga's success. Teachers who personally own their own Amigas are surely one of the most important factors. From my experience, there are a surprising number of such teachers who simply can not alone fight the battle to get Amigas in their school. The aid of educational magazines covering stories of the successes of our model schools will help. Let us not forget the communication power of electronic bulletin boards and the university oriented super networks. User group newsletter exchange programs would be nice although generally difficult to pull off. And, let us also not forget our love/hate partner in this proposition; the partner who is proving their commitment to education with such products as CDTV multimedia platform, AmigaVision authoring system and UNIX (for universities). As well as proving it with their marketing; including such perfectly suited programs as the Amiga Student On-Campus Consultants (ASOCCs) who are currently working at several dozen colleges, the AmigaVision Script Contest (the winners are being notified while I type), and the education purchase program. All of these items (products and marketing) are compatible with the user group adopt-a-school movement proposed here. It will take minimum effort and resources on Commodore's part. All I ask for for my participation is some leadership and official acknowledgement from Commodore. Maybe some promotional literature to make the efforts active user groups such as the Central Ohio and Philadelphia Amiga User Groups more effective. Let's rally the troops by focussing what we know to be Commodore's greatest assets. The alternative is, of course, the Amiga fading into obscurity only to be replaced with overpriced mediocrity. If you are already involved in relevant activities, I want to hear about it. Write an article appropriate for a newsletter and send it to me in paper and electronic format (pop a disk in the envelope). Those interested in becoming involved in the user group adopt-a-school program, or joining the Philadelpia Amiga User Group and recieving the Blitter ($20/year), write to: Philadelphia Amiga Users' Group Post Office Box 21186 Philadelphia, PA 19154-0386 Or contact me electronically at: Philadelphia Amiga Users' Group BBS. (215) 632-8312 Will be verified after first call. Post message to Mike Levin Internet address: mikel@cbmvax.commodore.com Or by voice at (215) 431-9488