An Interactive Television Seminar Designed for Older Learners.

When we think of educational delivery systems and technology we usually think first of computers, the Internet and e-mail. Interactive television is another electronic option that has the added advantage of multi-modal socialization opportunities; people get together in person at site locations, and they connect not only there but also with people at distant places. Participants have the advantage of communicating face-to-face via technology. They can exchange ideas and share information in small groups at one site, they can be grouped across two or three sites to work together via the interactive system by using a split-screen monitor, or they can communicate with everyone on the system at the same time. Interactive television can provide a more personal, and sometimes more effective, means of communicating than the other forms of technology used to impart information. A one-day seminar for 150 elders at 12 sites was conducted throughout the State of Vermont. The purpose of the seminar was to inform elders about Elder Cottage Housing Opportunity (ECHO), an economical housing option that offers an alternative to institutionalization and enables elders to remain in their local communities. ECHO units are self-contained, portable homes that may be placed next to existing dwellings. Elders can live in either the unit or the existing house while their adult children reside in the other dwelling. Our seminar about ECHO housing was developed because data analyses from 296 questionnaires completed by elders living in Rural Vermont revealed that over 50 percent of them would like to live next to their families or friends. Over 80 percent of the elders' adult children who responded said they would like their parents to live next to them. Ironically, though, only 80 percent of all the elders and their adult children had ever heard of ECHO. These findings led to our conclusion that more education about ECHO housing should be made available to elders and their families to, meet a need they had identified. How could we reach a large number of elders scattered in rural areas throughout Vermont? Interactive television was chosen because the two-way audio and video system gives the feeling of being in the same room with other participants, although they may actually be hundreds of miles apart. All participants can be involved in the educational experience simultaneously and can interact easily. To reach the 150 interested elders, the seminar leaders would need to repeat the program 12 times and travel to 12 different locations around the state. Consequently, interactive television saved both time and money. How did we access interactive television? Vermont Interactive Television commonly known as VIT, is a statewide video conferencing and distance learning system, which was established in 1988. The purpose of VIT is to increase access to education and training throughout the state and to offer organizations a way to conduct business more efficiently and economically. VIT does this by providing a means for people around the state to communicate with each other through two-way audio and video. This enables participants to see and hear each other almost as if they were in the same room. Because there is a VIT site within approximately 50 miles of every Vermont resident, people who have used the system have saved hours of driving time, seen significant savings in their travel budgets and, in many cases, reached many more people than ever before with their existing education programs. The system is used not only by education but also by business, government, and not-for-profit organizations. The 12 sites in the state are located in a hospital, Cooperative Extension office building, town hall, state office building, private school, public high school, vocational-technical-career centers, technical and private colleges, and the state university. How is VIT managed, funded, and governed? …