Success Stories
Satellites
A Satellites
Success Story
![Link to Satellites](../../images/sat.gif)
Miriam Padolsky’s enthusiasm
is infectious as she talks about the Satellites collection, produced
under contract to SchoolNet Digital Collections (SDC). And it’s not
just because she co-designed and produced the web site. "We’ve already
received some e-mails from people who enjoyed the site," she says,
citing the example of one user who spent two hours browsing the collection.
The project was carried out
under contract to Industry Canada’s SchoolNet Digital Collections program,
which gives people 15 to 30 years of age entrepreneurial and technology-based
job experience converting collections of Canadian material into digital
form for display on SchoolNet. The SchoolNet Digital Collections web
site has grown to become possibly the largest single source of Canadian
content on the Information Highway.
The site, which explores
the roles and functions of satellites in daily life, is the result of
five years of research. What began in 1992 as a high school project
for the innovative Ottawa Board of Education Space Simulation program,
expanded in form and scope to become a SchoolNet Digital Collections
contract.
The contract was an opportunity
for Padolsky and her Satellites partner, Hilary Myron to practice
their business skills, it was also a unique opportunity to learn multimedia
skills and profit from the experience. "We didn’t have any multimedia
experience at all," admits Padolsky. "We’d used the Internet
as users before, but never from a design perspective." The contract
in turn gave rise to Padolsky’s own multimedia firm, Galactics, which
she started with her partner Hilary Myron.
The challenge, Padolsky and
Myron soon realized, was to create an instructive site that wasn’t full
of technical jargon - they wanted students of all ages to enjoy the
site, and share their enthusiasm for satellites.
The pair, fondly known by
their friends as "Milary," left no stone unturned in their search for
current and accurate information on satellites. "We researched in
the resource room at the Museum of Science and Technology, and talked
with a satellite expert," explains Padolsky. "We asked a lot
of questions like, ‘How does a parabolic dish work’ and ‘What sort of
material would you use?’ "
The result is nothing short
of impressive. Satellites is more than a repository of information;
it is an engaging site that captures the imagination. For instance,
did you know that Canada was the third country in the world to launch
a satellite into space, and has since been a recognized leader in the
field?
Most Canadians would shake
their heads no. This site fills an information gap that will undoubtedly
impress both educators and students alike. In fact, this colourful web
site was designed with students in mind. It features an extensive photo
gallery, information utilities and a framed glossary which allows the
user to check technical terms on any page of the site. In addition,
the definitions from the glossary link to pages where you can find more
information on a particular subject.
But perhaps most exciting
of all is the Be Your Own Engineer section. Hosted by an original
cartoon character, Engineer Susan, the section challenges users to design
their own satellite based on what they have learned from the collection.
To facilitate this process an on-screen notebook is framed so users
can save and print their designs.
Terry Pritchett, an award
winning educator and coordinator of the Space Simulation program, worked
on the Satellites project as a volunteer consultant. He says
the Satellites collection is an important educational tool, which
he plans to use in his teachings. "It’s an invaluable source because
it condenses a lot of information onto one site."
"If my experience in education
means anything, I think it would pay for businesses to check on these
kids in five to ten years," forecasts Pritchett. "This investment
in youth employment (by the SchoolNet Digital Collections Program) is
going to pay off in some very interesting ways."
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