 A group of excited young hams at Franklin Elementary School in Kirkland, Washington, show off their new call signs. The exposure to RF electronics that the ARRL Amateur Radio Education and Technology Program curriculum offers children can open up new vistas for learning in many fields, not just electronics. [Dave Condon, KI7YP, Photo] |
NEWINGTON, CT, Aug 27, 2003--The ARRL Education and Technology Program--also known as "The Big Project"--has posted an updated version of its Basic Curriculum and Radio Lab Handbook to the ARRL Web site. The revised materials became available for downloading on August 27.
"This curriculum is a living document and requires active participation to make it better," said ARRL Education and Technology Program Coordinator Mark Spencer, WA8SME. "Therefore, user input is very important, not only to the quality of this curriculum, but to the project as a whole."
In an effort to expedite delivery and reduce costs, the documents only went through a cursory editing process rather than a more formal and rigorous exercise, and Spencer noted that some typographical and other errors may remain. "User assistance here would also be greatly appreciated," he added.
The curriculum documents may be downloaded in a number of ways, depending on your patience with your Internet connection. The curriculum is divided into two sections, the Basic Curriculum and the Radio Lab Handbook, all in packed ZIP files for the fastest possible download. The materials also are available as individual files in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format (PDF files require Adobe Reader software to view).
The Basic Curriculum ZIP file is 1.5 MB in size, while the Radio Lab Handbook, which contains many figures and diagrams, is 5 MB. The individual sections of the curriculum will download much faster and will be a handy option for those using dial-up Internet connections, Spencer noted.
Spencer asked those unable to download the curriculum via the Internet to contact him directly, and he'll send the material on a CD-ROM. He asked those downloading any portion of the document to notify him via e-mail to indicate they are using the material.
"We want to be able to keep users informed of updates," he said. "The major point is that the document needs active participation to keep it alive, well and ever-improving."
Spencer invited comments, critiques,
additions and recommendations via telephone, 860-594-0396, or e-mail at mspencer@arrl.org.
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