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Published on 11/09/1998 All articles from this issue

Plans in the works for FH tech center

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By Linda Taaffe / Town Crier Staff Writer

Standing in the now defunct Space Science Center at Foothill College, Gay Krause beamed as she talked about the outdoor cyber cafe with the canopy top, the software demonstration stations, and the multi-media lab that will one day fill the empty site.

As director of the project, Krause has used her technical savvy and educational background to help launch the Center for Innovation and Interactive Learning - an 18,000-square-foot site that will serve as a multimedia computer lab and technology training center for teachers and students.

Organizers said securing classroom computers is no longer a problem with local companies donating software. Getting enough technical support, however, is a problem.

"There's a real need for (the center)," Krause said. "Teachers need to be concerned not only with learning technology but how to use and apply it to their curriculum and get the most out of it. That's just not happening in schools."

College president Bernadine Fong presented the concept of building a technology center about a year ago.

Krause, the wife of Storm Technology CEO Bill Krause and the former principal of Edith Landels and Graham Middle schools in Mountain View, jumped on board last August when she heard about the idea.

"I have a good idea of what we need to do in areas of education. It's an exciting project," she said.

The project has raised $400,000 through private donations since September and $1.41 million from Foothill.

Organizers say they need about $1.35 million more to reach the needed $3.16 million to complete the project.

Proposition 1A could give the project a $1.4 million boost, a school spokesman said. The center is the largest capital campaign to date at the Los Altos Hills college.

Krause said there's a lot of community interest in the project. Heads of companies such as Silicon Graphics and 3Com have stepped forward to serve on the center's advisory board, she said. She said the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, the Santa Clara County Board of Education and staff from Smart Valley Inc. have also offered support.

"The idea isn't just to open and install computers," she said.

The brick building, adjacent to the observatory, will get an extensive interior make-over that will add classrooms and square footage, extending the main floor and enclosing the outdoor patio.

Organizers said they hope to install about 150 computers. The center will be able to accommodate up to 1,000 students in a day.

Krause said the center will serve as a think tank with a regional academy and training center for teachers, a resource center, a digital library and art gallery and vendor areas where companies will set up demonstration stations for students to experiment with the latest in software technology.

Krause said the center will eventually be open 24 hours.

Foothill has already funded the infrastructure improvements. The heating system was up and running last week.

Krause said organizers are expecting the center to open by 2001, depending on how much money is raised.

She said the center will be open to anyone who registers at Foothill.

School officials said there have been huge enrollment leaps in the school's technology courses over the past year.

The center is part of college's long term goal to take its technology programs to the next step, Krause said.

If you would like to participate in the Capital Campaign, visit the project or need more information about the center, call 949-7113.