Live Interactive Virtual Explorations at a Southern California Native American Learning Center: Case Studies and Lessons Learned

For the past decade, researchers affiliated with the National Science Foundation-funded High Performance Wireless Research and Education Network (HPWREN) have been working with Native American education communities on an array of Internet-enabled activities, including the Live Interactive Virtual Explorations (LIVE) pilot project. One of the communities involved with the pilot LIVE project is the Pala Native American Learning Center, which is located in rural San Diego County, California. This paper discusses five case studies encompassing LIVE activities between Pala tribal community members and field scientists/educators throughout southern California. Using laptops equipped with off-the-shelf accessories and freeware, the five pilot case studies demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of utilizing the LIVE concept for real-time distance education programs at rural Native American communities.