Southwestern Ohio’s Educational and Cultural Service
                                               - by Diane Jowers
  

  
(Posted January 1, 2003) In 1959, WMUB/Channel 14 signed on from Miami University and brought educational television to Ohio’s Miami Valley.  In 1972, WOET/Channel 16 began broadcasting from Dayton, and in 1975 the two public television stations merged.  Now, they are Think ^TV, Think^TV16 and Think^TV14, noncommercial public television stations that area residents depend upon for educational services as well as national and local public television programming. 

  
Think^TV has 49 employees and provides more than 17,000 hours of programming annually to 750,000 viewers. Some of the most popular programs are locally produced; the most recent one, Only Heaven, premiered in December.  This documentary, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the musical based on Langston Hughes’ poetry, is a collaborative effort with The Muse Machine, a Dayton arts organization. 
  
Other Think^TV-produced programs include Debating Ohio - The Race for Governor, a gubernatorial debate between Governor Bob Taft and challenger Tim Hagen; When Dayton Went to War: Memories of the Homefront, a look at life in the area from 1941-1945; Teen Town Hall: Recognizing Violence in Our Schools; and Miami Valley Election Preview.  “Our award-winning, local productions reflect life in and around the greater Dayton area.  We’ve brought the past to life, reported on the present, and taken a look at the future,” said Fogarty.

  
More than 400,000 students in 1,000 schools receive educational programs through the network, and Think^TV provides multimedia curriculum materials and professional development workshops to teachers.  Think^TV has produced the Inventing Flight for Schools curriculum, an inquiry-driven, hands-on approach to the science and history of Dayton’s Wright Brothers’ invention of powered flight.  Hunting for Everyday History brings Ohio’s history to life for students, and 20^th Century Interactive: Making Connections to America’s Past weaves national events with local history.  Ohio Math Works is a project that features professionals in various fields using math in their careers.  The Write Site teaches language arts by letting students experience newspaper reporting and editing challenges. 
   
The network is a Ready To Learn site and provides 62 hours of children’s programming on Think^TV16 and 14 every week.   As one of 26 National Teacher Training Institute (NTTI) sites in the country, Think^TV conducts conferences and workshops to help K-12 teachers improve their math and science instruction skills through technology integration. 
(ThinkTV's education link)

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