About the Nocona Community Network.......
The Nocona Community Network is the result a grant from the Telecommunication Infrastructure Fund Board. Five local entities, Nocona ISD, Prairie Valley ISD, The Nocona Public Library, The Nocona Economic Development Corporation, and The Nocona General Hospital received news of the grant award in July 2002. The grant funded the purchase of equipment, software and licenses, training for both entity members and local citizens, and the creation of a web portal.
The equipment that was purchased included web servers, workstations, a distance-learning lab, and network infrastructure items including cabling. Several access points or computer labs were established for training community members. In addition to computers the labs contain up-to-date software and computer peripherals.
Community member training is being conducted primarily at Prairie Valley and Nocona High Schools. The first wave of training started in October 2002. It included mainly introductory courses in using computers, basic word processing, and using the Internet. In April, intermediate classes will be offered to build on what students leaned in the first round of training. See the schedule of training. Training was also purchased for technical personnel who work for the five entities. This training is being done by New Horizons in Fort Worth and Dallas, TX.
Finally, the community web portal came on-line in March 2003. The portal, a simplified version at present, will soon expand to become a robust, interactive asset to the community. NCN web services will present a snapshot to web surfers who wish to know what is going on in communities in northern Montague County.