Technology & Learning - October 2007 - (Page 20)

Dr. Sally Ride Photo Courtesy CAIB, Rick Stiles 2003 Planning Ahead So how much is enough for your district? That depends, according to the experts. What kinds of applications will students use? How integrated will data access and systems be to administration and student testing? Will data, voice, and multimedia applications be hosted inside the firewall at the district or school site, or do users need daily Internet access to perform tasks? Some tips for calculating: Check your connection using a simple online bandwidth calculation meter such as the CNET Bandwidth Meter (http://reviews.cnet.com/7004-7254_7-0.html). Contact your ISP if you find a slower connection then expected. Using a more sophisticated network reporting tool, track bandwidth needs over time to base calculations on maximum capacity needs. These reports show when peak times occur and how the bandwidth is being used. Calculate the Kbps per student rather than per school site and distribute bandwidth more effectively between school sites with different needs. What goes into the calculation? Survey students, teachers, parents, and community members to find out what applications they use and expect to use for teaching. Build in as much capacity as you can afford. Choose Category 6 copper or fiber optics to wire schools rather than Category 5. Some communities have combined educational and government services, sharing a metropolitan access network to defray costs and maximize bandwidth capacity. TCEA 2008 Inspiring Speakers Opening Keynote, Sally Ride, Former NASA Shuttle Astronaut and Mission Specialist Thursday Speaker, David Pogue, Personal-technology Columnist for the New York Times Friday Keynote, Marco Torres, Outstanding Educator One-to-One Workshops New this year, all workshops will be one-to-one! Over 327 concurrent sessions are Super Sessions, with room for 200 people! More Exhibits Over 700 Exhibit Booths showcasing cutting-edge educational technology! Texas-Sized Events Austin City Limits with Texas’ Official State Musician, Shelley King, and Thursday Social featuring the band, “Texas Unlimited” Back to the Future Register online at www.tcea2008.org Texas Computer Education Association 28th Annual Convention & Exposition Feb. 4-8, 2008 • Austin Convention Center On the first NetDay, back in 1996, I helped punch down wire in the Santa Clara Unified School District. No one was sure how the networks would be used or what value they would have, but thousands of volunteers felt compelled to connect classrooms to the Internet, giving teachers and students the opportunity to figure it out. Today, we recognize that connection as a lifeline to the global information and collaboration essential to learning in the 21st century. Let’s ensure our students are provided with the capacity to harness the Net-based tools they need. Karen Greenwood Henke is founder of Nimble Press. 20 | www.techlearning.com http://reviews.cnet.com/7004-7254_7-0.html http://www.tcea2008.org http://www.tcea2008.org http://www.techlearning.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Technology & Learning - October 2007

Technology & Learning - October 2007 Editor’s Desk News & Trends Product Guide Reviews How Fast Is Fast Enough? Cover Story: Career Education in the Digital Age Getting It Wrong Higher Ed Point of View How To Bottom Line What’s New Emerging Tech

Technology & Learning - October 2007

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