District Administration - September 2006 - (Page 40)

TECHNOLOGY: IP TELEPHONY At Charles County Md. Public We had no idea the phones would be such a great tool Schools, the district decided to go end-to-end wireless because it fit in for discipline. with a major overhaul done three years ago. Joe Brown, director of information technology, We upgraded every switch, and Caddo La. Public Schools District replaced the entire network, says Lora Bennett, IT manager at Charles of information technology at Caddo be the cost, says Hawkins. Although County. It made sense to upgrade the La. Public Schools District. Teach- they have dropped in price since phones, too, so that they could be at ers can't take the phones home, and fi rst being introduced, most hand- the same level as the system. Already, anyone tempted to steal a handset set s still range from $300 to $650. we were regularly replacing phones would soon fi nd that it couldn't be Hawkins notes some districts might and it seemed more cost effective in used off school property, unlike a be uncomfortable with spending that the long run to make the switch. cell phone. much per classroom, but points out One issue at Charles County, and that replacing parts of a system piece at many schools that use wireless IP Unexpected Benefits by piece could drive costs up over phones is the coverage area, which Caddo installed Wi-Fi handsets last the long term. may not extend far beyond a build- year as part of a network upgrade, W hen you look at the cost sav- i ng's boundary. Bennett notes that and has discovered the devices i ngs with VoIP, the business case is athletic directors tend to use their have had some unexpected pluses. strong to justify the expense of wire- cell phones when outside rather than For example, student discipline has less handsets, she notes. Upfront, it deal with network range problems. improved, since teachers can offer may be more costly than traditional But lack of range can also be an children a choice of improving their phones, but you have to consider the advantage, says Joe Brown, director behavior, or having a parent called lifetime maintenance costs of those on the spot. It got very interesting systems, and the replacement costs. when that capability came into play, Also, there may be more support says Brown. We had no idea the Looking Ahead needed to bring together VoIP func- phones would be such a great tool t iona l it y with traditional handsets. Over the next few years, demand for for discipline. Analog Holdouts wireless VoIP handsets in corporate Because the phones are wireless, teachers can take the student aside, But not all districts are convinced environments is likely to drive the price usually into the hallway, rather than there will be such savings in the long down, allowing more districts to con- call a parent or an administrator from run, and prefer to install cordless sider using the devices. Another signifi- inside the classroom, in front of the analog phones instead. In fact, with cant trend is expected to be the intro- whole class. The point isn't to embar- the price of standard handsets drop- duction of more dual-mode cellular and rass the student, so having some mea- ping significantly in the past few years, Wi-Fi handsets, reports market analyst sure of privacy is valuable because it some have opted to buy even cheaper firm Infonetics. Although the products shows sensitivity, says Brown. phones than they previously had. became commercially available last Li ke other schools that have We can have $10 phones in each year and have yet to gain significant implemented Wi-Fi handsets, Caddo classroom and still have VoIP capa- adoption, Infonetics expects the market also appreciates the heightened bi l it y, says Gloria Stevenson, direc- to grow dramatically by 2009. security the phones offer. Rather tor of instructional and information The handsets could appeal to than being tethered to a classroom, technology services at Columbia teachers can carry the phones with Mo. Public Schools. That's the nice districts that want network coverage them and call 911 from anywhere thing about the system, and one of outside their buildings, and are cur- if they see an unfamiliar person or the reasons we chose it. Although rently supplementing their communica- have an emergency situation. It's the district bought a few wireless tions with cell phones. Dual mode is comforting to everyone to have that handsets for use out on the athletic definitely the direction that IP is mov- capability, Brown says. fields and playgrounds, Stevenson ing, says Cisco's Hawkins. It's very Despite their advantages, some notes the low-cost analog phones compelling in terms of flexibility and districts fi nd the major challenge in have enough functionality to suit functionality. implementing wireless phones can every school's needs. 40 September 2006 District Administration voip.w.indd 40 8/14/06 11:54:17 AM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - September 2006

Contents
Editor?s Letter
Snapshots
Update
Inside the Law
Curriculum Update
Administrator Profile
District Profile
Unveiling the School of the Future
Are wireless VoIP handsets worth the cost?
Smart ways to detect and manage cyberbullies
Scared Straight
Up for Debate
In the Spotlight
Growing Community Schools
Learning Styles
The Online Edge Odvard Egil Dyrli
Speaking Out Gary Stager
Problem/Solution
Research Corner
Computer Literature
Leadership Books
New Products
By the Numbers

District Administration - September 2006