New Core Curriculum Content Standards

My state has released a draft version of its new Core Curriculum Content Standards. They are posted online for anyone to comment on. Upon first review, my initial response is "finally" we are moving in the right direction. The content standards have shifted from simple skill and drill MS Office. These new content standards are focused on developing 21st century skills. There is a focus on collaboration, innovation, project based learning and design.

They have provided specific objectives as well as lesson ideas. Take a look at the standards and offer your comments.

http://www.state.nj.us/education/aps/cccs/2009/

The Most Cost Effective Way to 1 to 1

Allowing faculty members and students to bring their laptops to school is the most cost effective way to get to 1 to 1. In most districts this is not an option. There is concerns about management of the laptops, virus and botnet attacks as well as network intrusions.

While these are all very valid concerns I believe that they can be addressed through infrastructure configurations. There are both old and new technologies that can control client access on a network which would eliminate most of these concerns. We have been successful in our district by making some minor configurations and an investment in infrastructure.

We implemented a managed wireless network. These networks are available from Cisco, Meru, Aruba, Trapese, Ruckus, and a few other. This type of network allows all of the access ponts to be managed by a controller. ON this wireless network we broadcast two SSID (these are the names of the wireless networks that the computers can see and connect to). One is for internal users (our school owned computers) and the other is for guests.

We segment our network in virtual lans (vlans). What that means in simple terms it that each network port is assigned to a group. Each group has different access and rights. This allows the students to not interrupt the admin network for example.

On our wireless network we assigned the SSID Guest to the Vlan Guest. By configuring Access Rules in our switches we have limited the guest account to only have access to the internet. They can not access anything else on the network. If a student brings in a laptop with a virus the virus is contained to that machine only. Because of the access rules and the vlans the virus cannot access any of our servers. This is how we allow teachers and students who bring their own laptops in to connect.

With all of the amazing web2.0 sites and tools available access to the internet only really does not limit what the student and teacher can accomplish. A $400 netbook and the guest internet access can go a long way.

In our network we have a Cisco 4507R Core Switch and HP Procurve switches at the access level. We have a vlan for admins, teachers, student, printers, computer lab, wifi and wifi guests. We use a MERU ABGN wireless network.

Please remember that the more computers you have accessing the internet the more bandwidth you will need. If you are concerned about students managing files you need to look into a web based classroom management solution. Moodle or schoolwires are two examples. Flash drives are also a good option. 

This is a simple explanation of how to setup your network. It should be designed by an IT professional. Just realize that most of these technologies already exist on your network. The required investment in infrastructure is significantly less then purchasing a laptop for every student.

Update on this wireless project and me!

It has been a long while since i posted to this blog.  The last 5 months have been hectic. We implemented a number of infrastructure changes to our district technology program. The fun of being a district technology coordinator is that you have to know how to do everything! That means countless hours of reading, implementing, failing, success, more failure and hopefully success! I can say that the last 5 months have been successful. Our infrastructure is up and running with many new features, increased speed and stability.

Although we have found success on the technical side, i have been mostly removed from the educational side of technology during this period. This is the area where my passion lies. I am forced to split my time between hardware and instruction. Hardware usually wins that battle!

I hope to be able to switch my focus to instruction for the rest of this year!

We did complete the wireless project. We now have a Merumanaged wireless network in our middle school using abgn access points. I am really impressed with the wireless N technology. We are averaging 130mbps on all AP's and in some cases we hit 270mbps. (need appropriate wifi drivers in place to achieve this. Most N laptops will require you to manually update to the new driver.)

The Meru technology uses a single channel architecture. IMAGINE THAT! you can just throw up AP's all over to deal with density issues! This is a dream come true for schools. They also utilize a technology called virtual cell. What that means is that you are not associated with a particular AP. You instead associate yourself with a SSID. This allows you to move seamlessly through a building without dropping connection.

After focusing on the technical aspects of this new project I have finally started to realize the educational impact. We have complete wireless coverage in our middle school that exceeds the speed of our wired connections (100mbps). We can stream video to each student laptop. We are flying around the internet. Our faculty is just starting to understand the potential. I look forward to utilizing this new technology with our faculty and students this year. I have so many ideas!

My Wireless Experiment

I mentioned in the past that we have been testing wireless N in one of my schools. Here is an update. I have a controller and 3 ABGN access points up in one of my schools. Using a laptop with an N capable card, i have gotten speeds as high as 270mbps. The average has been 130 mbps. I have also noticed a significantly larger range which should be expected with N since it is similar to A in this regard. I have also discovered that you need to use WPA2 to get above 54 mbps using N.  That means you need to download the newest drivers for any of your G laptops trying to connect in order to use WPA2 security.

I can get into the technical specifics regarding this technology and my experiences if anyone is interested. Just ask.

Although this test has been short lived, the educational implications of this have been running through my mind. We can now have a laptop in students hands that is connected at wired speeds.  I think that is all i need to say!

PC VS. MAC Should That Really Be Our Focus?

We are all aware of the argument of which is better, PC or Mac. This argument is present in our personal and professional lives. Well, I am not posting this to argue which in my perception is better. I am writing this post to say, as educators we need to stop focussing our energy on this topic. Who cares which is better! I have been involved in this argument frequently because of the  mixed environment our regional school district operates in.

We are not in the business of teaching operating systems or platforms. We don't even know what platforms will be available for the students we teach when they enter the working world. Never mind knowing what types of new jobs will be available or the requirements for these jobs.

What we do know is that computers and technology are a fantastic tool. We use them as a tool to not only teach curriculum. We also use them to assist in the development of 21st Century Skills. These are the skills that we predict will allow our students to be successful in the jobs that don't yet exist. We hope that these skills will allow them to also make a seemless entry into the workforce by being able to adapt to the changing environment.

So, let's stop worrying about which platform we invest in and start worrying about how we are using the tools that are available to us. It is not a brand that matters. It is the power of the tool. We are teaching our students to adapt to new technologies. Moving from PC to Apple to Linux is an example of this. There is not an edge for students in platforms. For the most part, students can learn a new interface as fast as they learn to maneuver the newest version of Grand Theft Auto.

Experimenting with Online Professional Development

I have spent the last year experimenting and promoting the use of Moodle in education. It is my belief that classroom managment software such as Moodle is a very valuable tool for educators to tap into.

In an effort to take the next step regarding the experimentation and implementation of Moodle among my faculty i have decided to use it as a Professional Development tool. We have started to create our first online professional development course using Moodle. I am hosting and managing this site under my private domain Edunology.com which hosts this blog.

It is my hope that by educators using the services of Moodle to complete a professional development course they will eventually see the power of the service. I hope that the learning by using approach is successful.

I would love to hear from anyone who is using this software in the same manner.

Wireless Technology Is About to Take a Major Leap

Recently i have been lucky enough to be provided adequate resources to build out a wireless network for a couple of my schools. This is an exciting project both because of the educational opportunities that will arise due to the WIFI access, but also because of the burden of managing our current wireless network that will be relieved.

My exploration into wifi network designs has brought my attention to a number of vendors, products and designs. I am facinated with the soon to be ratified 802.11 N wireless network design. 802.11N offers bandwidth up to 600mbps with all the cards aligned perfectly. Well, that is not feasible now, there is confirmed data rates of 170mbps over wifi using this technology.

This sort of bandwidth is 70 mbps over a standard 100 mbps wired desktop LAN.  Without getting too technical, this now means that video, voice, and data exchange will be basically limitless over wifi. The wired network will be slowly eliminated allowing for simpler expansion and less costly expansion of clients.

There are of course a number of considerations to make when deploying a wireless N network currently:

• Many wireless N AP's require more power than a standard POE switch now provides.


• Can your network handle the increased bandwidth


• When will it be formally ratified?


• What is the cost of purchasing N clients now?


• Can you find a product that will offer both G and N radios but be upgradeable to all N in the future to meet your current and future needs?


• Will you need new cabling to support the N initiative (standard cat 5 will not provide the bandwidth. Cat 5e or 6 is requireed)

There are other concerns that need to be addressed. There are a number of resources online to assist with this research.

Having looked at all the information available, i have made the decision to wire my wifi network for 802.11N. I am excited about the what the future brings with this sort of bandwidth available wirelessly to our students.