8/9/2019 21st Century Networks for 21st Century Schools: Making
the Case for Broadband 2009 Compendium
1/1
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The monograph summarized here is one of six that make up the
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According to the International Telecommunications Union,
Japan,Finland, Sweden, Canada and numerous other countries are
surpassing the United States in providing aster broadband
connections
at cheaper prices to their citizens. As the nation loses ground,
so do our
schools adding to worries about global competitiveness in the
years
to come. As the EDUCAUSE publication,A Blueprint for Big
Broadband, puts
it, The constraints that inadequate broadband connections pose
are
vast when considering the trend towards online high stakes
testing,
database management, school Web presence and communication
with
parents, collaborative research projects, and video
streaming.
How much bandwidth do schools need? And how ar are we rom
this goal? Calculating on a per-student basis,Americas Digital
Schools 2008
reports a national average o 6.5 Kbps per student bandwidth
ar
less than the 100 kbps to 1 Mbps per user recommended by SEDTA
in
its June, 2008, publication, High Speed Internet Access for All
Kids. When you
consider estimates ranging rom 50 Kbps per student required or
email
and Web browsing to 300 Kbps per student or desktop video, one
can
understand why the authors oAmericas Digital Schools identiy
inadequate
broadband as a crisis in the making.
Skilled technology coordinators and network technicians have
made
a science out o squeezing every last bit o capacity rom
defcient
inrastructure. At some point, however, attention must be
shited
rom living within our means to a scalable, yet aordable,
highbandwidth inrastructure. It is imperative that school
administrators
and technology ofcers begin planning a migration path to
higher
bandwidth, regardless o the size and location o their schools.
In most
cases this will involve the move to terrestrial fber, fber cable
that
runs under the ground to deliver optical Ethernet. However, in
some
situations as with natural obstructions such as rivers, urban
concrete,
or solid rock the best or most cost-eective solution may
involve
having the fber run above ground.
The complete article includes:
Case studies o one district and one state that has invested in
a
fber inrastructure, greatly increasing bandwidth while
generating
important savings.
Inormation on pricing and purchasing Internet access and
transport.
Additional advice on increasing bandwidth.
A look at the ederal ARRA legislation and how it might be used
to
support inrastructure upgrades and migration to higher
bandwidth.
A collaborative effort coordinated by Tom Rolfes and Tammy
Stephens
How much bandwidth does your school district need? Read on for
advice on how
and why to upgrade to broadband cost-effectively.
21st Century Networksfor 21st Century Schools:Making the Case
for Broadband
