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Written by Christopher Brown & Jeanne Hayes
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Sunday, 02 March 2008 |
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  This site is an effort to highlight the issues of broadband needs and high bandwidth capability in schools. Not surprisingly, there have been many indications that districts are not prepared for the volume of traffic and sheer size of some of that traffic on their networks. Many are wrestling with this every day with a variety of sometimes blunt instruments (aggressive filters, policies, etc.) that may be limiting potentially good learning opportunities for students, such as videostreaming.
The survey done by The Greaves Group and The Hayes Connection, America's Digital Schools 2006, identified a "Bandwidth Crisis" after having several hundred CTOs calculate their likely bandwidth needs over the next five years. It turns out that most are unprepared by several orders of magnitude. Additionally, there have been a number of reports and comparisons done over the last couple of years that have looked at the issue across countries. Generally speaking the U.S. does not compare favorably with other first-tier countries - particularly given our belief about ourselves as technologically advanced.
We hope to set the stage in order to share both your knowledge and your questions with other CTOs across the country wrestling with these same issues. |
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Written by The Hayes Connection and The Greaves Group
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Sunday, 27 January 2008 |
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 In a world where the Internet plays a primary role, schools face some unique challenges as they try to provide adequate Internet access for all students. The budgetary lead time is measured in years. E-Rate, the source of most funding, is capped. The growth in machines and the changing mix of applications are driving dramatic growth in required Internet bandwidth that most school districts and states have not yet predicted.
In fact, few districts and states that the ADS 2006 research team has spoken with can predict the cost of a T-1 line in 2011 or how much bandwidth they expect to need in 2011. All too frequently the response is, “We have a statewide network. We have all the bandwidth we’ll ever need.” Unfortunately, this is likely not to be the case. This appendix provides some background information and sample calculations that illustrate the problems facing schools.
Download: America’s Digital Schools 2006 report, Appendix B |
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Written by Tammy Stephens
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Sunday, 02 March 2008 |
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Spotlight Session M301: 21st Century Networking for 21st Century Skills: Are you ready for the bandwidth crisis? Essential Skills: Innovative use of Emerging Technologies, Leadership for Transformation, Business and Operations The America’s Digital Schools 2006 report is predicting a 14-fold increase in demand for school Internet bandwidth within five years. With today’s average school Internet bandwidth at only 3kbps per student, many school districts will be woefully unprepared for the future. How and when does a technology coordinator or CTO make the case for increased capacity? At what cost?
This session will: provide tools and resources for bandwidth measurement, present options for high bandwidth transport and Internet access, discuss factors that affect future projections, and share case studies of districts that seem to have positioned themselves properly (or improperly) for the 21st century. Input from attendees may help to shape this new initiative sponsored by CoSN. - Karen Greenwood Henke, Founder, Nimble Press (Moderator)
- Jeanne Hayes, President, Hayes Connection
- Bob Collie, Senior VP of Technology, ENA
- Ed Zaiontz, Executive Director of Information Services, Round Rock ISD, Texas
- Tom Rolfes, Education I.T. Manager, Nebraska Office of the CIO
View PowerPoint Slides |
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