Techucation

Moving forward…

Within the next year I am looking to tackle quite a few projects. Thinking out loud and looking for third-party input to maybe help me see things I haven’t thought about. All while sitting in on a meeting of technology directors talking about the future.

My largest school will have their technology refreshed and the amount of access will grow and lost likely at a fairly large rate. 

• will this include a “device” for everyone? Maybe, maybe not.
• definitely will require more wireless access. we currently have some access but struggle with areas with densely located devices.
• this will definitely be driven by instruction. We are asking the staff to think about what their environment would look like if they had no limits. We are asking that they do not think about devices but what instruction looks like.

I will make a major attempt at a project that will provide internet access at home to all students.

• Comcast can do it, so can I. Comcast is offering REAL broadband access to students for $9.95 per month. We will work with anyone we can find to ensure that all of our students can learn 24x7
• This will allow us to extend learning to the home by providing learning resources and support that can be accesses by all students.

I am looking to build a better environment (more streamlined) for allowing third-party devices with robust but secure access within our network.

• This will be a mix of hardware and software. Our networking hardware partner will be working with us to provide a physical path.
We are also looking to a new web filtering solution to help ensure that we can not only provide more access but do so in a secure environment.
• … and this leads to another project… I am looking to find a different approach to internet filtering. I detest the whole concept but unfortunately it is a necessary evil for many reasons. See above.

With all of this going through my head, I sit in a regional meeting listening to other districts talk about their future and what great things are coming and what challenges come with new horizons. The common thread is more access, more access and more access.

Related articles

• Comcast launches low-income $10 broadband program nationwide (digitaltrends.com)
• Comcast launches low-income broadband service (teleread.com)
• Comcast’s $9.99 Internet For Low-Income Families Goes Nationwide (wired.com)
• Comcast Announces $10 Web Access For Low-Income Families (Bill Chappell/NPR) (techmeme.com)
• Comcast rolls out $10 internet for low-income families (slashgear.com)
• Xbox in Talks with Comcast, Verizon!?! (gamingphanatic.com)
• Microsoft launches program to bridge digital divide for students; Seattle one of first cities to take part (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Is Internet Filtering Effective? (btsecurethinking.com)