How To Make Your School Successful Online

Transcription

1 informed. Planning Considerations for K-12 Communications Technology frontier.com/enterprise 1

2 Executive Summary K-12 schools are increasingly wanting to leverage new digital learning technologies to make education more effective, efficient and personalized. To be successful, it s important to carefully plan and implement the communications solutions, including broadband and Wi-Fi, required for these technologies to be used to their full advantage. Introduction/Overview Several major technology trends are greatly impacting education today and will continue to do so in the years ahead. One-to-one initiatives are putting tablets, laptops and other devices in the hands of each student for classroom and in-home use. Printed textbooks are being replaced by, or supplemented with, digital textbooks and online resources. Traditional learning environments are evolving to include online learning as well as blended and flipped classrooms. Online testing/assessments, backed by Common Core State Standards requirements, are becoming standard operating procedure. Digital learning can improve outcomes for our students and is critical to preparing children for success in the 21st century. Now is the time to work with technology partners to make strategic decisions about communications solutions in order for your school to be ready for what s ahead. These developments, while exciting in their ability to improve the quality of education in K-12 schools, also present challenges for school leaders. Many are dealing with outdated IT infrastructures including broadband service not fast enough to support data-intensive applications and an insufficient or non-existent Wi-Fi network in school buildings. This white paper takes a look at one-to-one programs and other changes in classroom learning in terms of how they affect decisions regarding a school s communications solutions. Is your school prepared for the growing need for bandwidth? Do your students have access to the devices and online resources to enhance learning and help improve test scores? Are you informed about the E-rate Modernization Order in order to get every dollar you deserve for communications equipment and services? To find out what Frontier can do for your school, visit us at frontier.com/businessedge. frontier.com/enterprise 2

3 One-to-One Programs One-to-one programs (sometimes abbreviated as 1:1) refer to schools issuing each enrolled student an electronic device in order to access the Internet, digital course materials and digital textbooks. The concept has been actively explored since the late 1990s. One-to-one computing differs from bring your own device (BYOD) policies, which encourage or require students to use their own laptops, smartphones or other electronic devices in class. Personalized Learning and Other Benefits Putting tablets or laptops in the hands of each student can be a strong starting point to more self-directed and student-centered learning. Students gain the ability to learn at a more individualized pace. In addition, teachers can more easily provide differentiated learning because different students can be assigned different parts of a unit according to interest or ability level, and then work in that group on their own digital devices using all the resources available. Other benefits reported by K-12 schools that have implemented one-to-one programs include: Students have the capability to collaborate with peers beyond their own classroom. The interactivity of electronic devices often improves student engagement during class periods. It helps level the playing field between students of different backgrounds, since every student has a device. Assignments and exams can give instant feedback to students on how they are performing. Schools have the ability to use digital textbooks and other online resources to keep content more current. Teachers gain more ability to monitor student progress and connect learning inside and outside the classroom. Of course, providing devices to every student is just one part of the equation. Successful one-to-one programs also must include teacher training, technology-supported lesson plans and the infrastructure required to keep the devices working to their full potential. Planning Considerations for Schools The decision to invest in a one-to-one program has substantial structural and financial implications. Long-term sustainability will depend on clearly defined goals, detailed strategic plans and effective implementation of project components. If your school is considering a one-to-one program, be sure to: Involve all your stakeholders in the visioning and planning. Include faculty, administration, parents and students. Learn from the experience of others. Attend conferences and do research to get the perspective of schools that have been down this road already. Ask questions like, What would you do differently if you could do things over? Give teachers the devices to use for several months to a year before students get them in order to increase their knowledge and comfort level. Invest in Professional Development relevant to every teacher and every discipline. Make plans to upgrade your IT infrastructure (broadband service and Wi-Fi network) to support the increase in devices and users. Establish a school policy on what will happen if a device is lost, stolen or destroyed. While specific details of one-to-one programs vary from school to school, at the core of every plan should be the goal of enhancing student-centered learning. Communication is enhanced between teachers, students and parents. Students acquire learning and technology skills that will be relevant throughout their lives. frontier.com/enterprise 3

4 Online Learning Online learning is more than just as a platform for the delivery of instruction. It is also a highly efficient way for teachers and students to communicate, collaborate and connect around content. Under the category of online learning, schools use educational opportunities including: Online courses Instruction is delivered primarily over the Internet either with teacher support or in a self-study mode. Blended learning Instruction is a mix of online lessons and face-to-face with a teacher in a traditional classroom. Flipped learning Students watch videos of lectures or read content as homework, and class time is spent on project-based learning and personalized remediation. Growth in K-12 Online Learning Online learning has clearly been a growing trend in K-12 education since the 1990s. However, due to the different types and definitions of online learning, it can be a challenge to find clear data on its use. For example, one school may have teachers who assign students to watch Khan Academy videos as homework. Another school might contract with a for-profit online course provider, such as Apex, to provide electives that it can t offer. At the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (inacol) conference at the end of October 2013, the Evergreen Education Group put out its 10th report, Keeping Pace, attempting to track online education among kindergarten through high school students in the United States. Evergreen found it impossible to compile data on so-called blended learning, where students learn some of the time from a teacher in a traditional classroom and some of the time from a computer. the school year, which is more than double the 320,000 online enrollments during the school year. These online classes were ones generally not offered by the student s school, such as certain foreign languages or AP classes. MOOCs (massive, open, online courses) expand learning opportunities for high school students. EdX, the onlinelearning platform created by Harvard University and MIT, announced in September 2014 the release of 26 free online courses covering AP and other high school level material. It s the first venture into the K-12 arena for an entity that has traditionally targeted college students and postgraduates. Diverse Interests Drive Adoption Online learning offers valuable benefits to all stakeholders students, teachers and district administrators: Students gain the opportunity to augment classroombased course offerings available at their home school, repeat core content or earn academic credit outside of the traditional school calendar. Teachers are able to save time, support an increased number of students and provide more individualized instruction including competency-based education with online content. District administrators see online courses as a way to expand the course catalog, reach students unwilling or unable to attend regular school (place or time), include students who have dropped out or are at-risk, or provide instruction in core courses where student enrollment is too low to justify the expense of an additional instructor or in areas where the supply of qualified teachers does not meet the demand. Data is available that shows a steady growth in K-12 students enrolling in full-time online schools or taking individual classes online. According to educationbythenumbers.org, U.S. students in traditional K-12 schools enrolled in almost 750,000 individual online courses through their state during The flexibility of online learning is especially valuable to rural schools, which may not have the resources to offer the breadth of high school classes required by college-bound students. It helps to level the playing field between rural and city school districts. frontier.com/enterprise 4

5 More Technology Requires More Bandwidth The increased implementation of one-to-one programs and online learning means that K-12 schools will continue to have more devices, more users and more data-intensive applications such as live streaming video, interactive learning games, virtual field trips and video conferencing with students around the globe. This adds up to the need for substantially more bandwidth throughout school buildings. Other factors driving higher bandwidth include the use of: Distributed content and shared information In order to remain competitive and expand the availability of certain classes, some K-12 schools are developing ways to share educational content such as live music classes and recorded video art lessons throughout their district over high-speed networks. Standardized testing By moving from paper tests to online testing, schools have faster access to results, enabling them and parents to quickly assess students progress and better understand their strengths as well as areas needing focus. Whether a school follows the Common Core curriculum or its own district- or statemandated testing standards, it needs a high-speed connection to access the online content that drives the testing and to measure online the individual student s performance against the standards. Robust Internet infrastructure is also critical to accomplishing today s major education policy initiatives and goals including: STEM Education Distance learning can mitigate broad systemic and local budgetary problems in hiring new rural teachers and offering a broad STEM curriculum. Next Generation Online Assessments Online assessments require sufficient bandwidth to ensure that high stakes testing can be administered fairly to all students. The Common Core Digital textbooks and access to online content liberate schools from seven-year textbook cycles, freeing teachers to align instructional content to new Common Core standards. As K-12 education moves deeper into the digital realm, more teachers are being asked to share information online with other teachers as well as school administrators and parents. This trend is expected to further increase the need for greater bandwidth. frontier.com/enterprise 5

6 Slow Internet Speeds Can Slow Education As an individual, you have probably experienced the frustration of lagging downloads and video buffering caused by too-slow Internet speeds. In a school setting, insufficient bandwidth causes similar frustrations. Teachers and students are stuck waiting for basic web applications to download. Streaming videos pause or skip. And online tests that time student responses don t work. Some teachers have to resort to work-arounds such as asking students to use their personal smartphones to look up material for assignments because the school connection is too slow. About 80 percent of school districts report that their broadband connections don t fully meet their current needs, according to an FCC report, Measuring Broadband America. In fact, the typical public school has the same Internet access as the typical home - but with 100 times more users. Key Solutions: Ethernet and Wi-Fi The ConnectED initiative aims to connect 99 percent of U.S. schoolchildren to broadband and high-speed wireless by This is an ambitious goal. According to the CoSN/ EducationSuperHighway analysis submitted to the FCC: 57 percent of U.S. public schools require W-Fi upgrades. 50 percent of districts require content filter and firewall upgrades. 40 percent of schools require local-area and wide-area network switch upgrades. 26 percent of schools require internal fiber-optic cable upgrades. 20 percent of classrooms require wiring upgrades. Bandwidth-intensive applications are best supported with commercial-grade Internet services that provide the quality required for a compelling student experience. Specifically, industry-standard Ethernet integrated with a robust Wi-Fi network allows each student to access instructor-created education materials as well as globally available resources. By having the right infrastructure in place, students can go from room to room without losing a connection and teachers can quickly download the resources needed for classroom instruction. Wi-Fi expansion is a priority in the new E-rate Modernization Order. These additional funds will help schools enlist the services of telecommunications providers to deal with the challenges of increased Wi-Fi network traffic, security issues across devices and the need for a backup system. frontier.com/enterprise 6

7 Planning for Your School s Communications Solutions The best way to successfully integrate technology into the classroom is to carefully plan for it. A comprehensive plan helps you articulate your needs and goals and is essential in order to take full advantage of E-rate funding for 2015, 2016 and beyond. It s also a way to organize the many components that must all work seamlessly together including hardware and software, teacher training, curriculum and infrastructure. Many educators have had the unfortunate experience of investing in technology only to later discover that it is incompatible with existing school equipment, teachers are not trained to use it or ongoing maintenance costs were higher than expected. Overall Checklist for Your Plan While each school or district will have unique challenges and opportunities relative to technology, the following content will likely be part of any long-term technology plan: Training How will teachers and students get the necessary training to use the new technology resources to their full potential? Maintenance How will the new resources be maintained and who will maintain them? What are the ongoing charges? How much coverage do warranties provide? Costs and Funding How much will all of this cost? Where will the money come from? Can E-rate funds, grants or other opportunities help defray some of the costs? Assessment How will the effectiveness of technology purchases be measured? Because every classroom is different, assessment will help you invest your technology dollars more wisely. Introduction An overview and a mission statement will introduce the plan and answer big picture questions such as: What does your school need? What impact will technology have on learning? Goals and Objectives List specific goals you hope to achieve by using technology. How will you integrate technology into your curriculum? What academic outcomes do you hope to see? Existing Resources Look at your school s existing resources. List the equipment/devices your school already owns and assess the current bandwidth, Wi-Fi signal strength and security measures. New Resources With input from your school or district Technology Coordinator and other stakeholders, identify the hardware and software your school needs to purchase to support your digital learning goals and objectives. frontier.com/enterprise 7

8 Plan Specifics Related to Infrastructure To reap the benefits of what technology in the classroom can bring, your school s infrastructure must be designed to support it. For many schools, this will require a plan to increase bandwidth, update Wi-Fi networks and make other related changes. Make sure your discussions of communications solutions include these components: Bandwidth Your school s bandwidth should be robust enough to handle the growth of applications and devices coming onto the network in the next several years. As a general rule, some industry experts suggest using the guideline of 100 Mbps per 1,000 users. Make sure your pipe is large enough to comfortably support expansion; it s becoming increasingly common for schools to choose speeds of 1-2 Gigabits per second. Signal Strength Your Wi-Fi network needs to be reliable, strong and evenly distributed throughout the entire school. The quality and placement of access points are both critical. Classroom technology holds the promise of enabling more personalized learning but only if you have the proper mobility strategies in place to support this new learning environment. Network Access Control (NAC) Your wireless solution needs to afford you the capability to create a separate policy for student devices as compared to administration/ teacher devices, allowing for rules and policies to be built around the specific user. Firewall Plan to use a Next Generation Firewall in order to be able to whitelist and blacklist apps students can use. Move Confidently with a Technology Partner To navigate the changing landscape of communications solutions, you need a technology partner that s up to the challenge. Look for a telecommunications provider with these attributes: Understands education and has experience working with schools and districts to help them select the most appropriate communications solutions to meet specific needs. Will help your school understand and make full use of the E-Rate Modernization Order to help fund qualifying services and equipment. Offers a full portfolio of communications solutions to meet all of your data, voice and video requirements. Backs up its products and services with expertise in installation and maintenance, and will continue to be there to provide assistance for years to come. frontier.com/enterprise 8