Case 711. The Regional Network of Piedmont Schools project described below supports the spread and use of ICT within schools.

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1 Full Case Report Case 711 Regional Network of Piedmont Schools (Italy) Schools network leads and guides in the provision of an advanced educational and government network in Italian region Executive summary of the case: Abstract The Regional Network of Piedmont Schools. The Regional Network of Piedmont Schools project supports the use of ICT in the schools of Piedmont. It has as its key objective overcoming the digital divide in the educational field through the use of ICT. The project, started in 2000 and still in progress, consists of an integrated network interconnecting all schools (including those with buildings at separate sites), in order to enable all actors of the Regional School System to use ICT in an everyday teaching and administrative context. The programme was born out of the will and enthusiasm of local institutions and is strongly supported by a Bank Foundation. It meets the objectives of the e-europe Action Plan and of the Italian Government Plan for the Information Society. This innovative project in Piedmont is a model of good practice at a European level. The initiative has involved all schools in Piedmont and has been based on a number of discrete projects, a dedicated infrastructure, and the support of a number of educational support and research centres located around the Piedmont region. The responsibility for the operational and technological management has been given to 'CSI Piemonte', assisted by CSP. 'CSI Piemonte' is a Consortium of public Bodies providing ICT and telematics support for public administrations to enable them to implement egovernment services. CSP is an ICT research Laboratory recognized by the Ministry of Research. It supports local government in developing strategies to ensure global competitiveness. Case description: Background The Regional Network of Piedmont Schools project described below supports the spread and use of ICT within schools. The Piedmont region (in NW of Italy) has gained a leading role in this area, through a project aiming to put all actors of the School System in a position to effectively use and manage ICT in an everyday teaching context. As a part of the Regional ICT Development Action Plan, a three-year project ( ) has been set up, directed towards the creation of a Regional Network of Piedmont Schools. The project moved from the existing Regional Government Administrative Network (the so-called RUPAR, set up in 1998) interconnecting all public bodies and structures of the region and to the national Government network, and aimed at supporting cooperation and new e-services between institutions and to citizens. The Regional Network of Piedmont Schools consists of a unitary network interconnecting all schools and

2 didactic structures, and giving them access to the RUPAR so as to enable all actors to benefit from the opportunity of using ICT in didactics, schools and administration. The context where the project originated was quite diverse: A few schools had already introduced ICT and were skilled in its application and use, whereas nationally the majority were still without decent equipment and a resulting effective use of technologies. This divide was due to a lack of organized initiatives and diffused investments in ICTs to support the School System. Thus, the Regional Network of Piedmont Schools aimed to transform some isolated school's best practices into a widespread collaborative system, to create local facilities to support lifelong learning and to organize a valuable co-operation between schools, students and families. Moreover, the project has also been directed to administrative optimisation of the Regional School System through the access to the Regional Government Administrative Network (RUPAR), training staff and personnel, and implementing infrastructures for secure data transmission. The project, supported by the Regional Government, the Regional Dept. of the Education Ministry and the Italian Bank Foundation Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Torino, has involved 2,828 educational structures and seats, about 50,000 teachers and 430,000 students, and more than 850 schools, both public and officially recognized. For further information on the Protocol of Understanding and Programming Agreement signed, please see Enclosure no.1: General Project Description. Objectives The project has the general objective of overcoming the digital divide in the educational field as a whole, and it fully meets the objectives expressed in the eeurope Action Plan and in the Italian Government Plan for the Information Society, making Piedmont a model. The project comprises the following specific objectives: - Promote cooperation between schools and local public bodies as fertile soil for an effective inclusion of citizens and local communities in the innovation process of the region. - Support and promote the spread of ICT in the School System. The spreading and strengthening of ICT infrastructures, systems and facilities is the key enabling factor for a concrete use of technologies. With this aim, the project has strongly involved schools planning capacity to stimulate attention of decision makers to the need of improving ICT equipment and as a propelling element towards an effective use of ICT. - Constantly monitor the start and progress of ICT projects and activities carried out by schools within the territory. They represent in fact a major indicator of the innovation process running within the region. Also, if projects are visible to the public through transparent communication tools, they can become meaningful local case histories and examples for other schools. - Provide low-cost connectivity to the Regional Government Administrative Network (RUPAR) for all schools through the development of the so-called Universal Service, with no limits on geographic decentralization. The Service enables all schools in Piedmont to access, at the same low-cost, administrative services and to share reserved information with regional public bodies. Moreover, it provides advanced infrastructures and secure high performing communications systems. - Implement an innovative operational model merging a top-down with a bottom-up approach. The model is based on selected schools acting as reference points (the so-called Service, Animation and Experimentation Centres and the Animation Centres) around the regional territory to support other schools with technical and didactical issues and to locally promote the gradual reorganization and innovation of the system. Particularly, that action line is related to DSCHOLA project and community: a fundamental component of the main Regional Network of Piedmont Schools project, which seeks to increase flexible learning, distance working and cooperation activities and training between teachers. - Use the Internet as a transparent information and communication tool supporting the project and document sharing activities among all actors of the Regional School System; as well as promoting online collaboration and distant collaboration through web-based community resources.

3 Resources For further information on resources involved in the project, please see Enclosure no.1: General Project Description. FINANCIAL RESOURCES The Financial resources comprehensively invested in the project for the years amount to 36,735,189 euro and are attributable to the following sponsors: Regional Government (first grant, limited to year 2002): 2,650,000 euro Regional Dept. of the Education Ministry: 12,394,000 euro Bank Foundation, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Torino: 21,691,189 euro HUMAN RESOURCES Human resources have represented a key resource for the achievement of the project objectives. Skilled teachers and other professionals from the Piedmont School System have been involved as a local driving force for the process of school's innovation. School managers and staff were trained in order to provide them with suitable skills to manage the ongoing reorganization process and to make them aware of their role as local promoters of change. In the year 2002 over 4,600 teachers and other professionals (almost 10% of the overall Piedmont School System staff) dedicated more than 257,000 hours to actively work on ICT project planning and to help their schools strengthen ICT infrastructures, systems and facilities. In accordance with the operational and technological model put into practice within the Project, 19 selected schools with proven experience in ICT have played (and are still playing today) the key role of Service, Animation and Experimentation Centres within their territorial area. For all local schools, they have acted as points of reference on technological and technical issues related to the Regional Project. Furthermore those schools have been supported by 6 schools with proven experience in didactics and ICT, which have contributed to the project as Animation Centres and have represented points of reference within their territorial area on didactic issues. Today 25 schools are actively cooperating to achieve the project objectives. (Please note: originally there were 23 Centres. In the year 2003 two more centres were created). COMPETENCES AND KNOW-HOW RESOURCES A fundamental contribution was made by the active collaboration between two bodies with strong ICT competences and know-how: CSI Piemonte and CSP have successfully supported the technical and technological set-up and run the project. CSI Piemonte is a Consortium of public Bodies for the Information System, that provides informatics and telematics support for regional and public administrations to implement egovernment services. CSP is an ICT applied research Laboratory recognized by the Italian Ministry of Research. It supports local government to develop strategies and ICT projects facing the global competition. Within the project, CSI and CSP were responsible for a state-of-the-art technical infrastructure acquisition and general management, and for the coordination of any ICT-based activity, with the aim of optimising the use of Piedmont Government Network (RUPAR) and start up new eservices. CSI Piemonte and CSP collaborated to: - Design and set up the Universal Service infrastructure offered to all schools of the region.

4 - Design and set up the prototype infrastructure connecting the Service Animation and Experimentation Centres so as to enable broadband-based activities, experimentation and secure communications. - Run help-desk services for end users and connected structures. - Start-up, develop, coordinate and control Service, Animation and Experimentation Centres. - Design, set up and supply VoIP, Streaming and Videoconference services to Service, Animation and Experimentation Centres, and run the related help-desk support. - Design and develop the project's official Website and online community area to provide schools and Service, Animation and Experimentation Centres with a framework within which to promote and enhance bottom up initiatives, ideas and expertise. USE OF ICT The project has been based on specific technologies and infrastructure and has promoted, through funding focused on schools ICT equipment, the overcoming of the digital divide in the educational field. It is important to emphasize that, thanks to the innovation process started by the Regional Network of Piedmont Schools project, local public bodies responsible for schools structures within the region (specifically city and provincial administrations) have remarkably enhanced their contribution to schools cabling. Specifically the following technologies have been used within the project: A. UNIVERSAL SERVICE for connection to the Piedmont Government Administrative Network (RUPAR) and through it directly to the Ministry of Education, either through analogue (PSTN) or digital modem (ISDN). The Universal Service has been introduced to all schools of the region: - Equal low-cost access with no geographic restriction, thanks to an agreement with a telecommunication provider. - Unified policy under the web to promote and facilitate -based communications. - Secure and certified mail boxes and network communications system, using digital certificates based on X.509v3 standards issued by CSI Certification Authority. - Universal high-speed Internet access (up to 128 Kbps) for management, administrative and educational purposes. - Information systems and hosting for school websites up to 50MB (free of charge for maintenance and connectivity). - Long-distance support and training activities through web-based interaction and a phone number. B. The 19 Service, Animation and experimentation Centres have been EQUIPPED with: - Broadband connectivity and Secure communication Systems. Every Centre has 2Mbps connectivity within the network and to the Hub located in CSI buildings. Every centre has a firewall controlling ingoing and outgoing communications and enabling the creation of a Virtual Private Network. The use of Public IP addresses upon this VPN through IPsec tunnels enables the extension of multimedia activities also outside the private network. - Advanced IP-based distance collaboration infrastructures, such as Videoconference, VoIP and audiovideo streaming (live and on-demand) systems, supported by the Main Service Centre locate in CSP buildings. Such advanced services have enabled Centres to directly experience state-of-the-art technologies and hypermedia tools for didactical purposes and for distance collaboration within the network. Every Centre has been equipped with:

5 - One Multiple Videoconference system working on IP networks (using H323 protocol) or on ISDN connections (using H320 protocol). - At least one VoIP Phone to interconnect Centres through H323 protocol and managing the phone directory through LDAP server, with remarkable effect on telephone cost reduction. - One audio-video streaming system enabling video production for a wide distribution of multimedia contents on the web (for more information on that activity, please visit the D-VIDEO area of clicking on the header menu). - Informatics and multimedia laboratories with equipped work places for group training. Today those highly equipped 19 schools, besides being local reference points for all schools on technological issues and acting as models of ICT usage, also cover the role of Advanced ICT Service Centres available for delivering state-of-the-art technologies within the local community of citizens. C. THE INTERNET has been used with a double purpose: - Make transparently available to the public any data or official document related to the project, as well as any document monitoring the project development or specific ICT activities led by schools within the Region. The URL is today the reference point for any institutional or operational information regarding the project, with the prime philosophy of open data communication. - Web-based communication, interaction and collaboration within the Service, Animation and Experimentation Centres community. This aim has been reached through the DSCHOLA project website ( It has been implemented customising the open source PHPNuke Content Management and Community suite, enabling distributed content editing among all users and participation through interaction tools (events agenda, forums, discussion boards, mailing lists, document sharing). Consistent with the philosophy of the project, the choice of basing the DSCHOLA Website and Community tools on an open source platform has resulted in a remarkable cost reduction for licence acquisition and has ensured the constant free availability of state-of-the-art technologies for possible improvements of the service. The DSCHOLA official website is today an important remote co-operation and community area for Service, Animation and Experimentation Centres and for all project actors. More generally, the DSCHOLA website has become an online easy-to-access support and reference point for the Regional and even National School System as a whole, providing information related to schools and ICT. Activities The project has worked on three coordinated main action lines: 1. Co-financing of ICT-based school projects for the expansion of ICT schools equipment: Some "Calls for Proposal" addressed to schools were published in years 2000, 2001 and 2002 to support the implementation of selected projects for the everyday use of ICT in schools and didactics. Very often those projects involved local public bodies as co-financers, in this way increasing an active cooperation between schools and local authorities in the innovation process of the region. Funds were invested to improve technology equipments of over 768 schools selected within the whole regional territory (90,3% of all public and officially recognized schools). The effective lack of basic ICT and/or an unfavourable geographic location were the main evaluation and selection criteria, so as to ensure primarily the financing of schools with a proven disadvantage within the system. For further information on the financing initiatives, please see attachment n.1: General Project Description.

6 2. Promotion and development of a Unitary Network connecting all Piedmont schools. The implementation of so-called Universal Service systems has enabled schools to obtain particularly favourable conditions (equal terms and conditions for low-cost connectivity for any school of the region) when connecting to the Piedmont Government Administrative Network (RUPAR) and through it directly to the Ministry of Education. The Ministry of Education itself formally recognised the fundamental support of the network for regional official and administrative communications. The Universal Service left schools the only responsibility of having a phone line for web connection to access all available e-services, and gave a concrete contribution to: - Introduce ICT use into normal school activities; - Facilitate communication processes within the Regional School System and establish forms of cooperation between school and between teachers; - Start administrative co-operation between schools and local Public Administrations for the sharing of e- services and useful stored information; - Promote and facilitate -based communications, thanks to a unified policy under the web The Universal Service has been available since April For further information on the Universal Service please see "Enclosure n.1: General Project Description" and "Enclosure n.2: Statistics on the Universal Service". 3. Implementation of an innovative operational and technological model that merges a top-down with a bottom-up approach for the spread of ICT within the Regional School System. This action line particularly relates to the DSCHOLA project (as the fundamental component of the main Regional Network of Piedmont Schools project), directed to increase flexible learning, distance working and cooperation activities and training between teachers. DSCHOLA project outlined two main activities: A. Selection and equipment with ICT of Service, Animation and Experimentation Centres. Some secondary schools with proven experience in ICT were selected and provided with ICT equipment and advanced interaction tools based on broadband connection (secure communications, VoIP, audio-video Streaming and Videoconference systems). These schools became reference points around the regional territory to support local schools with technical issues for the set up of appropriate ICT infrastructures and to locally promote gradual reorganization and innovation. As well as the schools mentioned above, a group of primary schools, with proven experience in didactics and educational methodologies are in charge of organizing and fostering workshops, seminars and conferences, in order to disseminate their own competencies. These schools have represented the real backbone for the proven local success of the Regional Network of Piedmont Schools as they actively worked at: - Training teachers and school managers on the main features of the Piedmont RUPAR. - Supporting schools with technical issues related to specific projects and experiments. - Organizing workshops, seminars and conferences on ICT and didactics.

7 - Developing and experimenting with ICT within the didactic, organizational or administrative context. As described below, some experimental solutions produced high quality results. Overall the Service, Animation and Experimentation Centres and Animation Centres network at the moment consists of 25 excellent schools, 19 of which have been provided with state-of-the-art ICT equipment. They also provide 'Advanced ICT Service Centres' available for the practice of ICT for the entire local community. B. Set up and management of DSCHOLA Website and online community: The official Website of the Centres of Service, Animation and Experimentation community provides a framework to promote and enhance bottom-up initiatives, ideas and expertise regarding schools and ICT. More generally, it is today the online meeting point for all actors of the Regional School System and it aims to: - support the virtual community of schools through the official Web site; - promote community activities (Animation, Service and Experimentation) and initiatives; - disseminate the didactical excellence of the Centres of Animation through workshops, seminars, conferences; - exchange material, experiences, contacts and information within the community; - stimulate, sustain and improve cooperation between the Centres of Service, Animation and Experimentation and their territorial schools. For further information on the DSCHOLA project please see "Enclosure n.1: General Project Description" and "Enclosure n.3: Statistics on the web and DSCHOLA". Output and Results According to the stated objectives and the three main action lines, the following results emerge from the project: EXPANSION OF ICT SCHOOLS EQUIPMENT. Achieved through the co-financing of ICT-based school projects and active collaboration with local authorities. Financing initiatives promoted by the Bank Foundation Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Torino, aimed at supporting schools projects on ICT system and solutions for organizational and didactic purposes have had excellent success. These initiatives have achieved a proven spread and strengthening of ICT infrastructures, systems and facilities within schools, and have enabled an effective introduction of technologies into everyday school activities. Moreover, they have created a fertile soil for an active collaboration between schools and local authorities, which have often participated as co-financers, and have thus contributed to the innovation process of the region. The following data highlight the reach of the financing among regional schools: Submitted projects: 753 Financed projects: 370 Financed schools: Over 768 (90,35%) Allocated resources: ,00 The first grant (year 2000) focused particularly on schools in a proven condition of disadvantage within the system, because of lack of basic ICT and/or an unfavourable geographic location. Among the schools financed, 32 were located in rural areas and had demonstrated a significant need of financial support to reduce the digital divide. For further information on the financing initiatives, please see "Enclosure n.1: General Project Description".

8 EXTENSION OF THE UNIVERSAL SERVICE TO 13 SCHOOLS LOCATED IN HOSPITALS, to improve the quality of life of hospitalised pupils. Schools could use multimedia tools and ICT to evolve towards more unstructured and less traditional didactic methods. ICTs enable hospitalised students to overcome physical limits given by disease or by sensory or motor handicap and open the school to distance collaborations and opportunities with other schools and students within the region. For further information on the use of the Universal Service, please see "Enclosure n.2: Statistics on the Universal Service". STRENGTHENING OF TEACHERS, SCHOOL MANAGERS AND STAFF ICT SKILLS. Besides an overall improvement in schools ICT equipment, the project has also focused on strengthening ICT skills among all actors of the Regional School System. Service, Animation and Experimentation Centres organized over 60 meetings and seminars on schools and ICT, trained over 1,700 schools managers and technical assistants, and over newly recruited teachers. For further information on the training initiatives, please see "Enclosure n.1: General Project Description". SPREAD OF AWARENESS OF SCHOOLS ROLE IN THE INNOVATION PROCESS of the Regional System and of the local community. Through the project, schools have directly experienced their role as local promoters for the innovation of the Regional School System. Most particularly, the Service, Animation and Experimentation Centres located around the region have until now actively supported the innovation process of local school through: - Over 60 seminars and training sessions on schools and ICT. - Support to schools with technical issues related to over 145 specific projects and experiments run by local schools. Some of these experiments produced high quality results, as for example the "Mountain Wireless" project described below different experiments on the use ICT within the didactic, organizational and administrative contexts. Some experimented solutions produced high quality results. In addition ' Service, Animation and Experimentation Centres' represent today Advanced ICT Service Centres available for practising state-of-the-art ICT and hypermedia applications within the local community as a whole. For further information on the 'Service, Animation and Experimentation Centres' activities, please see "Enclosure n.1: General Project Description". INTRODUCTION OF ICT USE INTO NORMAL SCHOOL ACTIVITIES. The planned "Universal Service" has been available since April Today over 90% of all regional schools are connected to the service and can reach it through it the Piedmont Government Administrative Network (RUPAR) and the Ministry of Education. The usefulness of the service has also been recognized by the Regional General Direction of the Ministry of Education that uses it as preferential transmission channel for official administrative communications. The Piedmont School System actors have also effectively used the Universal Service communication systems as described below: - Over mail boxes for teachers have been opened under the

9 - Over s have been exchanged every week, and this trend is still increasing. - More that 100 school websites have been hosted on CSI servers. STRENGTHENING STUDENTS ICT SKILLS through concrete experiments and projects. In addition thanks to the financing initiatives, students have been directly involved in experiments in the use ICT within the didactic, organizational and administrative contexts. Among the experimental solutions, some have produced particularly high quality results and have represented unique and leading experiences in Italy because of technological features, complex studies and design required, and for the partnerships and synergies that they generated. ACTIVE USE OF THE INTERNET as an easy-to-access interaction and information tool merging a topdown with a bottom-up approach. DSCHOLA website represents the essential online meeting point and community area for the 'Service, Animation and Experimentation Centres' network, providing information and services related to the Regional Network of Piedmont Schools project and a framework within which to promote and enhance bottom-up initiatives, ideas and expertise. More generally the DSCHOLA website has become a reference point for the Regional and even National School System, through providing information related to schools and ICT. For statistical references on the use of DSCHOLA website and the web channel, please see "Enclosure n.3: Statitics on the Web and DSCHOLA". DEVELOPMENT OF AN EDUCATIONAL CONTENTS PORTAL, consisting of an online catalogue and database directed to the collection of any education material and resources, both acquired (books, journals, VHS, CD, DVD) or produced by schools (documentation on experiences and best practices). This cataloguing has given visibility to the patrimony of educational resources stored in every school and has given access through the RUPAR to all school libraries and document centres, thus simplifying their management and widening their usage for educational and didactic purposes. The cataloguing system is based on international standards, thus enabling effective connections to the national and international system of educational contents. Lessons and conclusions Through the Regional Network of Piedmont Schools project and the ICT Development Action Plan, Piedmont has achieved some recognised practices of excellence within the national and European context, such as: 1. A recognised model of Local Public Institutional improvement, based both on both ICT infrastructure (the Regional Government Administrative Network, interconnecting all public bodies and structures, had been set-up in 1998) and on schools active participation at local planning (strongly strengthened by the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Torino financing initiative). 2. The start up of an innovative model for the promotion and interconnection of local centres of excellences, in order to form a basic structure supporting schools management autonomy (through a 'Service, Animation and Experimentation Centres' network). 3. The support of CSI and CSP as technical and technological partners for the planning and development of the integrated information system of schools. The reproduction and transferability potential of the project is recognised by the Government's Guidelines for the Development of the Information Society (Minister for Innovation and Technologies - Rome, June 2002). There, the initiatives that the Region of Piedmont has promoted to develop the use of ICT in schools

10 are mentioned among "major projects that can provide pointers for the implementation of national-level strategies"(page. 54). ). The model of schools supporting schools adopted in the project has been appreciated in Europe and has been identified as "best practice". Moreover, it has received international acknowledgements such as the BEEP Award in Paris (September 2002), participating in the "Regional Development" category. Thinking on future project and organizational models, the following strong points of the Piedmont experience should be taken into consideration: - THE CO-PROGRAMMING AND CO-OPERATION AMONG SEVERAL INSTITUTIONAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL PARTNERS. This approach will lead to the implementation of infrastructures and technologies aimed at solving problems commonly identified as priorities. - THE USE OF A FIXED AND UNIQUE WEB AND ADDRESS SYNTAX, thus easily reconstructable and memorable by the end user. This practice has paved the way to the introduction of wider homogeneous sets of policies, such as those related to the official domain "istruzione.it". - THE FIRST USE OF CERTIFIED S, which has given users the chance to understand and appreciate the effective value of personal and institutional guarantees in the communication process and has in addition paved the way to belonging to wider homogeneous networks in the future, based on similar technologies. - THE SHIFT FROM THE USE OF A SINGLE ADDRESS PER SCHOOL (commonly used as "unique communication channel" with obvious effects of overload, confusion and ineffectiveness) to a wellconstructed and organized use of s to optimize communication processes. - THE USE OF THE WEB AS OFFICIAL DAILY COMMUNICATION TOOL for the Regional School System as a whole. Every institution has got used to employing the web to gain visibility and share official information within the System (i.e. departmental memoranda and official documents are transmitted via and are downloadable online). - THE GROWING SYSTEMS INTEROPERABILITY enabling and facilitating direct data exchange among different institutional actors. - THE DIRECT INVOLVEMENT OF VARIOUS SCHOOL PROFESSIONALS (teachers, managers, administrative and technical staff), that often produced professional growth and new ICT skills learning (i.e. on digital certificates, accounts, distance helpdesk, web-based digital archives). For further information on future perspectives of the project, please see "Enclosure n.1: General Project Description". References and links Project web addres: DSCHOLA community web address: Ministry of Education " Regional General Direction of Piedmont: direzione.scuole.piemonte.it/ Contact Information Organisation: CSP Name: Susanna Longo Address: Via Livorno n Torino Italy Telephone:

11 Fax: Contact Information Organisation: CSI Piemonte Name: Dario De Jaco Address: Corso Unione Sovietica n Torino Italy Telephone: Fax: