Readying Your Campus for Mobile Learning and BYOD

Transcription

1 Readying Your Campus for Mobile Learning and BYOD A Guide to Strategy and Planning Produced by

2 For additional copies or to download this document, please visit: e.republic. All rights reserved.

3 Readying Your Campus for Mobile Learning and BYOD A Guide to Strategy and Planning Table of Contents: Introduction... 4 Mobile Learning s Impact on School Networks... 5 Assessing Your Network's Readiness for BYOD... 7 User Training and Support...14 Evaluating Network Solutions for Mobile Learning...15 Budget Planning Worksheet Conclusion: Best Practices for BYOD Mobile Learning Glossary Resources Interviews Endnotes Readying Your Campus for Mobile Learning and BYOD: A Guide to Strategy and Planning 3

4 Introduction Students working at their own pace using a digital tablet app for developing writing skills. A teacher using a laptop and connected monitor to play an Internet video tour for a history lesson. Teams of students in a science lab class using a media player to record and report data from their experiments. All of these scenarios and many, many more are possible as schools deploy mobile learning through One-to-One Computing and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programs. Yet these programs may overwhelm school districts and higher education institutions if they re not prepared because of the increased requirements for network bandwidth, infrastructure and security. Poor preparation can also disrupt student learning, leading to frustrated students, teachers and faculty; schools and institutions that fail to adequately prepare can also incur security risks and costly rework at a later date. Schools need a network foundation that supports an always-on learning environment on campus, from home and elsewhere that also allows students, teachers, administrators and staff easy access to the school s learning and management resources. This Strategy and Planning Guide will help you identify the needs and solutions involved in supporting mobile learning and a BYOD policy on your campus. Throughout this guide, you ll find useful checklists, worksheets and questions to explore when assessing the current readiness of your network and evaluating new wireless and network infrastructure solutions. You ll also gain from relevant insights and best practices for supporting mobile learning offered by CIOs and network managers in education. A list of resources will lead to even more information as you develop your mobility strategy. Read this guide, use the tools it provides and share it with your colleagues to further your discussions about bringing mobile learning to the classroom. 4 Readying Your Campus for Mobile Learning and BYOD: A Guide to Strategy and Planning

5 Mobile Learning s Impact on School Networks Will your network be able to handle the higher traffic levels and new traffic patterns generated by hundreds or thousands of students and staff accessing digital content or interacting online as a routine part of classroom lessons? In general, mobile learning has several forms of impact on network traffic: An overall increase in Internet traffic as users download more Web content, upload their own content, and interact with online educational games and applications. More students spending additional time online as part of their daily lessons. More streaming video downloads, which demand high bandwidth for smooth, uninterrupted viewing. More traffic spikes, such as when all students in the class use a learning application at the same time. More users and more devices accessing the Internet throughout the day, compared to use patterns generated by separate computer labs for students and a single PC for each faculty and staff member. More users and more devices mean establishing network access security policies and developing a management and control strategy. The students are completely supportive of the BYOD policy because their device is just an extension of themselves. BYOD allows us to harness something that they already own, but for instructional purposes. Dianne Borreson, Executive Director of Technology, Hays Consolidated Independent School District, Texas Readying Your Campus for Mobile Learning and BYOD: A Guide to Strategy and Planning 5

6 Mobile Learning s Impact on School Networks The table below shows the impact of specific mobile learning elements on school networks and the technologies that can address these new demands. MOBILE LEARNING ELEMENT NETWORK IMPACT TECHNOLOGY NEEDS Mobile devices Digital content, online learning applications and tools for communication and collaboration Learning management systems Increased device densities and demand for wireless access to the school network and the Internet Increased downloads, but also an increase in upstream traffic as students interact with applications and share their own multimedia content Latency-sensitive voice collaboration and video traffic will suffer delays and a noticeable deterioration in audio and visual quality respectively if the network bandwidth is inadequate or service quality has not been defined and engineered correctly Increased use by teachers and students if these systems can be accessed anywhere via mobile devices Expanded wireless infrastructure coverage and bandwidth to improve performance and coverage, complemented by the necessary wired network core and backbone Several leading schools plan their network to support up to four devices per student Traffic shaping and Quality of Service (QoS) techniques in the wireless network, core network and Internet circuits to give priority to classroom and administrative applications and media streams Security tools such as virtual private networks (VPNs) and policy-based network access and control to manage who, what, where and when access is granted to the school network 6 Readying Your Campus for Mobile Learning and BYOD: A Guide to Strategy and Planning

7 Assessing Your Network s Readiness for BYOD Mobile learning can transform a classroom by delivering more interactive and engaging ways to help students gain knowledge, skills and confidence. Mobile learning is also transformational from an IT perspective, as it creates new requirements for the school s network. Is your network ready? Use the questions in this section as a starting point to assess your network bandwidth, wireless infrastructure, network security and access policies in light of mobile learning needs. Don t worry if you can t answer all these questions right now you ll find recommended solutions for these issues later in this guide. 1. Is current network bandwidth adequate to meet the higher traffic loads and new traffic patterns generated by mobile learning? Before the emergence of wireless, a school could get by with a single, low-bandwidth link to the Internet because it was used for basic downstream traffic such as browsing a Web page or downloading a document. Today, schools are seeing an increase in downstream traffic as students and teachers access the Internet for more learning activities and high-bandwidth content like streaming video. But upstream traffic is increasing as well, as students upload videos or class projects, or engage in collaborative online learning applications. In fact, Gartner Research concludes that without careful planning, ipads alone will increase demand on enterprise wireless networks by 300 percent. 1 The National Center for Education Statistics reports that the average ratio in U.S. schools is approximately 3.4 students to each device.² It s easy to see that moving closer to a 1:1 ratio will significantly increase bandwidth demands. Some forwardthinking schools are planning for as many as four devices per student. In higher education, the percentage of students using their own devices is significantly higher than in K-12, but the Center for Digital Education s Digital Community Colleges Survey reveals that they face many similar technology challenges. More than 90 percent of community colleges report substantial increases in online, hybrid and Web-assisted courses, providing ample support for their No. 1-identified technology priority: mobility.³ Key Questions: Is the total bandwidth on your Internet connection adequate to handle the demands of mobile learning without causing noticeable slowdowns for users? Readying Your Campus for Mobile Learning and BYOD: A Guide to Strategy and Planning 7

8 Assessing Your Network s Readiness for BYOD Does the upstream and downstream configuration reflect the new traffic patterns generated by mobile learning? Do you have a redundant and resilient network available so that teaching can continue without interruption if there s a single point of network failure? Do you need to add redundancy for your Internet service providers and network carriers as well? And if there is a failure, how quickly will the connection be restored to minimize the impact to users (resiliency)? Bandwidth is also important to measure in the building or campus local area network (LAN). It may be time to create a fiber-optic LAN backbone or upgrade Ethernet cabling for connecting the LAN switches, wireless access points, desktop computers, shared printers and other wired-network devices that also play a role in mobile learning. Finally, talk with local cellular service providers about the coverage of their 3G/4G networks in your area. Cellular network services may fulfill some user needs for Internet access from mobile devices, reducing the load on the school s wireless network. 2. Is the current equipment, coverage and performance level in the wireless LAN adequate to support the higher demands of mobile learning? Many schools have some kind of wireless network in place, but it s very likely these deployments won t provide the performance and coverage necessary for full realization of mobile learning with BYOD access. 8 Readying Your Campus for Mobile Learning and BYOD: A Guide to Strategy and Planning

9 Assessing Your Network s Readiness for BYOD The type of applications running on mobile devices, in particular tablets like the ipad, are very different than in the past. Real-time apps such as video and voice (Skype, Facetime) prevail over traditional data apps ( , Internet) and it is important the wireless network can meet the stringent quality requirements that these apps demand. Key Questions: Is it time to upgrade the wireless LAN to newer n technologies? Have we done a radio frequency (RF) study to analyze the coverage and performance levels for all areas of campus where wireless access will be needed? Can the wireless LAN support the new real-time applications that will run over the network? Is it time to refresh our capabilities for managing endpoints, monitoring signal strength and maintaining security on the wireless network? Readying Your Campus for Mobile Learning and BYOD: A Guide to Strategy and Planning 9

10 Assessing Your Network s Readiness for BYOD A/B/G/i/N: What Do These Letters Mean? is the identifier for industry-standard wireless LAN technology that is in wide use today. The letter that follows, e.g., a or g, simply identifies the version of that technology. Both enterprise and home networks are upgrading to the latest n technology because it offers higher throughput and improved coverage range, which produces a significant advantage for learning tools such as streaming video Which users and BYOD devices can access your network and what can they do when they get there? If you decide to allow users to access your network with their own devices, you ll need to determine the who, what and how of that access. Key Questions: WHO: Will you allow access to digital textbooks, online learning tools and learning management systems by all students and faculty? Do staff members really need network access for a personal device in order to do their work? What methods and tools will you use to validate users and devices before allowing access to the network or sensitive data and applications? Will you provide guest access to campus visitors who cannot be authenticated as users? 10 Readying Your Campus for Mobile Learning and BYOD: A Guide to Strategy and Planning

11 Assessing Your Network s Readiness for BYOD WHAT: Consider all the possible devices a student or teacher might want to use for mobile learning: netbooks, laptops, tablet computers, video game systems, e-readers, smartphones which of these personal devices will you allow to access your network? Particularly for K-12 schools, are adequate measures in place for compliance with content filtering, firewalling and user privacy mandates? HOW: Do you need to configure a virtual LAN (VLAN) to separate wireless traffic from traffic among servers and endpoints on the wired network? Do you need to create separate VLANs for students and faculty/staff traffic? Supporting Guest Access Walk into a corporate office and you may find you can access the Internet as a guest on the company s wireless network. While guest access can be well received by parents, community members and other visitors, it may not be the right decision for your schools if they are not prepared. Why? Because guest access increases the burden and security risk of more devices on the WLAN. And, it gives students a way to use the Internet at school, even when their parents have requested a block on that access. 4. Are the current security and access control solutions adequate to protect the school network and the connected devices? Mobile learning in general, and BYOD support in particular, brings new considerations for protecting the school network and school-owned devices from security risks. You re facing risks in both directions on the network connection: Risk #1: Users will be able to access sensitive data and applications on the school network, or will download content that violates the school s acceptable use policy and child protection mandates. Risk #2: User devices will be a source of viruses or other malware that leverages the school network to launch attacks against other user devices or the school s servers, applications and data. Ways to mitigate this risk include defining access policies for the school s wireless network, connecting only authenticated and authorized devices and segmenting wireless traffic on a separate VLAN. Readying Your Campus for Mobile Learning and BYOD: A Guide to Strategy and Planning 11

12 Assessing Your Network s Readiness for BYOD Additional security measures to consider include: Blocking access to selected applications, such as music download sites, in order to limit exposure to security and liability risks. Sometimes called blacklisting, this measure also avoids the traffic load generated by applications that use large amounts of bandwidth, but aren t essential for student learning. Acceptable use policy. If you don t have an acceptable use policy in place to govern Internet and application access by students, faculty and staff, now is the time to create one. An acceptable use policy defines how users can use your school s network and computing resources, as well as restrictions on content that users can access or publish via the Web, and social networks. The policy may also address issues such as cyberbullying and online harassment. Defining clear policies regarding school/district responsibilities in the event a student-owned device is damaged or stolen as well as rules for taking home school-owned devices. Defining trusted versus untrusted devices. Trusted vs. Untrusted Devices If you support BYOD, you want to define which devices you ll consider as trusted for accessing your network; all other devices will be viewed as untrusted. In most cases, a trusted device is likely to be school owned, meets all school-outlined security requirements, is configured and maintained by school technical staff and is allowed to directly connect to the school s network. An untrusted device is typically personally owned and granted restricted access to the school network and applications. However, you can define standards that allow compliant user devices to become trusted, in support of your BYOD program. In order to be identified as trusted, a mobile device typically must meet several security requirements including: Content stored on the device is encrypted so it can t be read over the network. Password lock and timeout features are in use to prevent network access if the device is lost or stolen. 5. How will you support access to the school network from a user s home, workplace or public location? Users may need off-campus access to your network: To allow students to access digital content, check assignments in online learning management tools and use their school service. To allow faculty and staff use of these resources and to access administrative systems. 12 Readying Your Campus for Mobile Learning and BYOD: A Guide to Strategy and Planning

13 Assessing Your Network s Readiness for BYOD For reasons of both security controls and simpler management, some schools have decided not to support remote access into the school network. And some education management tools provide functionality in a Web portal so that direct application access isn t necessary for remote users. But when full application access is called for, it s possible to allow remote access while adequately protecting your network by implementing secure virtual private network (VPN) technology. It s easier to build a lesson plan when you know that every student will have an Key Questions: Is remote access to applications and data on the school s servers essential for mobile learning, or do the Web portals identical device. provided by publishers and software vendors provide sufficient Jerrod Graybeal, functionality? CIO, Grayson County If we create a VPN, which users and which devices will be School District, Ky. allowed to use it? Will we need to configure and maintain VPN client software on school-owned devices? Will we need to require users to download a VPN client for their personal devices? 6. Can mobile learning be integrated with learning management systems (LMS) and other school applications? Integration of digital content and learning tools with the school s LMS is important for guiding and monitoring a student s learning progress. A Web portal for the LMS is the simplest way to deliver a consistent user experience when students, teachers, parents and administrators access these tools within the classroom or remotely. Readying Your Campus for Mobile Learning and BYOD: A Guide to Strategy and Planning 13

14 User Training and Support Whenever you bring a dramatically new technology (such as mobile devices) to a classroom or workplace, you can expect that some users will need training and support in order to adopt the technology effectively. Students and faculty alike may have questions for your help desk or technology coordinators everything from using a specific mobile device or logging into the wireless network to downloading content and applications. School-owned devices may need troubleshooting, regular updates to applications and operating system software, and hardware repairs. Determine how you will handle these support issues, whether by using existing internal staff or perhaps additional resources from an external vendor. In many BYOD programs, the school policy dictates that all support and troubleshooting responsibilities for the student-owned device is the responsibility of the student. In these programs, the school has encouraged students to help one another to address their challenges. For mobile learning, teachers may also want training on these topics: Operating different mobile devices and accessing the school s wireless network. Incorporating technology into lesson plans and the role of different devices for accessing digital content and learning applications. Creating and sharing content with students as well as teaching students how to create and share their own content. Assessing student progress and performance in learning applications, content comprehension, and development of both online and offline skills. Summer workshops, training days during the academic year, informal demos and online community forums can all help faculty learn how to make the most of mobile devices for their teaching and administrative tasks. 14 Readying Your Campus for Mobile Learning and BYOD: A Guide to Strategy and Planning

15 Evaluating Network Solutions for Mobile Learning By now you ve likely determined that some upgrades to the school network will be needed in order to deliver on the promise of mobile learning and BYOD access. Major networking vendors such as Avaya, Inc. can help you identify the right mix of new technologies, hardware and software solutions for an effective and affordable network evolution. Network Architecture Whenever you create a significant new use for a network, it s a good time to review the network architecture. New traffic types and loads, changes in user activity and access needs, more users and devices to connect, new types of network services to deliver all issues that can be helped or impaired by the network s design and technology foundation. A well-designed architecture also delivers better control over the network s total cost of ownership (TCO), an important factor in always-tight education budgets. What to look for in a solution: A flexible architecture that easily accommodates network growth as well as new network technologies and services while controlling costs and incremental power consumption. A solution that provides optimized support for real-time applications such as video, ensuring the optimal user experience for teachers, faculty and students. Support for integrated management of wired and wireless networks. Support for unified network access control across wired and wireless networks. Support for unified guest management across wired and wireless networks. Resilience to deliver the reliable performance that s essential to using Internet resources during class. The ability to migrate in the future to virtualized and cloud computing environments. Professional services to survey current network readiness and to create an optimal network design. Routing and Switching A school s core network is built from its Internet routers and LAN switches and cabling. For mobile learning, it is essential that the core network provides the capacity, capabilities and configurations to handle increasing amounts of Internet traffic without bottlenecks. This core network also plays an essential role in delivering the wireless performance necessary for teachers and students to make effective use of mobile learning applications during class time. Readying Your Campus for Mobile Learning and BYOD: A Guide to Strategy and Planning 15

16 Evaluating Network Solutions for Mobile Learning Elements of this core infrastructure include: Ethernet LAN switches and cabling to connect wired user endpoints and network access equipment, including wireless access points and controllers. Internet routers and high-speed access circuits to connect the school network to the Internet service provider. Choosing solutions from a single vendor for both the core and wireless networks offers the advantages of better integration and scalability, simpler management and lower long-term TCO. What to look for in a solution: Ethernet switches should natively route all traffic types, including video and voice. Easy switch scalability to support increasing network traffic and more connected users and devices. Unified management views and controls across the wired and wireless networks. Wireless LAN Wireless networks require access points and controllers and you can expect to add more of these with the growth in wireless traffic that comes with mobile learning and BYOD programs. WLAN access points allow mobile devices to connect to the school s wired network and Internet connection while also providing security and traffic 16 Readying Your Campus for Mobile Learning and BYOD: A Guide to Strategy and Planning

17 Evaluating Network Solutions for Mobile Learning management features. Access points should be located where schools anticipate peak usage, such as libraries, classrooms and other common areas. WLAN controllers manage the multiple access points within a facility while also protecting network security and delivering roaming services for users. Installing pairs of wireless controllers provides a backup if the primary controller fails, which helps to avoid a WLAN outage. Look for WLAN controller architectures that separate traffic from control signaling to boost performance and to avoid the controller from becoming a traffic bottleneck. External wireless antennas for both indoor and outdoor applications can be installed where needed to improve coverage and performance by boosting and focusing the access point s signal energy while allowing for its convenient placement and installation. We have upgraded our wireless density at both high schools because of the amount of handheld devices that are connecting to the network. Wireless management software is another important solution Dianne Borreson, Executive Director to bring into your network management tool set. This solution of Technology, Hays allows you to monitor, manage, troubleshoot and report on all Consolidated Independent School District, Texas access points and wireless controllers. It can also help you detect wireless security threats and resolve issues of signal interference and poor coverage. A solution that integrates easily with your overall network management system will help to reduce operational costs and simplify management tasks. Readying Your Campus for Mobile Learning and BYOD: A Guide to Strategy and Planning 17

18 Evaluating Network Solutions for Mobile Learning What to look for in a solution: Support for the n standard and legacy a/b/g devices. Simultaneous dual band operation for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. Scalability that allows you to grow your wireless LAN without needing to redesign it or add costly controller appliances. A split-plane architecture that provides separation of control and data traffic to allow: wireless data to take the most efficient path through the LAN switches directly from source to destination, helping reduce latency and jitter to create a better user experience for real-time traffic; and the wireless control function to run on virtual servers rather than dedicated network hardware providing reduced hardware costs and network complexity. Power over Ethernet (PoE) support to reduce needs for additional electrical wiring to the access points. Security Wireless security has three primary dimensions. The first dimension involves protecting the wireless network, the traffic it carries and its connected devices from electronic snooping, attacks and access to inappropriate content. Solutions for this dimension include encryption features on wireless LAN equipment and user devices. Content filtering on the school network and application controls on school-owned devices also provide a protective measure. The second dimension is protecting the school s wired network from unauthorized access via the WLAN. Wireless intrusion detection and prevention are essential capabilities for addressing this challenge. Finally, the third dimension is authenticating all users and devices that want to access wireless services. This security need can be handled by implementing tools for secure network access and using Wireless Protected Access (WPA) technology instead of older Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) security methods. What to look for in a solution: End-to-end security capabilities across the wired and wireless networks. Ability to centrally create and manage network access control lists and policies. Support for content filtering applications installed on user devices to comply with child protection requirements. Identity Management for Users and Devices An identity management system centrally manages network access based on information in existing user directories such as Microsoft Active Directory. This system authenticates and authorizes network access for individual users and devices, and provides reporting on use of all network services. In addition, a certificate server feature downloads a security certificate to a mobile device for each network session so that all communications are encrypted. 18 Readying Your Campus for Mobile Learning and BYOD: A Guide to Strategy and Planning

19 Evaluating Network Solutions for Mobile Learning Especially for K-12, administrators must be concerned about the types of content and applications students can access over the school network. Using a Web filtering application if appropriate and the credentials defined in the student s directory entry can control access to content and network applications. I want to create an infrastructure so the individual school councils have the flexibility to decide what s right for their schools and what best meets the needs of What to look for in a solution: Compatibility with wired, wireless and virtual private networks (VPNs) for simpler management and a consistent user experience. Centralized policy engine that performs user and contextbased authentication and authorization for all client devices attempting network access. Solution capable of deep directory integration with back office corporate directories. their students. Ability to define role-based access control lists (ACLs), Robby Forsyth, membership in virtual LANs and roaming policies for individual Director of Technology and CIO, Warren County users, including guest users. School District, Ky. Ability to block mobile access to sensitive applications for all network users and to restrict access only to approved applications for school-owned devices. Flexibility in defining access policies, for example, to block access to the WLAN outside of normal school or work hours. Guest management capability providing guest network access. This includes generating a unique user ID and password for each visitor, providing secure, convenient network connectivity for guests and temporary users. Guest provisioning should be generated automatically, or customized by front desk or IT personnel. Readying Your Campus for Mobile Learning and BYOD: A Guide to Strategy and Planning 19

20 Evaluating Network Solutions for Mobile Learning Detailed reporting capabilities on items such as user info, failed authentications and usage summaries. Network Management Network management is a key consideration in any BYOD program. It is essential that schools have complete visibility into their network in order to monitor student and faculty usage, maximize network efficiency and quickly address any issues that arise. The school s network must be as simple and intuitive as possible to navigate and manage, so technical staff can be empowered to monitor and manage it effectively. What to look for in a solution: Unified management capabilities across entire data and voice networks (switches, routers, wireless, call servers) allowing schools to streamline and integrate their workflows. Ability to effectively address the management of faults, configuration, performance and security. Tools that reduce installation, configuration and maintenance time. Integration allowing common components (such as user data and database information) to be shared without requiring the same definitions and configurations to be repeated for each application. Remote Access/VPN If you want to give users the ability to access the school network remotely, say from home or a coffee shop, you will need to offer remote access and VPN capabilities. Traditional VPN solutions are comprised of two major elements: VPN client software, which runs on a user s PC or mobile device, provides a secure connection to the school network via the Internet. VPN security is especially important when the user is accessing the Internet via an open wireless network in a library or other public location. VPN gateway or access concentrator. This solution, which may be in the form of hardware or software, manages the communications between VPN clients and the services and applications on the school network. Some VPN solutions eliminate the need to install client software on a user device, instead delivering a secure VPN session through a Web browser. This no-client approach may be more suitable for a BYOD program. What to look for in a solution: Integration between VPN clients and gateways to simplify implementation, management and support. Support for both Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and IPSec capabilities and commonly used Web browsers. 20 Readying Your Campus for Mobile Learning and BYOD: A Guide to Strategy and Planning

21 Budget Planning Worksheet Use this worksheet to make a rough estimate of the network investments you ll need to make for mobile learning and BYOD. Budget Item Network equipment and infrastructure upgrades Expected Cost Core network equipment and cabling WLAN equipment and management software Network access and control VPN access equipment, client software and management tools School-owned devices Device purchase costs Application licenses Repair/replacement costs User training and support resources Training equipment and materials Support staffing and tools Estimated total budget needs How will you pay for it all? Need to find separate funding Fits within current technology budgets Cost savings from lower-priced equipment purchases and use of digital textbooks Readying Your Campus for Mobile Learning and BYOD: A Guide to Strategy and Planning 21

22 Conclusion: Best Practices for BYOD Mobile Learning Education CIOs and network managers recommend the suggestions below for implementing mobile learning and BYOD programs. Assess Your Network s Readiness Take the time to gather information on the technologies, features, capacity and configuration of your current network infrastructure. This data provides a valuable baseline for planning the most essential and cost-effective upgrades as you roll out mobile learning services over time. Allow for Flexibility Both the BYOD policy and the wireless network infrastructure should be able to accommodate differences in learning needs and uses. Although you may create a district-level or institution-level policy in favor of BYOD, individual schools and teachers may want the discretion to decide whether and how student devices can be used in the classroom. Recognize When Consistency is Important For certain classroom activities, supporting only school-owned devices may be more valuable than allowing BYOD. This choice can also address issues of equity, because not all students may own or be able to afford a suitable mobile device. Alternatively, you may be able to offer financial assistance and discounted device purchase plans to eligible students and parents. Manage Bandwidth Demands Use filtering and traffic shaping techniques to reduce the network performance impact of streaming video and other high-demand applications run by mobile devices. Also, QoS techniques allow you to prioritize bandwidth for learning and administrative applications. Traffic load balancing across access points can maintain overall WLAN performance during spikes in user activity. Don t Allow BYOD Until Your Network is Ready This decision helps to avoid a negative impact on network performance for the school-owned wireless devices already in use for classroom instruction. Review Current Policies You may not need a separate BYOD policy if current guidelines for acceptable network use and user conduct adequately address the issues of permitted devices, content access and online activities. 22 Readying Your Campus for Mobile Learning and BYOD: A Guide to Strategy and Planning

23 Glossary : A set of industry standards, defined by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), used in wireless networking technologies. See also Wi-Fi. Access Point: A device that connects PCs and other devices with wireless communications capabilities to a wired network. Also called a hotspot in libraries, coffee shops and other locations offering public wireless access. BYOD (Bring Your Own Device): Policies and practices that allow users to connect their personal computing devices, such as laptops, tablet computers and smartphones, to an enterprise wireless network. Ethernet Switch: A device that serves as a local-area network wiring and communications hub and connects wired devices based on Ethernet technology. IPSec: A protocol for securing communications over the Internet for virtual private networks. See also SSL and VPN. Router: A device that provides communications between networks such as an enterprise network and the Internet. SSL (Secure Sockets Layer): Another protocol for securing communications over the Internet for virtual private networks. See also IPSec and VPN. VLAN (Virtual Local-Area Network): A method for configuring devices into a separate group so they can communicate over a physical network without interacting with other connected devices. In wireless networks, VLANs are often used as a security method to protect key network systems from access by untrusted mobile devices. VPN (Virtual Private Network): A method for providing remote users with secure access to a private enterprise network over the public Internet. Wi-Fi: A trademarked brand name of the Wi-Fi Alliance for wireless networking products that comply with Alliance requirements and IEEE standards. WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy): Older technology for securing wireless networks; replaced by the newer WPA standard. See also WPA. Wireless Controller: Devices that provide management and security capabilities for all access points within a wireless network. Readying Your Campus for Mobile Learning and BYOD: A Guide to Strategy and Planning 23

24 Glossary WLAN (Wireless Local-Area Network): Radio technology that connects PCs and other devices that have wireless interfaces into a standalone network, to a wired enterprise network or to the Internet. WPA (Wireless Protected Access): A newer security protocol for wireless networks, based on the IEEE i standard. Provides stronger protection than the older WEP technology. See also WEP. 24 Readying Your Campus for Mobile Learning and BYOD: A Guide to Strategy and Planning

25 Resources Center for Digital Education White Paper: Mobile Learning: Preparing for BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), Preparing-for-BYOD-Bring-Your-Own-Device.html Converge Magazine: 3 Approaches to Professional Development in Nashville, Development-in-Nashville.html Interviews Thank you to the individuals who kindly agreed to be interviewed for this guide: Dianne Borreson, Executive Director of Technology, Hays Consolidated Independent School District, Kyle, Texas Robby Forsyth, Director of Technology and CIO, Warren County School District, Bowling Green, Ky. Jerrod Graybeal, CIO, Grayson County School District, Leitchfield, Ky. Endnotes 1 Gartner Research, Without Proper Planning, Enterprises Deploying ipads Will Need 300% More Wi-Fi, October 2011, cd=219007&amp 2 National Center for Education Statistics, 3 Center for Digital Education, Digital Community Colleges Survey, com/education/colleges-moving-as-a-group-to-cloud-and-online-services-survey- Finds-.html 4 The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE), Readying Your Campus for Mobile Learning and BYOD: A Guide to Strategy and Planning 25

26 Avaya is a global leader in business communications systems. The company provides unified communications, contact centers, data solutions and related services directly and through its channel partners to leading businesses and organizations around the world. Avaya is helping schools build their next generation campus by creating one that is more mobile and connected, where distance learning opportunities are expanded, where productivity of teachers, faculty and staff are enhanced and where exceptional customer service is delivered. To learn more, visit or speak with an Avaya representative by dialing the toll free number:

27

28 For additional copies or to download this document, please visit: