In today's electronic learning environment, access to appropriate systems and data is of the utmost importance to students, faculty, and staff. Without proper access to the school's internal systems, teachers could be prevented from logging on to an online learning system and students might be unable to submit course work to an online…

Most school business officials have heard the term "cloud computing" bandied about and may have some idea of what the term means. In fact, they likely already leverage a cloud-computing solution somewhere within their district. But what does cloud computing really mean? This brief article puts a bit of definition behind the term and helps one…

Keeping up with the latest technology has never been easy, and in these times of budget tightening, it can be tough to find a good deal. Many schools have taken a long, hard look at their technology infrastructure and found it no longer meets the needs of today's digital classroom. Multimedia learning resources are now part of school districts'…

With money tight, more and more districts are considering remote access as a way to reduce expenses and budget information technology costs more effectively. Remote access allows staff members to work with a hosted software application from any school campus without being tied to a specific physical location. Each school can access critical…

School districts need adequate financial resources to purchase hardware and software, wire their buildings to network computers and other information and communication devices, and connect to the Internet to provide students, teachers, and other school personnel with adequate access to technology. Computers and other peripherals, particularly,…

For many school districts, planning, developing, and implementing a technology infrastructure has become very expensive, time-consuming, and knowledge-intensive. Following Hartford, Connecticut's example, districts should expand cooperative purchasing, try outsourcing, develop vendor partnerships, and use regional educational service centers. (MLH)

Internet II will take three to five years to develop, will be 1,000 times faster than Internet I, and will cost at least $500 million. Key developers are universities, several federal agencies, and leading computer and telecommunications firms. Internet II will support face-to-face communications technology to facilitate "real-time" networking.…

As seen in the proposed Maryland School Performance Program, need to synthesize data into meaningful information and ability to explore data relationships could be keys to improved student achievement. Montgomery County's School Based Instructional Monitoring System (SIMS) will permit its instructional leadership staff to examine and interrelate…

The Electronic Data Transfer (EDT) network for Connecticut local school districts encompasses nine major databases and provides dozens of online data reports to network users. At a low cost and high degree of success, EDT has improved the data collection and reconciliation process at the state and local levels and generated a capacity for…

Many schools are looking at ways to centralize the distribution and retrieval of video, voice, and data transmissions in an integrate information system (IIS). A centralized system offers greater control of hardware and software. Describes media network planning to retrofit an Illinois' high school with a fiber optic-based IIS. (MLF)

Ohio SchoolNet is a state-funded partnership to encourage and support local school improvement. The project's $95 million cost is being funded through bond sales. By the end of 1999, SchoolNet will have facilitated the installation of networking technology in all public K-12 schools and classrooms across Ohio. (MLF)

Methuen Public Schools, Massachusetts, has become a wired school system with computers in every classroom, Internet access, and state-of-the-art mixed-media. Five citizens who work in the technology industry formed a steering committee to drive the project. A long-term partnership with a private vendor, Lucent Technologies, addresses the…