The universe of objects containing microprocessors or embedded sensors capable of communicating and transmitting information across networks is called the Internet of Things, and it has enormous implications for community colleges. Already, many colleges are saving time and money by monitoring and controlling "smart building" features…

Providing access to robust connectivity is critical to ensuring today's students are college and career ready. As such, federal, state, and district-level leaders have dedicated a significant amount of time, effort, and resources toward improving our schools' external broadband access, including both Internet access and wide area network (WAN).…

This article features a major statewide initiative in North Carolina that is showing how a consortium model can minimize risks for districts and help them exploit the advantages of cloud computing. Edgecombe County Public Schools in Tarboro, North Carolina, intends to exploit a major cloud initiative being refined in the state and involving every…

Under pressure to keep spending down but also keep pace with rapid technology changes, many districts are future-proofing their schools--trying to get the most out of tech spending by providing solutions they can use now and in the future without major, expensive infrastructure overhauls. In the Folsom Cordova (California) Unified School District,…

Twelve high schools in North Carolina piloted a 1:1 learning initiative, where every student and teacher received a laptop computer with wireless Internet access provided throughout the school. The overall goals of the initiative were to improve teaching practices; increase student achievement; and better prepare students for work, citizenship,…

The field of electrical and computer engineering has evolved significantly in the past two decades. This evolution has broadened the field of ECE, and subfields have seen deep penetration into very specialized areas. Remarkable devices and systems arising from innovative processes, exotic materials, high speed computer simulations, and complex…

Using animated visualization tools has been an important teaching approach in computer science education. We have developed three visualization and animation tools that demonstrate various information security concepts and actively engage learners. The information security concepts illustrated include: packet sniffer and related computer network…

Discusses multipoint interactive video networks and describes experiences with two networks in North Carolina, the MCNC CONCERT (COmmunications network of North Carolina for Education, Research, and Technology) and the Vision Carolina network. Digital video is explained, and issues concerning various components of the telecommunications industry…

Community networks are electronic information services that enable members of communities to inform one another about current issues. Discusses how community networks operate, what they do, budget constraints and innovation, problems and shortcomings, causes and solutions, and where libraries fit in. Highlights Charlotte's Web, a community network…

Describes six nontraditional online information sources and discusses how they could be used for library services or professional development: (1) ISAAC (Information System for Advanced Academic Computing); (2) NCIN (North Carolina Information Network); (3) Prodigy; (4) The Well (Whole Earth Lectronic Link); (5) America Online (AOL); and (6)…

This special section contains dispatches from the school technology frontier and four feature articles. Lars Kongshem shows how a rural Virginia community connects citizens and schools. Donna Harrington-Lueker describes a North Carolina "virtual high school." Richard J. Coley summarizes a study on school technology effectiveness.…

Describes the efforts of a North Carolina high school principal to adapt another school's computer network system to a reading comprehension improvement project in his school. Recounts administrative networking applications at Muskogee (Oklahoma) Public Schools and offers tips for choosing and evaluating computer networks. (MLH)

Twelve rural North Carolina colleges facing decisions regarding campus technology investments chose to form a technology alliance to share information, identify critical needs, rethink budget development and funding formulas at local and state levels, leverage resources, and cooperate in new ventures. Includes recommendations for other colleges…

An analysis and evaluation by the State of North Carolina on its effective use of technology revealed that the state was highly fragmented in the use of and access to technology; the result of this evaluation was the vision of a state-wide network that would link 3,400 sites on a state-of-the-art telecommunications system. Southern Bell created a…

Reports on a survey of middle and high schools in eastern North Carolina's Clinical Schools Network that examined the current status of computer networking and how the role of school media specialist is being affected. Results are reported related to perceived instructional needs and network problems, as well as proposed instructional and…