In this report, State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) builds upon the research and recommendations from prior publications with a focus on the role of state leadership in supporting districts and schools to increase high-speed connectivity and access for students and educators. SETDA firmly believes that high-speed broadband…

"Rent or buy?" is a question people ask about everything from housing to textbooks. It is also a question universities must consider when it comes to high-performance computing (HPC). With the advent of Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), Microsoft Windows HPC Server, Rackspace's OpenStack, and other cloud-based services, researchers now have…

With the rising popularity of personal mobile devices, from smartphones to tablets, an increasing number of colleges are asking students and teachers to bring their own technology to class. The so-called bring your own device, or BYOD, movement promises easier access to resources such as textbooks and educational services for students, and…

As higher education budgets tighten in the ongoing recession, colleges and universities have found themselves questioning, lengthening, and even eliminating tech refresh cycles. Yet how deep an institution cuts into its refresh program can compromise its ability to provide an up-to-date and competitive computing environment for students and a…

Despite the hype, IP convergence does not happen overnight. Navigating the IP convergence market is not easy. Some network equipment makers are taking traditional voice over IP (VoIP) product lines and rebranding them as unified communications offerings. But beware: While closely related, VoIP and UC are not the same. Generally speaking, VoIP…

The success of OER is likely to depend on a flexible, extendable infrastructure that will meet the challenges of an evolving World Wide Web. In this article, the authors examine three key dimensions of this infrastructure--technical, legal/cultural/social/political, and research--and discuss possible directions for development. (Contains 1 table…

This book introduces the basic concepts of connecting computers together and provides technical background necessary for constructing small networks. For those already experienced with creating and maintaining computer networks, the book is intended to encourage the creation of a school-wide network. The book is divided into two main sections: an…

Outlines steps and considerations in planning a technology infrastructure for a rural school: the need for a long-term plan; the elements of a well-articulated plan; questions to consider in assessing needs and interests in selected technologies; staff development; software and equipment selection; and funding issues. Lists resources on technology…

This article will first look past the hype at the broader technological list of existing and proposed strategies, which may be grouped under the umbrella of peer-to-peer, in terms of both information and communications technology networks, and the applications, which can leverage those networks. This will lay a base for a discussion of what these…

This document states the vision for technology in Colorado education, lists requirements for accomplishing this vision, and specifies instructional, administrative, and networking needs. The following goals are then outlined with specific objectives for each goal: (1) technology should support curriculum and learning; (2) technology planning…

This report describes the technical details and rationale behind the decisions in the design and development of the communications network installed as part of a 1991-1993 district-wide construction project in the West Ottawa Public Schools (Michigan). The project called for development of a communications network to carry voice, data, and video…

The vast resources of the Internet are increasingly available to administrators, school library media specialists, and classroom teachers. This updated digest lists various information resources available to K-12 educators over the Internet. Topics include: guides to Internet resources; lesson plans; keypals and pen pals; acceptable use policies;…

The Internet is an international computer network composed of thousands of smaller networks. State and regional education networks and commercial providers have made the vast resources of the Internet increasingly available to administrators, school library media specialists, and classroom teachers. This updated digest lists a selection of no-cost…

Recently, Internet resources for the K-12 community have been appearing all over the United States. This digest lists various information resources available to K-12 educators over the Internet. Topics covered include: guides to Internet resources; lesson plans; keypals and penpals; acceptable use policies; technology plans for K-12 schools;…