The beginnings of a national education network

In planning the managed learning environment (MLE) activity I have a growing awareness of the importance that key services should be available on a high-speed, education network, as well the public internet. KAREN in the Kiwi Advanced Research and Education Network and in the schooling sector provides the backbone for an emerging National Education Network(NEN). The current trial has largely been about proving technical/connectivity issues (i.e. joining one consumer to one provider) and has both worked and provided valuable learnings to all involved.

 

However, looking towards 2009 there is an expectation that more services and more consumers will connect and that this will increase the momentum of the NEN. The easiest way for MLE providers to play their part is for the project to bulk purchase their membership, a concept that is well down the discussion path but not (yet) approved.

 

So, for the last two weeks I have been asking school and vendor staff what services and content would be most valuable to schools if available on this network. Mainly services that are significantly enabled by high-speed internet access with no data caps, the findings group into three areas:

• Cost reduction: Services that have the potential to actually save schools money if available at a reasonable rate. For example, the viability of “back-up and archiving as a service” is completely reliant on no data cap (a far cry from the connectivity deals available to most homes and schools in NZ). PABX as a service (with VoIP handsets now reasonably priced and more schools on fibre connections) would allow many schools to share the hardware and management, so long as the provider was innovative and astute. Services would start from common voice services (call management, voice mail, toll reduction, etc) and could grow into things such as integrated communications.
• Better experience: Activities that are possible for most schools today but where fast, fat and free (the mantra of the Nelson Loop) connection makes the experience much better. Examples include managed media services (e-Cast and Clickview), content repositories (TKI), learning management systems, etc.
• Impossible before: Educators and learners dream of activities in/at school that require very fast connections (which some learners have from home, but with a large equity issue here) and/or entry to restricted access sites (often available on one of the 250 other advanced networks connected to KAREN. Examples include augmented reality, virtual reality, 3-D animation, etc). 

But in considering who should receive a connection right there is one essential attribute of any service provider (irrespective of which of the three areas they operate in) – Drive. Energy. Entrepreneurship.

 

As in the biblical parable of the talents, the recipient should have the wherewithal to make something from the opportunity. Any vendors or service provider has to work to make the most of the break and will hopefully be in a self-sustaining position (with regard to KAREN membership) and the end of one or two years.

 

So, what services/content ideas do you have that if connected to KAREN/NEN would be of most benefit to schools?

 

Tags: advanced network, KAREN, NEN