From the monthly archives: May, 2012
We are pleased to present below all posts archived in 'May, 2012'. If you still can't find what you are looking for, try using the search box.
Many of our guys at Questeq - including myself - are also considered “hobbyists” in terms of their home PC systems. What does that mean? Well, that means they generally maintain a top notch home computer for PC gaming. Most PC buyers who use their computers for work and internet aren’t aware of what goes into a capable “gaming PC”. This can lead to some problems when it comes to running the latest graphic or gaming app on your computer at home. PC gaming systems are most akin to CAD Lab workstations. There are some key differences though. Whereas most of the value in Cad systems has to do with a higher end video card in the system, hobbyest/gaming “rigs” take it a step further. These are $1800 to 3000 units with a generous powers supply (such as 700 watt or better), fully ventilated large-chassis case, 8 to 16GB memory, quad core processors, and top-notch video cards with 1GB or better Vram. Many of our guys build their own home gaming rigs, but various made-to-order dealers make a great home gaming system such as www.alienware.com. If you have ever thought of becoming a high-end PC gaming “tinkerer”, its probably best to start with a pre-built hobbyist system from Alienware or Falcon Northwest as your first machine, and then grow from their with your own additions to the chassis. As time goes by and systems get faster (and upgrades get added to keep up with technology) you will get comfortable with swapping motherboards, processors and other peripherals.
The Project Tomorrow team published the findings for 2012 regarding teachers, library/media, and administrators. According to the 2012 Project Tomorrow study (http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup/pdfs/SU11_PersonalizedLearning_Educators.pdf), the key to a successful BYOT implementation is the use of a smartphone or tablet by the superintendent or key administrator. Underlying this finding is the notion that when you use a technology, you're much more likely to recommend that others use the technology. For districts heading this direction, it's critical that all of the educational leaders not only buy into the vision, but also are daily users of the technology. According to the study, "Most notably, district administrators who are mobile users themselves are twice as likely to be piloting a BYOT approach or be evaluating the idea of implementing a BYOT program as other administrators."
One to One Technology is a very ambiguous concept and is vexing to schools everywhere. Any discussion of the concept usually turns towards device centric questions and the many pitfalls for implementation. Such pitfalls include adapting goals towards the capabilities of given hardware solution instead of finding the correct hardware solution to meet the goals of the project.
The district in which I am working has been making steady progress towards a very customized one to one plan. It is key to realize from the beginning that one size does not fit all. Even inside the district, we are evaluating different tools for each building. The goal is to tailor to the exact needs of the staff and students.
The one constant in this type of project is the need for good planning and infrastructure to be in place to handle the increased network load. Such considerations include wireless density, switch speeds, bandwidth, and ensuring you have enough support personnel. One thing is for sure – the implementation of a one to one initiative changes everything from a traditional school IT mindset.
Questeq is currently investing significant financial and engineering resources to design the next generation delivery model that supports BYOD and anytime anywhere learning in K12.
Questeq recently attended the Enterasys SuperDrive 2012 partner conference that was held in Las Vegas, NV. During the two day conference Questeq learned about the exciting new solutions from Enterasys that support BYOD and network management in K12. Enterasys’ Mobile IAM product, which will be available in either a hardware appliance or for virtualized environments that run VMware’s ESX server, will offer identity, access and inventory management, context-based policy enforcement that includes more than 45 attributes, management capabilities through a single console, and automated auditing and reporting.
The goal is to provide Technology Management companies like Questeq a single offering that addresses all the elements of BYOD, from the devices that are accessing the district networks and the applications that are running on those devices to the students themselves and their locations. The issue of students and staff using their personal devices—including smartphones and tablets—is a concern for Questeq, who need to worry about the security of our districts network and data.
Both wired and wireless connectivity represent important components to our new delivery model design and we continue to standardize throughout our K12 customer base with Enterasys solutions. Additionally Questeq was featured as one the top reference partners at the event, please view the attached Questeq partner video filmed and presented at the Las Vegas event.