In the previous posting the question was raised why a lot of schools still prefer to go the dial-up route. From the responses it is clear that most of us agree that schools need to be encouraged to convert to some kind of broadband connection to enable them to make full use of an otherwise underused educational tool.
Schools however need to be guided to enable them to make informed decisions when it comes to deciding on the various broadband options available. The following are a few considerations to take into account when selecting a broadband option that will suit your need.
Bandwidth
Bandwidth refers to the data transfer capacity of the connection and is measured in bits per second. The minimum recommended bandwidth speed for schools is 512 Kbps while 1024 Kbps line speeds are also available but at an additional cost. The bigger the bandwidth, the faster the connection speeds.
Cap
Cap size refers to the amount of data the school has available every month to browse the Internet and download email or any other data. The cap size is measured in Gigs. Gig (Gigabyte) refers to an amount of data. One gig is equal to 1000 megabytes. One gig is approximately 300 mp3 songs, 1500 average MS Word or MS Excel documents or about 10,000 e-mails depending on the attachments sizes. Broadband is available in different cap sizes e.g. 1 Gig, 2 Gig, 3 Gig, 6 Gig, 9 Gig and so on. The cap size however also comes at a price. Schools should consider a minimum cap of 3 Gig.
Cost
Another important factor to consider when deciding on a broadband connectivity option is the monthly cost involved. Remember that broadband connectivity is billed on a fixed monthly bases and the cost is determined by the cap size, the bandwidth, etc.
More information on the topic can be found on the Khanya website on
http://www.khanya.co.za/projectinfo/?catid=38
It is important to note that quite a lot of thought needs to go into the decision on which type of broadband connectivity will be most suited for your school. Guidance in this regard can be obtained from the local CeI Services Managers or Khanya Coordinators.
Schools with existing broadband connections might however not have taken the above considerations into account when they decided on a broadband type. These schools might have experienced that their cap is not sufficient for their connectivity needs or that their connection speeds are slower than they hoped for.
The question is “How broad is your band?”
Monday, February 11, 2008
How broad is your band?
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6 comments:
Just a question. What can we suggets to schools who are interested in setting up web conferencing with schools overseas?
When ask if the school has broadband a school would assume that having ADSL is actually broadband. Right or wrong?
Again it comes down to making informed decisions.The tools of trade are there for all to see but it all depends on how proactive we are as Facilitators,Principals and Commanders-in-Chief of our troops(read pupils)
Laying it bare(excuse the pun)in layman's terms as the author of this blog has done goes a long way in driving the points home,so that decision-makers can make informed decisions.The band could be very wide,if we make the correct decisions.
I would like to latch on to what David Mathe is saying, but isn't the question "How good was your advice?" and not "How broad is your band?" I think that a lot of schools do not receive the correct information and therefore do not make informed decisions. Another problem is that too many schools have internet connectivity in the office and nothing in the computer labs. This means that the only mail the school receives is the mail sent to admin and nobody else receives mail. Once again this emphasises my point of not making informed decisions because of the general lack of technical information. I think this is one problem that needs to be addressed very seriously by CEI / project managers / or whoever else may be responsible for making the relative decisions.
The biggest point of concern to me is: "Do we all know what constitutes a download?" My experience in dealing with schools that even have 3 gig caps is that schools do not know this. Schools may have the tools, but it is not used properly. A staff with gmail accounts may impact negatively on the allowed cap, do schools regularly check their usage throughout the month with
e-schools network (ESN), is it possible that schools are compromised in terms of security (can someone else with their username and password "eat" up their cap),and finally, on every staff you will get someone that "knows more" - usually the person that downloads the most from the internet. On any given sunday (when schools are closed)you will find that they are still forfeiting 32MB of data just by leaving the server on. These are just some of the issues I have dealt with. One may think it is minimal, but try telling that to a school who cannot send and receive mail to the department and other businesses just because their cap has been exceeded. I beleive a 3 gig cap will do, but then schools must be made aware that having a 24 hour connection does not mean you can do as you please. Schools need to be informed properly!
A few things are evident to me:
(a) In the absence of a state provided, dedicated LAN, schools need to invest in the knowledge base of an educator(s) wrt ICT
(b) The ICT at schools demands that the role not just be seen as fixing and running the lab/PCs BUT a critical MANAGEMENT related one
(c) ALL LANS should be introduced to this blog site (and in cases perhaps even emailed where topics are raised: emailed the relevant advice)
I concur with Sammy. Today I visited a school where I had to explain the terms bandwith, caps and downloads in simple terms. The school complained that their internet/email doesn't work. Reasons? (a) Excessive downloads (music and movies seem to be the biggest culprits).
(b) Availability (24/7 is not so 24/7. There is a limiting factor. Somehow people think they can download as much as want anytime).
(c)Automatic downloads/updates for Windows, Antivirus, etc.
(d) Wireless connections that are not protected. Snoopers can download freely. If I had been working for a major telephone company we all know very well, I would have free internet passing from one school to another.
(e) Minor technical problems such as restarting the router/wap/modem or checking the network cables.
Schools that have ADSL are learning the hard way. If you have used up what you bought, there is definitely no more. Stay within you budget.
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