Open System Technologies' Initial Site Survey
Professional Development Capacity for the North Hudson Electronic Empowerment Project
September 22, 1998, Revised November 10, 1998
Executive Summary
The twenty-seven sites who are participating in the North Hudson Electronic Education Empowerment Project (NHEEEP) were contacted by Open Systems Technologies, LLC. with an initial telephone survey during the months of August and September 1998. The survey contained questions about local professional development capabilities, including connectivity of labs and classrooms. Of the 19 school districts responding to the survey,
- All had some area designated for professional development for teachers with technology.
- All had some capability to connect to the Internet. Capabilities covered the full range of dial-in modems to T-1.
- All had at least one lab, classroom or media center set of PCs.
- Most had standardized on Microsoft Office, but not on any other software applications for all content areas.
- Over 50% have a projection device for larger group instruction.
Recommendations for next steps:
- Focus available funds on increasing the capacity of the Internet connectivity for schools with single dial-in capability.
- Determine whether it is possible to standardize on an e-mail software application within each school.
- Focus available funds on insuring that Microsoft Office is available in the preferred training area at each site. This may involve seeding site licenses for schools.
Longer term recommendations:
- Determine how the existing computer labs and training areas are going to be made available to teachers during the school day. Help participating schools to find ways to make computers available to teachers so that they can follow up on their training.
- For schools without designated technology coordinators, determine how participating teachers will be supported as they use labs and classroom computers to develop lessons.
- Determine additional needs for "on the spot" training for teachers, and some alternate ways of delivering training making use of existing distance learning labs as well as new cable connections.
Introduction and Method
During August and September 1998, Open Systems Technologies conducted a brief telephone interview with the participants in the North Hudson Electronic Education Empowerment Project to determine what technology resources were available at each site. The survey questions are included as Appendix B. The survey items were organized to answer four basic questions:
- Who are the primary contacts for the project in each district?
- What types of Internet connectivity are being used in each district?
- What classrooms or labs could be used as professional development areas?
- What types of software applications are available in those labs and classrooms?
Prior to starting the telephone survey, each participating district received a letter from Greg Partch describing the intent of the survey, and introducing OST. Beginning about one week later, each school district superintendent was contacted by telephone by OST and given a brief summary of the survey. Superintendents were given the option of answering the questions themselves or providing the primary contact person.
Each participating district or agency was contacted a minimum of twice by phone. Of the 27 participating districts and agencies, 18 responded to the survey. The results are based on these responses.
Major Findings
Though there was a fairly wide range across the districts of Internet connectivity and computer lab settings, all the responding districts are able to provide follow up support for professional development with technology, including computers, software and at least dial-in connectivity to the Internet.
Connectivity
Table 1 indicates the range of connectivity by district. As can be seen in the accompanying graph, 55% of the districts have T-1 capability, or the equivalent through a Road Runner account.
For these districts, only 35%, or 7 of the 20 responding, are using the BOCES WAN/Internet service. Of the 12 using other services, five cited the cost as a reason for establishing their own connections. The other seven did not comment directly on why they chose a specific provider.
Two sites may need additional help this Fall if they are to make use of the professional development that includes content based on Internet resources: St. Mary’s, and Hartford. In each case, the site is limited to a single user at a time. St. Mary’s is further complicated by the fact that there are only four computers accessible to teachers on a regular basis, in the library.
TABLE ONE: Internet Connections
| District | Internet Provider | Speed |
| Argyle | BOCES | T-1 |
| Bolton | Telenet | 56K |
| Catholic High | Road Runner | T-1 |
| Corinth | Telenet | Fractional T-1 |
| Fort Ann | Global 2000 | 33.6 |
| Galway | BOCES | T-1 |
| Glens Falls | Own ISP | T-1 |
| Granville | Global 2000 | Fractional T-1 |
| Hartford | Capitalnet | 14.4 dial in |
| Hudson Falls | BOCES- NERIC | T-1 |
| Lake George | Logicalnet | Fractional T-1 |
| Mechanicville | Road Runner | T-1 |
| Newcomb | Boces | T-1 |
| Queensbury | BOCES | T-1 |
| Schuylerville | Road Runner | T-1 |
| So. Glens Falls | BOCES | T-1 |
| St. Clements | Capitalnet | 56K |
| St. Mary's | Hudson On-line | 56K |
| Warrensburg | BOCES | T-1 |
| Waterford-Halfmoon | Global 2000 | 56K |
| Service level | # of districts | % |
| T-1 | 11 |
55% |
| Fractional T-1 | 3 |
15% |
| 56K Frame Relay | 4 |
20% |
| Dial-In | 2 |
10% |
|
20 |
Computer Labs and Classrooms
Most districts have a wide range of available classrooms that could be used for additional on-site professional development and follow up. The survey focused on selecting one classroom that was well equipped with computers, a network and other peripherals, and describing the resources there. In almost all cases, this was a computer lab in the high school building or area, normally used for computer science and/or business classes. All but one of these labs was equipped with PCs, and most was already using Windows 95 or 98 as the operating system. Table 2 shows the capabilities by district.
The larger districts had multiple labs, with a minimum of one lab in the middle school and one in the high school. One school district had 11 labs altogether. At the secondary level, the labs were uniformly PC-based.
Several districts stated that they had Macintosh labs at the elementary school level, and that they had computers within classrooms for teacher use. The only responding district that had a Macintosh lab as its only networked lab is Bolton. This lab does support Microsoft Office, so the application software will be similar to what the teachers may be trained on for the project.
For professional development purposes, the key should be a common suite of software applications, rather than the platform itself. Table 3 shows that 55% of the responding districts have Microsoft Office as standard software in the computer labs. Some contacts only mentioned one part of the product suite, such as Word or PowerPoint. It is assumed that the full suite is available to the district though it may not be installed.
Again, Hartford may need some additional help or resources to make the software used in the professional development seminars available to teachers in the district. They are not yet supporting Windows based machines, have older application software, and an older version of the network operating system.
For the other districts, about 40% are using Novell as the LAN OS, and the other 55% are using NT on the network server. South Glens Falls is using each OS in two different labs.
TABLE TWO: Lab Settings
| District | Setting | Prior Use | # of Comp. | OS | LAN | Projection Device |
| Argyle | Lab | Yes | 20 |
Win95/98 | NT | TV/Cart |
| Bolton | Lab | 18 |
Macs | Ethernet, with NT server | no | |
| Catholic High | Lab | Yes | 20 |
Win95/98 | NT | Yes |
| Corinth | HS Lab | 25 |
Win95/98 | Novell | no | |
| Fort Ann | HS Lab | Yes | 12 |
DOS | Novell | Large screen monitor |
| Galway | Lab | Yes | 21 |
Win95/98 | Novell and NT | Yes |
| Glens Falls | Lab | Yes | 25 |
Win95/98 | NT | Yes |
| Granville | HS Lab | Yes | 25 |
Win95/98 | NT | Large screen monitor |
| Hartford | Lab | Yes | 22 |
Dos | Ethernet, with NT server | No |
| Hudson Falls | Media Center | Yes | 20 |
Win95/98 | NT | Yes |
| Lake George | HS Lab | Yes | 25 |
NT | NT | LCD Panel |
| Mechanicville | Lab | Yes | 31 |
Win95/98 | NT | TV with Snappy converter |
| Newcomb | Lab | Yes | 6 |
Win95/98 | NT | no |
| Queensbury | Lab | Yes | 25 |
Win95/98 | Novell | Yes |
| Schuylerville | HS Lab | Yes | 25 |
Win95/98 | Novell | TV/Cart |
| So. Glens Falls | Labs | 26 |
Win95/98 | NT, Novell | Large screen monitor | |
| St. Clements | Lab | Yes | 12 |
Win95/98 | Ethernet | No |
| St. Mary's | Media Center | No | 4 |
Win95/98 | Novell | No |
| Warrensburg | Lab | Yes | 25 |
Win95/98 | NT | LCD Panel |
| Waterford-Halfmoon | Lab | up to 22 | Win95/98 | Novell | Yes |
TABLE THREE: Standard Software
| District | Standard Software |
| Argyle | MS Office, Internet Explorer, Netscape, Outlook |
| Bolton | Clarisworks, Netscape |
| Catholic High | MS Office |
| Corinth | MS Office, Encarta |
| Fort Ann | WordPerfect, Lotus 1-2-3 |
| Galway | Not specified |
| Glens Falls | Word |
| Granville | MS Office |
| Hartford | MS Office, Printshop, MS Publisher |
| Hudson Falls | MS Office |
| Lake George | MS Office |
| Mechanicville | MS Works, MS publisher, Encarta 97, Hyperstudio |
| Newcomb | MS Office |
| Queensbury | Word Perfect, Corel Works, MS Office |
| Schuylerville | MS Office, reading programs |
| So. Glens Falls | School Vista |
| St. Clements | Windows 95 |
| St. Mary's | MS Office |
| Warrensburg | MS Office |
| Waterford-Halfmoon | WordPerfect, Word, Internet Explorer |
Projection Devices
Many schools had some type of large monitor or projection device available for use in the classroom. Most had a cart that could be shared across classrooms. No one stated that they had a fixed projection device in the labs, and several schools do not have any capability beyond a 21" monitor. Again, Hartford does not have this resource, nor does Bolton, Corinth, St. Clements or St. Mary’s. For St. Mary’s this is less of an issue because they are working with four computers in total. In the other three settings, some type of larger monitor may be desirable.
Other Network Connections
Very few of the survey contacts were knowledgeable about the actual network topology in their schools. Most understood that the lab settings had supporting servers, which were often close to the lab itself or inside it. A physical site survey would be needed if any network changes were to be implemented as part of this project.
Similarly, most of the contacts were not certain where the nearest telephone was, or how cable video services were being provided to the labs. Few of the schools had satellite download capabilities. Four schools are part of the BOCES distance learning service, with full labs. However, to the best of the respondent’s knowledge, none of these labs had been updated to provide full computer integration into the overall lab setting.
Trends and Comments
Several of the contacts amplified their responses, which indicated some trends across the consortium. First, most schools were having difficulty providing e-mail for faculty or students. Many of the contacts did not have a school-based e-mail address. Part of this problem was due to the timing of the survey just prior to the start of school and new e-mail servers being installed. However, the professional development seminar leaders cannot assume that all turnkey teachers can be reached electronically in these first few months. In addition, the districts did not have a de facto standard for electronic mail software.
Second, several districts were having difficulty getting reliable high-speed connectivity from Citizens Communications or RoadRunner. Though these districts are not as remote as some rural districts in the U.S., they surface the common problem of poor telephone connections, lack of local ISPs, and lack of cable alternatives. Again, follow up with teachers must be customized without the givens of reliable connectivity.
Third, some districts were adamant that they would not make use of BOCES services, and did not want to have any contact with BOCES. Though this may not impact directly on the project, it makes it more difficult to leverage some of the available professional development resources such as the Model Schools project or the Common Set of Learning Objectives to provide materials or substitute time for training.
Finally, the contacts were uniformly enthusiastic about the technology itself, and the increased use of technology within their districts. Even the smallest district, Newcomb, feels that the teachers have a good grasp of the potential of the technology itself, and are ready for rich professional development experiences. This desire to move forward should have a large positive effect on the success of the overall project. At least some teachers from within each district agree that technology can play a strong support role in their teaching, and are ready to learn how.
Recommendations
- Focus available funds on increasing the capacity of the Internet connectivity for schools with single dial-in capability.
- Determine whether it is possible to standardize on an e-mail software application within each school.
- Focus available funds on insuring that Microsoft Office is available in the preferred training area at each site. This may involve seeding site licenses for schools.
From the responses, Hartford and St. Mary’s would be the two sites that might benefit the most from additional resources and help.
Longer term recommendations:
- Determine how the existing computer labs and training areas are going to be made available to teachers during the school day. Help participating schools to find ways to make computers available to teachers so that they can follow up on their training.
- For schools without designated technology coordinators, determine how participating teachers will be supported as they use labs and classroom computers to develop lessons.
- Determine additional needs for "on the spot" training for teachers, and some alternate ways of delivering training making use of existing distance learning labs as well as new cable connections.
