Broadband Speeds in Minnesota's School Districts

Institution	Center for Rural Policy and Development
Titel	Broadband Speeds in Minnesota's School Districts
Quelle	(2010), (8 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
Schlagwörter	Internet; Computer Uses in Education; School Districts; Consortia; Costs; Telecommunications; Computer Networks; Differences; Elementary Secondary Education; Public Schools; School Administration; Minnesota + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Computernutzung; School district; Schulbezirk; Vereinigung; Cost; Kosten; Telekommunikationstechnik; Computernetz; Computernetze; Kommunikationsnetz; Unterscheiden; Public school; Öffentliche Schule
Abstract	A parent walking into a classroom in a Minnesota public school today will be presented with a different learning environment compared to that of 20 years ago. Gone are filmstrips and movie projectors and in their place are computer screens. Today's classroom is a heavy user of digital media, and much of that is accessed via the Internet. It is becoming apparent, however, that the means of accessing the Internet and other online services -- the infrastructure carrying the signals -- does not have the same level of availability for every school and every district in the state. Whether because of cost or physical infrastructure, schools have online access at different rates, which affects their capability of using online resources in the classroom and in the school office. The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of what bandwidth schools have to access online services and what they are using these services for. This is a pilot study, but in this first look it has become apparent that this is a complex subject requiring a more in-depth examination. This initial look revealed the following key findings: (1) In the ten years or so that the Internet has been widely accessible to schools, they have become heavily dependent on the Internet and related online services; (2) Bandwidth varies considerably from district to district. The average bandwidth is 28.0 mbps, while the median figure is 10.0 mbps; (3) The majority of districts responding rated their current bandwidth as adequate, but they anticipate needing more next year and the year after; (4) Telecommunications access clusters, special consortia of school districts, libraries and other entities, report they are saving districts money by negotiating bandwidth prices and pooling administration, tech support and other services for groups of districts at a lower cost than the districts could access individually; and (5) The biggest barrier to getting more bandwidth is cost. (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	Center for Rural Policy and Development. 600 South Fifth Street Suite 211, Saint Peter, MN 56082. Tel: 507-934-7700; Fax: 507-934-7704; e-mail: crpd@ruralmn.org; Web site: http://www.ruralmn.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01