Report Demonstrates Expectation Gap in Technology Use at Schools

TRANSFORMING EDUCATION THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

SHOULDER-TO-SHOULDER INNOVATION IN ARIZONA

CLASSROOM SOUND AMPLIFICATION JOURNAL VIRTUAL COMPETITION ARE PUBLIC SCHOOLOOL DISTRICTS LOSINGLOSING STUDENTST ENROLLMENTMENT TO CHARTER ANDD FOR-PROFITFO VIRTUALAL SCHOOLS? om .c al rn j thejournal.com August 2011 | Volume 38, No. 7 | Volume August 2011

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Untitled-1 1 7/20/11 10:55 AM thejournal.com AUGUST 2011 | Volume 38, No. 7

20 16 Jon Reinfurt

Cover art by 28 28 COVER STORY: Virtual Schools DEPARTMENTS Competing for the Online Student 4 Our Space As the for-profi t sector moves into the virtual school business and more Mutually Assured Learning students opt for alternatives to traditional classrooms, public schools 6 Here & Now work harder to keep and help the online student. By John K. Waters 36 Product Focus 20 21st Century Schools Internet Security Shoulder-to-Shoulder Innovation 40 Index An Arizona district won this year’s Sylvia Charp Award because of a 42 Drill Down revolutionary—and truly collaborative—approach to standards-based curriculum development that it is sharing with the rest of the state. Online Textbooks Here’s a look at how they did it. By Jennifer Demski 16 Assistive Technology Listen Up! Classroom sound amplifi cation systems can make a difference in helping the academic performance of almost all students, as well in decreasing the number of referrals to special education programs. By Marty Weil

AUGUST 2011 | 3

0811the_TOC_(1)-FINAL.indd 3 7/22/11 2:27 PM OurSpace Therese Mageau, Editorial Director

thejournal.com August 2011 : Volume 38 : No. 7

Editorial Staff Editorial Director Therese Mageau Executive Editor Michael Hart Executive Producer, Web Dave Nagel Online Content Manager Kanoe Namahoe Editorial Interns Joshua Bolkan, Melanie Barkin Mutually Assured Learning Senior Contributing Editors LInda Briggs, Dian Schaffhauser, Matt Villano The relationship between virtual for-profi ts and Contributors Jennifer Demski, Vanessa Hua, John Waters, Marty Weil

public schools can be benefi cial to all involved Art Staff Creative Director Scott Rovin Graphic Designer Erin Horlacher THE OTHER DAY I found myself bar for all schools to aim for now. Production Staff Director, Print Production Jenny Hernandez-Asandas looking up the deﬁ nition of “symbiosis” In addition, as Connections Academy Senior Production Coordinator Jennifer Shepard

because I wasn’t sure I was using the word co-founder Mickey Revenaugh points out Online/Digital Media Production correctly. According to my in our story, districts that contract with for- Executive Managing Editor Judith Rajala American Heri- Web Designer Brion Mills tage Dictionary (the one I was given by the profi t companies like hers can off er a wider Web Applications Specialist Elliot McDonell eMedia Project Coordinator Mallory Bundy Detroit News when I was in high school, no range of online options than if they had E-media Assistant Sarah Rajala less), symbiosis is “the relationship of two to build it all themselves. It’s not just the or more diff erent organisms in a close as- rural school in Arkansas that can now off er sociation that may be but is not necessarily Mandarin. It’s that amazing online math T President & Group Publisher Wendy LaDuke benefi cial to each.” curriculum that you want your students to Marketing Director Karen Barak Marketing Manager Michele Werner That defi nition came to mind as I read benefi t from, or the turnkey solution that Attendee Marketing Manager Athene Kovacic this month’s cover story on how some school will allow districts to serve families who Attendee Marketing Manager Annette Levee Client Project Coordinator Jenna Horton districts fi nd themselves competing with vir- opt out of public schooling for religious or tual for-profi t and charter schools for student political reasons.

enrollment (story begins on page 28). But there is no chance that public President & On the surface, this set of aff airs may schools are actually going to be put out of Chief Executive Offi cer Neal Vitale Senior Vice President seem detrimental to public schools, which, business by their virtual competitors. For & Chief Financial Offi cer Richard Vitale Executive Vice President Michael J. Valenti by their very nature, are not set up to be one thing, all the virtual (and non-virtual, competitive enterprises. (Oh, I can hear the for that matter) for-profi ts and charters in Senior Vice President, Audience Development free-market advocates howling now: Schools the world could never reach every child in & Digital Media Abraham M. Langer Vice President, should be competitive; if IBM had the same this country. And as I have written before Finance & Administration Christopher M. Coates failure rate of schools, the argument goes, it in this column, as long as parents must go Vice President, Information Technology would be out of business. As somebody—not to work, children will go to school. Even & Application Development Erik A. Lindgren me, although I wish it had been—once said more important than the custodial role Vice President, Attendee Marketing Carmel McDonagh in response: if IBM were compelled by law they play, schools always have been and Vice President, to hire those who lived in their catchment will continue to be the heart of their com- Event Operations David F. Myers area, they’d never be in business.) munities—indeed, in some cases, where all Chairman of the Board Jeffrey S. Klein But if we start with the premise that other institutions have fl ed, schools provide REACHING THE STAFF online education is not only inevitable but the only heartbeat left in a neighbor- Staff may be reached via e-mail, telephone, fax, or mail. A desirable, the involvement of for-profi t and hood. A symbiotic relationship with other list of editors and contact information is also available online at thejournal.com, or editors can be reached at editorial@ charter entities in the e-learning market- virtual schooling providers could actually thejournal.com. place could be a symbiotic relationship that strengthen the bloodlines between a district E-mail: To e-mail any member of the staff, please use the benefi ts all involved. and the people it serves. following form: [email protected]. Corporate Offi ce First, there’s no question in my mind (weekdays 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. PST) that for-profi t entities have made impor- Telephone 818-814-5200; fax 818-936-0496 9201 Oakdale Avenue, Suite 101 tant investments in the development of Chatsworth, CA 91311 their virtual off erings and in doing so have upped the ante of the quality of online Continue the conversation. E-mail me at teaching and curricula. There is a higher [email protected].

4 | AUGUST 2011

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Untitled-1 1 7/20/11 10:58 AM Here&Now Tech + Online + Industry + Partnership

[industry update]

Pearson has launched an online series Report Demonstrates of interactive study guides to help aspiring Expectation Gap in teachers prepare for certifi cation tests. The new guides, called NES Prep, begin with Technology Use at Schools diagnostic tests that include explanations of the correct answers to help users identify An overwhelming number of students and teachers believe that enhanced technology areas where they need additional study. skills will lead to greater career opportunities in the future, according to a new survey. Each guide is built around National Evalu- Fewer, however, believe their schools are meeting their technology expectations. ation Series objectives and includes review CDW-G released its annual “21st Century Classroom Report,” which surveyed 1,000 exercises for progress assessment. For more high school students, faculty, and staff about information, go to myneslab.com. the importance of using technology in their classrooms. The report said that 94 percent of Creative Commons and the Associa- students and 97 percent of faculty who respond- tion of Educational Publishers (AEP) ed to the survey agree that learning technology have partnered to create a metadata frame- skills in high school will lead to better career op- work aimed at improving web search results portunities in the future. Faculty and staff agreed for K-12 learning resources. The partner- that 21st century technologies such as wireless ship is, according to the AEP, the fi rst internet, interactive whiteboards, and digital industry-specifi c initiative to spring from content are necessary for a successful classroom Schema.org, an alliance of the major search experience. engines that was formed to create a univer- However, only 39 percent of students believe sal framework for tagging web-based con- their schools meet their technology expectations, tent. For more information on the project, while nearly all (94 percent) said they use some form of technology to complete home- visit thejournal.com/articles/2011/07/18/ work assignments, but only 46 percent of faculty said they regularly assign homework metadataalliance.aspx. that requires using any technology at all. Only 49 percent of students believe that their faculty understands how they want to utilize technology for learning. For more informa- Excent has released MyGraduationPlan tion on the CDW-G report, go to newsroom.cdw.com/features/feature-06-27-11.html. 2.0, updated e-learning software for K-12 that helps special education students and parents get more involved in their individu- Educational Testing Tabbed alized education plans. This new version ap- as Hot Industry in the Future plies Universal Design for Learning (UDL) curriculum development principles, which The hottest startup industry over the next fi ve years will be testing and educational give all individuals an equal opportunity to support. That’s according to a survey IBISWorld conducted to determine the fi elds most learn. It has also been changed to comply likely to emerge as signifi cant industry leaders in the near future. According to IBIS- with Individuals with Disabilities Education World, the economic recession and slow job market will drive many to either return to Act 2004 regulations. school or delay their careers by continuing their education. In fact, during the previous fi ve years, the educational testing sector generated $15.4 billion in revenue. Discovery Education will release a new IBISWorld, a Los Angeles-based industry research fi rm, examined income trends, online science “techbook” this fall. The expansions, and profi tability levels of over 700 industries to conclude which of these Discovery Education Science Techbook will industries are most likely to grow within the next fi ve years. take the place of traditional textbooks at the Other hot sectors, according to IBISWorld: elementary and middle school level. The Internet technology techbook will include features not acces- “Green” industries, a fi eld that is growing at an annual rate of 9.4 percent, sible with ordinary textbooks such as virtual primarily because of consumer interest in eco-friendly products labs, video clips, e-book passages, and an Residential and commercial construction, expected to grow at a 12.5-percent interactive glossary. It also will include annual rate despite the doldrums the real estate industry has been in since 2007 real-time assessments that make curriculum Healthcare, expected to grow at a rate of 4.3 percent each year, primarily because recommendations for individual students of activity anticipated by recent health insurance reform and allow teachers to update materials.

6 | AUGUST 2011

0811THE__H&N.indd 6 7/22/11 1:51 PM THE PROBLEM: OUTDATED FRAME RELAY, ATM AND PRIVATE LINES THE SOLUTION: COMCAST METRO ETHERNET

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Untitled-2 1 7/11/11 12:18 PM ON-DEMAND Linking Interactive Whiteboards, News Lessons WEBCASTS thejournal.com/pages/webinars.aspx Print Management: Real-world Ways to Cut Costs, Boost Productivity The Park Hill School District in Kansas City, MO, discovered how to better control print and copy costs, and reduce waste.

The Ongoing WiFi Device Explosion on Campus: What Is Your Plan? An interactive whiteboard maker is partnering with a news network that broadcasts Boost the performance, capacity, and to middle and high school students to deliver interactive media and activities to reliability at the same time you are meeting the whiteboards in the classroom. Promethean has joined with Channel One to deliver the demands of existing and emerging technologies. latter company’s daily news program. The alliance has produced Channel One News InterActiv, which, beyond delivery of the Wireless LAN Architecture: daily news program, will off er assessment activities, pop quizzes, and collaborative exer- Key to Achieving WLAN cises tied to current events and integrated with Promethean’s student response devices. Success in Education Channel One also announced it would off er a version of the InterActiv product for This session focuses on alternatives in today’s students in grades 3 through 5, a younger group than it has traditionally served with WLAN architecture, and how the architectural the broadcasts. choices you make now can aff ect performance. In both sets of off erings, supplemental digital content will be available for instructors to help them add skills development into the lessons in areas such as collaboration, How to Select a Tablet problem solving, and critical thinking. These lessons, according to the two companies, Learn 10 essential criteria that organizations will be aligned with standards in core content areas, including math, language arts, his- should consider when choosing a tablet tory, science, and geography. For more information on the partnership, go to thejournal. computer. Sponsored by GovConnection. com/articles/2011/07/18/collaboration-links-interactive-whiteboards-with-news-lessons.aspx. {win big!}

National Competition Looking for Microsoft Offi ce Desktop ‘America’s Top Young Scientists’ to Winning Lesson Plan Videos Competition Finalists Named Be Selected in October M86 Security called for entries in its nationwide Certiport (certiport.com) announced the top Discovery Education and 3M announced VuSafe Video Contest for K-12 classrooms. fi nalists in the United States Competition the 10 fi nalists in the 13th Annual Discovery Students and their teachers are asked to on Microsoft Offi ce. Over 72,000 students in Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge. create and star in an educational video the country competed to exhibit their talents Middle school students from across the based on one of their routine lesson plans. working with desktop computing applications. country competed in this year’s competition. The winning classroom will receive HD video Only fi ve were chosen for the next round. The For information on the fi nalists and their cameras for each student and an HD camera, top fi ve 2011 fi nalists are Miranda Hill, Juliana schools, visit youngscientistchallenge.com. tripod, and 27-inch Apple iMac computer Toyloy-Stanton, Breana Guarnera, Kami Martin, The fi nalists have been teamed up with already installed with video editing software for and Brian Broom-Peltz. For more information 3M scientists for a summer mentorship. The the entire classroom. on the fi nalists and their schools, go to prweb. fi nalists will go on to present their prototypes Entries will be accepted until Oct. 31. com/releases/2011/7/prweb8630964.htm. at the 3M Innovation Center in St. Paul, MN, For more information about guidelines, The fi nal challenge of the Worldwide Oct. 3-4. The winner will receive a trip courtesy requirements, and entries for the contest, visit Competition for desktop computing will be of Discovery Student Adventures, $25,000, and M86VuSafe.com/contest. held in San Diego in early August. the title of “America’s Top Young Scientist.”

8 | AUGUST 2011

0811THE__H&N.indd 8 7/22/11 1:51 PM Here&Now

[you told us] have a hand-sized mobile computer to use at closing the digital divide. The single biggest home, at school, on the bus, in the playground, player in reducing the cost of computing is the and every place in between.” use of free and open-source software. The next The Future of Mobile Learning Devices There are a few things wrong with your biggest reduction would be lowering the cost of assertion. First, these devices are not dropping high-speed access. I just read “Masters of Learning” [“Our Space,” “precipitously” in price. The second point, even —Charles Profi tt, Rochester, NY June/July; thejournal.com/articles/2011/06/07/ more detrimental to your argument, is that you masters-of-learning.aspx]. Thank you for help- did not address the total cost of ownership if To read more comments or to post your own, ing me to validate initiatives that I am working you calculate the purchase price, voice plan (if visit our website at thejournal.com. T.H.E. on here at my school. I am completely con- applicable), and data plan over two years. Journal editors reserve the right to edit reader vinced the mobile learning device is something The smartphone is not a game changer in responses for length and clarity. we must begin to leverage. As a school that has had a 1-to-1 program since 1997, the real key in all of this is that we have to get the teachers to embrace this idea and be creative, and not just use the mobile device as an extension or replacement for the laptop, which became an extension of the desktop, which became an extension of the mainframe, etc. As each device tends to get smaller, the more we still feel the need to do what we did with the previous technology. I came back all fi red up after FETC, talking up the smartphone with some colleagues. “Hey, we are a Google school,” I told them, “and the kids already have access to their work from the phone, a full-blown GPS, a camera that is better than my 3-year-old personal camera, video at their fi ngertips, all these free apps. I am thinking of replacing the laptop program with a smartphone program.” When someone asked, “How do you want the students to type their papers, with their thumbs?” I had a quick response: “Wait till you see Motorola’s Atrix.” I again was discouraged that too many times, as educators, we spend too much time fi tting yesterday’s round peg into today’s square hole, instead of rethinking our ultimate goal: preparing our students to be successful. My own kids, a sophomore and an eighth- grader, use their smartphones more than anything, for anything that they want to do, period. More than their laptops, more than their Xbox, more than the TV. This isn’t a passing fad. —Marcus T. Muster, director of technology, The Kiski School, Saltsburg, PA

I was distressed to fi nd that you expressed a belief that mobile learning devices (i.e., smartphones) would close the digital divide: “With the cost of such devices dropping precipitously every day, there’s no reason that every child can’t

AUGUST 2011 | 9

0811THE__H&N.indd 9 7/22/11 1:51 PM focus

Refresh: A Critical Part of a District Technology Strategy Greg Estes/Design Collaborative

Fort Wayne Community Schools Wayne New Tech High School

Fort Wayne Community Schools in Indiana is a large school district with more than 30,000 students. HP has been a valued partner for over three years, supporting each tech refresh initiative with the most cost-effective pricing and helping the district move toward a consistent overall refresh strategy. When the state of Indiana mandated online testing of all students, HP understood the challenges and helped the district develop a cost-effective plan.

0811the_HP_Focus.indd 10 7/22/11 10:24 AM SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

In the Fort Wayne Community State-mandated Online Testing: Schools, each department has typically Another Reason to Refresh made its own tech refresh decisions, with funding coming from a variety of Like many states, Indiana has recently mandated that all high-stakes testing will sources. One four-year plan funds a transition to an online environment. By 2014, all ISTEP+ testing must be conducted tech refresh program for district central online and completed within a few weeks. offi ces and some satellite administrative Dick Rutkowski, supervisor of network support services for the Fort Wayne locations, but not for classrooms. Community Schools states, “When we realized we had nowhere near enough Another plan purchases new machines computers to meet the requirements of the new legislation, we fi rst looked into for special education teachers because renting. But after HP provided very aggressive direct pricing on new machines, we they need a consistent platform decided to go with a direct deal.” The district also intends to take advantage of the and better tools to manage IEPs special pricing to refresh the machines in the central offi ce and other administrative electronically. Another plan funds the areas as part of the normal refresh cycle. replacement of lab machines every To fund the purchase, Fort Wayne Community Schools applied for and received three years. state funding in two installments, spring and fall, and has elected to purchase According to Dick Rutkowski, HP ProBook 6555b Notebook PCs and HP Compaq 6005 Pro Small Form Factor supervisor of network support PCs with VISION Pro Technology from AMD. AMD technology enhances the user services, “Our goal is to get experience with processors and chipsets that provide exceptional performance everyone to a consistent PC platform while operating as effi ciently as possible. AMD technology also provides eventually and meet sustainability outstanding visual performance, which is helpful for online learning and video and productivity targets at the lowest consumption. total cost of ownership (TCO). Our In the fi rst purchasing cycle, most machines will be notebooks and will be elementary schools in particular have assigned to the elementary schools. “There’s no room in our elementary schools a range of hardware formats that we to set up all the computers for testing,” says Rutkowski. “So we needed portable need to make consistent. HP has devices we can set up in the gym or the cafeteria for testing that can then go back been a great partner in helping us to the classrooms for the rest of the year.” move toward this goal.” Fort Wayne worked with two HP partners who are handling all servicing, imaging, Many of the insights that HP brings and tagging. “HP has great relationships with the resellers, which is helpful to us. to the tech refresh discussion are based Repairs have worked very smoothly, using the third-party service under the HP on the research of Bruce Michelson, warranty,” says Rutkowski. Rutkowski also meets with his HP account manager on national lifecycle manager for Hewlett a regular basis. “Our HP rep understands our challenges,” he says. “He lives in the Packard’s Personal Systems Group state, and he really knows what’s going on in education. He’s always looking for and well-known expert on tech refresh creative ways to help.” issues. Michelson believes that the Fort Wayne placed new machines in 17 schools in the 2010-11 school year current economy is changing the and plans to add machines in more schools each year. According to Rutkowski, thinking about the pros and cons of “We won’t get all the way this year, but before the state deadline we have to get partial versus complete refresh options. to a 1:3 or 1:4 ratio to meet the legislative mandate.” Spring 2011 will see the “There are no right or wrong answers— fi rst online testing implementation. “We still have a lot of details still to work out,” only conscious and unconscious says Rutkowski, “and we want to make sure the computers are being used in decisions,” says Michelson. “However, classrooms the rest of the year.” the traditional reasons for the partial refresh option are less valid in of existing machines because many footprint has dramatically changed,” he today’s economy.” (See Michelson’s districts have already extended the says. New software releases, energy presentation at http://h30395.www3. useful life of their desktops and management options, and power hp.com/search?page=1&type=-1&q=Cl notebooks due to budget cuts— management options do not run well osed+Life+cycle+planning.) making today’s machines even older on the older devices. In addition, According to Michelson, in today’s than in the past. “In the past 24 Windows 7, new chipsets, new form economy it makes less sense from months, while we were extending the factors, and virtualization are changing a TCO standpoint to extend the life useful life of the fl eet, the technology the way districts need to evaluate their

0811the_HP_Focus.indd 11 7/22/11 10:24 AM SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION focus

“ Our goal is to get everyone to a consistent PC platform eventually and meet sustainability and productivity targets at the lowest Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).”—Dick Rutkowski, Supervisor of Network Support Services, Fort Wayne Community Schools

refresh options. three years ago. In addition, according testing mandated by the state,” According to Michelson, the to Michelson, districts must take into says Rutkowski. “We expect our research shows that TCO is made up account other TCO and environmental partnership with HP will help us refi ne of many components. “Acquisition factors, such as partner commitment and improve our tech refresh strategy price was often the only point of to environmental initiatives, which moving forward.” discussion in the past, but TCO varies widely; the environmental impact research shows that this can be less of fewer service calls, which reduces School Tech Refresh than 20 percent of the overall cost,” transportation needs; disposal issues, Checklist he says. Other TCO factors include since newer devices are lighter and offer A successful tech refresh involves residual value, power management, options for disposal and recyclability; much more than replacing machines. the ability to handle new operating and upgrade incentives from utility Before installing new machines, systems and applications, and the companies, federal and local legislation, schools can use the following costs associated with “cascading” and device manufacturers. checklist to ensure a smooth devices down to younger students or Environmental initiatives and cost- implementation. lower-level applications. “Refreshes savings often coincide. As machines Power requirements/outlets in are no longer a tactical technology age, power consumption becomes place—one each for computer, department project. Now we have to less efficient, creating an increase monitor, projector. look at refresh cycles from a strategic in cost. “A PC strategy that ‘rides Drops/Ethernet connections in perspective because the economics til it dies’ contradicts sustainability place—14ft max. distance from are different,” says Michelson. trends and challenges affordability,” computer to Ethernet jack. It’s widely understood that the says Michelson. Teachers’ desks located close to amount of energy consumed by today’s “HP has provided great pricing power supply, Ethernet connection, desktops and notebook PCs is much and service across all our initiatives, projector wall plate. less than that consumed by the including the online Adequate space available for new machines of devices. Adequate network closet space/ equipment available. Suffi cient wireless capacity available. New cords purchased. Printer layout reviewed/updated to maximize effi ciencies. Monitors/fl at screen displays evaluated and planned. Staging area identifi ed. Operating systems understood. Warranties understood. Professional development plan designed. HP Compaq 6005 Pro Small Form Factor PC with VISION Pro Technology from AMD Stakeholder involvement “Now we have to look at refresh cycles from a strategic plan designed. perspective because the economics are different.” Windows 7 compatibility testing fi nalized. —Bruce Michelson, HP National Lifecycle Manager

www.hp.com/go/3perform

0811the_HP_Focus.indd 12 7/22/11 10:24 AM Untitled-2 1 6/29/11 11:25 AM Here&Now

PROFILEKEITH ROSKO, ART TEACHER, CHENANGO FORKS HIGH SCHOOL, BINGHAMTON, NY

THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE media, but I could take it to a new level. I MY TOP 3… We are a rural district with three schools lo- could teach some really involved critical EDUCATIONAL cated on one campus. I teach two technolo- thinking skills that was more exciting than TECHNOLOGY READS gy-based courses, Computer Art and Video [teaching] with traditional pencil and paper. Rewired: Understanding the iGeneration Production. In Computer Art, we focus on and the Way They Learn, by Larry Rosen basic Photoshop applications. We also have THE STUDENT AS “A huge eye-opener for me to the way today’s children are different from other generations.” the option for students to take seminar inde- COLLABORATOR pendent studies, where they can dabble more One of the things that I was forced to do, Digital Storytelling in the Classroom: New in Adobe Illustrator or some of the other which I think has revitalized my career, is to Media Pathways to Literacy, Learning, and Creativity, by Jason Ohler “Uses digital sto- programs. Video Production is a course in give up control in the classroom. Particularly rytelling to encourage students to tell stories.” fi lmmaking in which the students as a 45-year-old teacher, you can’t Empowering Students With Technology, by do everything digitally, using teach technology without Alan November “An inspiring exploration of either iMovie or Adobe allowing the students to how new media and digital/media literacy are Premiere. We’ve had collaborate on how not only important, but can be used to help students take ownership of their education.” camcorders, fl ip cam- information is being eras, and what I’m presented and how the board to a much more fl uid approach really psyched about they’re going to to information in the classroom. But I’m is that I just ordered utilize the technol- proud of the fact that so many teachers two iPad 2s for next ogy. I had to give have jumped on board, really attempting to year. My kids are go- them some leeway integrate technology at a basic level. They’re ing to have everything in teaching me what’s willing to experiment, to move out of their they need to be a mobile useful and what’s not. comfort zones. And it’s like a snowball fi lm studio. I’ve looked to students for running downhill—once you see someone guidance, and it’s always been in the classroom next door doing something SEEING THE LIGHT very exciting. exciting, you want to do that as well. I have a bachelor’s degree in art education and a master’s in illustration, so I’m very OVERCOMING FEAR THROUGH TECHNOLOGY traditionally based. When I came on board In addition to my classes I run the Enhanc- Education has to move away from the tra- here I handled the two-dimensional cours- ing Education Through Technology grant ditional classroom toward one where there es—drawing, painting, illustration. It was 11 here, serve on the high school technology is a much more dynamic interplay between years ago that I got my fi rst computer, and committee, have served on the district teacher and student. And it can’t just be I swore I would never use the stinkin’ thing. technology committee, and work as a peer teachers utilizing technology to present For the fi rst year, out of sheer belligerence technology trainer at all levels. The biggest information. One of the things we’re trying I did nothing but put sticky notes on it—I challenge with the other teachers is overcom- to do here is shift from the mentality of didn’t even turn it on. The next year, I was ing fear. There’s a tremendous amount of teaching with technology to teaching through handed the Computer Art course, and it was trepidation when it comes to giving up con- technology. We’re living in a post-PC world, baptism by fi re. I had to learn everything trol in your classroom, utilizing something where students expect to be able to do every-

over the summer so that I could teach the that people worry may just be a ﬂ ash in the thing on the move. They expect to be able to Daniel Hertzberg course. Immediately I fell in love with it. I pan or a lot of sprinkle and glitter on top of collaborate. We’re giving them a platform to saw what the Adobe suite of products was something, a distraction from teaching core do that so that they’re not just stuck with a capable of and I realized I could not only do principles. It’s not easy to make that shift piece of paper on a desk, isolated from the the same things I could do with traditional from demonstration, lecture, and notes on rest of the world.

Do you know a K-12 technology leader or tech-savvy administrator or teacher we should profi le? Tell us! E-mail [email protected].

14 | AUGUST 2011

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Untitled-1 1 7/19/11 11:21 AM ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY Marty Weil

and the same loss likely would not aﬀ ect the behavior of adults. However, for a child trying to integrate new information, even “minimal” hearing loss can have a huge impact on learning. “The issue that needs to be addressed is hearing clearly for eﬀ ective teaching and learning,” says David H. Parish, president and CEO of Woodbury, MN-based Calypso Systems, a manufacturer of integrated classroom products, including classroom acoustic systems. He stresses that children who have trouble hearing what is going on in the classroom may perform below standards both academically and behaviorally. “Studies show that children who fail basic hearing tests have to repeat a grade at 10 times the rate of those who pass them,” says Parish. “Clearly, the ability to hear— especially at younger ages when language skills are not as advanced or for those learning English as a second language—is critical for good academic outcomes.”

Loud and Clear The Acoustical Society of America, in conjunction with the American National Listen Up! Standards Institute, has published standards that defi ne, for classrooms, the Classroom sound amplifi cation systems can make a acoustical standards necessary for eff ective difference in academic performance as well as in the number teaching and learning environments. The of referrals that are made to special education programs. key standard is signal-to-noise ratio. The “signal” is the teacher’s voice or the audio of media employed in instruction. “Noise” HERE ARE MANY POSSIBLE interventions that can occur when is everything else that makes it more diffi - a child performs poorly in school, but one that can be easily overlooked is a cult to hear the signal: students’ chatter, the hearing check. Yet a growing body of research indicates hearing loss—even a fi sh tank, street noise, HVAC systems, and minimal amount—can have a dramatic eff ect on everything from attention and behav- so on. “The signal needs to be suffi ciently ior to academic performance. At the same time, data indicates, and experts in the greater than noise to be heard and under- fi eld believe, that the introduction of sound reinforcement and sound amplifi cation stood, and very often that is simply just not systems can help with this problem. the case,” says Parish. Normal hearing for children is 15 decibel hearing level (dB HL) or better at all fre- Another eye-opening statistic: Roughly quencies with normal middle ear function. Anything less can place a child at risk. 72 percent of all children referred to special There are approximately 46 million K-12 students in the United States; more than 9 ed also fail a basic hearing test. “Why does million—about 20 percent of them—have some type and degree of hearing loss. Based this happen?” asks Parish. “Which is the

on the number of audiologists employed by school districts to manage students with cause and which is the eﬀ ect here?” Janusz Kapusta hearing loss, less than 1 percent of these children with hearing problems are receiving According to Parish, these children professional help through their schools. are more easily distracted, which makes it Of course, it’s possible that not nearly all those students need professional help with more likely that they will be disruptive in their hearing loss. In fact, many times the loss is not even noticeable by most observers, the classroom. As a result, they often move

16 | AUGUST 2011

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Untitled-2 1 2/14/11 2:23 PM into special education programs. This K-5 classrooms in the district. This is a to send hearing-impaired students to other raises the question: Could schools reduce reduction of more than 40 percent. districts because we didn’t have the facili- the number of referrals into special educa- Long-term data from the Mainstream ties to serve them,” says Matt Cirigliano, IT tion through the introduction of sound Amplifi cation Resource Room Study manager at Delaware Valley Regional High reinforcement and sound amplifi cation (MARRS) project, funded by the US School (NJ). “With the acoustic system we systems? There are several studies that Department of Education under the put in, we’ll be able to recoup the cost of suggest the answer may be “yes.” Elementary and Secondary Education Act, installation in under a year, just from sav- According to research compiled by supports this fi nding. The project’s data ings on out-of-district kids.” Pamela Millett, assistant professor and indicates that special education referral The Delaware Valley school hired an ed- educational audiologist at York University rates throughout the nation fell at the ucation specialist for the hearing impaired in Toronto, a number of studies show same rate as in Oconto Falls—almost 40 to train teachers in using the system to get decreases in special education referral percent—after fi ve years of sound fi eld the most out of it for those with hear- rates following installation of sound fi eld use in classrooms across school districts ing challenges. Cirigliano recalls, “The acoustic systems across school districts. participating in the study. consultant [helped] everyone understand For example, in the Oconto Falls School Both studies analyzed the results of how hearing-impaired students hear, and District (WI), special education referral systems designed to create a uniform sound to make adjustments in the acoustics.” rates fell from an average of 7.72 percent fi eld in which the teacher’s voice (i.e., the Parish says the fi nancial impact of between 1989 and 1998 to 4.6 percent desired audio signal) is heard equally well re- amplifi cation systems could be huge. “As between 1998 and 2000, when sound fi eld gardless of where a student sits in the room. a national average, special education costs amplifi cation systems were installed in all twice as much as general education. On Speak Into the Mic average, school districts spend roughly 25 The components usually involved in a percent of their overall operating budget CLASSROOM SOUND unifi ed sound fi eld system are speakers on special education when only 12 percent SYSTEM VENDORS: installed in the ceiling and a wireless or so of the kids are in those classes. A Quick Reference Guide microphone on the teacher. The micro- These numbers spell out the fi nancial THAT CLASSROOM AUDIO systems are an phone transmits its signal to some type of potential of these systems.” increasingly important part of the audiovisual receiver, typically mounted on the ceiling market segment can be seen in the growing or a wall. The wireless signal refl ects and Sound Performance number of national and international Monarch suppliers of the equipment. While the sheer bounces around the room, refl ecting off the Barbara Martin, principal of number of manufacturers and distributors walls and ensuring a very high percentage School in the Gwinnett County Public would be prohibitive to publish, the list below of room coverage. The teacher can move Schools (GA), says performance was at the contains some of the signifi cant corporate anywhere in the room and have the signal heart of her school’s decision to imple- enterprises serving the audio needs of educational facilities in North America. remain eff ective. The wireless receiver ment an amplifi cation system. “I don’t have Bogen Paging converts the signal from the teacher’s statistics on students who are underper- bogen-paging.com microphone to an audio signal and sends it forming due to hearing loss, but what made Califone International to an amplifi er, which then sends it to the us go ahead with the system was a feeling califone.com speakers. Often, the wireless receiver and that kids in the corners or at the back of Calypso Systems amplifi er are in the same box. the room weren’t being served, and teachers calypsosystems.com According to the MARRS study, uni- were constantly having to raise their voic- fi ed sound fi eld amplification “enhances es,” she says. “We wanted something that Cetacea Sound cetaceasound.com the clarity of oral instructions, promotes would amplify the sound throughout the student attention, lessens teacher voice room, ensure that the teacher’s instruction FrontRow gofrontrow.com fatigue, and increases academic achieve- was heard throughout the day, and make ment scores, particularly for students with every second of teaching time that was pos- Lightspeed Technologies mild hearing loss.” lightspeed-tek.com LINKS Panasonic Sound Financials panasonic.com While improved behavior and academic Acoustical Society of America Roemtech performance seem like good reasons to acousticalsociety.org roemtech.com adopt classroom acoustic systems, so too is American National Standards Institute Smart Technologies ansi.org return on investment. “Our district realized smarttech.com it was spending more money than necessary

18 | AUGUST 2011

0811the_Sound-FINAL.indd 18 7/22/11 1:48 PM ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

sible available to all of the students.” Cheryl Myers, a preschool teacher for the deaf and hard of hearing at Monarch Ending the Echo Effect School, says the system has made a notice- MOST SCHOOL CLASSROOMS are simple square cinder block arrangements able diff erence. “We see a clear diff erence with hard surfaces, like blackboards and windows, spanning the walls. In such an in how the children attend to the teacher’s environment, sound can bounce around like a pingpong ball, a perfect breeding ground for excessive reverberations that can cause plenty of “ear fatigue” among students and voice,” she says. “Now that they hear the equivalent vocal strain for teachers. teacher, regardless of where they are in the Sound amplifi cation systems do not necessarily correct for this echo effect, but simple classroom, their attention is better, their acoustic panels do. Companies like SoundproofCow, Acoustics First, and Primacoustic behavior is better, and comprehension of make these fabric-covered sound-absorbing panels for many industries; for the K-12 market their panel solutions are targeted to the sound challenges inherent in classrooms, the instruction has increased.” gymnasiums, and libraries, usually at a cost that most schools can afford. According to Martin, teachers are not Primacoustic, for instance, has created tables to help educators calculate how many repeating directions as frequently as they panels any given room will need to help reduce sound reverberations. If a classroom were, so there’s defi nitely more time on fl oor size is 400 square feet, for example, and the ceiling is 9 feet, you will need anywhere from 72 to 180 square feet of acoustic panels, depending on whether you task. “The teacher gives a direction once, want minimal, light, medium, or “extra” coverage. The company says that most schools and no matter where the student is, the di- “fi nd that a ‘light’ level of treatment provides suffi cient sound abatement while keeping rection is taken,” she says. “Before it was, the budget in check.” If budgets are tight, Primacoustic suggests that schools start ‘Time to clean up. Time to clean up. Boys with a minimal treatment and then work up from there as funds become available. By simply placing panels so that each parallel surface has some treatment, schools can and girls, it’s time to clean up.’ Now they dramatically reduce the echo effect in their classrooms. say it once and the students hear it.” Acoustics First: acousticsfi rst.com Primacoustic: primacoustic.com Marty Weil is a freelance writer based in SoundproofCow: soundproofcow.com Asheville, NC.

0811the_Sound-FINAL.indd 19 7/22/11 1:48 PM Teachers and administrators at Vail School District in Arizona impressed the Sylvia Charp Award judges with the level of collaboration they engaged in to create a digital curriculum that takes their district—and others in the

Steven Meckler state—beyond textbooks.

0811the_CharpLTM2.indd 20 7/22/11 1:49 PM FEATURE | 21st century schools

SHOULDER An Arizona district won this year’s Sylvia Charp Award because of its revolutionary—and truly collaborative— TO approach to standards-based curriculum development. SHOUHere’s a look at howLDE it works. By Jennifer Demski R INNOVATION

IN 2003, DEBBIE HEDGEPETH was looking for a way to address the Vail School District’s academic shortfalls after the implementation of Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS), a statewide standards-referenced test of reading, writing, math literacy, and science. The assistant superintendent for curriculum and professional development at the rural school district in southeastern Arizona wanted to upend the way Vail approached standards-based curriculum instruction. Hedgepeth and her colleagues called it “inverting the curriculum.” Rather than basing what was taught and when it was taught on traditional textbooks, which were not aligned to the speciﬁ c state standards of Arizona, Hedgepeth and her team sat down with teachers throughout the district to “unwrap” the state standards for each grade level and subject. The team established forma- tive assessments and benchmarks for each standard and created a curriculum calendar based on logical sequences of concepts and required levels of mastery, rather than textbook chapter numbers. Once the common curriculum calendar, benchmarks, and assessments were in place, teachers were encouraged to select resources and materials that ﬁ t the standards, inspiring creativity among the faculty that would hopefully lead to an increase in high-level thinking, skill mastery, and student achievement.

AUGUST 2011 | 21

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A SPECIAL SECTION TO SECURITY PRODUCTS, T.H.E. JOURNAL AND CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY

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Untitled-1 1 6/2/11 10:50 AM TABLE OF CONTENTS S6 HIGHER EDUCATION, BETTER SECURITY By Ralph C. Jensen S8 NETWORK THE CAMPUS By Bill Taylor S10 HOLD THE PHONE By Sam Shanes S12 PRIVATE DEPLOYMENT By Harm Radstaak

EDUCATION SECURITY EDUCATION S14 AN A+ FOR VMS By Rob Shaw S16 EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION By Timothy Means S20 EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT READY OR NOT? By Rob Hile S22 SCRUTINIZING VIRTUAL TRAFFIC By Angela Fortier

S4 EDUCATION SECURITY | JULY 2011 | A SPECIAL SECTION TO SECURITY PRODUCTS, T.H.E. JOURNAL AND CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY

0711secSup_s04_TOC_v3.indd 4 6/6/11 8:35 AM VIOLATOR? OR VISITOR?

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Untitled-1 1 5/23/11 10:50 AM COMMENTARY HIGHER EDUCATION, BETTER SECURITY By Ralph C. Jensen HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU THAT THE SECURITY OFFERED AT YOUR CHILD’S COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY IS ADEQUATE TO PROTECT HIM OR HER? SURELY, THAT’S ONE OF THE TALKING POINTS YOU CONSIDERED WHEN CHOOSING HIGHER EDUCATION. EDUCATION SECURITY EDUCATION My sons, all grown and graduated, didn’t talk much about this issue when deciding which university to attend. It wasn’t an issue that entered my mind, either. Today’s parents, however, must consider campus security as a vital part of the learning experience. Today, parents have options and assis- tance from the university. Campus police take an active role in guiding and informing parents on what their children can expect. “Parents mainly ask if the campus is safe, and what the bigger issues we face might be,” said Troy Lane, chief of police at the University of Wyoming, Laramie. “During most of the month of June, we hold orientations for new students and parents of new students. Th e police department is represented in both orientations. We avoid many questions because we tell them up front about who we are, what we do and use at the University of Wyoming includes the deployment of text tip what safety measures are in place.” programs, social media, in-car cameras and video surveillance systems. One question that comes up more and more oft en concerns resi- Th is technology isn’t cheap. dence halls, where students may be the most vulnerable and where “Th ese systems do require maintenance, backup and updates,” Lane updates are underway at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. said. “We fi nd ourselves counting on in-house, self-trained experts or “Th e university will be installing new proximity card locks on every relying on vendors for servicing.” residence hall room,” said John M. McCandless, chief of police at Higher education also fi nds itself adhering to federal guidelines to Miami University. “Th is takes us away from standard keys and will be inform students, staff and faculty if there is an emergency on the cam- benefi cial. With the old locks, students would regularly leave their pus. Mass notifi cation systems vary, and law enforcement’s use of par- doors unlocked, and we would have many theft s as a result. ticular systems also varies. At the University of Wyoming, campus “Th e amount of crime alerts we issue for burglaries should also police employ a text alert program, mass e-mail notifi cation and a drop. We also have a swipe card system on the entrances to the resi- public address system. At Miami University, law enforcement has part- dence halls that helps to enhance security.” nered with E2Campus for text messaging, but the department also uses While policing a campus may seem diff erent from monitoring the VoIP phones and message boards. surrounding community, both Lane and McCandless say that the ser- Police also rely on additional campus resources, vices the campus law enforcement provide are similar to municipal ser- such as faculty and staff. vices; policing a campus does include monitoring Saturday aft ernoon “One of the things that hasn’t changed is the football games, but otherwise the job is much like community policing, fact that we need our community to be a part- they say. ner (eyes and ears), and we constantly ask them “Th e university hosts many events annually, each bringing a diff erent to call if they see anything suspicious,” McCand- set of challenges,” McCandless said. “We coordinate a lot of moving parts, less said. “Other departments on campus and we could not do it without our area law enforcement partners.” are great partners—grounds and phys- Th e University of Wyoming handles such special events in a similar ical facilities are an example of folks manner, but it also depends upon the event. Law enforcement can be on campus that we count on.” available on an on-call basis or they are heavily involved in the prepa- Th e University of Wyo- rations. Lane said they have run the gamut of events on the universi- ming is always looking ty’s campus, including small dances, political debates and even presi- to involve the commu- dential visits. nity, including text Much like their counterparts in municipal and county law enforce- tips, Silent Witness ment, campus police crave technology. McCandless noted that 28 years e-mails, crisis interven- ago an electric typewriter was high-tech. Times have changed. Today, tion teams and the ongoing law enforcement offi cers rely on technology to work in a smarter way. reminder that public safety is Everything from digital fi ngerprinting to license-plate readers has everyone’s responsibility, includ- changed the way police complete their mission. Other technology in ing students’ and parents’.

S6 EDUCATION SECURITY | JULY 2011 | A SPECIAL SECTION TO SECURITY PRODUCTS, T.H.E. JOURNAL AND CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY

0711secSup_s06_jensen_v4.indd 6 6/6/11 8:36 AM Untitled-1 1 6/2/11 10:49 AM FEATURE NETWORK THE CAMPUS Networking simplifi es installation; technology solves application challenges By Bill Taylor EDUCATION SECURITY EDUCATION

IP-BASED VIDEO SYSTEMS SEEM TAILOR-MADE FOR THE rape also are ongoing security concerns at college dormitories, and a EDUCATION AND CAMPUS ENVIRONMENT. USING IP AND multitude of less-serious incidents—including vandalism, theft and CONNECTING ACROSS INFORMATION NETWORKS, THESE fi ghts among students—further refl ects an accelerating need for secu- SYSTEMS CAN REACH MAXIMUM EFFECTIVENESS IN THE rity and surveillance systems on campuses. ENVIRONMENT OF MODERN NETWORKED CAMPUSES. Network connectivity ensures surveillance video can be made avail- INTEGRATION OPPORTUNITY able from anywhere on the campus without the added expense of run- IP networking drives all kinds of systems for various uses on campuses ning coaxial cable to each camera. Existing networks are typically cam- and presents an opportunity to expand the eff ects of integrating secu- puswide, meaning that the ability to provide critical video for any rity and other systems. Today, college classrooms oft en are integrated surveillance need is as near as the closest network node. with networked audiovisual systems that also tie into the university’s Network connectivity is simplifying campuswide video coverage, at IT backbone. Th e connectivity and functionality of these systems also a time when the need for surveillance and security on college and enable them to play a role in security and emergency response, in addi- university campuses is greater than ever. Th e 2007 tragedy at Virginia tion to their everyday functions. Tech, in which 32 people were killed and many others wounded, An integrated audiovisual system is part of the new technology- remains a stark reminder of the need for campus security. Assaults and driven classroom environment. Intelligent solutions can integrate

S8 EDUCATION SECURITY | JULY 2011 | A SPECIAL SECTION TO SECURITY PRODUCTS, T.H.E. JOURNAL AND CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY

0711secSup_s08_s09_taylor_v3.indd 8 6/6/11 8:37 AM EDUCATION SECURITY 6/6/11 8:37 AM S9

ere Campuses EDUCATION SECURITY EDUCATION | ciently. Ongoing system ciently. | JULY 2011 | JULY set the challenge presented by by presented set the challenge despite images is better e result ts of modernts of technology CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY

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Resolu- is paramount. so quality image surveillance environment, the camera inside intelligence and in quality, factor is one tion images. further to sensors improve megapixel with together works dark transform technology can processing image example, For as those such images seen the high-contrast by natural, into areas the of takes care reduction noise digital Adaptive eye. human is especially useful that for process a image, in a camera “noise” objects. moving of clarifying images also are numerous other solutions on the market that enable use of use of enable that the market on solutions other numerous also are infrastructure. existing Using fewer cameras to cover cover to cameras fewer Using SECURITY PRODUCTS, T.H.E. JOURNAL AND T.H.E. SECURITY PRODUCTS, TO A SPECIAL SECTION instantly ect, camera the document Cameras must be able to withstand withstand to be able must Cameras Cameras must be able to stand up to to up be stand to able Cameras must reposi- automatically is sends a signal to Cutting-edge technologyhelping meet is IP-based surveillance systems to become spread across large areas and is enabling spread across large an even part more integral of campus life. reat of vandalism. of images used capture to is primarily camera e document Th Camera coverage for large areas. Outdoor applications. Outdoor Th For example, a wireless classroom audio system could double double could system audio classroom a wireless example, For challenges brought on by system components challenges brought of a number does present surveillance environment e campus ts of such systems, they can be helpful in case of an emergency emergency they an in case be systems, of can such helpful ts of a larger area can help to keep system costs low, and megapixel megapixel and costs low, system keep to help can area a larger images thistechnology makes possible. High-resolution now such detail, see to greater image an in on zoom to operators enable environmental elements and continue to operate. Outdoor cam- Outdoor operate. to continue and elements environmental mois- and dust for standards IP66 international meet should eras in or eaves be to under building installed in order resistance ture A dehumidifica- rain. wind and to subject environments other be operat- can used offset to extreme a heater device and/or tion conditions. ing and Engineering treatment. rough other and vandalism abuse, to cameras enable special use materials, of and design features, dis- would that impacts and er shocks even aft operating continue camera. a conventional able application challenges. Among them is the question of how to to how of them is the question Among challenges. application com- system that given surveillance systems, support and maintain technology is Cutting-edge area. large a across spread are ponents surveil- IP-based is enabling and meet all these challenges helping life. campus part of integral even more become an to systems lance APPLICATION CHALLENGES APPLICATION Th books, maps or other teaching materials and project them on a a them on project and materials teaching other or books, maps to similar camera, document A network screen in the classroom. exceptional surveillance, provides usedthe for video cameras or incident an case of In condition. lighting any in virtually images the on located button a panic press can the teacher emergency, an Th microphone. pendant on but map booka or on focus not to camera thedocument tion eff In as a whole. the classroom video is incorporated and a video surveillancebecomes camera, visual provide surveillance to system networked the school’s into button the panic Pressing event. unfolding an about information immediate enabling authorities, to alarm also immediate sends an if needed. secure the campus, to action and response as an element of an emergency response system. Infrared tech- Infrared system. emergency response an of element as an commu- students and teachers help nology-based systems audio micro- pendant wireless a the use of include can and better nicate sends infrared to a signal that the teacher by worn phone the of the sound amplify speakers to to connected receivers works system the audio emergency, case an of In voice. teacher’s a teach- allow to camera document integrated an with in tandem response. first immediate an initiate quietly er to video, computers, projectors, whiteboards and handheld tablets, tablets, handheld and whiteboards projectors, computers, video, bene- Beyond educational the system. audio wireless a with along fi violence. of outbreak an or situation 0711secSup_s08_s09_taylor_v3.indd 9 FEATURE HOLD THE PHONE Emergency communications: Is it time for VoIP to shine? By Sam Shanes COLLEGES ARE REMOVING ANALOG PHONES FROM DORMITORIES FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS. STUDENTS DON’T USE THEM BECAUSE THEY HAVE CELL PHONES. IN AN EMERGENCY, EQUIPMENT FAILURE DUE TO A WALL-CONNECTED PHONE’S AGE CAN QUICKLY TURN

EDUCATION SECURITY EDUCATION INTO A LIABILITY. THE COST OF MAINTAINING THE NEC- ESSARY LEGACY INFRASTRUCTURE MIGHT FINALLY OUT- WEIGH THE UPGRADE OPTION, PROMPTING THE CHANGE. OR IT COULD ALSO BE A DESIRE TO STAN- DARDIZE ON IP. Whichever the case, the problem is anything but trivial. Phasing out legacy emergency communications capabilities without a migration plan will cut the vital link between those seeking help and security staff . Th e importance of such a communications channel cannot be Wachowski also recently installed Talk-A-Phone’s new generation of overstated from both legal and public relations perspectives. all-LED blue lights on 90 existing emergency phone towers. So what are the options? Phones can be installed in dormitory hall- “You can see them from about everywhere you are on campus,” ways for emergency use. VoIP is quickly becoming a de-facto standard Wachowski said. “Th ey help our students feel safe and they are a deter- for communications on IP networks, so naturally offi ce VoIP telepho- rent to crime.” ny is viewed as an alternative for emergency communications. How- Th e new units have ultra-bright, all-LED blue lights, and they fea- ever, business-grade VoIP phones do not possess the necessary dura- ture 209 lumens peak rating and prismatic pattern to increase visibility bility, are not designed with emergency communications in mind and at greater distances. Th e units’ All-LED construction signifi cantly are not ADA compliant. increases their life span. Th e proper way is to embrace and benefi t from IP while keeping reli- “Our biggest crime is theft of unattended items,” Wachowski said. able emergency communications a priority. Upgrading to VoIP emer- “But some of our issues occur late at night, so the phone towers assist the gency communications is an attractive and inexpensive option because students. I recently met with the student government association to help most campuses are already equipped with necessary IP infrastructure. us promote use of them. Our campus tour guides already promote them. We like to make every student aware of the emergency call towers.” DEPAUL UNIVERSITY UPGRADE As facilities are moving to IP for buildingwide use, it becomes eco- EMERGENCY PHONES IN CLASSROOMS nomical to install VoIP emergency phones in hallways, stairwells and Th e situation in classrooms is slightly diff erent, yet it resonates with the elevators along with IP-based video surveillance and access control issue of migration to alternative technology. Traditionally, classrooms systems. VoIP emergency phones are designed for emergency situa- are equipped with announcement speakers only, leaving emergency tions, and so their primary function is to establish reliable communi- communications out of the picture. But what if the students or staff in a cations in a time of crisis. Emergency phones are ADA compliant, and classroom need to reach out to university security during an emergency? their ruggedness gives passersby a sense of security. With growing concerns for student safety on campuses and wide- For DePaul University, upgrading to VoIP emergency phones was spread adoption of mass notifi cation technology over existing IP infra- not a hard decision to make. Founded in 1898, DePaul University is the structure, it is reasonable to off er two-way communication capabilities largest private institution in Chicago, with more than 23,000 students. inside classrooms. “Fortunately, I’m set in an institution that is big on safety,” said Bob A VoIP emergency phone serves a dual role. On one hand, it’s a reli- Wachowski, director of public safety for DePaul University. “Th ere is a able and robust emergency communications device with unparalleled capital funding program in place, and DePaul has come a long way. fl exibility to work on SIP-compliant VoIP networks. On the other Th e university administration is very supportive of my needs, and that hand, it’s a durable and loud paging speaker, capable of outputting is unique.” sound louder than 100 dB. Voice-over-IP emergency phones can also Wachowski recently upgraded the college’s analog emergency be integrated with mass notifi cation platforms to form a powerful, phones to new VoIP emergency phones manufactured by Talk-A- multi-layer mass notifi cation solution. Phone. Th e new phones are SIP-compatible and work on the college’s IP empowers communications. And now that IP PBX system. emergency phones are available with VoIP, secu- As an added benefi t, the new emergency phones can be paged at high rity professionals can take full advantage of their volume via mass notifi cation soft ware, which allows the public safety IP infrastructure. staff to issue targeted alerts to segments of a campus in groups or indi- vidually. Th e soft ware automatically tests and verifi es connectivity of Sam Shanes is the chairman of Talk-a-Phone. voice-over-IP phones and sends e-mail alerts when it detects failure. He can be reached at [email protected].

S10 EDUCATION SECURITY | JULY 2011 | A SPECIAL SECTION TO SECURITY PRODUCTS, T.H.E. JOURNAL AND CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY

0711secSup_s10_shanes_v3.indd 10 6/6/11 8:37 AM Untitled-3 1 5/16/11 11:39 AM FEATUREPRIVATE DEPLOYMENT Icelandic university warms up to prox card technology By Harm Radstaak REYKJAVIK UNIVERSITY IS A VIBRANT INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION SECURITY EDUCATION UNIVERSITY LOCATED IN THE HEART OF REYKJAVIK, THE CAPITAL CITY OF ICELAND. THE UNIVERSITY IS ICE- LAND’S LARGEST PRIVATE UNIVERSITY AND FOCUSES ON RESEARCH, EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING, ENTREPRE- NEURSHIP, TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT AND COOPERA- TION WITH THE ACTIVE BUSINESS COMMUNITY. RU has been happily using HID proximity technology to secure its buildings for many years. About three years ago, though, the university decided to build a larger, more modern facility to accommodate all of the university’s fi ve degree courses in the future. Designing this new facility for RU was not an overnight task. Many hours of planning and research were put in to ensure the best possible Th e system now installed at the university extends the boundaries of facility. Th e university’s technical manager, Ellert Igni Harđarson, access control and has seamlessly integrated lighting, electronics and spent almost a year researching the applications and products that room-allocation control. could be suitable for the new building, and in the course of his “We are trying not only to provide a secure and high-tech facility for research, he also met with HID Global at its EMEA offi ces in Haver- our students and staff , but to also be green and conscious of our envi- hill, United Kingdom. ronment around us,” Ellert said. “Such integrated solutions help us to To make the new building a success, RU worked closely with Secu- learn about how rooms and areas within the university are used, allow- ritas Iceland, which, with the university’s building consultant Eirikur ing us to become ever more intelligent and effi cient.” K. Torbjornsson, designed a solution to fi t the university’s vision. Today, the multi-technology smart cards provide about 4,000 stu- Th is vision was to have an almost “key-free” building, not only to dents access to all the university buildings. By uploading to the univer- increase the convenience and security for students and staff but also to sity’s intranet, a student can receive his or her card on the fi rst day of reduce costs and increase effi ciency. Whatever solution the university school with all his or her details and a photo already printed on it. would choose today needed also to be able to grow and fulfi ll future “We use a Fargo HDP5000, which is handled by our receptionists, requirements of a high-tech system and building. who are able to deliver cards to new students even during the busy “Our vision is to have a true multi-application smart card that in the periods at the beginning of term,” Ellert said. future can be enabled for cashless vending, canteen, on-demand print- Th e cards are used throughout the old and the new buildings to gain ing, photo ID, library, use of lockers and maybe more,” Ellert said. “We access to classrooms, lab rooms and study areas 365 days a year, 24 also are working with the wider community to extend the use of stu- hours a day. Th e new campus is not yet complete, and use of the cur- dent cards for public services, such as for buses, the museum and rent facility was extended last August. swimming pools. We really would like to see the use of smart cards “Iceland itself is a very-forward thinking country, and most of our adopted even beyond the boundaries of the university and make the local and international students have been in touch with smart cards advantages of multi-application ID cards available to everyone.” and access control cards before, therefore the adoption of smart cards “By planning for a true multi-application future from the start, with was very quick, and we have received very good feedback from our this project we were able to ensure a quick return on investment for the students and staff so far,” Eirikur said. university,” Eirikur said. Ellert and Eirikur concluded by saying that they are excited about Content with the existing solution and aft er much research, the uni- the possible future uses and applications for their smart cards, hoping versity decided to transition to HID iCLASSR, using both multi-tech- that one day soon the university cards can be used on the local bus, the nology cards and readers. Offi cials considered iCLASS a cost-eff ective public library and even at the theater. and convenient choice as it made the migration to smart cards simple. “RU has the determination to think big, to “From the outset, it was important for us that students who were always improve the university’s ability and to deci- issued access cards for the old building would be able to use their cards sively carry out our plans,” Ellert said. and gain access also in the new building,” Ellert said. Th e university charges students a nominal fee for the cards, which Harm Radstaak ([email protected]) is the according to Ellert has helped to reduce card loss to almost zero managing director of identity and access manage- because students begin to value their cards instantly. ment, EMEA with HID Global.

S12 EDUCATION SECURITY | JULY 2011 | A SPECIAL SECTION TO SECURITY PRODUCTS, T.H.E. JOURNAL AND CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY

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Untitled-3 1 5/16/11 11:40 AM FEATUREAN A+ FOR VMS Remote monitoring functions meet the grade; intuitive design smoothes out learning curve By Rob Shaw

IT’S ONE OF THE FIRST LESSONS LEARNED IN SCHOOL: had one fail yet.” IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED, TRY, TRY AGAIN. AFTER One of the key features Hobbs offi cials sought in a video soft ware UNSUCCESSFULLY TRYING A HANDFUL OF VIDEO SUR- provider was the ability to monitor and record sound, a feature its VEILLANCE SOFTWARE PROVIDERS AND EVEN MORE previous soft ware provider did not have. VIDEO CAMERA MANUFACTURERS, HOBBS, N.M., MUNIC- “As a school district, oft entimes pairing sound with video provides a complete picture of an incident, enabling administrators to better EDUCATION SECURITY EDUCATION IPAL SCHOOL DISTRICT SOLVED THE EQUATION FOR ITS VIDEO MANAGEMENT SYSTEM NEEDS. pinpoint parties involved and the evolution of an incident more pre- cisely,” Toglia said. Located just a few miles west of the Texas border in eastern New Another issue Video Insight solved for Hobbs was storage. Th e pre- Mexico, Hobbs is a community of 32,000 that enjoys mild winters and vious soft ware Hobbs used was based on time and not on size. warm summers. With more than 8,000 students, the Hobbs Municipal “With our previous providers, you’d always just have two weeks of School District continues to grow, which, as any educator knows, calls storage no matter what,” Toglia said. “But with Video Insight, we base for an increasing need for eff ective and reliable technology throughout it on size so we can confi gure it to store the data for as long as we want, the schools. And today, video surveillance is considered high on that list which is particularly helpful being a school district, where we oft en Unhappy with previous video surveillance soft ware providers and have long periods of time without regular activity in buildings due to cameras, Hobbs systems engineer Andrew Toglia called on New Mex- summer or holiday breaks.” ico systems integrator Klein Security & Safety to fi nd a permanent In addition to recorded sound and storage, another advantage was solution that met its high standards in addition to resolving a long, that the soft ware allowed camera access from outside the network. unmet desire to have recorded audio in addition to video. Th e Hobbs video surveillance system operates with one centralized “Hobbs had serious problems with their previous video surveillance server located at technology headquarters and an archival server at program. It became such an issue for them that they abandoned what each building. they had in place in search for a better product,” said Mark Kleinsteu- “You can view all of your cameras from anywhere,” Toglia said. “We ber, vice president of Klein Security & Safety Systems. were able to give school district police offi cers login credentials so “Among the many problems they had with their previous soft ware when they respond to a school they can view crystal-clear images from providers was unreliability,” Kleinsteuber said. “Th ey didn’t perform as the Axis cameras from a laptop or smartphone before going into the promised. Th ey persistently had problems with upgrades, which would building. Th ey couldn’t do that with our previous soft w are .” put more bugs in their system. Th eir biggest concern, however, came Toglia says he also likes being able to control PTZ within the soft - to be dealing with the horrendous and absent tech support regarding ware and the ability to play recorded video back and forward at eight fi xing these constant issues.” times the speed with a very “smooth image.” Th e school district also had problems with image quality and cam- Ease-of-use was the fi nal benefi t that tipped the district’s decision era performance in its previous system. on the solution. “Th eir picture quality was terrible and was even worse in low-light “We haven’t even had a formal training, nor have we had requests for conditions at night or when building lights were off ,” Toglia said. “Th ese one. We loaded the soft ware on their desktops and gave them a fi ve- were very recognizable names in camera manufacturers, and we had minute tutorial and they have been up and running ever since.” problems like PTZ cameras coming off of their tracks constantly.” Toglia and Kleinsteuber also agree that technical support is critical, Klein Security & Safety recommended Hobbs download a free especially in a school environment in which many diff erent non-secu- Video Insight soft ware trial because the integrator felt it would be the rity personnel might be accessing the video. On the rare occasion the right product to provide what the school district needed. district needed support, offi cials said Video Insight’s one-hour-call- “We recommend Video Insight soft ware for all of our projects, back-guarantee tech support department has “been very impressive to among them schools, businesses and petrochemical plants,” Kleinsteu- Hobbs and to my company,” Kleinsteuber said. ber said. “It’s a reliable, feature-rich product that’s intuitive and easy to Hobbs has made an aggressive eff ort to ensure comprehensive video use. We rarely experience problems, but if there’s an issue, Video surveillance coverage of its 16 schools and four buildings, providing Insight’s U.S.-based customer service is responsive and top-notch.” more than 400 Axis cameras throughout the district. Th e next phase of Kleinsteuber recommended Axis network cameras for use with construction will include an additional 70 Axis cameras. Video Insight because the duo “works together seamlessly.” “Overall, we couldn’t be more pleased with how In fact, aft er becoming acquainted with Axis IP cameras, Toglia says well Video Insight software and Axis cameras Hobbs has chosen to move forward exclusively with Axis products. work together and the top-notch security solution “Axis has the best picture quality, especially in those important low- they have provided Hobbs Municipal Schools,” light conditions. Axis also has better interfaces on the cameras them- Toglia said. selves for saving and restoring settings, changing iris or focus settings and other options,” he said. Perhaps most importantly, Toglia said, “Of the more than 400 Rob Shaw is CEO and co-founder of Video Insight. Axis cameras we’ve had in place for three-plus years, we have not He can be reached at [email protected].

S14 EDUCATION SECURITY | JULY 2011 | A SPECIAL SECTION TO SECURITY PRODUCTS, T.H.E. JOURNAL AND CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY

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Untitled-5 1 6/1/11 2:48 PM FEATUREEMERGENCY NOTIFICATION Protecting the learning environment By Timothy Means

INSIDE CLASSROOMS, 10 TO 100 OR MORE PEOPLE notifi cation system that connects to dedicated, networked alerting EDUCATION SECURITY EDUCATION ARE ISOLATED FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD IN A ROOM devices inside the room. Th ese may include proprietary alerting devic- WITH DOORS THAT DO NOT LOCK TO KEEP DANGER OUT. es made by manufacturers such as Metis Secure Solutions or VoIP IN THE EYES OF CAMPUS SAFETY EXPERTS, THIS IS THE phones similar to those made by Cisco Corporation. A precision noti- PERFECT SETTING FOR A POTENTIALLY BAD SITUATION. fi cation system targets alerting devices by location and uses network infrastructure independent of consumer communications networks. Th e amount of time college students spend inside classrooms—from Th ese systems can send messages to one or all classrooms without two to six hours daily—causes a sizeable gap in mass notifi cation sys- alerting the entire campus population and are a faster, more-accurate tem coverage for most colleges and universities. To penetrate the pro- way to deliver a warning. tected learning environment, schools must employ precision notifi ca- In all its classrooms, the University of Louisville has installed VoIP tion systems. phones set to dial the University Police if the receiver is picked up. On college campuses, professors have taken a hard line against the Th ey also communicate emergency messages in the classrooms using a use of cell phones and laptops in class because of the disruptions text screen, audio and a fl ashing light. caused by calling, texting and surfi ng the Internet. Most classrooms “During a recent tornado warning, every classroom was provided have signs posted prohibiting use of cell phones, and many professors timely warning that was faster than text messages, e-mails or our Web include similar language in the class syllabus. A National Education page,” Sullivan said. “Th is system is not for everyone and would be Association survey shows that 85 percent of professors on college cam- extremely costly unless you already have converted the university from puses support banning cell phones in their classrooms. analog phones to digital phones.” So it’s clear that the classroom is one of education’s sacred spaces. One advantage of these devices is that they display text and provide But what happens when events outside demand that emergency infor- audio data to the whole class—including the professor, who is the mation penetrate the protective cocoon of the classroom? appropriate authority to direct the class during an emergency. Th ese systems are activated during an emergency only, removing impetus for MASS NOTIFICATION LAYERS FAIL TO PENETRATE students to have their cell phones or laptops active during class. Unfortunately, the predominant methods of mass notifi cation on uni- It is important that text and voice information about the need for versity campuses—cell phone/text messaging, e-mails and Web sheltering in place be conveyed immediately. One EHS director con- announcements—are minimally eff ective in the classroom. fi ded that she worries about a scenario where a dangerous situation On average, only 40 to 50 percent of students opt into a school’s call- outside occurs fi ve minutes before classes are dismissed, resulting in ing program, which equates to 10 to 12 students in a classroom of 25. thousands of students potentially walking headlong into a crisis. Many If, say, 75 percent have their phones turned off in class, then only two fi re alarms and outdoor sirens produce a warning tone only and can- or three students would be able to receive a message pushed through not provide detailed instructions. In the event of a chemical spill, the school’s cell phone-based emergency notifi cation system (ENS). severe weather, violent crime or similar situation, leaving the class- Given that calling systems cannot target specifi c classrooms, it may be room to see what is happening may be dangerous. 30 minutes or more before a message appears on one of those phones. Newer fi re alarm systems support live voice using a microphone at Even fewer students bring laptops to class, but the same logic applies. the panel, but a person has to be in the building and have keys to the “I think that someone would have to personally come to the class- fi re panel to operate it. All of these steps waste precious time. room if we had an emergency scenario,” said Emily Drill, an adjunct According to a survey, fewer than 20 percent of higher education lecturer at the University of Pittsburgh and Allegheny College. She institutions have deployed in-building ENS. Th erefore, there are many added that while students are familiar with fi re alarm drills, their expe- students who won’t get emergency notifi cations during class. Admin- rience with other emergency evacuation events is minimal. istrators who make the eff ort to deploy precision notifi cation systems will fi ll a gap left by the other commonly deployed IP ENDPOINTS GET THE JOB DONE ENS layers. It is the best way to inform and pro- “Emergency notifi cations in the classroom setting must be made by tect more students while respecting the integrity more eff ective tools than e-mail, text messages or Web pages. Two-way of the classroom and the learning experience. communication systems, radio receivers, digital signage or VoIP phones provide the most rapid means for emergency notifi cation,” said Dennis Sullivan, assistant EHS director and emergency manager at Timothy Means is the director of product manage- Louisville University ment and a co-founder of Metis Secure Solutions. Th e most eff ective way to alert a classroom is to use a precision He can be reached at [email protected].

S16 EDUCATION SECURITY | JULY 2011 | A SPECIAL SECTION TO SECURITY PRODUCTS, T.H.E. JOURNAL AND CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY

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Untitled-1 1 5/26/11 3:31 PM Anticipate the unexpected The security tools, techniques, and talent for tomorrow.

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Untitled-3 1 5/16/11 11:36 AM VIDEO SURVEILLANCE Made Easy

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Untitled-1 1 5/25/11 11:34 AM FEATURE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

EDUCATION SECURITY EDUCATION READY OR NOT? Preparing security managers for mission impossible: safety and security in an open environment By Rob Hile INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING ARE, BY VIRTUE OF THEIR MISSION, OPEN ENVIRONMENTS. THEY INVITE CREATIVE THINKING AND RESIST INTERFERING, WITH- OUT BOUNDARIES, FENCES OR BARRIERS TO HINDER STUDENTS’ ABILITY TO LEARN AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. TO THE SECURITY PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBLE FOR PROVIDING A SAFE AND SECURE ENVIRONMENT WHILE MAINTAINING THE “OPEN” NATURE OF TODAY’S COLLEG- ES, IT’S NOT A MATTER OF IF SOMETHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN, BUT RATHER A MATTER OF WHEN. THERE’S NO WAY TO PREVENT SOMEONE WITH THE INTENT TO HARM THE STUDENT BODY, FACULTY OR THEMSELVES FROM SHOWING UP, NO MATTER HOW MANY SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS OR ACCESS-CONTROLLED DOORS THERE ARE ON THE CAMPUS. THE QUESTION IS THIS: WILL YOU BE READY TO HANDLE THE SITUATION WHEN IT HAPPENS? DO YOU HAVE THE PROPER PROCEDURES AND TECH- NOLOGY IN PLACE? If history has taught us anything, it is that being prepared for any situation or emergency is the best we can hope to achieve. Such organizations as the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Incident Management System (NIMS) and its National Response Framework have aided private sector organizations by creating an environment for sharing best practices and much-needed subject-matter expertise for the full spectrum of emergency management and response. Due to a freer exchange of knowledge and best practices, many colleges and universities are investing a signifi cant portion of their ener- gies and budgets to expand their security programs. Th eir emergency response framework includes all four phases of incident management, not just the basic functions of prepare and respond. In the past, threat assessments were often conducted by only the The best defense against a catastrophic event is a strong offense federal government, critical infrastructure overseers or chemical/ coupled with a solid playbook with well-thought-out procedures for biological organizations. But now, such assessments are becoming any situation. standard operating procedures (SOP) for higher education facilities. Let’s explore each phase of the emergency response framework in In addition, organizations are developing disaster recovery, resil- more detail: iency and business continuity plans to ensure that, when disaster Mitigate: Th e defi nition of mitigate is to “cause to become less pain- strikes, they can resume operations as soon as possible. It’s not good ful” or “to make less severe.” Th e best way to accomplish this is to enough to have situational awareness and a generic response plan. identify all known or perceived threats and develop the best way of

S20 EDUCATION SECURITY | JULY 2011 | A SPECIAL SECTION TO SECURITY PRODUCTS, T.H.E. JOURNAL AND CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY

0711secSup_s20_s21_hile_v4.indd 20 6/6/11 8:40 AM EDUCATION SECURITY 6/6/11 8:40 AM S21

ectively ectively

e ability to to e ability ed for accuracy. In In accuracy. ed for . something tragic is tragic is something if ciently ciently and eff EDUCATION SECURITY EDUCATION | Follow-on Consulting; Follow-on Post-Incident Reporting; Post-Incident aspect en the overlooked most Road Mapping; Integration Automated Plans / Checklists Automated Risk Analysis; Risk Assessment Oft er the event. Integrated security security Integrated er the event. Situational Awareness Technologies MNS / ECS: Command and Control MNS / ECS: Command and is director of | JULY 2011 | JULY Recover: goes, recov- continuity business as far As not it’s Remember, Rob Hile sys- security integrated Industry Siemens tems, ding Technologies Buil Inc., Solu- Security Division, tions. be can at reached He [email protected] to respond quickly, accurately and efficiently efficiently and accurately quickly, respond to emergency. any to criti- recovering is situation emergency any of aft cal data record and track to the ability have platforms everyany including aspect the incident, of com- data and all voice SOPs, from deviation data time-of-response critical munication, Every aspect the data video footage. of and verifi electronically be can forensic be used can for this data addition, of revision review and purposes as a basis for SOPs. current be in ery measured often can a disaster after Having dollars. of millions if not thousands, security platform your bring to the ability or a failure after immediately online back systems today’s of Many is vital. disaster that world in a virtual machine operate infor- database key mirror host and remotely full to disas- contribute that features mation, capabilities. recovery ter when. Th it’s happen, to going all aspects the emergency of implement essential and is critical framework response effi chaos managing to impos- mission turning strikes, when disaster accomplished. mission into sible CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY post-incident analysis. Track and report recovery and de-escalation efforts and compile data for tions, assets, and the brand. Survey the impact on opera- Mobilize, track and manage assets critical communications for escalation critical communications for escalation to neutralize the threat and streamline to neutralize the threat and streamline cant provisions of Requirements Recover harden the target and speed recovery. Employ a vigilant plan to identify threats and Employ a vigilant plan to identify threats impose practices and implement technologies to impose practices and implement technologies Respond Identify threats and establish SOPs based on Identify threats and establish SOPs based e signifi erent answer. It is impor- It answer. erent Industry Best Practices, NIMS / ICS Requirements.

FULL EMERGENCY RESPONSE FRAMEWORK RESPONSE FULL EMERGENCY Prepare Based on a NIMS Program The good news is that integrated security security The good integrated news is that aspect the emergency of framework response and organized in an quickly is responding Th manner. accurate of institutions Cleary require Act the Jean to warnings timely make higher to learning crimes that about community the campus the to threat immediate or pose ongoing an is timely? what But faculty. body or student has a diff Everyone tant that security professionals continue to to continue security professionals that tant as time to the response reducing focus on as possible. close zero to any to in responding aid can platforms indi- of the power leveraging emergencyby common security under one vidual systems specific surveil- Grouping system. operating a security around in and cameras lance video verifica- immediate provide can alarm Infor- Geographical emergency. any of tion site- provide can integration System mation 3-D including alarms, of specific location Virtually securitykey personnel. to imaging, be can awareness every aspect situational of via their responders first to available made mass The campus’s PDAs. or smartphones and be integrated can system notification security plat- the integrated with automated the message goes right out ensure to form a specific of emer- in the event immediately be can auto- SOP an part All of or gency. exterior unlocking or locking as such mated, key dispatching and locating and doors security personnel in certain emergencies. prop- follow to fails the operator the event In her his or contact can the system er protocol, critical enforce electronically or supervisor, can This integration emergency procedures. she needs he or all the tools the operator give er ow rst- ese cult to rms spe- SECURITY PRODUCTS, T.H.E. JOURNAL AND T.H.E. SECURITY PRODUCTS, TO A SPECIAL SECTION ed fi cally cally designed as easy is is not virtually it make ese systems cient planning to identify the the identify to planning cient ow patterns, lighting, number of of number lighting, patterns, ow Many organizations have spent a a spent have organizations Many cult for security personnel to to personnel security for cult re, for instance—the student body student instance—the for re, c-fl is is just not acceptable given the the given acceptable not just is is rms have assembled best practices best assembled practices rms have lled period of time. time. lled period of re evacuation plan, copy it, place it in in it place it, copy plan, evacuation re erent. Even though the threat might be the might the though threat Even erent. Prepare: this partof only is awareness Situational Probably the most important the most important Respond: Probably c facility. Only SOPs specifi SOPs Only facility. c re, traffi elds of view, how can campus security pro- security campus can how view, of elds dealing with each of them. Th them. of each with dealing diff may the threat to reaction faculty’s and as it sounds, simply because each facility is is facility because each simply sounds, it as diff same—fi the type of factors: of a number depending on fi the next to on move and manual SOP their task.Th each cam- of and each threat of nature unique qualifi of A number facility. pus’s exits, a building’s layout. Ironically, a number a number Ironically, layout. a building’s exits, the Internet search simply organizations of fi a for equation. Scenario-based role-playing and and Scenario-based role-playing equation. ele- also important are simulations tabletop a regular be performed on should that ments it exercises, training regular basis. Without be diffi can happen needs to exactly what remember occurs.suddenly For- whenincident tragic a as well. in this area is help there tunately, list can platforms Command-and-control the provide and c emergencies specifi for SOPs workfl written detailed with operator cialize in creating detailed threat assessments assessments detailed threat cialize in creating make would which situation, any virtually for Th plan. evacuation better a much for same fi cases, most can in and, markets various from spe- your best-suited for SOP an develop help cifi an mitigate will help situation unique your for emergency situation. and money time, of amount considerable real- to phase only energy this preparatory on that happened tragic when something ize As being ready. even close to not they were impos- a crystal it’s ball, without mentioned, a disas- where exactly when and know to sible has a good founda- one Unless will strike. ter threat professional includes that tion diffi it’s SOPs, custom and assessments For emergency. an for prepare adequately surveillance of placement proper example, lobbies hallways, areas, in common cameras fi is crucial providing to classrooms and in the information critical with responders thecampus. on a hostile situation of event Without suffi the optimal and cameras place to best areas fi truly be prepared? fessionals Th instructions. a mistake make to the operator for impossible incredibly be an can what with when dealing stress-fi 0711secSup_s20_s21_hile_v4.indd 21 FEATURESCRUTINIZING VIRTUAL TRAFFIC Student cybersafety capture and analysis tools protect the network By Angela Fortier itor network traffic and prevent access to unauthorized sites. When the Recording Industry Association of America notified SUNY about

EDUCATION SECURITY EDUCATION an aggressive campaign to pursue college students who illegally shared or downloaded music, the university knew it needed detailed network analytics. As did Bloomington PSS and Laurence Tech, SUNY found that Cis- co’s NetFlow technology provided deeper insight into network traffi c. “While I was aware of NetFlow, we just couldn’t analyze the data without a supplemental technology,” said Rick Coloccia, SUNY’s network manager. Scrutinizer NetFlow and sFlow Analyzer from Plixer International provided the detailed graphical analysis and insight that the institutions needed to isolate network threats and monitor traffi c patterns. Armed with this technology, the school systems were able to combat viruses and threats, trace use of prohibited websites and isolate causes of bandwidth consumption. FOR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, RECENT ADVANCES Aft er the Bloomington school system’s virus infection, Radford used IN TECHNOLOGY HAVE ALSO BROUGHT PROBLEMS OF the soft ware to create reports pinpointing every infected machine, and CYBER THREATS, VIRUSES, ILLEGAL MUSIC DOWNLOAD- IT “SWAT teams” were dispatched. Now he can further protect the ING AND EXCESSIVE BANDWIDTH CONSUMPTION. AS network by denying access to sites that school policy prohibits. MORE FACILITIES INCREASE THEIR RELIANCE ON TECH- Lawrence Tech's Chavis recently used NetFlow analysis tools to dis- NOLOGY, THE ABILITY TO MONITOR AND TRACE NET- cover that system response times were suddenly exponentially degrad- ed because one international student used a protocol not standard to WORK ACTIVITY IS VITAL TO ENSURE BOTH DATA AND the United States. Th e unfamiliar fi le program consumed 15 megabytes STUDENT CYBERSAFETY. of bandwidth, leaving only 15 megabytes for 4,500 other users. Th e Bloomington Public School System in Illinois has signifi cant Using Scrutinizer’s functionality and unlimited automatic archiving multi-directional traffi c on its 98-percent-virtual network across 10 to investigate users’ access to prohibited sites, SUNY’s Coloccia lever- locations. Because more than 9,000 people use the school system’s aged forensic data: He could confi rm or deny RIAA allegations, and resources, viruses can occasionally infect the network. One recently then either warn a guilty student severely or clear the name of a stu- navigated through the antivirus soft ware the school system had been dent mistakenly accused. using. Th e virus aff ected more than 100 machines in just a short time, “Prior to implementing NetFlow, we did not have the ability go back as it accessed botnet websites and sent spam e-mails to propagate itself. in time to see how a certain student on the network was behaving,” Systems Administrator Jason Radford explained that Bloomington’s Coloccia said. traditional network management tools didn’t provide insight into the In addition to the Bloomington PSS, SUNY Geneseo and Lawrence virus’s path to pinpoint the source and the aff ected machines. Tech, other educational facilities and businesses have recognized the Similarly, traditional tools didn’t provide the level of detail that benefi ts of using NetFlow tools to uphold network security. With auto- Michigan’s Lawrence Technological University needed to manage net- matic logging and reporting on all network traffi c, businesses can now work traffi c through 60 servers on its completely wireless campus. Th e understand the detailed interactions between systems. university’s IT team regularly saw a lot of network noise and fl uctuat- “Using this technology has changed our processes,” Radford said. ing system response times, making troubleshooting diffi cult and time- “Th rough Scrutinizer, we can drill down to any type of traffi c, any- consuming. With one of the largest wireless networks in the Midwest, where on the network, so we can quickly provide answers to what is the university was also concerned about enforcing security. going on and why.” Additionally, Lawrence Tech’s large base of international students With advances in networking, organizations can cause network outages for atypical reasons, such as when they need means to combat online threats, monitor stu- over-consume bandwidth by using a protocol not standard to the Unit- dent network behavior and ensure proper use of ed States or an unfamiliar fi le program. Tim Chavis, executive director network bandwidth. of IT services, needed a networking tool that could allow him to determine the cause of bandwidth saturation and security breech attempts. Angela Fortier has spent the past two years doing The State University of New York at Geneseo also needed to mon- public relations work for Plixer International Inc.

S22 EDUCATION SECURITY | JULY 2011 | A SPECIAL SECTION TO SECURITY PRODUCTS, T.H.E. JOURNAL AND CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY

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Untitled-1 1 5/25/11 11:33 AM FEATURE | 21st century schools

Within four years, all of Vail’s schools AN AWARD-WINNING INITIATIVE had achieved “Excelling” status, the highest ARIZONA’S VAIL SCHOOL DISTRICT is the winner of the 2011 Sylvia Charp Award. The award, distinction attainable in Arizona. Yet, the named in honor of the founding editor of this magazine, is presented annually by the International implementation and upkeep of this new Society for Technology in Education and T.H.E. Journal for innovative, districtwide use of technology. approach to curriculum was cumbersome “There were some amazing districts that applied for the Charp award this year,” comments Therese Mageau, T.H.E. Journal’s editorial director and one of the judges for the award, “but what and time-consuming. State standards and ultimately moved Vail to the top of the pack were two things. The fi rst is the totally teacher-driven curriculum information for each grade level nature of the initiative. The second is the dissemination model that they use to extend the Beyond and subject were distributed to teachers in Textbooks program beyond their district boundaries. Both ensure that the work Vail has done is not large binders, which had to be replaced each some isolated island of success, but rather that their achievements are replicable in other districts.” time a change was made to one of the state For more insights from the Sylvia Charp Award judges, including tips on getting your district into the running for next year’s award, visit thejournal.com/Charp. requirements. Also, though the internet provided a wealth of free digital resources for teachers to use, hunting for those resources be orchestrated. There has to be a standing to, such as Discovery Education Streaming was less than effi cient—there was no central relationship from the start.” and BrainPop, as well as free, web-based location where teachers could go to share content and other resources they can fi nd. their resources and access the materials Teacher Empowerment “We want to enable our teachers to found by their peers. The framework of what became known as use their creativity within the realm of a In 2007, Hedgepeth asked Matt Feder- Vail’s Beyond Textbooks (beyondtextbooks. standards-based curriculum,” explains Hedge- off , the district’s CIO, if there was perhaps org) initiative is deceptively simple. On the peth. “With the calendar and the main wiki a tech-based solution to these problems. district’s server reside iCal-based curricu- pages, we have agreement on what we’re going Around the same time, Federoff was over- lum calendars corresponding to each grade to teach, when we’re going to teach it, and the seeing Vail’s transition to Apple’s Leopard level and subject taught in the district. level of rigor at which it will be taught. But operating system and server, which would Teachers subscribe to the calendars that are how one teacher moves his students through provide the district with tools it hadn’t had applicable to their classrooms, with access the learning process—that’s his art of teach- before, including iCal calendar software and to multiple calendars if necessary. These ing. That is his creative experience.” web 2.0 components. calendars map out the concepts required by Teachers are encouraged to post and Hedgepeth and Federoff realized that at Arizona’s state standards, assigning a date share their best work, and their names, the confl uence of the curriculum depart- to when each one should be taught. schools, and districts are posted with each ment’s problem and the IT department’s Each concept appears on the calendar resource they submit. A staff member in the progression was an ambitious approach to as a hyperlink. Double-clicking on one of curriculum department vets teacher-sub- the delivery of standards-based curriculum them leads to a wiki page featuring all of mitted lesson plans, activities, and keynote and digital content. With the new tools the resources available from the curriculum presentations before they go public. Staff available to the department members check for congruence to standards, district through the keyword: collaboration to assist in level of rigor, and correct formatting, as well Leopard OS and [] visit thejournal.com teach- as copyright issues. server, they could ing the Teachers can comment on each other’s electronically organize all of the curricu- standard, including an “unwrap” document materials, creating a community of peers lum materials around the core essential created by the curriculum department. The to off er support and encouragement as they standards, allowing a teacher to look up unwrap document outlines what the students work toward the common goal of fi nding any standard and easily fi nd resources that need to learn about the concept, provides the best ways to teach the standards. When supported instruction for that objective. questions teachers should be asking, notes there is a change in state standards, the cur- The uncovering of this solution defi nes the level of rigor at which students should riculum department can easily redistribute the importance of consistent interdepart- be learning, and provides sample tasks that the teacher-submitted digital content to its mental communication throughout a students can do to demonstrate learning. corresponding wiki pages within the new district, says Federoff . “It’s so important The real power of the initiative lies with curriculum. that school IT departments not operate in the teachers who use it. On the wiki page Indeed, like many districts, Vail is in the isolation,” he says. “The critical point is that for each standard, teachers are encouraged process of shifting over to the Common Debbie had a problem, and I had a solution. to post resources, lesson plans, activities, Core State Standards, with expectations of If we had never talked, we never would have presentations, and more. To build this cache full implementation, including assessment, known. The interactions that lead to these of materials, teachers have access to digital by the 2014-2015 school year. Vail’s cur- types of solutions can’t be forced; they can’t content services that the district subscribes riculum department will be busy updating

AUGUST 2011 | 23

0811the_CharpLTM2.indd 23 7/22/11 1:49 PM FEATURE | 21st century schools

“WHEN BEYOND TEXTBOOKS WAS ROLLED OUT, IT WASN’T MATT’S INITIATIVE, OR DEBBIE’S INITIATIVE, OR MY INITIATIVE. IT WAS THE INITIATIVE OF ALL THE PEOPLE WHO WERE ENGAGED IN ITS DEVELOPMENT. PEOPLE HAD OWNERSHIP. THAT’S AN INCREDIBLY POWERFUL WORD.” –Superintendent Calvin Baker

its Beyond Textbooks curriculum on the Collaborative Ownership level, and then open that up further to teach- back end by unwrapping the new standards, From the very beginning, Federoff , Hedge- ers being at the school to impact the entire creating new calendars and wiki pages, and peth, and Baker recognized that this out-of- school, or the district, and then beyond. As redistributing existing teacher resources the-box initiative would only be successful that attitude and that vision of the circle of im- to their appropriate places within the new if there was ownership and buy-in among all pact changes, then the buy-in also increases.” standards. “While the process will be teachers and administrators. Recalls Baker, The team also built in a recognition com- traumatic for everybody, I don’t think that “One of the fi rst things we did was bring ponent for teachers who post materials to we’ll lose the body of work that our teachers in 50 teachers and administrators from the wiki. After members of the curriculum have created,” says Federoff . “We’ll be able throughout the district, lay out the vision to department review the materials, they send to transform it into whatever the new reality them, and let them do the ‘sniff test.’” Group e-mails to the teachers who submitted them, is going to be going forward.” input helped to clarify the vision and come off ering recognition for their work. Each Vail has proven Federoff ’s words to be up with the name, Beyond Textbooks. e-mail is copied to the teacher’s principal, true already. In the fi rst year of the initiative, “That kickoff was huge,” remarks Baker. supervisor, or superintendent as a way to Vail teachers submitted more than 500 “Then, when Beyond Textbooks was rolled further honor the teacher’s contribution. As classroom-tested resources to the Beyond out—it wasn’t Matt’s initiative, or Debbie’s Kevin Carney, director of Beyond Textbooks Textbooks wiki; three years and 37 districts initiative, or my initiative. It was the initia- and a former principal at Vail’s Rincon Vista later, more than 4,100 materials have been tive of all of those people who were engaged Middle School, notes, “In this day and age, posted to the system. Meanwhile, each of in its development. People had ownership. when teachers are getting so hammered for Vail’s schools has maintained the “Excel- That’s an incredibly powerful word.” what they’re perceived as doing wrong, the ling” label they gained in 2007. While some in the district went to work to fact that somebody’s noticing something that “In the shift to standards-based cur- implement the technical changes in cur- they’re doing right goes a long way toward riculum and the reliance on commercial riculum delivery, others focused on changing getting teachers excited.” products in the education marketplace, the hearts and minds of its teachers and Nicole Buchheit, a second-year math teachers often feel like they’re a cog in the administrators. The team worked with the teacher at Rincon Vista and frequent con- machinery,” remarks District Superinten- principals at each of the schools to ensure they tributor to Beyond Textbooks, notes that the dent Calvin Baker. “What’s so exciting understood and were on board, so they could new model increases the life span and reach about Beyond Textbooks is that it allows help carry the vision at every school site. of the lesson plans and presentations. “As a teachers to not only use their creativ- “We had to move from the mindset that teacher, you put hours into creating a lesson ity, but to demonstrate their creativity to teachers are in the classroom to have an that ends up taking 45 minutes of class time,” teachers across their school, across their impact on their students,” explains Hedge- she remarks. “It’s been so cool to be able district, and, now, even all the way across peth, “and open that up to teachers being in to share this work and to know that other their state.” the school to impact all students of that grade teachers are able to use them as well. You’re

24 | AUGUST 2011

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Untitled-3 1 3/16/11 11:14 AM FEATURE | 21st century schools

making an impact beyond your classroom.” results, so that has given us a platform for the program. “If they say they want to move With Beyond Textbooks now imple- presenting and sharing Beyond Textbooks.” forward, we say, ‘Great, we want to do the mented in 37 Arizona districts and charter Vail fi rst experimented with replicating the same exact overview with you and some of schools, Vail has recognized the importance model in the fall of 2008 with a small pilot at your key teacher leaders,’” explains Carney. of training its partner schools and achieving the neighboring Benson Unifi ed School District. Vail then brings in a team from the the buy-in and ownership that led to Beyond Although the pilot was successful, the Beyond outside district, including its key teacher Textbooks’ success at Vail. “That piece, Textbooks team quickly realized that the leaders, for a two-day leadership retreat that collaborative ownership, is just so key,” expansion of the initiative would require more that explores the logistics of implementing says Carney. “It’s a shoulder-to-shoulder than just giving an outside district access to Beyond Textbooks based on the system the model rather than a top-down model. As the curriculum calendars and wikis. “If you’ve outside district was previously using. “Those we translate this initiative to other districts, never run, and a marathon runner hands you key teacher leaders are the folks that other those partner districts that are being really his training book, you can’t just jump in and teachers listen to, ” Carney says. thoughtful with that shoulder-to-shoulder use his training schedule,” remarks Baker. “We A road map based on a rubric created model are having a greater level of success.” found we have to lead people up to that level.” by Vail but unique to each outside district’s Carney put together a sequence of profes- needs is put together. From there, Vail works Beyond Textbooks, Beyond Vail sional development and training sessions with the new partner district’s teachers With Vail’s reputation as one of the highest- that slowly lead a district up to the highest in mandatory professional development achieving districts in Arizona, interest in level of the initiative’s implementation—the sessions—workshops, webinars, and a year- their new method for compiling, organizing, level at which teachers begin posting their end conference—which focus on both the and delivering standards-specifi c curriculum own materials. But before any training logistics of working with the technology and spread quickly throughout the state. Baker takes place, the Beyond Textbooks team the philosophy behind the initiative. says, “We host a steady stream of visitors requires that interested districts bring their To cover the costs of these off erings, as seeking to fi gure out how we’re getting our administrators for a one-hour overview of well as the upkeep of the technology itself, Vail has set up a fl exible and aff ordable compensation model. Participating schools pay an annual setup fee, which runs $3,000 the fi rst year, $2,000 the second year, and $1,000 the third year (fees for future years are yet to be determined), plus a wiki subscription fee of $8 per student. They also pay $1,500 for a half-day training session for up to 30 participants. Vail works with partner eLearning Made Easy districts that can’t aff ord the standard fees to make the system more aff ordable. Moreover, the district’s transition to ZENITH delivers Class.com’s powerful online Common Core State Standards opens up the courseware via a new cost-effective, standalone possibility of Beyond Textbooks becoming a Web delivery system: nationwide initiative—the district receives a steady stream of inquiries about the initia- ZENITH is: Use ZENITH for: tive from schools across the country.

• Simple to use • Student assessment “I’d like to tell you that this is what we

• Student-centric • Intervention and Remediation had intended all along, but we had no idea • Standards-aligned • Credit recovery it would take off like this,” laughs Federoff . • Instantly implemented • Supplemental instruction “We were really trying to solve a specifi c challenge that we had internally, and it was serendipity that the tool we created was as portable and usable as it is.”

For more information, call 888-482-5598 Jennifer Demski is a freelance writer or visit www.class.com/ZENITH class.com based in Brooklyn, NY.

26 | AUGUST 2011

0811the_CharpLTM2.indd 26 7/22/11 1:49 PM October 27, 2011 :: 10:30 am - 6:00 pm ET virtual.fetc.org

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For the latest information or to register, visit the website. virtual.fetc.org FEATURE | online learning

As the for-profi t sector gets into the virtual school business, public schools begin to vie for the online student at the same COMPETING time they fi nd new ways to help them be successful. By John K. Waters FOR THE VIRTUAL STUDENT

HE CLOVIS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT (CA) fi rst considered creating a full-time online school about four years ago. Clovis Unifi ed is known as a high-performing district, but it was losing 200 to 400 students a year. In a district with a total enrollment of nearly 38,000, those numbers don’t seem so bad, but offi cials realized only about half of those students were dropouts; the rest were opt-outs. “What we saw in those statistics was that our students have real alternatives to what our traditional schools have to off er,” says Rob Darrow, principal of the district’s two-year-old virtual charter school. “Most K-12 school districts know that they’re losing kids who are going to other programs to get their needs met, and they know that they’re going to have to off er some kind of online program to meet those needs if they’re going to survive.”

28 | AUGUST 2011

0811the_Virtual(1)-FINAL.indd 28 7/22/11 1:49 PM Jon Reinfurt

AUGUST 2011 | 29

0811the_Virtual(1)-FINAL.indd 29 7/22/11 1:49 PM FEATURE | online learning

keyword: virtual school Using the term “survive” seems a bit like kind of disruptive technological [] visit thejournal.com hyperbole until you consider some broader change that has rocked newspapers, statistics: About 45,000 K-12 students in the photo processing industry, and the music says, some of which are chartered by the United States took an online course business. They must fi nd a way to “own the individual school districts. And, depend- in 2000; by 2009 that number had already online learning and technology space” and ing on the policies of the state, those public grown to more than 3 million. In their book, “aggressively identify and move forward with virtual charter schools are the ones that Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innova- the benefi ts of educational technology.” If could be giving local districts a run for their tion Will Change the Way the World Learns, they don’t, he warned, the for-profi t schools money, or rather, giving them a run for their authors Clayton Christensen, Curtis W. will, and enrollment erosion will begin a students, that is. Johnson, and Michael B. Horn predicted “hollowing-out” of K-12 district pupil popu- “When looking at the full-time vir- that 50 percent of all high school courses lations that will be diffi cult to reverse. tual charter schools, you have to look at will be delivered online by 2019. Earlier this “Looking at online learning programs individual state policies,” Wicks says. “In year market researchers at Ambient Insight as something that provides a competitive some states, the chartering authority for the published a report predicting that between advantage makes some people uncomfort- virtual school is not a specifi c district, but a 2010 and 2015, online learning in the K-12 able, as though we’re being too capitalistic state chartering authority. In some cases it’s market will grow at a compound annual rate of 43 percent—warp speed for even the most “District leaders will probably be dynamic industry. Of course, K-12 districts haven’t exactly interested in seizing the advantages of been sitting on the online-learning side- online learning, both to deliver high- lines. In fact, says Hall Davidson, director quality outcomes for their students of global learning initiatives at Discovery Education, by pioneering online learning and just to stay alive as districts.” and proving its eff ectiveness, K-12 districts –Heather Clayton Staker, Innosight have unwittingly broadened the market for for-profi t schools. and turning students into customers,” says the state board of education; in other cases, “It’s very clear that online learning has Matthew Wicks, vice president of strategy the state has created a diff erent entity.” found its time and place,” he says, “and it and organizational development at the These virtual charter schools typically lies at the heart of some serious competition International Association for K-12 Online draw students from across the states in between traditional brick-and-mortar schools Learning (iNACOL), a Washington, DC- which they are established, but enrollment and entrepreneurial proprietary schools based nonprofi t membership association. rules vary from region to region, Wicks ex- that are taking advantage of the charter “I feel that way, too, sometimes. But it has plains. Chicago Public Schools in Illinois, for movement. It’s just so easy in many states resulted in administrators thinking of ways example, recently created two virtual char- now for an online entity to come in and take to better meet student needs.” ters that are available, by state law, only to enrollment. Here in California, I can enroll Wicks is the author of the recently students within that district. Massachusetts my daughter in an online program through updated edition of A National Primer on K-12 created its fi rst virtual charter school a year a charter school in another county with a Online Learning, a comprehensive overview ago, but the state imposes highly restrictive few mouse clicks. Some districts realize how of online learning published by iNACOL. rules on how many students may enroll from heavy the competition is—that there’s com- (The fi rst edition, published in May 2007, other districts, as well as how many students petition now for attendance dollars that were was written by John Watson of the Ever- may come from any specifi c district. Other safer in the past—and some don’t. I think green Education Group.) Wicks says district- states—Pennsylvania, for example—have the educational community in general needs led online programs are currently emerging open laws, and students can move from a Paul Revere to sound the alarm.” in three forms: the virtual school, in which one district to another by enrolling in that Davidson, a former teacher and producer students are enrolled full-time and get their district’s virtual charter school. of educational television, sounded that entire course of study online; programs “To me, this is a question of choice,” alarm during his presentation (“Build It or that simply off er a few supplemental classes Wicks says. “If the district in which a They Will Go: Community vs. Enrollment online; and “blended learning,” which com- student resides is not off ering an option Erosion”) for the June 2011 ISTE conference bines traditional classroom-based learning that meets his or her needs, then provid- in Philadelphia. He told attendees that dis- with online learning assets. ing an option for that student to choose a tricts must recognize “the phenomenon of Currently, most full-time virtual schools school that does meet his or her needs is a proprietary innovation,” essentially the same are implemented as charter schools, Wicks positive thing.”

30 | AUGUST 2011

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Untitled-1 1 5/18/11 11:13 AM FEATURE | online learning

Clovis Unifi ed set up its own full-time, the state standards and the course outlines ing of the state’s fi rst virtual school program, district-supported charter school in 2009. we use in our school district. So they’re get- called e4TN (E-learning for Tennessee). Two years later, the Clovis Online School is ting essentially the same content they would That program grew to include all high one of only two district virtual charters in be getting in a face-to-face class. All the schools and middle schools in the district, the entire state of California. teachers are part-time, and all are creden- along with outreach to the Upper Cumber- “In California, there is no funding for tialed in the subject areas they are teaching.” land Regional Field Service school districts’ part-time online courses for students,” Dar- Developing an online curriculum is students and teachers. row explains. “Those who are off ering them extremely challenging, admits Kim Clem- Many districts provide online learning at are funding them with grant money. When mons, technology coordinator for the Wil- some level, Wicks says, thanks in no small that money runs out, there’s no funding son County Board of Education in Lebanon, part to the proliferation of these kinds of stream for the program. We did part-time TN. But for her district’s growing online state-sponsored virtual schools. programs for a while, funding them from virtual program, it was well worth the eff ort. “If you go back 10 years,” Wicks says, 15 diff erent grant programs, but we realized “When you’re developing something “almost all of the virtual school activity was we couldn’t sustain what we wanted to off er custom made, you really get teacher buy-in,” at the state level, with Florida Virtual School

“Looking at online learning programs as something that provides a competitive advantage makes some people un- comfortable, as though we’re being too capitalistic and turning students into customers.” – Matthew Wicks, iNACOL

without a steady funding source available Clemmons says. “We actually pulled four being the largest and most famous example.” to us. That’s when we shifted to a full-time of our cream-of-the-crop teachers from “Then, about fi ve or six years ago there online charter school.” specifi c subject areas to work with a team was a big virtual land grab,” says Matthew of programmers and artists from that state’s Waymack, director of the Gwinnett County Homegrown Curriculum virtual school program. For an entire year, Online Campus in Atlanta. Today, roughly Clovis also took on the challenge of develop- those teachers stayed at their schools as 60 percent of the states have programs. ing its own online curriculum. they worked on the curriculum, enlisting Wicks adds, “Then we saw the beginning “We decided to build the content our- the help—and ultimately winning the sup- of the full-time programs, mainly in charter selves, so that we would own it and not have port—of other teachers.” schools. Now, especially in states that have to pay an ongoing fee,” Darrow says. “Our In 2006, Wilson County Schools received active state programs, the school districts teachers developed the curriculum based on a three-year grant to participate in pilot test- are becoming aware that they’re losing students to these virtual schools.” “The problem with the Florida model,” Transforming Education observes Darrow, “is they set up a separate school with separate teachers, and that has Into a Virtual Reality an impact on the traditional schools.” JULIE YOUNG IS PRESIDENT and CEO of Florida Virtual School, the largest and one of Tennessee approached its districts with the fi rst state-operated virtual schools in the United States. Young has written “Transforming a diff erent strategy, says Clemmons. Education Into a Virtual Reality: A Closer Look at Today’s Virtual Learning Models” for “They never came in with a cookie- thejournal.com. Below is an excerpt. For the complete article, visit thejournal.com/Young. cutter approach that the districts had to The goal of a hybrid classroom is to pair the best features of face-to-face teaching with the follow,” she says. “They let us decide how best options of online learning to promote active and independent learning. In my experience, both blended learning programs and hybrid classes are outgrowths of to use the online program: during the the online learning course. Both draw upon a central focus of a virtual learning program— school day, after school, or even just in bits learning options that will allow and encourage students to master content and succeed, and pieces. It made a huge diff erence; now which is the most important goal of all. it’s no holds barred!” The reality is that the infl uence of technology will only grow, so, as leaders in education, we need to create educational experiences that mirror life beyond the schoolhouse. It’s an The success and growth of state virtual exciting time in education and with student focus at the center of every decision we make, schools has created an easy path into online we are proud to be a leader in these revolutionary changes. learning for many K-12 districts, many of which are piecing together programs from

32 | AUGUST 2011

0811the_Virtual(1)-FINAL.indd 32 7/22/11 1:49 PM Untitled-1 1 4/12/11 12:50 PM multiple service providers, Wicks says. It’s Researchers at the Innosight Institute try. Back in 1998, Gwinnett County began common for K-12 districts to dip their toes have found that, regardless of how attractive off ering a “district-level, supplemental online in the virtual water through third-party the idea of a virtual school is, only about 10 program” that served a handful of students. online learning-services providers, he says. percent of American families have the socio- Last year the Online Campus had 5,000 Mickey Revenaugh, co-founder of the economic wherewithal to support home students enrolled in for-credit classes. for-profi t Connections Academy, which pro- schooling; the other 90 percent need some Waymack has watched the evolution vides virtual K-12 education in a number of sort of brick-and-mortar facility to accom- of K-12 virtual schools for a long time. ways, sees the growth of district-run virtual pany online learning. He believes district-run programs can schools as a great opportunity for companies “Blended learning is likely to become the off er competitive advantages over state like hers to participate. norm in K-12 schools,” says Heather Clayton programs like Florida’s, but he also says “It’s actually opened up a number of Staker, senior research fellow at Innosight. districts have learned lessons from the additional ways that companies like ours “Keep in mind that schools do more than state programs that allow them to compete can serve students,” Revenaugh says. “The just deliver academic instruction. They serve well with for-profi t programs. school districts are waking up to the fact a custodial function, provide hot meals, and “We’ve always felt that we do a better job that students and their families are looking deliver other social goods. So we think it’s supporting our local students at the district for that full range of virtual options, and unlikely that online learning will emerge level than any state program is going to be the districts are deciding that they might as purely in a virtual way. And increasingly, able to,” Waymack says. “We have 20 high well off er those options directly, rather than we’re expecting it to snap into brick-and- schools at Gwinnett County, the 12th largest losing their students to a charter school, for mortar environments, so that all those other district in the country, and we have a sup- example, or another district that might be of- things schools do get done.” port network built into each of our schools. fering a virtual program. In order to do that Discovery Education’s Davidson be- If a kid at, say, Collins Hill High School, is cost-eff ectively and in a time horizon that lieves that blended learning environments not doing what he’s supposed to be doing, makes sense, they’re often contracting with are also the most likely to give traditional we have a contact person there at the school the for-profi t providers for selected course K-12 districts a competitive edge over their who will fi nd the student to see what’s going content or an entire turnkey solution.” for-profi t rivals. on. I’ll even go see students sometimes As the Tennessee state program evolved, “There’s really nothing better than a myself if I need to. That’s the advantage of a Wilson County developed its own blended traditional teacher who knows the students local program. You can’t do that with a state online learning program that combined the and the curriculum, who can guide the program. There’s too much area to cover. ” use of Adobe Connect desktop conference students through the online media options Revenaugh says, “It’s certainly true that solution with a Logitech Orbit camera for learning—the ‘guide on the side’ we’ve the school districts are stepping up to the mounted on teachers’ desks. all been looking for,” he says. “The data plate in a much more full-featured way to “We’re urban on one side of our county, suggest that the blended model is the best in but the other side is fairly rural,” Clemmons terms of traditional measurement, if you’re LINKS explains. “That’s initially why we ventured actually looking at student achievement. It’s into these programs. We had that rural high this combination that will give the districts Adobe school for which we were just unable to off er a competitive advantage over the propri- adobe.com classes at the same level and number we etary schools.” Ambient Insight needed to equal our other three large high Waymack in Atlanta also argues that ambientinsight.com schools. That was the original need; since there are some things—even in a virtual Connections Academy then it’s just grown by leaps and bounds.” school program—that only a school district connectionsacademy.com can provide students. Discovery Education A Blended Alternative “We can do things like administer fi nal discoveryeducation.com Blended learning is, in fact, quickly becom- exams in person, which is something we Innosight Institute ing commonplace in K-12 districts across believe gives us a greater level of cred- innosightinstitute.org the country, says Wicks. ibility,” he says. “If you compare, say, our International Association for K-12 “[It] just makes sense for the school dis- summer school to an on-the-ground sum- Online Learning (iNACOL) tricts, because their students are physically mer school in Gwinnett County, the grade inacol.org there,” he says. “Although there are many distributions are very close—which is what ISTE iste.org districts using charter programs, full-time you want to see.” online programs, and supplemental service The Gwinnett County Online Campus Logitech logitech.com providers, blended learning is becoming is the oldest virtual school in the state of very, very common.” Georgia, and one of the oldest in the coun-

34 | AUGUST 2011

0811the_Virtual(1)-FINAL.indd 34 7/22/11 1:49 PM FEATURE | online learning

oﬀ er both supplementary and full-time virtual education than we’ve ever seen before. But the smart ones are not the ones that are trying to invent everything themselves.”

A Competitive Environment Waymack understands that K-12 districts are operating in an increasingly competitive environment, but he insists his district’s program has evolved over more than a decade simply as a means of meeting student needs, not because it’s afraid of losing them. “The students want us, and the district needs us,” he says. “In the beginning, it was almost all about remediation. But as the program evolved we began to serve kids that wanted to take things like fi ne arts, but couldn’t because the graduation requirements are such that they almost have to take them outside the normal school day or during the summer. That’s a big demographic that we serve. Students needing extra foreign language classes are another one. Over time, we’ve come to serve a whole segment of our student population that simply wants to do everything online. In the summer, at least half of our students are trying to get ahead; the other half is trying to recover credit.” That’s more or less the paradigm that Innosight’s Staker sees as the most productive for policy makers looking at K-12 virtual schools. She admits that there’s “an element of competition” emerging in the virtual schools space, but thinks it’s a mistake to focus on it. “I really wish we would reframe the debate,” she says. “I don’t think parsing the world on the basis of for-profi t versus nonprofi t versus public school or district school or charter school is the right categori- zation scheme. It’s anachronistic.” Staker also recognizes what she considers some realities that districts may take on at their peril as they get more and more involved with online learning. For more than a decade, the Nassau County “I think district leaders will probably be interested in seizing the Board of Cooperative Educational Services advantages of online learning, both to deliver high-quality outcomes for their students and just to stay alive as districts,” Staker says. “This (BOCES) has relied on Sidera’s network is a growing trend and in this day and age, with bleak budgets and for flexibility and capacity. The County also fi scal shortages, there are some cost advantages that can come from trusts the team’s expertise to create a better digital learning. But my concern is that, unless the right policy is put learning environment for its schools, while in place, we’re going to get a lot of low-quality educational content minimizing the increasing financial pressures out there, and a lot of districts who fi nd the cheapest solution and put within school technology program. kids in computer labs to stare at monitors for hours on end. And that scares me.” Learn more about Nassau County’s Nevertheless, she believes districts should focus on what they do scalable, flexible and reliable network best, and not be afraid to turn to for-profi t providers to fi ll in the gaps. infrastructure: www.sidera.net/BOCES “Painting a scary doomsday picture about how [for-profi t virtual schools] are going to destroy the lives of districts and teachers is a disservice to students everywhere,” she adds. “We need to try to fi nd a path that allows online learning to emerge in a way that best serves students. Sometimes that will be through a district off ering; sometimes that might be through another provider. The bottom line should The Smarter Choice be that we’re trying to get each student the best educational experience ZZZVLGHUDQHW that we possibly can.”

John K. Waters is a freelance writer based in Silcon Valley.

AUGUST 2011 | 35

0811the_Virtual(1)-FINAL.indd 35 7/22/11 1:49 PM ProductFocus By Vanessa Hua

ternet security provider. “Now it’s a lot more Redefining the like clay than Legos.” Facebook is a good example of a tool that requires a more fl exible approach to security. Security Wall Not only a website, Facebook is a conduit for hundreds of applications that range from With the proliferation of web 2.0 apps and mobile devices, games to networking for business and plea- internet security requires more than a simple fi rewall. sure. It’s also an access point for music and entertainment services. Rather than block DESIGNING INTERNET SECURITY for schools used to be a bit like building Facebook entirely, Contos says, schools may a castle with a moat: A crude perimeter kept out Trojan horses and other threats. Safety want to target specifi c apps that put a strain could be maintained as long as the gatekeepers could defi ne who was a friend and who was on network resources, degrade bandwidth, a foe. But because of the advent of web 2.0 applications that make information sharing and slow down e-mail delivery, or make the collaboration easier, K-12 schools now have an increased need for more complex, custom- network vulnerable to malware. ized internet security solutions. Firewall and fi ltering tools must also be fl exible enough to Indeed, the social networking sites that serve the varied needs of students, educators, and administrators. are so popular with students provide rich “In the old days, [fi rewalls] were binary: you either allow or you don’t allow,” explains pickings for cybercriminals. According to Brian Contos, director of global security strategy and risk management at McAfee, an in- a recent report by internet security provider Symantec, one ingenious ruse in 2010 involved shortened URLs, where hackers posted in newsfeeds and other places millions of bogus shortened links in eff orts to lure victims to websites for phishing and malware attacks. Last year, 65 percent of malicious links in news feeds observed by Symantec used shortened URLs. In many circumstances, to fi ght such threats, internet security vendors can analyze billions of fi les, e-mails, and malware products to categorize and determine their “reputation” in the cloud and quickly update their customers’ fi rewalls and fi lters. However, they have another challenge when working with K-12 schools, which can have more intricate security needs. School districts must protect their networks from being compromised by intru- sions, malicious code, and spam e-mail. They can set stringent policies to block adult, gun-related, gambling, and drug- related content, and other web content deemed inappropriate for viewing by young students. They can also keep out sites that slow traffi c down or propagate malicious content hidden in music and streaming vid- Matt Daley eos. Yet, they may also want to give some of their users the freedom to access and participate in wikis, YouTube, Facebook,

36 | AUGUST 2011

0811the_PF_FINALtm2_FINAL.indd 36 7/22/11 2:36 PM Untitled-1 1 4/21/11 12:27 PM ProductFocus

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Twitter, and other social networking and To help districts Buyer’s Guide to Security and Encryption Tools content-sharing sites. customize their web Sponsored by GovConnection Teachers are well aware of the frustra- security solutions, Visit thejournal.com/0811_security for a complete buyer’s tions of wanting access to certain teaching vendors often off er guide to the latest security and encryption tools. materials—via YouTube, for instance—that a predefi ned list of simply may be off limits to them because blockable content and allow school admin- off er good explanations for why they need sites are blocked to the entire district. istrators to select additional sites to block, the information. “These tools have the fl ex- That’s why experts suggest IT staff ers seek depending on factors such as the age of the ibility to give teachers and administrators out security solutions that allow them to set students and their familiarity with internet the ability to override blocked content,” up policies for diff erent groups—teachers, security threats. says Mike Maxwell, head of state, local, and students, and administrators, among oth- Filters also can allow administrators education public sector issues at Symantec. ers—with granular, rather than wholesale, to review and selectively grant access to McAfee’s Contos points out, “It’s a ques- restrictions even within those groups. normally forbidden websites if users can tion of customization. In the early days, a class researching breast cancer might have found some pages blocked as sexually ex- More Mobility, plicit, but today, technology is more mature. A site can be easily opened up or it can be More Problems easily denied.” THE PROLIFERATION OF mobile devices in schools has created a major security con- Connie White, director of media and cern that will become even more serious in the future. IT administrators must contend with technology for Lakeview Academy in Gains- a multitude of personal devices, smartphones, and tablet computers, many of which can ville, GA, believes security concerns need offer access to sensitive data such as grades and students’ personal information. “Mobile devices are a natural extension of the campus network,” says Gerhard Eschel- to be balanced with educational ones: beck, chief technology offi cer at Webroot, an internet security provider. While the size and “Web 2.0, that’s where kids are. They shape of the threat remains in the early stages, “the bad guys are working on it.” know it can be a distraction, but why not “How can organizations rein in devices they don’t control?” asks Lenny Zeltser, who help them gain the ability to manage it? leads the security consulting team at Savvis, which provides managed computing and network infrastructure solutions. You can either ignore it, and not think it’s Mobile devices are vulnerable, Zeltser says, because mobile system architecture “hasn’t happening, or hit it on the head.” benefi ted from being battlefi eld tested for years and years, which is the case with desktop She adds: “We want children not only to operating systems,” he explains. “When attackers focus on the mobile platform, they get a develop 21st century skills, but give them lot of bang for the buck.” Hackers have unleashed malware that can gain control over a phone, for instance, and the ability to make choices and grow into charge users for calls they never made or SMS services they never used. The threats are ethical people.” becoming more sophisticated as social media spreads to phones and botnets take control and multiply through the users’ entire contact lists. Vanessa Hua Schools must make sure they have complete coverage on the gateway side, with is a freelance writer based fi ltering of inbound traffi c, Eschelbeck says. Mobile device users also shouldn’t log onto in Claremont, CA. the school’s password-protected sites while on public WiFi networks, where they may be vulnerable to eavesdropping sniffers that can read the data they send and receive. “It’s not LINKS just about their own personal information, but the entire network’s,” says Alicia diVittorio, director of marketing at Lookout, a smartphone security and antivirus solutions provider. Lookout Securing a mobile device presents different challenges than the well-established solutions mylookout.com for PCs. Phones have lower processing power and limited battery life, so the security apps McAfee must be small in size, and much of the heavy lifting resides in the cloud, diVittorio says. Lookout’s solution, available free and in a premium version for Android, offers features mcafee.com such as scanning every app for malware and spyware, backup, and restoration of data. If Savvis a device is lost or stolen, it can locate the phone, sound an alarm, and implement remote savvis.com wipe and lock. Symantec In addition, schools should consider making security solutions that reside on the mobile symantec.com devices mandatory, and insist that users password-protect their phones. Remind users to evaluate mobile apps before downloading them by fi nding reviews from reputable sources, Webroot advises diVittorio. webroot.com

38 | AUGUST 2011

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Untitled-2 1 6/29/11 11:30 AM index

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PRESIDENT AND GROUP PUBLISHER Wendy LaDuke 949-265-1596 phone 949-265-1528 fax 714-743-4011 cell [email protected] ADVERTISER/URLs PAGE Gwinnett County Online Campus (GA) ...... 32-34 EASTERN REGION SALES MANAGER MF Harmon Gwinnett County Public Schools (GA) ...... 18 207-883-2477 phone Canon U.S .A ...... 25 Kiski School, The (PA) ...... 9 207-883-7173 fax usa.canon.com/educationalsales Monarch School (GA) ...... 18-19 207-650-6981 cell CDW-G ...... C2 Oconto Falls School District (WI) ...... 18 [email protected] 21centuryclassroom.com Park Hill School District (MO) ...... 8 CENTRAL REGION SALES MANAGER Tom Creevy Class.com...... 26 Rincon Vista Middle School (AZ) ...... 24 847-358-7272 phone www.class.com Vail School District (AZ) ...... 20-26 847-358-7433 fax 847-971-5621 cell Comcast ...... 7 Wilson County Board of Education (TN) ...... 32-34 [email protected] comcast.com/ethernet COMPANY INDEX eInstruction ...... 15 WESTERN REGION SALES MANAGER Mark Buchholz 949-265-1540 phone www.einstruction.com/mobiview-tjagt Acoustics First ...... 19 949-265-1528 fax Epson ...... 5 Adobe ...... 14, 34 714-504-4015 cell epson.com/options Ambient Insight ...... 30, 34 [email protected] FETC 2012 ...... 22 Apple ...... 8, 23 SALES ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Jean Dellarobba fetc.org Bogen Paging ...... 18 949-265-1568 phone FETC Virtual Fall 2011 ...... 27 BrainPop ...... 23 949-357-7564 cell virtual.fetc.org Califone International ...... 18 [email protected] Full Compass Systems...... 19 Calypso Systems ...... 16-18 EVENT SALES MANAGER Stephanie Chiavaras fullcompass.com CDW-G ...... 6 508-532-1424 phone Gov Con nection...... 31 Certiport ...... 8 617-784-3577 cell govconnection.com Cetacea Sound ...... 18 [email protected] Hewlett Packard ...... 10-13 Channel One ...... 8 EVENT SALES MANAGER Patrick Gallagher hp.com/go/5overachiever Discovery Education...... 6-8, 23, 30, 34 508-634-3525 phone NetSupport...... 39 Excent...... 6 617-512-6656 cell netsupportschool.com Facebook ...... 36 [email protected] Panasonic PCSC ...... 9 FrontRow ...... 18 EVENT SALES REPRESENTATIVE panasonic.com/aplus Google ...... 9 Deborah Carroll Samsung Techwin America ...... C3 IBISWorld ...... 6 203-331-0571 phone samsung.com/education IBM ...... 4 203-331-0572 fax 203-814-7408 cell Sidera Ne tworks ...... 35 Lightspeed Technologies ...... 18 [email protected] sidera.net/boces Logitech ...... 34 Sprint ...... 17 Lookout ...... 38 CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS sprint.com/4g McAfee ...... 36-38 1105 Media T.H.E. Journal ...... 41 M86 Security ...... 8 9201 Oakdale Avenue, Ste. 101 Microsoft ...... 8 thejournal.com/renew Chatsworth, CA 91311 The UPS Store ...... C4 Motorola ...... 9 1105media.com theupsstore.com/logistics Panasonic ...... 18 MEDIA KITS Pearson ...... 6 Web Help Desk ...... 33 Direct your Media Kit requests to Michele Werner, webhelpdesk.com Primacoustic ...... 19 949-265-1558 (phone), 949-265-1528 (fax), Xpand ...... 37 Promethean ...... 8 [email protected] xpand.me/education Savvis ...... 38 REPRINTS Smart Technologies ...... 18 SCHOOL INDEX For single article reprints (in minimum quantities of SoundproofCow ...... 19 250-500), e-prints, plaques, and posters contact: Symantec ...... 36-38 Benson Unifi ed School District (AZ) ...... 26 PARS International 3M ...... 8 Chenango Forks High School (NY)...... 14 Phone: 212-221-9595 E-mail: [email protected] Chicago Public Schools (IL) ...... 30 Twitter ...... 38 Web: magreprints.com/QuickQuote.asp Clovis Unifi ed School District (CA) ...... 28-32 Webroot ...... 38 Collins Hill High School (GA) ...... 34 YouTube ...... 36-38 LIST RENTALS This publication’s subscriber list, as well as other lists Connections Academy (various locations) ...... 4, 34 This index is provided as a service. The publisher assumes no from 1105 Media, Inc., is available for rental. For more Delaware Valley Regional High School (NJ) ...... 18 liability for errors or omissions. information, please contact our list manager, Merit Direct. E-learning for Tennessee ...... 32-34 NOTE: Advertisers with * are regional ads and may not appear Phone: 914-368-1000 Florida Virtual School ...... 32-34 in this issue. E-mail: [email protected] Web: meritdirect.com/1105

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t/h/e JOURNAL (ISSN 0192-592x) is published 10 times a year, monthly except for Jul and Dec by 1105 Media, Inc., 9201 Catherine Burden, Union Public Schools Oakdale Avenue, Ste. 101, Chatsworth, CA 91311-9998. Periodicals postage paid at Chatsworth, CA 91311-9998, and Robert A. Carlson, Council of the Great City Schools at additional mailing offi ces. Complimentary subscriptions are sent to qualifying subscribers. Annual subscription rates payable in U.S. funds for non-qualifi ed subscribers are: U.S. $29.00, International $44.00. Subscription inquiries, back Christopher J. Dede, Harvard University issue requests, and address changes: Mail to: t/h/e JOURNAL, P.O. Box 2166, Skokie, IL 60076-7866, email T.H.E D. Michael Eason, Florida Educational Technology Corp. [email protected] or call (866) 293-3194 for U.S. & Canada; (847) 763-9560 for International, fax (847) 763-9564. Allen Glenn, University of Washington POSTMASTER: Send address changes to t/h/e JOURNAL, P.O. Box 2166, Skokie, IL 60076-7866. Canada Publications Mail Agreement No: 40612608. Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to XPO Returns: P.O. Box 201, Chip Kimball, Lake Washington School District Richmond Hill, ON L4B 4R5, Canada. Donald G. Knezek, © Copyright 2011 by 1105 Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. Reproductions in whole or part prohibited International Society for Technology in Education except by written permission. Mail requests to “Permissions Editor,” c/o t/h/e JOURNAL, 9201 Oakdale Ave., Ste. 101, Ann McMullan, Klein Independent School District Chatsworth, CA 91311 Steven A. Sanchez, The information in this magazine has not undergone any formal testing by 1105 Media, Inc. and is distributed without any Analyst, Senate Education Committee, warranty expressed or implied. Implementation or use of any information contained herein is the reader’s sole responsibility. New Mexico State Legislature While the information has been reviewed for accuracy, there is no guarantee that the same or similar results may be achieved in all environments. Technical inaccuracies may result from printing errors and/or new developments in the industry. Gilbert Valdez, Learning Point Associates/NCREL

40 | AUGUST 2011

0811the_index.indd 40 7/22/11 1:52 PM TRANSFORMING EDUCATION THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

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GETTING TO THE BOTTOM OF VITAL INDUSTRY DATA down

If Students Wrote the Book

ONLINE TEXTBOOKS are not exactly a new phenomenon. In one way or another, digital content has been a part of the classroom for years. In fact, according to Speak Up survey respondents, more than a quarter of all middle school students and a third of all high school students say they now use online textbooks or some other version of online curriculum as part of their regular schoolwork. When asked to pick the one investment in technology they thought would help their children the most, 64 percent of parents recommended some form of online textbooks and 41 percent of teachers said that was on their wish lists as well. When asked what would constitute their dream school, 48 percent of students in the third through ﬁ fth grades said online textbooks would be part of it and more than half of all older students said the same thing. However, the data also indicates that students aren’t just talking about some kind of e-reader or Kindle when they say they want online textbooks. Students want a variety of features and functions that range from keyword searches and electronic highlights to the ability to download information to their smartphones: 40 percent want tools that will help them collaborate with their peers, 43 percent want access to online tutors, and 36 percent want the ability to take online classes.

Middle and high school students describe the digital capabilities they want in online textbooks

Games 58% 46%

Animations and simulations 52% 55%

Links to real-time data 48% 45%

Video clips 47% 42%

Virtual labs 45% 43%

Access to 3D content 43% 36%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Data courtesy of Speak Up 2010, an annual national research project grades 9-12 produced by Project Tomorrow that surveys K-12 students, teachers, parents, and administrators (tomorrow.org). grades 6-8

42 | AUGUST 2011

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© 2011 Samsung Electronics America, Inc. All rights reserved. Samsung is a registered trademark of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. All products and brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Screen images simulated.

Untitled-8 1 7/13/11 12:36 PM WHATEVER THE ASSIGNMENT, THE PROFESSIONAL PRINTING EXPERTS AT THE UPS STORE® WILL WORK WITH YOU TOWARD THE BEST SOLUTION. It’s an assignment we complete every day: help teachers and schools create handouts, ﬂ yers and great-looking reports. For us, it’s easy. After all, we are the printing experts. At The UPS Store, we offer professional printing and ﬁ nishing services. Just bring us your work or send it in online at theupsstore.com/print and let us show you what we can do. It’s fast. It’s easy. It’s Logistics. For information, visit theupsstore.com/logistics

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