DOCUMENT RESUME ED 349 957 IR 015 693 AUTHOR Newman, Denis; And Others _TITLE Local Infrastructures for School Networking: Current Models and Prospects. Technical Report No. 22. INSTITUTION Center for Technology in Education, New York, NY. SPONS AGENCY Department of Education, Washington, DC.; National Science Foundation, Washington, D.C. PUB DATE May 92 CONTRACT 1-135562167-Al; MDR-9154006 NOTE 30p. PUB TYPE Information Analyses (070) Viewpoints (Opinion/Position Papers, Essays, etc.) (120) EDRS PRICE MF01/PCO" Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Communications; Comparative Analysis; *Computer Networks; Educational Change; Educational Technology; Elementary Secondary Education; *Futures (of Society); Information Networks; *Local Area Networks; Microcomputers; *Models; *Telecommunications IDENTIFIERS *Wide Area Networks ABSTRACT This paper identifies a paradigm shift that must take place in school networking. The ultimate goal is to retool the schools with a local technical infrastructure that gives teachersand students immediate access to communication systems andinformation resources, thereby supporting the implementation of advancesin pedagogy and educational technology. The current notionof telecomputing cannot address the information requirements locally within the school and, ultimately, will fragment and inhibit any move toward universal access to information resources. A technologyis needed that combines local and wide area networking(LAN and WAN), making access to remote resources part of the everyday work with school computers. This report contains the following sections: (1) The Problem: Combining Local and Wide Area Communication--facts about the current state of school networks and the dissociation of school LANs and WANs;(2) A Brief History of Network Technology;(3) A Convergence of School LAN's and WAN's--integrating and simplifying a school internetwork;(4) Current Models of School LAN-WAN Connectivity--a comparison of six models; and (5) Prospects for the Future. (Contains 10 notes and 34 references.) (Author/ALF) *************************************************1c********************* AeprucluLLIonS supplied oy Evic are tne best that can be made * from the original document. *********************************************************************** U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Ofirce of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) CThis document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. C Minor changes have been made to Improve reproduction Quality Points of view or opinions slated in this docu. merit do not necessarily represent official n OERI position or policy CENTER FOR (HNC 06! n ras rut ures Denis Newman, Suian Bolt Beranek aticlNe#matt Paul A. Reiti- Ralph Bundle Schad BANK STREET COLLEGE OF EDUCATION 610 WEST 112th STREET NEW YORK, NY 10025 "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY K. McHillan 2 TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)" ET COPY AVAILABLE Technical Report Series Technical Report No. 22 :1041 Infrosirsktutis for School Oit*ofking:, Orrin! Modelistindiispects Denis New0m, ss% ,time Bolt Birono4 %.and *wain,, Ralph Bunche School May 1992 3 BEST COPY AVAILABLE nR7eP LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURES FOR SCHOOL NETWORKING: Current Models and Prospects ) . N> Batt Bitiiiiek and Isievvrntin 'Ralph Bundle Sciti)Of Abstract This paper identifies a paradigm shift that must take place in school networking Our ultimate goal is to retool the schools with a local technical infrastructure that gives teaches and students immediate access to communication systems and information resources and, thereby, supports the implementation of advances in pedagogy and educational technology. On a more immediate level, we want to revise an overly narrow conception that many educators hold about network technology. In schools, the talk of "telecommunications" or "telecomputing" refers to the decades-old technology ofconnecting terminals to time-sharing computers. Ifthis concept of networks persists, it will have a stultifying effect as schools attempt to use networks during this decade. The current notion of telecomputing cannot address the information requirements locally within the school and, ultimately, will fragment and inhibit any move toward universal access to information resources. A technology is needed that combines local and wide area networking, making access to remote resources part of the everyday work with school computers. Summary of Recommendations' possible implementation, four areas of technical de- Our analysis of the current state of school networking velopment will be necessary: leads us to specific recommendations for a program of As an alternative to the pervasive terminal cos - research and technology development. To take advan- nections in school telecomputing, remote net- tage of the existing and planned local infrastructures in work connections (direct connections between schools and school districts and to assure the broadest school computers and a national educational network) must be supported and made easy-to- use. The research reported here was supported by the National Science Foundation under grant MDR-9154006. Additional Before using the extensive networks already in support for the preparation and dissemination of this report place for school administrative functions, school came from the Center for Technology in Education under network technologies designed for instruction Grant #I- 13 5562 167-A 1 from the U.S. Department of and teacher support must address network secu- Education to Bank Street College of Education. The authors rity and management. are grateful to Margaret Honey, JoAnne KeiAen, Cecelia Lenk, andJohn Richards helpful comments on earlier drafts ofthis To assure that network services are both afford- paper. able and appropriately tailored to schools, a 4 Tech. Rep. No. 22 May'1992 network-server technology that can be distrib- actions with network services. uted within schools, school districts, and re- These developments must occur in the context of gional networks must be developed. a program of research that will allow us to refine the Within such a network of distributed servers, design and application of advanced network technol- there is a need for special-purpose "client" soft- ogy for schools, which have their own requirements ware that simplifies students' and teachers' inter- and organization. Contents The Problem: Combining Local and Wide Area Communication 3 Why Networking? 3 Why This Project? 3 Some Facts About the Current State of School Networks 3 The Dissociation of School LANs and WANs 5 Problems to Address 5 A Brief History of Network Technology 6 Centralized Computing 6 Distribrtted Computing 7 Value of" Distributed Computing 8 Local Area Networks 8 internetworking 9 Client-Server Systems 10 Modes of Access to the Internet 10 A Convergence of School LANs and WANs 11 The Elements: LANs, WANs and "DANs" 11 A Scenario 13 Integrating and Simplifying a School Internetwork 14 Current Models of School LAN-WAN Connectivity 15 A Matrix of LAN-WAN Connections 15 Comparing the Six Models 20 Prospects for the Future 23 Build Remote Network Connections 23 Address Security and Management Concerns 23 Develop an Integrated Server 24 Develop Client Software 24 Notes 25 References 26 2 Tech. Rep. No. 22 May 1992 The Problem: Combining Local and WideArea Communication The research we report in this paper exploredmethods for using communication technology within the school to augment access to remote information resources.The problems we sought to address were in some ways moredeeply rooted than we expected. Yet the opportunitiesfbr improving education remain a powerful incentivefor developing a new paradigm for school networking. Policy, 1991). In coordination Why Networking? ence and Technology with the National Research and EducationNetwork telecomputing, In spite of widespread publicity for (NREN) program,' the National ScienceFoundation communication technology of any sort is almost en- (NSF) has initiated a program to developthe ed- have tirely absent from our schools. Even schools that ucational potential of computer communication net- little invested heavily in computers have surprisingly works (Hunter, 1992a). At the same time, many in the way of telephones or computernetworks avail- states, including Texas,Kentucky, New York, and able for instructional uses. Traditional educators may California, have begun the development of statewide ask: Why should they?'A set of textbooksfor a class- educational networks. encode the required instructional room can effectively The NR EN is expected to be shared not onlyby deliver effective content. Computer technologies can the higher education and scientific and research com- exercises. Interactive multimedia can even engage munities, but also by K-12 and relatededucational students in motivating stories and visual presenta- add to institutions and, indeed, by the larger public (e.g., see tions. What can communication technology Melmed & Fisher, 1991). Given the national im- this arsenal of instructional delivery methods? portance and opportunity of the NREN, we assumein The answer to the instructional delivery paradigm Information required for this report that school networking and the technologi- can be stated quite simply. cal infrastructure on which it is based mustallow productive citizenship is changing rapidly. It is now participation in the future NREN (see Hunter, 1992b). essential to present instructional content