SCHOOLBAG – MOBILE�DIGITAL LEARNING SOLUTIONS

Telstra Education Student Connect Programme

“ANYWHERE ANYTIME” �CONNECTED LEARNING SOLUTIONS.

Bringing blackboard into the mobile domain.

Mobile Activations: Blackboard

• Students require a Mobile Device
• Students require low-cost connectivity to school for educational use.
• Learning Materials are now Online.
• Swinburne utilises the Blackboard product.
• We’re starting by bringing blackboard to mobile environments for Swinburne students.
• Device
• Plan
• Software
• Access and Support

The Evolution of Mobile Computing

• Laptops have been around for more than a decade.
• High-Schools such as MLC and Xavier included it as part of the “schoolbag” in the 1990’s.
• Battery life still only lasts a few hours
• Internet is now ubiquitous
• Wireless (both WiFi and “2.5G+ Cellular” Connectivity)
• Mobile Phone have become small computing platforms
• Many already enabled with “blackboard for mobile”.
• Small Screen, difficult to keep the battery going if also used for internet.
• Mobile Internet Devices are emerging into the market.
• Long-Life Battery
• Connected to Broadband “anywhere anytime”
• Video Communications Enabled
• Touch interfaces

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MOBILE INTERNET DEVICES (“MID”)

Telstra Schools Program, Part: 1

• Schools are invited to participate in the Telstra Schools Program.
• Our agenda is to support the transition and adoption of the “e-learning revolution” in schools.
• We’re starting with Annual fixed fee Internet Connections
• Available to all students and teachers
• Unlimited access over broadband to all school applications via 3G
• Students are able to purchase “internet cards” for additional downloads
• More about this later...
• Access for Everyone
• Assistance programs to improve accessibility
• All Connections are TAX DEDUCATABLE
• (Excluding additional internet charges paid on a pre-paid basis?)
• School Technology Development Programs
• Student Connect packages provide funds back to the school for implementing technology related works
• Co-ordination with internal school programs to ensure all students can afford school connect.
• Improving infrastructure and Professional Development capabilities
• Improving availability of useful technology aids to improved learning outcomes

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Telstra Schools Program, Part: 2

School Connect

• Integrate school network with student access solutions
• Could be VLAN or VPN / Remote AUTH Solution?

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Student Broadband Connectivity

• Connectivity
• Wireless Focus
• Alternative access via fixed services secondary focus
• Online Tools
• Storage
• Applications
• Parental Tools (such as Filtering and internet application controls)
• Program delivers support to schools via Technology Fund
• as a semi-fundraising scheme. Each student connected contributes towards technology fund for school
• Telstra Education Online

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Telstra E-Learning Partnership Program

• Establish E-Learning – Approved Telstra Education Solutions program
• A Marketing Fund
• Hosting /co-location services
• Improved accessibility to Telstra Services (like a Microsoft Partner Pack / Action Pack subscription)
• Technology Trials and a range of other initiatives.

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About: Students Connect

• What does it provides?
• Internet Connectivity for students for a fixed fee
• Reliable access to school
• On-Network access to schools
• It provides unlimited , unmetered access to the School network for a fixed low fee.
• It provides access to a range of advanced Online Education Services
• It provides access to the Telstra prepaid broadband access program

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• How’s it work?
• Its a USB device with up-to 4GB’s of Storage or a sim-card for 3G enabled laptops
• It billed per annum

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• Online Education Services
• Access to School Intranets
• It provides access to a range of educationally relevant internet sites
• as required by the school intranet policy, per agreement within Telstra schools program.
• Content Filtering
• Online Data-storage
• Parental controls for filtering prepaid Internet use (ie: applications, ports, services)
• Technology Trials
• Online Learning Applications

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• Student Connect is the cornerstone of a local education content initiative by Telstra corporation. We aim to deliver an ever improving content and service portfolio to the market by way of our partnership programme and participation by a range of organisations.

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Telstra E-Learning Partnership Program

• Similar to other ICT industry partnership program
• Multiple Tiers
• Associate: government or Standards institution
• Gold Tier: Direct Infrastructure Access
• Silver Tier: Support Infrastructure Access
• Bronze Tier: Entitlement to Participate and obtain access to administrative systems
• Requirements
• Organisation must provide some form of solution in industry
• Agreement to maintain standards throughout any application delivery project
• (for higher tier’s) Agreement to support lower tiers of access by business on commercially accessible terms
• Program creates communities who contribute towards the evolution of a cloud computing platform (and systems) for education
• Program enables state-wide support of schools Telstra Education Solutions programme by providing a co-contribution fund towards initiative schools wish to undertake with approved program participants.

Intrinsic benefits for the school

Utilisation of Cloud Computing

• Assistance with managing on-network applications
• Schools will have increased difficulty managing on-network applications
• Network and Service Availability
• Decreased Cost of service enablement
• Telstra’s strategy will lower the cost of e-learning systems management

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Improved reliability

• By enabling On-Network services for education Laptops, schools are able to manage the equipment within Active Directory Rule-Sets
• Decreasing likelihood of students applying machine changes that will incur IT Support Maintenance
• Increasing the available solutions made available to schools
• such as; machine imaging, local file caching, etc.

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Improving IT Professional Development (PD)

• Improved training resources to schools
• Improved awareness of available modules, established programme’s and communication of ideas used throughout industry by other educators.
• Community works facilities by Telstra to assist in converting the ‘IT Catch Up’ tasks into ‘E-Learning’ enabled educational communities.

AN EDUCATION MARKET MIND-MAP

Mind map and summary explanation of concepts behind strategy

Summary

The Education Market

• Many Stakeholders
• Many business channels
• A range of market participants
• A range of territories
• Immense scope for growth
• A raft of devices
• A raft of ideas
• A fragmented market
• Complex Connectivity

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Simplified into cookie cutter solutions

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Market Enablement.

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Education Market

The Education market has a direct economic effect on the Australian Economy. There are a number of market segments that directly support the development of educational curricula and standards

Educational institutions

Within the segment of educational institutions, there are a range of learning segments. Each Segment interacts with other segments, feeding into a life-long learning cycle of personal and professional development

Industry Based Training

Industry based training activates many of the other learning segments. Teaching teachers how to teach, providing skills development (or professional development) as well as introducing new employees into the workforce where work based learning environments are best for the role and the individuals development in industry

Residential Market

Thinking about the older segments of the market; it could be said that Media is sexy, but education takes a significant amount of ‘at home work time’, for an increasing percentage of the population. Access to learning resources is crucial to develop this sector. Learning at home, helps individuals throughout their professional and personal development activities.

Whilst when thinking about families – it is important for many families to rationalise their connectivity costs. It is also important for many families that they encourage educational aspects requiring connectivity; in a different way, to how they internally other uses of similar infrastructure. Choice is envisaged to assist with TCO and household engagement.

Content Providers

Content makes the Internet and E-Learning useful.

Considering to bring as much content as possible onto the network will benefit the network utilisation costs overall. It is also envisaged to bring about new opportunities for economically viable broadband applications for localised distribution of relevant content.

There are a number of traditional media markets, who have been suppliers to the education market. These market players are still structuring their strategies, in how to deploy and adapt to the new E-Learning market challenge. Educators, will need content for experiementation prior to on-going utilisation for ‘defacto’ tutorial content delivery. Books are known, e-Learning is still is a brave new work

Standards and interoperability

Standards and interoperability

There are a number of organisations charged with the application of standards that will result in the Australian E-learning industries economic profitability in a key area of international technology and content development.

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At this stage it seems there is still significant scope for an Australian telecommunications organisation, to take on the challenge of market testing the existing research, development and commercialisation activities throughout the Australian sector; identifying Australia's best capacities and opportunities to accelerate Australia’s beneficial use of these systems and our international capability to commercially exploit any-such intellectual property, in other markets.

Computing Equipment

E-Learning = Digital, but what device?

How do educators use the range of devices available to deliver outstanding learning outcomes for their students.

E-Learning Connectivity, materials and implementation strategies need to take into account a range of different devices.

Through Industry partnerships, Educational Institutions will be best placed to accelerate adoption of these devices whilst organisationally enabling support to assist throughout the transition process

End-to-end Connectivity Solutions

Connectivity, Simple, Right?

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There are a range of different elements. One of the most critical evaluation criteria should be availability. However, the market is still in formative stages.

Online Tools should ensure security and high availability of the e-learning lifecycle; end-to-end, from the server to every student and teacher terminal.

In-order to achieve this, a mixture of “cloud computing” tools, partnership program participation and managed connectivity solutions will be required to fulfil the markets requirements

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Research Organisations

It is plausible to consider that research organisations can improve the basis to their research activities by improving participation with other sectors throughout the education market.

It is also fair and reasonable to consider that availability and access to research for students more broadly participating in the education market would be served well to have improved access to research data as developed and made available by research organisations.

Statistics and analysis is also used to measure the efficiencies of the educational market, and its participants. Where diminished returns are realised, statistics can assist in establishing suitable paths for resolution.

Government

Government interactions include but are not exclusive to

• administration of accredited educational programs,
• Support of educational programs by way of communications between departments responsible for managing different industry verticals
• Protections for intellectual property and commercial assistance via innovation programs
• International trade, and the educational requirements encompassed within both knowledge industries and transactions based upon skilled labour trade between regions.

Other Service Providers

There are a range of product and service organisations who support the on-going operations of the broader educational market. Within this segment, many service providers provide on-site support to schooling institutions as well as ancillary support by way of industry or community engagement. It is envisaged that this quadrant of the services market, will provide measurable assistance to the initiative, upon the basis of working under a partnership program whereby infrastructure support services are delivered in-return for community engagement services; for the specific purpose of enhancing the adoption of E-Learning Infrastructure Tools, Services, Programs and Projects; as well as, the reliability of systems on-site throughout these locations.