Wireless Networking in Education

1. Wireless Networking in Education Tom FranklinTechLearn tom@franklin‑consulting.ac.uk

2. Introduction • Educational benefits of wireless computing • Putting computers into learning using wireless • Ubiquitous computing • conclusions

3. Benefits of wireless • Flexibility • Extended reach • Networking Students’ Computers • Enhancing education • Precondition for ubiquitous computing

4. When to use it • Teaching areas • Extending the network to new areas • Public areas (library, café) • Occasional use • Out doors

5. Increased flexibility and reach • No need to flood wire • Can be connected to the network anywhere • Anywhere in a “room” • Can cover areas that you would not wire • Public spaces – like cafes • Outdoors – smokers can access email from their cars • The whole resource centre / library

6. Computers at teaching • Computers go to the studentsCurrently students have to go to the computers • All spaces can be used with computersCurrently just computer labs • Computers can be integrated into learningCurrently dominate or are absent

7. Networking students’ computers • Increasing number of students have their own PC • Increasingly this is portable PDA or laptop • Students want to be able to use them in college • Wireless simplifies these issues • Access is where the student is • No ports to be damaged through frequent use • Separate subnet for security • Can be outside the firewall

8. How to put computers in teaching • Computer ownership is like literacy • 90% literate you still have to read everything • 100% literate changes everything • Putting computers in students’ hands • “Loan machines” • Computer carts • Ubiquitous computing

9. Computer cart

10. Computer carts • Complete IT set up on the move • Can be used in conjunction with satellite for true mobility • Secure • Mobile – can be used in any teaching space • All spaces become “computing labs” • Computers go to the teaching • Set up time • Battery charging

11. Ubiquitous Computing • “All teaching proceeds on the assumption that all students and faculty have appropriate access to the internet” David Brown

12. Current position Hierarchy of Ubiquity • All “Own” Identical Mobile Computers + 2-Year Refresh • All “Own” Identical Mobile Computers • All “Own” Threshold Mobile Computers • (All “Own” Identical Desktop Computers) • (All “Own” Threshold Computers) • (All “Own” Network Computers) • (All Have Access to Threshold Computers) • All Have Access to Public Computer Labs After Brown Position by 2008?

13. Ubiquitous computing • All students required to have their own computer (Laptop or PDA) to a minimum specification • Internet enabled everywhere; at all times • Fully embedded in education • May come with “top-up” fees • Some institutions working towards it

14. Conclusion • Wireless is equivalent to going from a reference to a loan library • It allows computing to go to the learning • It can be used to support students’ own computers • Students will demand it within two years • Ubiquitous computing will come in many institutions in the next five years