Internet in the Classroom
The Internet is a network of millions of computers worldwide, connected together. It is
an elaborate source of education, information, entertainment, and communication.
Recently, President Bill Clinton expressed an idea to put the Internet into every
classroom in America
by the year 2000[4]. Considering the magnitude of this problem, and the costs involved,
it is not realistically possible to set this as a goal.
The Internet allows the almost five million computers [1] and countless users of the
system to collaborate easily and quickly either in pairs or in groups. Users are able to
access
people and information, distribute information, and experiment with new technologies and
services. The Internet has become a major global infrastructure used for education,
research, professional learning, public service, and business.
The costs of setting up and maintaining Internet access are varied and changing. Lets
take a look at some of the costs of setting up Internet service in a typical school.
First comes the hardware. Hardware required is generally a standard Windows-based PC or
Macintosh and a 14.4 Kbs or higher modem. This will cost about $1000 apiece. If the
average school has 50 classrooms, already the cost has risen to $50,000 per school, for
only one connection per classroom. Next you need actual Internet service. For 24-hour
connections expect to pay $100 or more per month, per account.
If a school plans to have more than a few individual Internet users, it will need to
consider a network with a high-speed dedicated line connected to the Internet. This
school network would probably be a small- or medium-sized network in a single building or
within very few geographically close buildings. Connecting an entire school may require
more than one specific LAN(Local Area Network).
Most high-speed Internet connections are provided through a dedicated leased line, which
is a permanent connection between two points. This provides a high quality permanent
Internet connection at all times. Most leased lines are provided by a telephone company,
a cable television company, or a private network provider and cost $200 per month or
more. The typical connection from a LAN or group of LANs to the Internet is a digital
leased line with a Channel Service Unit/Data Service Unit (CSU/DSU), which costs between
$600 and $1000.
When budgeting for a school's Internet connection there are a number of factors to
consider that might not seem immediately obvious. Technical support and training will
incur additional ongoing costs, even if those costs show up only as an individual's time
spent. Equipment will need to be maintained and upgraded as time passes, and even when
all teachers have received basic Internet training, they will most likely have questions
as they explore and learn more on their own. A general rule for budget planning is this:
for every dollar you spend on hardware and software, plan to spend three dollars to
support the technology and those using it[2].
There are approximately 81,000 public schools in America. Within these schools, there
are about 46.6 million children in kindergarten through 12th grade[3]. Considering an
average of about 50 classrooms per school, at an average cost of $1,000 per classroom for
one connection(an extremely low estimate), this will give president Clinton's idea a
price tag of roughly $4 billion. This estimate does not even begin to take into account
the costs of constant upgrades, full-time technicians, and structural changes required to
install these systems.
When you look into the actual facts of a problem, sometimes you see that certain ideas
are not at all plausible. Putting Internet access into our nation's schools is an
excellent idea, but do we really need it? Considering that all major and most minor
colleges offer a wide range of Internet services, it is not necessary to have that same
service in our public schools. Bill Clinton's idea of putting Internet service into
every classroom in America by the year 2000 is not realistically possible. When you look
into the facts, it is obvious that this plan has not been thought out at all, and will
not be put into effect.
References
[1] Malkin, G., and A. Marine, "FYI on Questions and Answers:
Answers to Commonly Asked 'New Internet User' Questions", FYI
4, RFC 1325, Xylogics, SRI, May 1992.
[2]Answers to Commonly Asked "Primary and
Secondary School Internet User" Questions
Author: J. Sellers, NASA NREN/Sterling Software
[3] NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS
E.D. TABS July 1995
[4] The Whit, Rowan College paper
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