EDUCATION NEWS DIGEST #15

LOOPING FOUNTAIN OF DATA TRANSMITS VIDEO MORE EFFICIENTLY
Digital Fountain, an Internet startup led by computer scientist
Michael Luby, will introduce new technology to improve video and
audio transmission over the Internet. The new method seeks to
eliminate the problems inherent in transmitting data through
"noisy" channels, in which data can be lost or disrupted while
in transit. Luby's technology employs what the company calls
"metacontent," which does not send users' transmissions broken
into data packets, but instead sends a continuous loop of
streaming data. If data is not received, the loop can regenerate
it. Industry analysts say the technology may be a major step
forward for the growth of streaming video and other applications
that are bandwidth-intensive. However, analysts also note that
more practical problems, such as few users having the necessary
bandwidth and few companies having solid business strategies for
the distribution of streaming video, will prevent further growth.
(New York Times, 16 April 2001)

BANDWIDTH CONSTRAINTS BEGIN TO WORRY SCHOOLS
Public schools are facing bandwidth constraints as more teachers
use the Internet in their courses and as applications take
advantage of video and interactive features. A recent study
from the National Center for Education Statistics shows that
95 percent of all American schools had Internet access in 1999,
with the majority connected through dedicated T1, T3, or 56 Kbps
lines. Although these speeds are more than adequate for consumer
needs, schools have to share the bandwidth among a growing number
of teachers. As a result, some schools have switched over to
Internet2, a parallel system designed by academics and
researchers, because it runs bandwidth-intensive applications
better. Jeff Ogden, an associate director for Merit Network, a
company that connects schools to Internet2, says tight budgets
prohibit many schools from upgrading their connections. He adds
that resources might be better applied to training teachers how
to make the most of the connectivity they have.
(New York Times Online, 11 April 2001)

POLL SHOWS FACULTY PREFER WEB-ENHANCED COURSES
A new e-learning poll from WebCT shows strong faculty prefer-
ence for Web-enhanced classroom instruction over either tradi-
tional classroom-only instruction or online-only distance edu-
cation. Faculty also say student learning achievement is maxi-
mized in courses that combine online and classroom elements. 
The e-learning poll also reveals the impact of distance learn-
ing programs on higher education institutions. 73 percent of 
poll respondents say their institution's implementation of a 
distance learning program allowed their institution to reach 
and serve new student populations. 42 percent said implementa-
tion of a distance learning program effected a change in intel-
lectual property policies; 31 percent said it effected changes 
in facilities, and 27 percent said it generated a change in 
faculty compensation policies. 

ONE SYSTEMS CONTRIBUTES TO DUKE'S PHOTONICS CENTER 
ONI Systems Corp., a provider of all-optical telecommunications 
equipment for metro and regional networks, recently announced 
a multi-year sponsorship agreement with Duke University's Fitz-
patrick Center for Photonics and Communications Systems (FCPCS). 
The contribution represents a commitment to Research Triangle 
Park (RTP) and to advancing optical networking research and -
. ONI's corporate involvement includes membership on the Indus-
try Advisory Board of the Fitzpatrick Center; sponsorship of 
selected research in FCPCS Focused Research; recruitment access 
to Duke's Pratt School of Engineering students; opportunities 
to enroll ONI employees as students; and collaboration with 
Duke Engineering faculty. 


MENTERGY DEVELOPS AUTOCAD PERFORMANCE SUPPORT
Mentergy, Inc., an e-learning company, and provider of enter-
prise e-learning solutions worldwide, recently announced that 
it has developed 32 lessons for Autodesk's AutoCAD 2000 and 
AutoCAD 2000I programs. The project includes the development 
of e-learning lessons that will provide users with step-by-
step tutorials and hands-on experience to enhance their skill 
in working with AutoCAD. As part of Autodesk's initiative to 
provide users with e-learning offerings, the Allen division 
developed Web-based lessons to give AutoCAD users access to 
concepts, tutorials, and "try-it" features that they can 
immediately incorporate into their jobs. They will be deliv-
ered as individual lessons, available 24/7, and also as part 
of live, Web-based training courses presented by subject 
matter experts. The AutoCAD lessons are developed in HTML and 
will be viewed using the Autodesk Learning Assistance (ALA) 
environment that the Allen team previously developed for 
Autodesk. ALA is a high performance learning environment 
integrated into Autodesk products and currently being used 
by millions of users. Allen offers this same system to its 
customers as iDiscover, providing learning "chunks" of 
catalogued information accessible via an Intranet, Internet, 
or CD-ROM. 

USERS DEFINE APPLICATIONS
Although smart cards have failed in the open market, their
benefits are amplified in defined groups of users within a single
system. Universities, especially, are taking advantage of the
cost-benefits attached to smart cards, which can allow greater
campus security as well as a variety of convenient functions for
students. At Florida State University, for example, students use
a smart card to access dormitories, libraries, and computer labs.
The chips on the cards can also store student data and a variety
of e-purses--accounts containing money for different purposes.
The university has also partnered with Suntrust Bank to allow
the smart cards to be used as credit cards and at ATMs. Jack
Mapes of smart card vendor Schlumberger says smart cards also
dramatically cut IT costs. He says some clients had complained
about spending 20 percent of their IT budgets maintaining student
passwords, but smart cards provided a solution by storing
passwords and improving network security.
(Financial Times--IT, 18 April 2001)

BERKELEY PROFESSOR'S PLAN TO TURN THE NET INTO A VAST HARD DRIVE
Professor John Kubiatowicz of the University of California,
Berkeley has teamed with fellow scholars to develop OceanStore,
an online repository of digital data. The system would work when
devices such as computers, cameras, PDAs, or even health
monitoring appliances send data to a variety of servers across
networks. The data would be broken up into pieces and duplicated
prior to storing to ensure that if any servers become damaged,
a copy of a file could still be retrieved. Such vast storage
capability would require sending data by cable, DSL, or wireless
connections as well as safeguarding the information from
tampering. Kubiatowicz and his colleagues foresee OceanStore as
a way to preserve data for the benefit of future generations.
Kubiatowicz wants to make sure that losing data due to system
crashes becomes a thing of the past. He envisions people
signing up for the service, which would be administered by a
number of firms. The team may soon launch a test network
among several universities.
(Wall Street Journal, 23 April 2001)

UNION PUBLISHES GUIDE CITING HIGH COST OF DISTANCE EDUCATION
The National Education Association has issued a paper disputing
the cost-effectiveness of online courses for universities. The
manual is meant to provide a basis for teacher negotiations at
schools that are considering moving classes online. Although not
disputing the benefits of Web-based education for remote students
and those with family and work considerations, the NEA paper says
that online courses should not be adopted for cost-savings
reasons. The study cites federal reports and research completed
by the IT director for the California State University System as
evidence that classroom instruction actually provides a better
return on investment than online study. Only with classes of
more than 500 students does the Web-based model provide cost
savings, said the NEA. However, Stevens Institute of Technology
Web learning director Robert Ubell said that, although the NEA's
goal of protecting instructors is admirable, their study is too
narrowly defined and meant to "defend against change."
(Chronicle of Higher Education Online, 23 April 2001)

FIVE STATES ARE FIRST TO OFFER INTERNET2 TO SCHOOLS
Internet2 is no longer limited to government, universities, and
private companies. The technology has been made available to
school systems in Michigan, Missouri, Oregon, Virginia, and
Washington. Connecting K-12 schools in these states to Abliene,
the ultrahigh-speed Internet2 backbone, can open up a world of
educational opportunities for educators--from videoconferencing,
virtual tours, and tele-immersion, to virtual-reality programs
and other three-dimensional experiences. One challenge for
educators is to decide how to incorporate the technology into the
classroom, said Greg Marks, who works for the Merit University
division that provides Internet services to Michigan schools.
Marks expects school systems to use Internet2 to provide
training to teachers so they can familiarize themselves with
the possibilities of the technology. In Michigan, schools will
not have to pay a fee to use the advanced research capabilities
of Internet2, but only schools that have the infrastructure to
support the technology will be able to access it. MOREnet, the
Missouri Research and Education Network, is educating Missouri
schools about Internet2, and schools can access the technology
right now.
(eSchool News Online, 16 April 2001)

GEORGE MASON'S INTERNET LAB COMPLETES TESTING
The Advanced Internet Lab (AIL) at George Mason University 
recently announced the completion of new leading-edge code 
testing for Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS). The tests 
focused on demonstrating vendor interoperability and the abil-
ity of the MPLS Label Distribution Protocol (LDP) and MPLS 
Resource Reservation Protocol for traffic engineering (RSVP-TE) 
to efficiently provision networks using traffic engineering 
and Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), which are key to carriers' 
development of next-generation Internet Protocol (IP) services. 
The purpose of George Mason University's Advanced Internet Lab 
is to conduct research on high-performance, large-bandwidth, 
Internet core networks. 

DISTANCE LEARNING PIONEERS RECOGNIZED
The United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) 
recently presented its prestigious 2001 Eagle Award to the 
Honorable William J. Janklow, Governor of South Dakota. USDLA 
also honored three outstanding individuals with USDLA Hall of 
Fame awards, recognizing the contributions to distance learn-
ing of Don R. Foshee, Jolly T.Holden Ph.D., and Frank B. 
Withrow, Ph.D. Former USDLA Treasurer, Colonel Bruce S.Byrne, 
was also honored with a special award for his service to the 
distance learning community. The awards ceremony was held in 
conjunction with the 2001 e-Learning Conference and Expo in 
Washington, DC. 

PARTNERSHIPS PROVIDE ACCESS
Abilene, a nationwide Internet2 network, announced last month 
that state education networks in Michigan, Missouri, Oregon, 
Virginia, and Washington will establish connectivity under a 
new policy that allows expanded access to the high-performance 
educational backbone. Partnerships with Internet2 universities 
and regional networking organizations will provide institutions 
such as elementary schools, secondary schools, community 
colleges, museums, and libraries access to the national high-
performance network. Access to the high-performance backbone, 
leveraged by network upgrades at the state and local networks 
upgrades, will allow expanded use of applications that don't 
work well or at all on today's Internet. Access to Abilene is 
now available to educational organizations through partner-
ships with organizations with existing connections. 

SUPER-FAST DSL COULD TAKE BROADBAND MARKET BY STORM
European businesses will soon have the opportunity to access the
Internet at up to a blistering 4.6 megabits per second thanks to
the rollout of Symmetrical High-Density Digital Subscriber Line
(SHDSL) service by Efficient Networks. SHDSL offers consumers
faster upload times than Asynchronous DSL, which has fast
downloads but slow uploads. Using repeaters, SHDSL can transmit
signals up to 19 miles from the telecommunications provider's
switches. Efficient Networks will offer its $499 5950 SHDSL
Business Gateway to small and mid-sized European businesses this
summer. The technology is compatible with prevailing network
standards, as well as conforming to the International
Telecommunications Union G.991.2 Recommendations, and the data
encoding and signal modulation HDSL-2 standard. Efficient
Networks believes Europe's slow adoption of SDSL creates an
opportunity for its SHDSL product that will not exist in North
America until about the second quarter of 2002.
(PCWorld.com, 23 April 2001)

UNLOCKING THE SMART HOME
AOL has partnered with George Washington University to develop
technology aimed at connecting homes and their appliances to the
Web. Using a PC or Palm-like device and sensors, researchers
will use wireless technology to connect such items as TVs,
refrigerators, and alarm systems to monitor them over the
Internet. The system would help firefighters locate a house
on fire, and TVs would display different movies for different
viewers. AOL will provide funding for the test prototype, gear,
and academic grants. The team is creating its test site at
GW's Ashburn, Va., campus. Currently, about 20 students and
six teachers are involved in the project.
(Washington Post, 26 April 2001)

MICROSOFT, BLACKBOARD PARTNER TO SERVICE HIGHER EDUCATION
Microsoft Corp. (www.microsoft.com) and Blackboard Inc. 
(www.blackboard.com), an Internet infrastructure software company for e-education, 
announced a global alliance to "redefine and simplify" the e-learning 
experience for students and faculty in higher education. Microsoft, 
recently invested $10 million in a recent round of $48 million of venture 
capital for Blackboard.
"E-learning has been held back because students and faculty have to 
access resources from a variety of systems that don't work well together," 
said Bill Gates, chairman and chief software architect at Microsoft, 
announcing the alliance to more than 100 CIOs from leading 
higher-education institutions in the United States and Canada. 
Under the alliance, students and faculty using Blackboard's learning 
platform, built on Microsoft .NET technologies, will be able to more 
easily integrate a wider array of academic resources in a learning 
environment tailored to their individual needs and preferences. 
Blackboard will adopt and deploy .NET Enterprise Servers such as 
Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server, SQL Server 2000 and Exchange 2000 
Server. In addition, Blackboard will adopt future .NET building block 
services, such as Microsoft Passport, a user-authentication system that 
secures an individual's identity and information and enables single 
sign-on. Integration of .NET technologies will simplify users' activities, 
including enabling them to log in multiple times to various Web sites 
and tools, track student progress across multiple resources, and report 
data from different applications to faculty grade books.

HILL AND KNOWLTON, MEDIA1ST TO DELIVER MEDIA-DRIVEN ONLINE EDUCATION
Media1st (www.mediafirst.com), an education service provider, will 
provide online interactive video training for Hill and Knowlton 
(www.hillandknowlton.com), a public relations firm. Media1st’s e-learning 
solution, iNstruct, provides interactive video learning that combines 
streaming video with synchronous and asynchronous interactive features and 
online resources to digitize the traditional classroom, along with 
instructor interaction and visual aids.
The service includes complete consultation, portal design and creation, 
and will host the branded Hill and Knowlton Virtual Academy. The 
iNstruct solution will provide training and education to employees in any of 
Hill and Knowlton’s US offices. Comprehensive reporting will enable 
Hill and Knowlton’s management to view statistics regarding the status of 
training for employees, specific data on scores, polling, chat and 
other features to enhance learning initiatives.

CAMPUSES FOCUSING ON COMBINED EFFORTS
Higher education institutions in Oklahoma are joining forces to
offer collaborative programs, a trend forecasters say is likely
to progress over the next 10 years. Students at Rose State
College and the University of Central Oklahoma will soon be
able to take courses under the auspices of either establishment
through visiting teachers or by means of live relays of
classrooms shown over the Web. For such Internet-based uses,
Oklahoma can make use of its OneNet system. These types of
classes offer convenience to students who, on average, are
getting older, said Rose State's Ric Baser. Hans Brisch,
Oklahoma Chancellor of Higher Education, said businesses will
also start to partner with colleges. He thinks that e-learning
will inevitably transform traditional post-secondary learning,
linking campuses together and making them more dynamic and
intense.
(Sunday Oklahoman, 29 April 2001)

BRIDGING A DIGITAL GAP
The University of Pennsylvania's Center for Community
Partnerships has launched a program to close the digital divide
in the West Philadelphia area. A $171,000 federal grant is
helping to fund the three-year project, which will place
university students in West Philadelphia schools and churches to
provide lessons on computers and technology. The program will
also provide training that can be used to seek tech-related jobs
and will recycle old university computers. "The idea is to
combine academics with real, practical community services," said
Paul Vinelli, a University of Pennsylvania graduate who is the
project's coordinator. The program has drawn student volunteers
from work-study programs, and a group of students is are taking
part through the AmeriCorps program. The University of
Pennsylvania is one of six universities to receive a grant from
the Corporation for National Service to combat the digital divide.
(Philadelphia Inquirer, 3 May 2001)

VIRTUAL CLASSROOM IS THE FUTURE
Businesses and educational institutions in the United Kingdom
are looking for ways to implement e-learning, which can mean a
substantial reduction in costs. Cisco's classroom programs, for
example, cost as much as $1,800 per worker, while Web-based
classes are approximately $120 per worker. Dow used to pay about
$80 million for health and safety training for its employees;
that figure fell by $30 million after the company incorporated
Internet and multimedia-based courses in its program. Sony
likewise uses e-learning methods to train its repair engineers.
Wolverhampton University in the United Kingdom uses its
Wolverhampton online learning framework, or Woolf, to offer
career development in the West Midlands area. The Internet can
magnify the reach of traditional classroom teaching as well--for
instance, by connecting students to a Webcast of a live class.
(Sunday Times Online, 29 April 2001)

TECHNICAL ALLIANCE TO DEVELOP ONLINE MICROSCOPE
Front Porch Digital, Inc., a leader in the conversion, preser-
vation and management of information assets, recently announced 
an alliance with Rutgers and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School 
researchers to develop the technology needed to create a 
"virtual" microscope that can broadcast real-time images over 
the Internet. Although images currently can be transmitted 
over the Internet, they cannot be transmitted in streaming 
video formats with the high resolution necessary for medical 
applications. Front Porch Digital will contribute technology 
designed to capture, compress, encode and transcode the digi-
tized images at the highest possible resolution. Rutgers, 
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and Front Porch Digital 
each will retain the rights to their respective technologies.

HANDHELDS TO BE HARVARD MEDICAL STUDENTS' FIRST ASSIST
This August, 338 Harvard Medical School students will begin using
PDAs as their main data tool--the first institution in the United
States to make PDAs the standard instead of personal computers,
Harvard officials claim. The PDAs will be used for such tasks as
taking class and patient notes, scheduling class, hospital rounds
updates, and e-mail. Educators will be able to package and send
text, graphics, and tables, and PDA users will be able to exchange
data with PCs through the Internet. John Halamka, the school's
associate dean for educational technology, says PDAs are
necessary to keep students on track and on the move, thereby
saving time for learning. The PDA network uses AvantGo software
and servers for the system's Internet applications, and Halamka
believes that implementing the system will cost about $350,000.
(Boston Globe, 7 May 2001)

UNIVERSITY CREATES WORLD'S FIRST INTERNET INSTITUTE
Oxford University has announced the founding of the Oxford
Internet Institute, which the university believes to be the first
such institute for the study of the Internet's societal impact.
In a statement, Andrew Graham, Master-Elect of Balliol College,
said the institute will allow academics from various disciplines,
from computer science to medicine to political science, to
discuss how the Internet is changing everyday life, and potential
harm from the Internet. Its members will then make policy
recommendations based on their work. The institute will focus on
issues such as the borderless nature of the Internet and how it
relates to traditional notions of the nation-state, privacy, and
law enforcement. The institute will cost $22 million, much of
which is being funded by the Shirley Foundation.
(Reuters, 6 May 2001)

IP TELEPHONY TO TAKE CENTER STAGE AT NETWORLD+INTEROP
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and Lakehead University
in Ontario will be among those attending this week's
Networld+Interop conference in Las Vegas. The main topic at this
year's conference is IP telephony--sending voice packets over
the same IP network that handles Internet traffic. Lakehead
University is in the process of implementing an IP phone network
from Nortel. Lakehead University President Fred Gilbert said,
"Using the existing Category 5 Ethernet cable to send voice as
data is a very cost-efficient way [to deploy a phone network] for
this campus." Cisco will also be at the conference, and company
officials have announced the technology they will be showing--a
new system that will eliminate the need for customers to purchase
servers to handle the company's Call Manager software. Capt. Chris
DiNofrio, a data systems officer with the U.S. Marine Corps,
estimates that the new system could save him $15,000 for each
server he does not have to purchase.
(Computerworld, 7 May 2001)

EVOLVING E-BOOKS LET AUTHORS ANSWER CRITICS
Princeton University has launched a new e-book program, Princeton
Digital Books Plus, that treats books as dynamic, rather than
static, objects. Under the program, each e-book author will be
able to participate in an online discussion following the release
of his or her e-book. The author's reply to issues raised in
that discussion will be included in future editions of the book.
"Republic.com" by University of Chicago professor Cass Sunstein
is the first e-book to be published under the arrangement, which
will include forum discussions on the news site Salon.com and on
the Princeton Digital Books Plus site. Sunstein's reply will be
available for download from Amazon.com for free and will be
included in the book's paperback edition. Princeton plans to
release a second e-book, "Breaking the Deadlock: The Supreme
Court and Election 2000" by University of Chicago professor
Richard Posner, on Jun. 15.
(New York Times, 10 May 2001)

SURFING FROM THE CAMPUS QUAD
Rather than setting up more computer labs, Ken Woo, the network
systems manager at Toronto's Ryerson Polytechnic University,
decided to go wireless. He said installing a wireless network
for students with notebook PCs is much less expensive than
providing PC labs for such basic tasks as word processing or
Internet browsing. The university set up a $250,000 wireless
computing network that covers four blocks on Ryerson's downtown
campus. University outsiders cannot misuse the system because
each PC card needs a registered code number to link to the
network. The wireless network consists of 90 cellular antennas
spread around the campus. Each antenna uses radio signals that
exchange data with PC cards at speeds of up to 7 Mbps.
(Maclean's, 7 May 2001)

BLUETOOTH IS FOR REAL
Cahners In-Stat's Director of Convergence Practice Joyce
Putscher is optimistic that Bluetooth technology will soon be
offered in a wide range of products despite reports to the
contrary. She cites estimations that Bluetooth radio and
baseband silicon sales will climb to $4.4 billion in 2005. She
also puts little credence in the perception that Microsoft's
decision to make its forthcoming XPOS technology incompatible
with Bluetooth will harm the market. Microsoft will no doubt
make PC operating systems compatible with Bluetooth technology in
coming years, she said. She insists that a number of factors are
lining up to benefit the commercial launch of Bluetooth products,
including growing silicon supplies, the installation of Bluetooth
access points in many public places, the expected launch of more
Bluetooth devices and products this year, and Bluetooth product
development for a number of specific industries.
(Electronic News, 7 May 2001)

PURDUE RESEARCHER MAY INCREASE SPEED OF INTERNET
Engineers at Purdue University may have discovered a way to 
make the Internet faster and more powerful: a device commonly 
used to untangle signals sent over fiber optic lines. Said 
Andrew Weiner, a professor of electrical and computer engin-
eering, "This is the first time that anybody has realized this 
technology could be modified for a different function." The 
device can turn a single pulse of laser light into a rapid-fire 
burst of 21 pulses, each separated by only two trillionths of 
a second-- at least 10 times faster than the transmission speed 
of each channel in state-of-the-art commercial optical commun-
ication systems. The implications of increasing the speed and 
capacity of optical fibers are tremendous, considering that 
optical fibers are replacing wires for transmitting Internet 
data over high-speed lines. Weiner and research engineer Daniel 
Leaird have demonstrated that the untangling device could dra-
matically increase the transmission speed and the amount of 
data that can be sent over a single channel. For more infor-
mation, contact Andrew Weiner, amw@ecn.purdue.edu.

FROM TELECOMMUTING TO TELEPORTING
The University of Houston's Allen Teleport Version 2.0 is a
working model of what a media room of the future may resemble.
It serves as a laboratory and multimedia hub for architecture
students and professors at the university. It is outfitted with
up-to-the-minute multimedia computing features and Internet
tools. Teleport is designed to let people at the university
exchange class lectures and discuss concepts with academic
partners around the globe. Originally developed in 1979 by
architect Doug Michels for underwriter E. Rudge Allen, Teleport
broke new ground in the area of telecommuting. The system may
soon be used in interactive cars or serve as the center of a
virtual city, Michels predicted. For now, the current system
can act as "the perfect laboratory for experimentation,
collaboration, and playful invention," Michels said.
(Futurist, June 2001)