January 2009 Updates
Bandwidth
Data communications to remote schools will improve
over the next few months as two new services, provided
by a fibre optic link and an upgraded satellite service,
are introduced.
Arnhem Fibre Optic Link
A fibre optic link is in the process of being
commissioned across Arnhem Land which runs between Jabiru
and Nhulunbuy. It will provide service to some 12 remote
communities. The broad band link will deliver a 20mbps
to the connected schools giving them better access to
online services and systems.
STARS is coming
The new satellite service to schools is in the
advanced stages of being implemented. New earth stations
are being installed at remote schools and at the homes
of school of the air students. The 6.2 metre satellite
dish located at Winnellie in Darwin is fully commissioned
with transmissions to remote schools and distance learning
students commencing from February as they are converted
over to the STARS service. All sites are expected to be
connected and operational by April.
Satellite Dish installation at the Darwin
Ground Station
National Secondary Computer Fund (NSSCF)
The allocation of computers to schools with
secondary school student’s years 9 – 12, is
well underway. The first phase of the program has identified
the numbers of computers required to bring the student
to computer ratio to 1:2.
Over 1500 computers have been allocated to Territory
schools with some 400 ordered and delivered to date. The
remainder of the computers will be acquired and installed
during the first term 2009.
Discussion continues with the Australian Government on
the remainder of the NSSCF initiative which be communicated
as it becomes publically available.
School LAN’s
The increased numbers of commuters in schools
and the increasing reliance on digital resources and online
delivery has meant that the Local Area Network plays a
primary role. A number of schools have upgraded their
LAN infrastructure however some still require improvement.
Two project officers in IT Services are able to assist
in designing and specifying your LAN upgrades. They will
ensure that your LAN is engineered to meet the schools
needs and that all components are standard and supportable.
Ring IT Services and ask for Jeff Watson or Ben Taylor
for assistance.
Internet Content Filters
Websites which act as anonymous proxies have
been blocked by the ntschools content filtering system.
Schools should advise IT Services if this action impacts
the business of individual schools. Some of these unclassified
sites have been found to mask inappropriate material and
as a consequence access to them has been blocked.
The filtering of Internet sites takes place as a result
of sites being categorised into some 70 classifications.
Those sites falling into the classifications considered
inappropriate are blocked. The classification service
is provided by a company who undertakes to review and
classify new sites as they appear. There is often a lag
time between new sites being established and them being
rated. These unrated sites also are being blocked.
Student Learning Profile (SLP)
Coming soon - the student learning profile will
draw key information about a student including attendance,
learning achievement and work examples. The SLP will be
accessible to the student, their teacher and their parents.
The system is currently being trialled at nominated schools.
It will be rolled out more broadly during the forthcoming
months and made available to all parents in the second
half of the year.
21st Century Skills Project 2009
Centered around Literacy and Numeracy, the "21st
Century Skills Project" is a professional learning
program for T-10 teachers to integrate ICT into classroom
practice.
Project Outcomes:
