NOETC: Technology & Teaching

Technology after the storm

2008-01-16T08:41:00.000-05:00

Renew and Restore

2006-01-10T13:10:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends,

It certainly has been a daunting road to recovery for the City of New Orleans, our member institutions, and NOETC, Inc. Faculty and staff have been displaced, learning has been disrupted, lives lost, and buildings and equipment have been ruined.

At the World Trade Center, our office took very little damage. Unfortunately, Hurricane Katrina eliminated most of our external equipment, satellite dishes, transmitters and towers. As to the satellite dish, and various EBS antennas, damage was significant. While site surveys have shown all of the transmit antennas, located at the various university campuses, are still in tact, there has been varying degrees of damage which will need to be repaired. This damage ranges from radio boxes inundated with water, to broken waveguides. Antennas at the NOETC facility (WTC rooftop) did not fare well. All receive antennas at that location sustained significant damage, with the exception of Tulane University’s antenna. The steerable receive antenna, which services UNO, Nunez, Delgado, and Xavier was lost completely. The antennas remain intact, but the steerable unit they are attached to is a total loss. This equipment was fabricated specifically for NOETC, and our vendor is in the process of working up an estimate for replacement. The C/Ku Band satellite unit was a total loss. Moreover, our own head-end renovations were almost complete prior to Hurricane Katrina. It appears that being without electricity and air-conditioning did little damage to our electronic equipment. The renovations have been scheduled and should be complete by the end of the winter season. As you can imagine, this will take a considerable amount of funds.

Because of this turn in circumstances, we are requesting your help through your contributions. New Orleans Educational Telecommunications Consortium’s Rebuild and Restore Fund will help us accomplish our current and future goals while helping us rebound from Hurricane Katrina. NOETC is a nonprofit consortium dedicated to providing technology resources to our member institutions. Further information can be found at our website, noetc.org Contributions are tax deductible.

Through the fund, your gift will make possible supplemental services and educational support that is crucially needed for students, faculty and staff through the initial months of rebuilding.
Additionally, your gift will aid in preserving and upgrading equipment, learning resources and facilities, especially when other means are insufficient.

Please donate today.

Gifts may be mailed directly to:
New Orleans Educational Telecommunications Consortium, Inc.
2 Canal Street, suite 2038
New Orleans, LA 70130

As we move forward through this tumultuous time, please let us know how NOETC may be of service. Please contact us at 504-524-0350 or susansim@noetc.org.Let's pray that 2006 is a successful year.

Susan

Susan M. Simkowski, Ed. D.
Executive Director

Videoconferencing Plan

2005-06-22T11:28:00.000-04:00

Executive Summary
The State of Louisiana has used videoconferencing technology since the early 1990’s. The early adopters of the technology were the higher education community and the medical community. These early adopters established networks to meet their individual needs and these networks functioned as islands separate and apart from one another. In the mid 1990’s various users recognized the need for these separate islands to communicate effectively with one another. The Office of Telecommunications Management (OTM) became involved and in 1998 put in place a set of contracts to provide a full service H.320 network and a full line of videoconferencing equipment options. The pent-up demand for videoconferencing services is shown on the charts below by the high initial utilization and steady growth through Fiscal Year 2002/2003.
Figure 1 - Total Minutes per Fiscal Year
Figure 2 - Total Number of Conferences per Fiscal Year
The videoconferencing industry is undergoing an evolution in technology from the H.320 standard to the H.323 standard. The trend can be identified on the charts by the decline in usage of the H.320 network in Fiscal Year 2003/2004. The decline noted above shows a migration away from the H.320 network and to individual agencies’ IP networks utilizing H.323 technology. It should be noted that these charts represent only the videoconferencing usage under the OTM contracts. In addition to the OTM network there are other large independent H.320 and H.323 networks within the state with significant usage. The following organizations operate independent videoconferencing networks:
Figure 3 - Independent Agency Videoconferencing Networks
Agency
Primary Application
Number of Sites
Technology
LSU Health Sciences Center
Medical education at remote medical facilities around the state, administrative meetings with remote sites.

H.323
Department of Public Safety
Emergency planning meetings and Training
15
H.323
Department of Corrections
Pardon board hearings, Parole board hearings, Telemedicine with LSU-HSC
16
H.323
Department of Social Services
Departmental meetings, family team meetings for OCS (FTC’s) ,training, seminars, and interstate meetings
26 conferences rooms and 20 desktop units
H.323
Department of Health and Hospitals
Conferencing, Tel Med., Education, Legal, Bio Terrorism and audio conferences
100
H.323

Additional information concerning videoconferencing activities at state agencies can be found in Appendix D. Appendix D is a summarization of a survey sent to state agencies in July 2004 in preparation for this planning activity.

It is the evolution of technology described above that has prompted the need for a strategic plan to manage the migration of the existing H.320 users base to a H.323 environment and to provide a comprehensive, integrated solution for videoconferencing in state government.

The current and future users of H.320 and H.323 technologies represent various scenarios that will require different migration strategies to ensure that the state has an effective enterprise wide videoconferencing network. This plan documents each scenario, develops an enterprise wide strategy and identifies individual initiatives to provide a means to move the existing videoconferencing users from the current fragmented situation of today into a comprehensive, integrated H.323 network of the future. The network strategy and architecture developed here allows for a variety of options, such as:
· A full service option for agencies who want to out-task their H.323 network requirements
· A point of interconnection for agencies that have their own internal H.323 capabilities
· Shared services for agencies that want to out-task portions of their H.323 requirements, such as scheduling services
· Videoconferencing facilities for agencies with ad-hoc videoconferencing needs

The conceptual vision of this network is illustrated below.
Figure 4 - Conceptual IP Video Network Environment
The network diagram illustrates the IP video core network interconnected to existing statewide networks, agency networks, the current H.320 video network, the commodity Internet and Internet2. Full network management services are also indicated.
A key element to the success of an enterprise wide environment is a set of standards that all participants agree to adhere to. Since standards continuously evolve the strategy developed in this plan provides for management on an ongoing basis.
This plan recommends a set of initiatives to accomplish this vision. The initiatives are:
· Implement a videoconferencing advisory group
· Implement videoconferencing network infrastructure and lines of service
· Provide for existing H.320 users and establish a migration path to H.323
· Establish an environment to facilitate high quality and convenient videoconferencing for state government

The successful implementation of these initiatives will provide the State of Louisiana with a state-of-the-art videoconferencing infrastructure and management strategy capable of meeting the videoconferencing needs of today and positioning the state for future technology evolutions.

Full Document (approx. 55 pages) available upon request

LA Board of Regents' Postsecondary Education IT Priorities 2005-2006

2005-06-22T11:26:00.000-04:00

Louisiana’s postsecondary education system is dedicated to improving the quality of life for the state’s citizens.

The following three priorities have been proposed by the Postsecondary Education System IT representatives( LSU System, Southern University System, Louisiana Community and Technical College System, and University of Louisiana System), and the Board of Regents office of Information and Learning Technology. The priorities are global in nature; can serve as focal points for project development over the next three years. The priorities are not listed in any particular order of importance.

Promote and Encourage Investment in Sustained Strategic Technology
Alliances

B. Provide Affordable and Convenient Access to Electronically
Delivered/Enhanced Academic Resources

Identify and Encourage Best Practices Technology Implementations Across
the Academic Enterprise.

Each priority has been tested against the SMART criteria( Specific, Measurable, Attainable,Realistic,Time–bound), and has been created in full compliance with the following authorization documents:

VISION 2020: 2003 Update
The Master Plan for Public Postsecondary Education :2001
LAConnections: Louisiana’s Blueprint for Digital Government
ACT 772 of the 2001 State Legislature
State IT Master Plan

State Video Action Team

2005-06-20T16:31:00.000-04:00

With the results of the OTM Video Services RFP around the corner, plans for the new video network will soon need to be in place. Mike Abbiatti, Associate Commissioner for Information and Learning Technology, will convene the Video Network Action Team (VNAT) on Friday 15 July in Alexandria in order to make important choices, and to move forward with the new video network strategy, design, and deployment. The VNAT will meet regularly over the next year to ensure that the new statewide interactive video network is up and running by September 2006. There are some exciting potentials to be realized.The VNAT will be made of a mix of technical and administrative representatives. The mission of the group is to create a diagram, assumptions, and a cost structure. The first meeting will be on July 15 in Alexandria at the Learning Center of Rapides Parish (9:30am-3:30pm). During this meeting the mission, basic assumptions, regulations, and resources will be explored. This interactive network will serve educational institutions (K20), research institutions, and governmental agencies.

Says Abbiatti, “We have a tremendous opportunity to create the type of network we need to move forward. The keys will be affordability and scalability. I anticipate some other user communities joining us to create a truly statewide resource. LONI also may have some utility as we progress.” LONI is the Louisiana Optical Network Initiative which is part of the National Lambda Rail (www.nlr.net).

The new network will be seen as a utility or a tool with quality of service rather than a unique technology. Also part of the process will be the conversion from H.320 to H.323. Contact Mike at abbiatti@bormail.regents.state.la.us to be added to the listserv.

WNET uses ITFS for smart nets

2005-03-22T16:45:00.000-05:00

From the wnet.org website:

February 14 -New York, NY – Thirteen/WNET New York, the flagship public television station of the New York metropolitan area will demonstrate the Smart Dissemination Networks (“Smart Nets”) digital emergency response communications system to legislators and federal officials, as the groundbreaking homeland security initiative culminates Phase II testing.

The demonstration will give the federal decision-makers their first look at the operational capabilities of the system as it is field-tested in the challenging urban environment of New York City. During the demonstration, officials of the defense, homeland security, and emergency services communities, will monitor a live system test from Washington via two-way satellite link, getting a first-hand look at how Smart Nets makes use of the Instructional Television Fixed Service Band (ITFS) to provide dependable two-way wireless broadband communications to fire, police, EMS, and other personnel in the field in New York City.

“Spectrum availability has long been one of the greatest obstacles to effective emergency communications,” said Bill Baker, president of Thirteen/WNET. “The success of the Smart Nets prototype in tests to date supports our belief that the ITFS spectrum is the answer that first-responders have been looking for- a robust, dedicated digital pipe, widely available in towns and cities nationwide, and excellently suited for two-way transmission of critical voice, data and video information that can save lives.”

The ITFS spectrum (6 MHz channels in the 2.5 GHz range) provides a dramatically wider bandwith than conventional emergency response communications systems. By taking advantage of this robust digital information pipeline, Smart Nets will ultimately permit the sending and receiving of live audio, visual and text data between first responders – even those on the move in the field – and commanders at a central location directing operations.

Transition to GUARD

Upon successful completion of Phase II testing, the Smart Nets team hopes to transition the project to a new program called GUARD (“Geospatially-Aware Urban Approaches for Responding to Disasters”), which is envisioned as a collaboration between Rosettex Technology & Ventures Group, and Thirteen/WNET New York, Raytheon Corporation, NextNet Wireless, KenCast, Inc., and Grey Island Systems, Inc.

GUARD will extend the capabilities, team and technologies already in place to establish an operational prototype in New York City, and is planning for additional interconnected solutions in Washington, D. C. , Las Vegas and Missouri. GUARD will also provide an open platform and model for communities around the country to evaluate and adapt in order to best serve their local communities.

“Smart Nets is a bold innovation in emergency communications because, recognizing that cell phone and WiFi frequencies are quickly saturated in emergencies, its starts with the idea that only licensed spectrum can ensure access for emergency responders,” said ken Devine, vice president and chief technology officer for Thirteen/WNET. “ITFS spectrum, which is licensed to public television stations like Thirteen/WNET, as well as not-for-profit and other organizations, is plentiful, available in communities nationwide, and, as we are proving, readily adaptable to this critical function.”

Success For Phase I

During Phase I testing, Smart Nets demonstrated that commanders could transmit critical data to Thirteen/WNET’s master control, where it was routed through the station’s primary digital ITFS downlink transmitter at the Empire State Building and then beamed to a special receiver handled by a first-responder at an emergency site.

In the first on-the-street demo, in May 2004, the New York Fire Department (FDNY) provided location assistance, vehicles and sample data to assess the viability of using the Smart Nets platform to distribute video, sensor data and requests for additional information to and from FDNY’s new, wireless electronic command boards (ECBs) in the field back to the Fire Department Operations Center (FDOC).

A final report on Phase I is now available.

Phase II Adds WiMax- Ready NLOS and Mobility

Phase II testing began in August 2004, coinciding with the Republican National Convention, and continued throughout the remainder of the year and into 2005. In Phase II, WiMAX-ready non-line-of-sight (NLOS) and mobile capabilities provided by NextNet Wireless, were introduced. WiMAX is a standards-based technology platform for delivery of high-speed fixed, portable and wireless services.

“Our initial phase of testing proved that we could successfully use the ITFS spectrum to enable two-way, acquired line-of-sight communications to stationary points,” said Stephen Carrol-Cahnmann, director of Digital Convergence for Thirteen/WNET. “In Phase II testing, we have added non-line-of-sight and mobile capabilities, as well as satellite interconnection via the Department of Defense’s Global Broadcast Service. This will allow us to integrate such applications as automatic vehicle location (AVL) tracking, ECBs for the FDNY, video all points bulletins (APB) for the New York Police Department, and mobile command and control video/audio monitoring.”

“We are convinced the spectrum allocation is the key to a robust communications system that can help our first-responders meet the challenges of contemporary emergencies, be they natural disasters, terrorist attacks, or accidents,” said Carmen DiRienzo, vice president and managing director of corporate affairs at Thirteen/WNET. “And we look forward to showcasing the potential of that spectrum to the men and women in Washington who will be making critical decisions about emergency response and homeland security in the years to come.”
“Smart Nets is demonstrating a cost-effective and realistic solution to the issue of public safety in the 21st century,” said Baker. With each successive test, we are getting closer to an emergency communications solution that will suit communities of every size across America.”

Smart Nets is a collaboration between Thirteen/WNET New York and Rosettex Technology & Ventures Group. Rosettex is a joint venture between Sarnoff Corporation and SRI International. Smart Nets is in its third year of development under a contract from the National Technology Alliance (NTA), which manages and oversees the program.

EBS/ITFS in San Diego

2005-02-21T17:10:00.000-05:00

San Diego County Office of Education

SDCOE is licensed for 11 EBS channels in the San Diego area. Transmission takes place from 3 mountaintops to serve the major population areas. At the present time, four channels transmit to over 400 schools with EBS and also supply 4 cable companies serving 800,000 homes with a main channel via fiber, along with 3 Webcasting channels. Presently, 4 EBS channels have been digitized. There are 7 licensees in the area, consisting of 1 university, 2 community colleges, 3 SDs, and the county office of education who have joined to form Sand Diego County EBS Partners Group to further the advancement of EBS for their students. When completed SDCOE will be the hub for the 24 channel system of the group. The operation center now supplies videotape playback, video server playback, live productions from both our studio and mobile production van remote, and 10 satellite downlinks to provide our programs. At this time, SDCOE uses formats from VCR to DVDs to feed their Sundance automation system. This allows for 6 channels of playback with insertion of promos and PSAs, and 18 channels of timed playback. The Leitch video server system is equipped with 3 terabyte of disk storage using a format to 10 megabytes compression for approximately 360 hours of direct server playback and an additional 7 terabytes of archive storage in DVD-ram format supplying 750 hours of program material. Due to the many formations the system is considered a hybrid of analog and digital.

There are 8 PEG in San Diego County with SDCOE being one of the “must carry.” With over 800,000 cable in homes or 80% of all households, both cable providers (T/W and Cox) have penetrated the market. Fifty one percent of households have high-speed IP.

While EBS is used mostly as “customized programming,” other technology concentrates on other programming like professional development or instruction in Spanish via web streaming and live –call in shows about homework or remotes on cable. With a staff of 15 full timers, SDCOE keeps instructional programming at the fingertips of county teachers and specialists. Heidi Schalger, SDCOE Programming Supervisor, says that EBS lets special programs to be transmitted directly to those teachers who request it. For example, Martin Luther King’s “I have a Dream” speech was used through the benefits of the closed circuit nature of EBS. Future goals in EBS as it becomes digital include pushing lessons, notices, or even emergencies directly to whatever device parents, students, and staff have access.

Tulane Premiere Dates on Research Channel

2005-01-28T11:19:00.000-05:00

Burkenroad Symposium on Business and Society: Social Entrepreneurship: Creating Change

See the Reseach Channel on New Orleans' Higher Education Access Television

Airdates - Central:February 17 @ 10:00am & 4:00pm

on Channel 76, Cox cable, and Channel 901 Bellsouth Americast

Sometimes the world's social problems can not or should not be addressed by government. Enter the Social Entrepreneur. These innovative people have found solutions to many problems by combining their social expertise with business acumen to create new organizations that are, as London School of Business Dean Laura Tyson describes them, 'a new kind of business hero.' She defines social entrepreneurs as 'one driven by a social mission, a desire to find innovative ways to solve social problems.' The 2004 Burkenroad Symposium addresses the issue with three scholars who, having written extensively on the subject, share examples of how social entrepreneurs have changed the world.

Speakers: Art Brief, host; Lawrence Martin Chair of Business; director, William B. and Evelyn Burkenroad Institute, A.B. Freeman School of Business, Tulane UniversitySusan Davis, founding member, Grameen Foundation USADavid Bornstein, author, "How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas"J. B. Schramm, founder, College Summit

NOETC Joins Xavier's Distance Learning Board

2005-01-24T11:52:00.000-05:00

NOETC joins Xavier University's Distance Learning Advisory Board. Board members advise the campus on distance learning issues. Dr. Elizabeth Rhodes, Educational Technology Support Specialist, leads the charge for the group. The Distance Learning Advisory Board meets quarterly to discuss the impact of Elearning at Xavier and throughout the academic environment.

2005-01-18T16:24:00.000-05:00

Logo bridge
Posted by Hello

2005-01-18T16:23:00.000-05:00

NOETC Logo
Posted by Hello

The world of Video Bridging

2004-12-07T11:04:00.000-05:00

For Multipoint Videoconferences, the MCU needs a mechanism to connect multiple endpoints, each operating at different parameters ...this is called TransCoding.

Want more info? email me for a Powerpoint presentation!

Extranet article

2004-12-03T13:39:00.000-05:00

Extranets are small networks with security measures for controlling traffic between an enclosed corporate Intranet and the wide-open Internet.
How do Extranets work? How do they safeguard the flow of information and convert it into a competitive advantage? And what everyday benefits do they offer customers, partners, and employees?
Find out in this article by Jerry Hinek, Senior Business Security Manager with SBC Services.
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Go to http://resources.thefocus.org/topic/2004/Topic_Spotlight_Extranets.pdf

What's a DS3?

2004-11-09T15:19:00.000-05:00

- A DS3 is very similar to a DS1. The big difference is that, with a bandwidth of 45Mbps, a channelized DS3 has the ability to carry 28 DS1s (at a cost lower than just ordering 28 DS1s). It is also a High Capacity Special Access Service that will provide you with high-speed, dedicated, point-to-point lines capable of transmitting multiple streams of information. Whether you are sending voice, data, or high quality video, a DS3 can fulfill your requirements. And since it is a dedicated line, the full bandwidth will be available to you 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week.

Open Source Coding

2004-10-18T13:20:00.000-04:00

IN this week's Chronicle, there is an entire section dedicated to open source coding. The plus it it is that it's easily shared and essentially free. It's defined by G. A. Jackson , when a programmer creates software for a computer, he or she starts out by specifying the steps and calculations that the software is to execute, describing them in a high-level language--typically C or Java, which we now use instead of the old fashioned Cobol type languages. The source code becomes open when it meets three conditions: 1. It must be written in a documented high-leve language (Java, for example) so that other programmers can understand it, 2. It must be complete, without any hidden functions and 3. others can recompile as they see fit.

Why else would this be important?

NOETC: Technology & Teaching

2004-09-07T16:31:00.000-04:00

NOETC: Technology & Teaching

I have a definition of technology transer:
From: http://www.nttc.edu/products/guide/seca01.html, the National Technology Transfer Center, Wheeling College.
There is no widely accepted definition of technology transfer, but, generally speaking, technology transfer is the sharing of knowledge and facilities among:
• Federal laboratories
• Industry
• Universities
• Federal, state, and local governments
• Third party intermediaries
The concept of technology transfer as a practical matter becomes clearer when one understands what technology transfer is designed to accomplish. For instance, the purpose of a federal technology transfer program is to make federally generated scientific and technological developments accessible to private industry and state and local governments. These users are then encouraged to develop the technology further into new products, processes, materials, or services that will enhance our nation's industrial competitiveness or otherwise improve our quality of life.