Franklin Consulting Wireless Networking in Education Tom Franklin TechLearn ‑ consulting.ac.uk

Franklin Consulting Introduction  Educational benefits of wireless computing  Putting computers into learning using wireless  Ubiquitous computing  conclusions

Franklin Consulting Benefits of wireless  Flexibility  Extended reach  Networking Students’ Computers  Enhancing education  Precondition for ubiquitous computing

Franklin Consulting When to use it  Teaching areas  Extending the network to new areas  Public areas (library, café)  Occasional use  Out doors

Franklin Consulting 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 from their cars The whole resource centre / library

Franklin Consulting Computers at teaching  Computers go to the students Currently students have to go to the computers  All spaces can be used with computers Currently just computer labs  Computers can be integrated into learning Currently dominate or are absent

Franklin Consulting 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

Franklin Consulting 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

Franklin Consulting Computer cart

Franklin Consulting 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

Franklin Consulting Ubiquitous Computing  “ All teaching proceeds on the assumption that all students and faculty have appropriate access to the internet ” David Brown

Franklin Consulting  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 Hierarchy of Ubiquity Current position Position by 2008?

Franklin Consulting 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

Franklin Consulting 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