-- Cisco Catalyst® Switches with Power over Ethernet (PoE). These help
simplify wireless deployments and help enable unified communications
deployments by providing an integrated solution that extends inline switch
power to wireless access points and phones.
-- 10 Gigabit Ethernet. This helps enable schools to more easily deploy
video solutions such as Cisco IPTV, which can be used to reach a
geographically dispersed audience, and Video on Demand, which can provide
convenient continuing education options for teachers.
-- Cisco Unified Wireless Networks. Wireless LAN controllers with
lightweight wireless access points allow schools to efficiently deploy,
secure and centrally manage a wireless network.
-- Cisco SMARTnet® Service. The operational health of a school's
network is maintained through 24x7 direct access to Cisco expertise and
resources that promote greater network availability and extend the value of
IT investment.
Kent School District Takes Academic Networking to Next Level with Converged
Solution
The Kent School District in the state of Washington has a long tradition of
innovation. With 27,000 students at 40 schools and 3,200 employees, the
district depends on its network to enrich its learning environment and help
instructors and administrators work more effectively.
The district wanted to prepare its network for applications such as voice
over Internet Protocol (VoIP), IP video surveillance, wireless networking
and virtualized applications. Although it had a high-speed wide-area
network (WAN), limited bandwidth to the desktop hampered network
performance. Kent needed a consistent, uniform network solution that
improved availability and reliability.
The Kent School District upgraded its network with several Cisco products,
including Cisco Catalyst switches, which provide the network performance,
availability and flexibility required for media-rich applications. The
upgrade also included Cisco Unified Communications, which delivers clear
phone communication and messaging to all campus sites, and a Cisco Unified
Wireless Network.
Knowing how important network performance would be to the ongoing success
of this technology implementation, the Kent School District decided to
purchase a Cisco SMARTnet Service contract. SMARTnet gives Kent
around-the-clock access to a team of highly skilled Cisco engineers, online
technical resources, operating system upgrades and advanced hardware
replacement to help keep its network running optimally. "We have
maintenance contracts with multiple vendors and Cisco is the most
responsive of them all," said Thuan Nguyen, director of information
technology at the Kent School District. "When we have a network issue, we
count on the four-hour response time to have the problem resolved."
The new infrastructure includes more than 900 lightweight wireless Cisco
access points managed by Cisco WLAN controllers, and several 10 Gigabit
Ethernet connections to schools and within the district's data center.
These technologies support advanced applications that enhance student
learning, increase staff productivity, and improve public safety. In
addition, the infrastructure supports a converged voice and data network
that can be managed more efficiently and cost-effectively by the district's
limited IT staff. Plus, the uniform network environment helps increase
network availability.
During the upgrade, Power over Ethernet (PoE) was important for the new
voice system, since the district's previous phones didn't require power
outlets. To help reduce conversion costs, the district wanted a solution
that would not require additional power or wiring. The Cisco Catalyst 3560
and 3750 Series Switches provide PoE support using both Cisco Inline Power
and the IEEE 802.3a/f specification.
The Cisco Unified Wireless Network is also improving instruction at the
school by providing total wireless coverage, which allows teachers and
students to connect to the network from anywhere on campus, and to access
the Internet, work on assignments, and submit homework from their laptops.
With its end-to-end Cisco network solution in place, the Kent School
District is already planning to take advantage of a wider range of new
K-12-focused applications. "We plan to implement streaming video into the
classroom over the next year," Nguyen said. "Every classroom will have a
video projector and an interactive electronic SMART Board when the
initiative is complete. We are banking on the scalability of our Cisco
network to support new applications."
Because the Cisco network was designed to easily support growth, the Kent
School District can continue to build on its foundation and add new
capabilities for students, instructors and staff.
School District Uses Cisco Technology to Improve the Way Teachers Teach and
Students Learn
School District No. 23 encompasses 41 schools in and around the city of
Kelowna, B.C., serving 21,000 students. The district has a reputation for
outstanding quality, but its leaders want to further improve student
literacy and writing skills, enhance the educational resources available to
students, and find ways to make students more engaged in their work. They
also wanted to create more opportunities for collaboration and knowledge
sharing in the classroom.
To accomplish these goals, district leaders launched the "Together iLearn"
program, one of the largest and most mature one-to-one laptop
implementations in North America. The technology project aims to equip all
students in grades 7 through 12 with their own laptop computers, which they
can use both inside and outside of the classroom. To support this goal, the
district put in place an advanced Cisco wireless and networking
infrastructure and a state-of-the-art digital learning curriculum. More
than 4,000 laptops have been distributed to date, and the district plans to
dispense an additional 4,000 over the next few years.
To support this progressive and impressive initiative, School District No.
23 deployed a comprehensive Cisco infrastructure, including Cisco
Integrated Services Routers, Cisco Catalyst switches, a Cisco Unified
Wireless Network, and Cisco SMARTnet Service.
Deploying these Cisco solutions gives School District No. 23 a
comprehensive, easy-to-implement, easy-to-maintain network that provides
wireless access and consistent management across all schools. For the
students participating in School District No. 23's iLearn program, the
technology has profoundly changed their educational experience, providing
access to resources, collaboration tools and modes of learning that would
be inconceivable in a traditional classroom.
"In just the first few years of the program, there are marked improvements
in writing, literacy and other skills," said Jon Rever, director of
technology and education services for School District No. 23. "With digital
tools and a wireless network at their disposal, students can collaborate,
communicate and share ideas in ways that would be impossible in a
conventional classroom. Perhaps even more important, the students are more
engaged and enthusiastic about their school work than ever before."
Brevard School District Takes Advantage of Cisco Infrastructure for
Award-Winning Results
The Brevard School District, in Viera, Fla., manages 85 schools that enroll
more than 75,000 students. The 46th-largest school district in the United
States, Brevard employs more than 9,600 staff and has nearly 25,000
computers spread across 103 sites.
Faced with a multivendor infrastructure that was difficult to manage,
costly to maintain and unable to provide the performance required by
today's advanced K-12 applications, Brevard elected to do a complete
refresh of its network with an end-to-end converged solution from Cisco.
Delivering increased bandwidth to each school, the new infrastructure has
allowed the district to implement leading-edge educational applications
such as an online grade-book program that allows parents and students to
access test scores as soon as they are calculated. The district has also
implemented a 21st-Century classroom design that improves the ways students
see, hear and interact with the curriculum. The design includes
ceiling-mounted projectors, amplification systems, document cameras, DVD
players and wireless access points to allow for instructional flexibility.
Using the Cisco Unified Wireless Network, the district deployed Cisco WLAN
controllers and more than 1,000 lightweight wireless Cisco access points in
the last year to support PDAs, point-of-sale applications in the
cafeterias, wireless projectors and wireless phones for administrators.
This solution is allowing the district to centralize the control and
management of its wireless access points, increasing the efficiency and
security of its wireless network.
"The Cisco network is letting our teachers utilize exciting new educational
tools that are really engaging the students," said Bob Burns, network
operations manager for the Brevard School District. "Since the network was
deployed, the students are more excited and more responsive to their
lessons, and they are more involved in their education."
Brevard's advanced network was a key factor in the district's recent
receipt of the Florida Governor's Sterling Award. Based on the National
Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence, the Sterling Award is
Florida's highest honor for organizational performance and management
excellence.
The improvements in network performance and applications support that the
school has realized with its Cisco network have been so dramatic that it
plans to continue enhancing its learning environment with video and
high-bandwidth content.
"When we deployed the new infrastructure, we wanted a solution with
outstanding performance, reliability, and support, one that would allow us
to easily implement the new educational tools that will be developed in the
coming years," Burns said. "We are confident that the Cisco network we've
deployed will allow our teachers to continue utilizing educational tool
advancements that will bring added value to the classroom and to the
students themselves for years to come."
About Cisco
Cisco (Contact Information: Media Contact: Kathleen Keith Cisco 707-529-4507 kakeith@cisco.com Industry Analyst Contact: Laura Irwin Cisco 408-853-8876 lirwin@cisco.com Investor Relations Contact: Marilyn Mora Cisco 408-527-7452 marilmor@cisco.com