It is with great pleasure that we introduce to you the K-12 Network Technology Planning Guide (the Guide). In this Guide we have set statewide networking standards and addressed key issues regarding network implementation. It is our hope that this document will serve as the framework for construction of access to the global electronic highway for all California public schools and will provide all our schools an incentive and a valuable tool for moving forward into the information age.
Throughout California we have been able to identify a small number of schools, districts, and county offices of education that already have embarked on integrating telecommunications across their curriculum, administration, and/or professional development. The rewards they describe for their efforts in this area are very similar to the incentives described in a 1993 report from the Bank Street College of Education's Center for Technology in Education:
"Communicating with other educators, accessing information, and combating professional isolation are the most highly rated incentives for using telecommunications as a professional resource. The most highly rated incentives for using telecommunications with students include expanding students' awareness about the world, accessing information, and increasing students' inquiry-based and analytical skills."
However, like the Bank Street researchers, our teachers, administrators, and students have discovered that the ultimate benefits of networking only will be realized when planning for the integration of telecommunications into instruction and administration is careful and comprehensive. We in the Department of Education have worked with numerous educational and technical advisors for many months to undertake for you much of that necessary planning. Of course, our work does not eliminate the need for your own site planning, but we believe that with this document in hand you will be well prepared to begin, or elevate, the discussions at your site regarding your network planning. In addition, attention to the recommendations in this Guide will help ensure that California implements a networking infrastructure that supports equity of access, efficient statewide communication, and provides incentives for professional collaboration among all educators in California public schools.
This Guide provides a standard framework for the technical aspects of the network while allowing vast flexibility to individual sites as to how they will use the tools of the network once they become available. The framework is based upon current and available technologies and incorporates design strategies which will allow us all to take advantage of new technologies as they emerge.
We are proud to deliver to you the information contained in this Guide and anticipate a time when we can all reap the benefits of the exciting opportunities inherent in global networking.
HARVEY HUNT, Deputy Superintendent
Curriculum and Instructional Leadership Branch
WILLIAM L. PADIA, Assistant Superintendent
Research, Evaluation, and Technology Division
DONAVAN MERCK, Administrator
Educational Technology Office
CAROLE TEACH, Manager
K-12 Network Planning Unit
