December 2005 — News/In Brief
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Industry News
Districts Embrace On-Demand Software Platform
New system like ‘changing channels on your PC.’
SCHOOL DISTRICTS in New York, Pennsylvania,
Maine, and Kentucky are adopting a new
paradigm for deploying and managing their
software in classrooms, computer labs, and
libraries in an effort to deliver centrally managed
technology while lowering related costs.
The Software-Streaming Platform from
Ardence Inc. (www.ardence.com) provides ondemand
streaming of both applications and operating systems from networked storage to
school-district desktops, servers, and devices running Windows or Linux. The
solution essentially turns PCs into appliances that are more dependable and
accessible than your typical desktop, according to Jeff Hibbard, Ardence’s VP of
marketing. The platform works by
storing images for each class in a “suite,” so that when a PC is rebooted, the
network delivers a preconfigured image to each student’s desktop with the
appropriate curriculum. Hibbard says to think of it as “changing channels on
your PC like it was a TV.” The company recently rolled out the Software-
Streaming Platform at the district level for an academic price of $125 per seat.
T.H.E. Institute, the research and consulting division of 101communications’ Education Technology Media Group, has partnered with AOL@School (aolatschool.com) to offer an online course to help elementary and secondary school teachers integrate technology into their curricula in order to improve student achievement and meet NCLB requirements. “Internet Literacy—Making the Most of the Web” is a six-hour tutorial for educators of all levels of tech savviness that covers topics such as the differences among search engines, and how to detect and counteract plagiarism from the Web. It also provides activities that enable educators to work hands-on with the latest communications tools such as blogs, Wikis, and instant messaging. In addition, AOL@School and T.H.E. Institute are underwriting 300 scholarships for New Leaders for New Schools, a national nonprofit that trains educators to become urban district principals. For more information on the “Internet Literacy” course, visit www.thejournal.com/institute.
