Oakland USD Beefs up Network for Personalized Learning

The Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) is improving its broadband infrastructure to better support personalized learning curriculum and applications.

With 35,000 students and 5,000 staff members at more than 100 sites and several new technology initiatives, OUSD sought to upgrade its existing 50 megabits per second network. With the new network, provided by Comcast Business, the district will provide 1 Gigabit per second speeds to elementary schools and 5 Gbps to most of its middle and high schools with the option to scale up to 10 Gbps in the future.

In addition to personalized learning, collaboration tools, streaming HD video and access to online learning resources, the district will now be able to provide virtualized desktops from a centralized data center to provide more resources for students and faculty.

"Our goal is to prepare our students for the future and provide them with the educational tools and resources that will help them succeed," said John Krull, information technology officer at Oakland Unified School District, in a prepared statement. "Our use of Comcast Business's technology and infrastructure is enabling us to create an equitable, supportable, customizable learning environment that empowers our students and our staff to drive the learning experience and ensure Oakland's schools are competitive with the best in the world."

"Comcast Business's broadband solution will not only enhance the technological capacity of our school district, but also has broader positive implications for our community members, businesses and local economy, added Barbara Leslie, president and CEO of the Oakland Chamber of Commerce. "It's imperative that Oakland's technology infrastructure be state of the art to prepare our students with cutting edge knowledge and expertise necessary to transition into Oakland's growing workforce."

About the Author

Joshua Bolkan is contributing editor for Campus Technology, THE Journal and STEAM Universe. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • a professional worker in business casual attire interacting with a large screen displaying a generative AI interface in a modern office

    Study Finds Generative AI Could Inhibit Critical Thinking

    A new study on how knowledge workers engage in critical thinking found that workers with higher confidence in generative AI technology tend to employ less critical thinking to AI-generated outputs than workers with higher confidence in personal skills.

  • reDesign Future9 report

    ReDesign Updates 9 Essential Competencies for K-12 Students

    ReDesign, a provider of support and resources for competency-based education, has updated its Future9 Competency Framework to reflect the essential skills K-12 students need today to thrive in their education and workforce journeys.

  • teacher

    6 Policy Recommendations for Adopting AI in the Classroom

    The Southern Regional Education Board's Commission on AI in Education has published six recommendations on adopting artificial intelligence in schools, colleges, and universities. The guidance marks the commission's first release since it was established last February, with more recommendations planned in the coming year.

  • stylized human profiles, tablets, and floating icons

    From Feedback to Flexibility: 5 AI Tools Teachers Should Try

    As a fifth-grade teacher and AI School Champion in the St. Vrain Valley School District, I've seen firsthand how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming education. Here are five AI-enabled tools I've found especially powerful in my classroom and professional practice.