Kentucky Teams with Nortel to Enrich K-12 Learning Experience

This from CNNMoney.com

Education Solution Includes Applications,

Managed Services, Security Services

The first state to bring broadband Internet access into every public school is further enriching the K-12 learning experience with intelligent classrooms and online tools for collaboration and assessment based on an education network solution from Nortel(1) (TSX: NT)(NYSE: NT).
The State of Kentucky is implementing a complete Nortel Education Solution - including infrastructure, applications, managed services and security services - under its 2007-2012 Education Technology Master Plan(2).

This solution, delivered through Nortel channel partner Pomeroy IT Solutions(2), provides web-based access to educational resources from both schools and homes. It is designed to help achieve the plan's goal of providing equal opportunities for roughly 650,000 K-12 students in 174 school districts to become productive and contributing citizens.

"Nortel has a very clear understanding of the K-12 environment," said David Couch, associate commissioner, Office of Education Technology, Kentucky Department of Education(2).

"Typically a vendor will come in thinking K-12 is like a corporate environment and that a corporate solution will work in this environment. But it's radically different because of the concept of local control and autonomy."

"You essentially have 174 corporations that you're trying to move in the same direction, with similar objectives but with each having their own ideas on how to get there," Couch said. "Nortel has people on the ground who understand that, and they've helped us select from their suite of products the best set for this environment." ...

Kentucky’s new master technology plan looks toward the future

This from KSBA:

Kentucky’s new master plan for Education Technology aims to create "the smart classroom" by providing tools that students both want and need.

David Couch, the Kentucky Department of Education’s technology director, said the new six-year master plan takes a different approach to the smart classroom.

"We spent a lot of time going out to districts, talking with teachers, parents, students, universities, superintendents, curriculum supervisors, and a lot of groups and asked for their input on the master plan," he said. "It’s really not so much a technology plan; it’s really an educational plan where the parts that use technology have been identified. There is a difference."

Couch said the research found that students, especially as they get into middle and high school, want ease of access to technology during – and after – the school day. That means a larger number of computer devices and more portable technology.

"Part of the modern environment of anytime, anywhere learning is that students are telling us that they don’t want to be limited in getting access to these computers during the school day," he said. "So that means more mobile devices."

Couch, who talked abut the master technology plan at KSBA’s Summer Leadership Institute, said schools need to move away from the model where computers are in separate labs rather than in the classroom.

"This was students’ number one complaint," he said. "A national survey that was recently released said that the one thing public schools can do to prepare students for life is give them access to technology in their schools. In an area like ours where we have high poverty, the likelihood of them having access at home is lower than all the states around us. Kentucky is a bottom five state in that category." ...