T.H.E. Journal, June 1998, p. 14A
Few people can foresee all the steps involved in building a school’s technology infrastructure, but this detailed article by Eddie Esquivel, a telecom specialist with the Texas Dept. of Information Resources, goes through those steps with great specificity.
But before you sweat the details of wiring, Esquivel says planning is the most crucial step in building the technology infrastructure. Without it, your school could end up wasting valuable time and money. Esquivel recommends:
- a central project manager at the district level to ensure consistent and compatible equipment purchases across schools.
- outlining a school’s particular needs or special circumstances that would impact the type of technology used.
- a strategic plan that discusses long-term goals and missions and includes input from parents and the community.
- agreeing on standardized equipment and platforms (such as PC vs. Macintosh).
Esquivel then explains what makes up the core of a school’s network infrastructure. These are the cabling itself (including inter-building, intra-building, and classroom wiring), network hub equipment, network servers, and Internet connections. Last but not least, you’ll need an administration and support arm to manage the software and hardware, train users, and troubleshoot the system.