Internet2 and K-20 Networks

Bill Mitchell Louis Fox

Executive Director Vice Provost

MOREnet University of Washington

A Gathering of State NetworksDenver, Colorado

April, 2001

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• The following is a work in progress!

• Based on a numerous preliminary conversations with

& among many, but not nearly enough, parties

• Largely our attempts to synthesize what we are

hearing wrt interests, possibilities & common ground

• An amalgam of views, and not to be construed as

official or final, or anyone’s thinking other than our own

CaveatsCaveats

I2-NEWS: Thousands of Educational Institutions to Connect to Internet2 Backbone Network

Archives for I2-NEWS

Thu, 8 Mar 2001 07:26:19 -0500

THOUSANDS OF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS TO CONNECT TO INTERNET2 BACKBONE NETWORK

Partnerships with Internet2 Universities and Regional Networks Provide Broad Access to High-Performance Networks …

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• 1969: ARPAnet: + CS research community

• 1987: NSFnet: + Research Universities

• Early ‘90’s: + Very few pilot K12 & CC sites

• ‘Privatization’: + business & gov’t etc.

• Mid-Late ’90’s: + 4 year, CCs, K12, e-rate

• 1999: + Internet2 core deployed

Background & Context

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• The more innovators brought on board early the greater the possibility of progress

• The more broadly shared the tech platforms and tools the greater the leverage

• A disproportionate share of important innovations came from the .edu realm

• There were many important opportunities for the use of tech in teaching, learning & access

• We need to do a better job of evaluation and timely communication

Some Lessons Learned:

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• This time the research community wants to bring interested

K12, CC’s, Colleges, Libraries and Museums, etc. to the

table as early as possible

• Find ways to share ideas, results, technology, and other

information among all as broadly and as well as possible

• Do a better job of enabling not just the research, technology

and clinical communities, but also education, education

research, arts and cultural communities to engage the

opportunities of the new technologies

So

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• SEGP - State “K20” networks

• K12 & K20 Schools & Faculty

• ‘Beltway’ Societies & Associations with global perspectives

• Key Sponsored Research Agencies, e.g. NSF

• Education & Learning Research including think tanks,

research groups, national academies

• UCAID- I2 Organization

• I2 members

Some Relevant Communities

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• Five initial “K20’s” are Michigan, Missouri, Oregon,

Virginia, & Washington based groups

• In process are Indiana, Ohio, Oklahoma and Rhode Island

• Expecting a dozen or more others

SEGP’s, an immediate priority and key partner:

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• Bring K20 innovators into appropriate I2 ‘workgroups’, creating new ones where warranted

• Develop mechanisms for enabling quick, pervasive technology diffusion & transfer

• Get interested and capable SEGP’s connected & properly engaged in workgroups and projects etc.

• Create mechanisms for better evaluation and timely communications

• Where there is interest and realistic opportunity, including appropriate experts in learning and education etc, help enable experiments of innovative ‘deployments’ of advanced technologies in education (‘Expeditions’?) at SEGP sites, i.e., LENS ?

I2-K20-SEGP to do’s

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I2-K20 ‘LENS’ Notion

LENS (Learning Expeditions in Networked Systems) is

a concept being talked about as an I2-k20 effort to

enable and coordinate some key, well-conceived and

well-informed ‘expeditions’, (i.e., collaborative

projects) that aim to explore the ways in which

Internet2 based advanced network applications,

services, and content can be employed to enhance

teaching, learning and access to education.

LENS?

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What Makes This Unique?• It is about the intersection of educational research,

practice and a new generation of advanced network capabilities.

• learning sciences and education, etc. as well as technology

• LENS is not just about using transformative technologies, but using them in transformative ways

• It is where the interests of higher education & K12 communities, libraries, museums, government as well as technologists and research and corporate partners converge

LENS ? continued

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LENS ‘Expedition’ Focus?• Target persistent educational challenges

• Intellectual intersection among the participating communities - reciprocity

• Use important advanced network services, content &/or applications

• Harness potential for distributed & parallel work effort national, state, local

• Work at the leading edge but with realistic expectations

• Coalescing a community that will sustain itself

• Collaboration, evaluation, and communications are critical

LENS ? continued

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A Vision of Possible I2-K20 Synergies, and “Expeditions”

LENS ? continued

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Learning Centered Learning Centered Applications & Digital ContentApplications & Digital Content

Activities oriented towards exploring pedagogical uses of advanced networks,Activities oriented towards exploring pedagogical uses of advanced networks, or where advanced networks have a significant enabling impact or where advanced networks have a significant enabling impact

or role, including digital libraries, online museums, etc.or role, including digital libraries, online museums, etc.

SupportSupportActivities oriented towards understanding uses of advanced networks in Activities oriented towards understanding uses of advanced networks in

human capacity building at many levels such as professional development, human capacity building at many levels such as professional development, training, technical support,assessment, dissemination of knowledge, training, technical support,assessment, dissemination of knowledge,

definition of supporting job descriptions, etc. definition of supporting job descriptions, etc.

Tools and ServicesTools and ServicesActivities oriented towards defining and developing software enablers of Activities oriented towards defining and developing software enablers of

advanced networking, such as middleware, meta-languages, quality of advanced networking, such as middleware, meta-languages, quality of service, database management, resource discovery tools, etc.service, database management, resource discovery tools, etc.

TransportTransportActivities oriented towards the understanding, definition, creation,Activities oriented towards the understanding, definition, creation,

and operation of infrastructures that can support large-scaleand operation of infrastructures that can support large-scaleimplementation of other activities in the framework, that is, activitiesimplementation of other activities in the framework, that is, activities

in the three strata above. Transport itself has multiple layers including:in the three strata above. Transport itself has multiple layers including:local campus/school WANS/LANS; county/regional consortialocal campus/school WANS/LANS; county/regional consortia

WANS/LANS; state education networks; and the nationalWANS/LANS; state education networks; and the nationalAbilene NetworkAbilene Network

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Crucial to:• Identify and connect interested innovators across k20 to I2

workgroups etc.

• Get the participants/sites connected that we need to achieve I2 member and I2 partner goals

• Create good coordination, feedback, and communications mechanisms

• Leverage Internet culture (‘loose collaboration and working code”)

• Build in quality evaluation and communication modalities

• Work with appropriate communities and experts to identify high payoff LENS “Expeditions” for innovative deployment of next generation technologies, content services and applications in education. E.g. ….

I2-K20 Overall

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Some Possible “Expedition” Areas?

• Develop network-based tools, frameworks, and communities of practice to facilitate on-going professional development for K-20 educators, and in particular teacher induction practices

• Incorporate access to remote instrumentation into science education

• Define and develop scalable protocols and policies for educational uses of public databases and facilitate the development, distribution, and management of tools that make use of digital information and content

I2-K20 Overall

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A Missouri Example Today’s Students, Tomorrow’s Voters: Digital Discovery, Collaboration and Understanding

Fourth-grade students will work as historical researchers and sociologists as they attempt to identify important social issues facing American citizens as well as issues facing the new President of the United States. Through participation in collaborative synchronous and asynchronous activities using a Web-based tool called Shadow netWorkspace, students across the nation will have access to a wealth of online historical information available in rich multimedia formats from Presidential libraries and public television stations.

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A Washington Example

• In Washington we are forming a partnership of the UW, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the State Board of Community & Technical Colleges, leading districts and schools, private sector partners, and others.

• The goals:

Mount a statewide effort to participate in I2 related efforts to pioneer and evaluate the possibilities of next generation content, materials, applications and/or services in support of teaching, learning, and professional development and improved access to learning opportunities.

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Progress Report

• Ongoing series of discussions to build a common community and understanding about the efforts

• Two large meetings in D.C. to brainstorm wrt LENS ideas

• One meeting of state networks in Seattle to brainstorm how state networks can participate

• Developed the framework concept

• Beginning to focus on ‘what’ needs to be done, ‘who’ will do it, and then ‘how’ it will be done

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Current Status

• UCAID willing to be catalyst & convener, providing financial and organizational assistance during start-up

• Many organizations at the table

• Small group being formed to guide the effort• Louis Fox and Bill Mitchell, so far….

• I2-K20 schema including LENS notion, organizing structure(s) and work plans are in development

• Tentative goals include: • Bring the key players into a dialog• Identify and get relevant innovators participating in appropriate I2

workgroups,• Figure out how to get quality evaluation and communication• Identify important possibilities for expeditions

• Participants deploying I2 technologies will also do great things among themselves!

So where are we?

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I2 –K20 Offers:

• Next Generation Internet Technologies

• High Performance National & International Backbone Net.

• High Performance Regional Access Hubs (‘GigaPoPs’)

• Middleware Infrastructure technology & pilots

• An extensive Broadband R&D Fabric

• Workgroups with an amazing expertise in a wide array of key areas of opportunity wrt Advanced Apps., Network R&D, Advanced Content & Services (incl. learning materials)

• A Broadband Testbed with > 1 million people who have at least megabit to their desks and dorm rooms [plus areas with local peering with cable & dsl and wireless-broadband]

• An interest in, and the technology basis for, collaborating with experts in education in experimentation with uses of advanced network services, applications and content in education

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I2 Community is Seeking:

• Sets of partnerships and collaborations across a wide range of areas which leverage I2 technologies and networks and are likely to facilitate teaching, learning, and access including:

• Advanced content/repositories & heuristics• Advanced applications• Middleware collaborations • Advanced network services• Related research, evaluation, & information sharing

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Eager to Pursue Ambitious but Realistic Eager to Pursue Ambitious but Realistic Collaborations including:Collaborations including:

• Content/materials & capture and repositories

• H.323 and future interactive video and multimedia technologies

• Multicast – low to high end

• ‘Digital Video’

• Voice over IP

• Middleware

• End-to-end performance & network aware applications etc

• Computational Grid

• Broad array of applications areas

• Learning Technology Projects

• IPv6

• Related K-20 ‘upgrades’ (e.g. Broadband Pricing Workgroup)

• etc.

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But What About ?

• Other Education Sites/Groups et al eager to participate in creating, deploying or evolving advanced content, services, materials &/or applications?

• The collective needs for various .edu-wide capabilities (e.g., interoperable ‘middleware’ infrastructure, end-to-end performance for applications/content)

We need to get started on those!We need to get started on those!

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Q&A and discussion

• www.internet2.edu/abilene

• abilene@internet2.edu