FIBER OPTICS IN OUR SCHOOLS
Fiber optic refers to the medium and the technology associated with the transmission of information as light impulses along a glass or plastic wire or fiber, about the thickness of a human hair. Fiber optic wire carries much more information than conventional copper wire, and is far less subject to electromagnetic interference. A single glass fiber can carry the equivalent of 100 channels of television or 100,000 telephone calls, with even more capacity possible by encasing many fibers within one cable. Fiber optics was developed by Bell labs and Corning in the late 1960s. It does not experience signal degradation over distance as would coaxial cable.
School districts are aware of the need for the upgrades to fiber optic cabling, but costs frequently preclude the upgrade.
Federal Communication Commission (FCC) rulings in October of 2004, that relieved incumbent local exchange carriers from having to share fiber networks that reach within 500 feet of homes, have led to plans by BellSouth to boost fiber deployments. Concern among competitors is that their ability to compete for business voice service will be hurt. (Quesada, 2004). But while the unbundling protection for fiber-to-curb is a blow to competitive local exchange carriers, BellSouth plans to increase deployments of fiber-to-the-curb by 40 percent in 2005, a move that will help decrease the cost for local school districts.
Since any installation of new wiring is labor-intensive and costly, it is little wonder that school districts lag behind the corporate world in obtaining this superior technology. School districts are rarely provided with enough state and local funds to expand current technologies to encompass such upgrades. There are numerous programs and opportunities in place, however, that will allow even less affluent school districts to keep pace.
One such program is called the Universal Service Fund for Schools and Libraries, or more simply, “E-rate”. E-rate was created by the Telecommunications Act of 1996, and is the discounted rate that schools and libraries pay for access to affordable telecommunications services. It was passed with the help of such politicians as Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and Newt Gingrich. The Act gave the Federal Communications Commission the power to expand universal access so that schools and libraries would be Internet wired. (Carolan & Keating, 1999).
Since then, the trend to sign up for E-rate has swept the country. In 1999, Merrick and North Babylon students in Long Island, New York, discovered internet access when their schools opened, and Massapequa voters approved a multimillion-dollar bond issue that included Internet connection costs.
“Because this technology uses bandwidth more efficiently than a traditional network and has not been subject to traditional telephone industry regulation.” (AT&T INC, 10-K, 2014: 3)
A flurry of solutions has been suggested, ranging from school uniforms to government grants. Unfortunately, many of these solutions are merely superficial. Uniforms, Internet access, and new buildings will do little to help overcrowded classrooms, overworked teachers, and disinterested students. The most obvious answer seems to lie in government grants to remedy buildings and supplies and standardized testing to confirm the quality of every education.
Koppich, Julia E. “Journal Issue: Financing Schools.” The Future of Children. 7.3. (1997). Web. 30 Apr. 2014.
Economides, N. (1998, September 1998). The Telecommunications Act of 1996 and its Impact. Retrieved June 18,2006, from http://raven.stern.nyu.edu/networks/telco96.html
Funding for technology is one of the first plans eliminated in public schools. In 2002, Bush's plan for solving the school funding crisis was to decrease funding for technology from eight hundred seventytwo million dollars to eight hundred seventeen million dollars, a fifty-fivemillion dollar difference. The cut was accomplished through the consolidation of nine "education technology programs" into one("Bush Budget" 1). The new plan created "a single education technology grant program under theElementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 that would be performancebased and would attempt to reduce the number of grant applications requiredby schools"("Bush budget"1). The Elementary and Secondary EducationAct of 1965, established during Lyndon Johnson's presidency, directed "billionsof federal dollars in a dazzling array of special programs focused especiallyon the children of poverty"("Reaut...
The reason that some schools can’t do things like buy computers and maintain their buildings to begin with is because the school funding system is so ineffective. The US government pays only 7% of all school money, and the rest is up to the states and the tax payers. Whatever money the states won’t pay is paid as school tax, part of your property taxes, which are higher or lower depending on how much your home is worth. But this means that schools in poor neighborhoods get little money while wealthy schools, like ours, get nearly all they need. You don’t see any leaky roofs in our school.
Therefore, the school district would have to purchase PE equipment for each grade level. There are six grade levels on the campus, kindergarten thr...
Doing what is needed would require reallocating money and personnel and looking outside the system for new ideas and people. Money is a huge issue: in the words of one superintendent, "You need to be able to change how every dollar is spent." But that might require funds from existing programs and schools in upper-income neighborhoods. Influential neighborhoods have the programs and teachers parents want, and they won't give them up readily.
Throughout the 1970s, concerted industry efforts at the federal, state and local levels resulted in continued lessening of cable restrictions. These changes, couples with cables pioneering to satellite communications technology, led to a pronounced growth of services to consumers and a substantial increase in cable subscribers.
There are a number of key reasons why we must ensure adequate funding of our schools. To start, we must increase the accessibility of the Internet in our schools. With our society growing by the minute the need for technology is rapidly on the run. Today we depend heavily on the Internet to provide us with fast information. It is used in high tech businesses, in homes and in schools. Through the Internet we enable students to explore new and interesting issues. In addition to the books found in our local library, the Internet serves as a fundamental tool for education. With all of the assets that the Internet provides not all schools have it at their disposal. “According to a 1999 survey, conducted by Education Week only 87%, in states like Pennsylvania had Internet access” (Gazette 99). “This number however rose to 90% in 1999.” Although the numbers did rise there are other states that are not even close to that number of access. This poses as a major problem because while other students are building their skills and are learning more, others still rely on books and articles. Through Internet use students will not only be introduced to a wide a ray of topics and search engines but will also be able to familiarize themselves with technology.
Fiber optic technology has opened the door to many more communication opportunities for the world today. It provides higher fidelity long distance telephone conversations, as well as secure communication systems. Today, more than 90% of the United States long-distance traffic is already carried over optical fiber; more than 15 million miles have been installed, virtually all of it using the original design.
Teachers should be trained by implementing the materials in their classrooms. At the school where Mrs. Hawkins teaches she, “[buys everything herself] because it never works to order things through the school system,” (Kozol 60). Purchasing equipment through the school system should ...
...; it should not be a tool to divide society. The opportunity to learn more effectively should be offered to all students regardless of economic situations. The ability to operate the technologies that locate and use information is a critical skill. If economics are a factor in keeping some students from learning these skills, society as a whole will suffer. All schools need to be equipped to teach in the most effective way; this means they need technology and teachers who know how to use it. Technology is expensive. Federal funds do not cover the expense and funds are always in danger of being cut. This leaves local schools and districts to take up the slack. People need to be aware of the expense and work together to generate funds. Alliances and partnerships with corporations and small businesses are one way to gain equipment. Costs can also be shared by local civic groups, school districts and individuals. If the people band together, they will have a better chance to compete for federal and private foundation money. Well organized grassroot groups influence action. The importance of technology in learning should never be disregarded, and it should be available to all students.
Term Paper: The History of the Internet The Internet began like most things in our society, that is to say that the government started it. The Internet started out as an experimental military network in the 1960s. Doug Engelbart prototypes an "Online System" (NLS) which does hypertext browsing, editing, email, and so on. The Internet is a worldwide broadcasting resource used for distributing information and a source for interaction between people on their computers. In 1973, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) initiated a research program to investigate techniques and technologies for interlinking packet networks of various kinds.