THE Journal — Hardware
JDCHS Streamlines Backup and Recovery for Mac Network
Juan Diego Catholic High School in Draper, UT faced a problem with its hybrid tape/disk backup and recovery system: It didn't always work, and, when it did, it was slow. So the school recently replaced the system with a pure disk-based RAID to handle its more than 455 networked Macs, along with offsite archive drives for business continuity/disaster recovery.
(5/15/2008)
Turning Launches Computer-free Classroom Response System
Classroom technology developer Turning Technologies has launched a new classroom response system that doesn't require computers or projectors. The new ResponseCard AnyWhere is a wireless, handheld system designed for standalone use to capture data from interactive classroom polls and other types of feedback.
(4/30/2008)
FirmTek Intros eSATA Combo Hub
At the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas this week, FirmTek debuted a new combo hub designed to bring eSATA connectivity to laptops. The SeriTek/SpyderHUB includes USB and FireWire host connection options, along with hardware RAID and boot capabilities for Mac OS X systems.
(4/16/2008)
Renaissance To Roll Out Laptops to Africa
Education technology developer Renaissance Learning and non-profit Generation for Change and Growth will deploy some 5,000 refurbished AlphaSmart laptop computers in Northern Kenya in an effort to reach students in areas with high rates of illiteracy.
(4/15/2008)
HP Debuts Mini Notebooks for Schools
HP has launched a new line of mini notebooks designed specifically for schools. The new 2133 Mini-Note PCs, which were announced Tuesday, weigh in just above 2.5 pounds and start a hair below $500. They're aimed largely toward students for school and home use.
(4/8/2008)
Policy Server Integrated with 3Com Routers
LineSider Technologies, which publishes policy-based network infrastructure control and management software, has launched OverDrive, a policy server that integrates with 3Com Open Services Networking (3Com OSN) for MSR Series Multi-Service Routers. The OverDrive software lets users deploy and manage Internet protocol-based services across complex network environments.
(3/13/2008)
Open Source Computer Donation Program Aims To Go Nationwide
Ensuring that schools in low-income communities have access to the same technologies as wealthier schools isn't enough for James Burgett, executive director of the Alameda County Computer Resource Center in Northern California. He wants them to have better technology, and he wants them to have it for free. Burgett--along with several partners, contributors, volunteers, and staff--has been for years refurbishing computers, loading them up with open-source software, and deploying them in classrooms (and giving them to individuals) in the San Francisco Bay area. He's recently expanded that effort and is now looking to take it national.
(3/6/2008)
'Augmented' IT Supports Massive Infrastructure for Virginia District
Coordinator Tom VanDenburg's network and systems organization at Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) in Virginia manages about 3,900 Cisco switches, 240 routers, 7,500 wireless access points, and a multitude of servers running Windows 2003, Red Hat Linux, HP UX, and Sun Solaris for roughly 240 sites across the county. Each school in the district is wireless; operations run 24x7; and every day the network hosts around 12,000 concurrent users.
(3/3/2008)
'Installfest' Brings Open Source Tools to Northern California Schools
Open-source developer Untangle and the Alameda County Computer Resource Center are holding an event called "Installfest" in the Northern California Bay Area March 1. The event will see donated hardware and open-source software distributed free to several schools in San Francisco, Berkeley, San Mateo, and Marin County.
(2/27/2008)
Apple Notebooks Get Faster Processors, Expanded Storage
Apple Tuesday rolled out updated versions of its MacBook and MacBook Pro notebook systems. The new models sport faster processors and expanded memory. The MacBook Pro models also add Apple's multi-touch trackpad technology.
(2/27/2008)
Improving Instruction with Interactive Whiteboards (on the Cheap)
The Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School District in South Yarmouth, MA faces obstacles not uncommon to many school districts: poor state testing scores, declining enrollment, and a diminishing budget for classroom resources. But that hasn't stopped Lory Stewart, director of instructional technology, from doing everything she can to squeeze out the money necessary for bringing interactive whiteboards into as many classrooms as possible.
(2/21/2008)
Set It and Forget It: Bedford County's In House Disc Duplication
Victor Gosnell remembers what it used to be like whenever a compact disc duplication project would come up. In the early days--when Bedford County Public Schools in Virginia began buying computers that included CD burners--a teacher or media specialist would purchase a stack of discs at an office store and duplicate them one at a time. Or Gosnell, the director of technology & media for the district, would handle the job himself. They'd produce perhaps a couple hundred discs a year for special projects.
(2/14/2008)
St. Bernard Debuts h-Series Security Appliances
St. Bernard Software this week launched a new line of security appliances, the new iPrism h-Series. Designed for enterprises of all sizes, the new models boast a 200 percent performance increase over their predecessors, according to the company.
(2/5/2008)
Open Source Poised for Surge in Education
Open source software will nearly double in the education space over the next four years. From its present level of $286.2 million, the market--including software, services, and maintenance--will reach $489.9 million by 2012, according to a report released today by market analyst Datamonitor, which proclaimed that "open source software has the ability to change the face of the education Industry."
(1/24/2008)
FETC Brief: Bretford Launches 'Instructional Workstation'
Bretford has introduced a new classroom multimedia station targeted specifically for instructors in classroom settings. The UCS880 Instructor Workstation is being shown off this week at the FETC show in Orlando, FL.
(1/22/2008)
Macworld Expo: 3ware Sidecar SATA II RAID Adds Leopard Support
At the Macworld Conference & Expo this week in San Francisco, Applied Micro Circuits Corp. (AMCC) announced that its SATA II hardware RAID solution, the 3ware Sidecar, now offers support for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. The units have also undergone a price reduction, and the company is offering a $100 Macworld show discount.
(1/15/2008)
Macworld Expo: Apple Launches MacBook Air, Time Capsule
At the Macworld Conference & Expo in San Francisco, Apple CEO Steve Jobs took the stage Tuesday to introduce the company's latest technologies. As rumored, Apple launched a new, super-slim version of the MacBook laptop computer, known as the MacBook Air. Jobs also introduced a new version of the AirPort Extreme Base Station known as Time Capsule, which combines an 802.11n router with a wireless backup storage solution.
(1/15/2008)
Macworld Expo: SATABeast Xi Delivers 42 TB Storage for Xserve
At the Macworld Conference & Expo being held this week in San Francisco, Nexsan is debuting a new high-density storage solution for Apple's Xserve and Mac Pro systems. Dubbed the SATABeast Xi, the 4U rackmount system, which is expected to ship in mid-March, will offer up to 42 TB of storage and features that allow it to improve energy efficiency.
(1/14/2008)
Review: Wacom Cintiq 12WX
Whether you're participating in digital media instruction personally or merely supporting visual arts programs on your campuses, you no doubt have Wacom tablets up near the top of the equipment list. They're integral in the production of digital art, and they're ubiquitous in all realms of professional creative work--from animation studios to graphic arts shops to post-production houses. Economic realities may have limited your choices in the past, but that changed this month when Wacom launched its new entry-level Cintiq, the Cintiq 12WX, bringing a mid-range price tag to high-end graphics input.
(12/10/2007)
Marysville Schools To Deploy WiFi District-Wide
Ohio's Marysville Exempted Village School District (also known as Marysville Schools) is upgrading its network infrastructure with high-speed wired and wireless across the entire district. The objective of the upgrade, with equipment furnished by Extreme Networks, is to improve student performance and communications with enhanced bandwidth for voice and data and to open up support for distance learning.
(12/6/2007)
North Vancouver SD Accelerates WAN with Silver Peak Appliances
North Vancouver School District in British Columbia (Canada) is optimizing its wide-area network through the use of Silver Peak NX appliances from Silver Peak Systems. According to the company, the district has used the systems to improve network performance, particularly for transferring data between schools and administrative offices and to improve performance for hosted applications.
(12/5/2007)
WiFi Bolsters Alabama District's 1:1 Tablet PC Program
Auburn City Schools in Alabama has found that a "no strings attached" approach to classroom networking has let new approaches to instruction take flight. The district has deployed a WiFi network to more than 1,000 tablet PC-equipped students and teachers at its junior high and high schools as part of a 21st Century Learning Initiative.
(11/26/2007)
eInstruction To Acquire Interwrite
Denton, TX-based eInstruction today signed a definitive agreement to acquire Interwrite Learning. Both companies develop classroom technologies for K-12 and higher education environments, including whiteboards and student response systems and software. The combined company will go by the name of eInstruction.
(11/26/2007)
Laptop Security: Covering the Bases
Students at two Laredo Independent School District middle schools became the lucky recipients of 3,000 laptops last year, thanks to a PIP grant that funded the purchase of the Dell computers. Used during the school day, the laptops are also toted home at night, allowing students to use them for both educational study and leisure. It's the latter that led the school district to take one additional step before handing out the machines: equip them with filtering, antivirus and firewall protection that would keep both computer and user secure in the unpredictable online world.
(11/13/2007)
XO Laptops Go into Mass Production
Mass production of XO laptops, simplified educational computers designed to help children in developing countries learn and share information, began last week in Changshu, China. Students should begin receiving the units this month.
(11/12/2007)
