Internet2 and K-20 Networks Bill MitchellLouis Fox Executive DirectorVice Provost MOREnetUniversity of Washington A Gathering of State Networks Denver, Colorado April, 2001

2 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 Caveats

I2-NEWS: Thousands of Educational Institutions to Connect to Internet2 Backbone Network Archives for I2-NEWS Thu, 8 Mar :26: THOUSANDS OF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS TO CONNECT TO INTERNET2 BACKBONE NETWORK Partnerships with Internet2 Universities and Regional Networks Provide Broad Access to High-Performance Networks …

4 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

5 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:

6 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

7 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

8 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:

9 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

10 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?

11 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

12 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

13 A Vision of Possible I2-K20 Synergies, and “Expeditions” LENS ? continued

Learning Centered Applications & Digital Content 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. Support Activities oriented towards understanding uses of advanced networks in human capacity building at many levels such as professional development, training, technical support,assessment, dissemination of knowledge, definition of supporting job descriptions, etc. Tools and Services Activities oriented towards defining and developing software enablers of advanced networking, such as middleware, meta-languages, quality of service, database management, resource discovery tools, etc. Transport Activities oriented towards the understanding, definition, creation, and operation of infrastructures that can support large-scale implementation of other activities in the framework, that is, activities in the three strata above. Transport itself has multiple layers including: local campus/school WANS/LANS; county/regional consortia WANS/LANS; state education networks; and the national Abilene Network

15 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

16 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

17 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.

18 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.

19 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

20 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?

22 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

23 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

24 Eager to Pursue Ambitious but Realistic 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.

25 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!

26 Q&A and discussion