1. Sydney Region IT Services Unit National Secondary Schools Computer Fund http://www.digitaleducationrevolution.gov.au

2. What is a Revolution? Individual High Schools may have seen the Federal Grant as a large bucket of funds from which to implement their own ICT solution If this were to happen, we would have a different “ digital education revolution” in every school A few might be effective, but… NSW Public Schools need ONE coordinated and managed Statewide Digital Education Revolution Here’s why…

10. A Labor government would ensure that every student in Years 9-12 had access to their own computer at school, with the $1 billion spent over four years, Mr Rudd said. The government would pay for the systems to be replaced and schools with enough computers already could use the funding to upgrade, he said. The plan would apply to government and independent schools. "I want to turn every secondary school in Australia into a digital school," Mr Rudd said."I want to provide every secondary school student with the foundations to move into the digital economy of the future." Australia's more than 9,000 primary and secondary schools would be connected to a broadband network with speeds of up to 100 megabits per second, he said.

11. All High Schools and SSP’s were asked to complete an online survey detailing numbers of computers by 8 February 2008 “Providing an accurate picture of our computer technology will give the best results for public schools from the ‘Digital Education Revolution’ and will maximise the opportunity of your school to be an early beneficiary.”

12. 35 schools in Sydney Region receive offers for Round 1 based on the survey responses via a formal letter posted to each school on 1 March 2008. A calculation of the number of computers required for the school in order to bring the PC:Student ratio (years 9-12) to 1:2 was provided. A dollar amount equivalent to $1000 per computer was allocated to the school with a recommendation that the school apply for the full use of the funds. Applications were to be submitted online with instructions provided.

13. A preliminary audit of current numbers of computers available for use by students in Years 9-12 in secondary schools was undertaken in February 2008 by state government education departments The results identified that the national average computer to student ratio is currently 1:5. The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations has advised schools having a computer to student ratio of 1:8 or worse to apply for funding in the first round. Schools which are advised to apply for round one funding will not be precluded from applying for future rounds over the life of the Fund.

14. Letter from DG – 5 March “Students and teachers must have more access to computers and other Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) equipment if our public schools are to continue to lead the way in education. Of course, providing more computers or other ICT equipment has significant ramifications for other areas – such as compatibility within the system, software licensing, size, power supply, siting and storage. I have asked Stephen Wilson, the Chief Information Officer, to investigate a systemic approach that could be used by all schools to deliver the best result for public schools in NSW. For those reasons, please delay your submission until the week commencing 31 March 2008, so that we can develop guidance to ensure that public education and your school gets the maximum benefits from this program.” Letter from DG – 5 March “Students and teachers must have more access to computers and other Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) equipment if our public schools are to continue to lead the way in education. Of course, providing more computers or other ICT equipment has significant ramifications for other areas – such as compatibility within the system, software licensing, size, power supply, siting and storage. I have asked Stephen Wilson, the Chief Information Officer, to investigate a systemic approach that could be used by all schools to deliver the best result for public schools in NSW. For those reasons, please delay your submission until the week commencing 31 March 2008, so that we can develop guidance to ensure that public education and your school gets the maximum benefits from this program.”

15. Stephen (Wilson) has met with delegates from the Secondary Principals’ Council, Primary Principals’ Association, Federation of Parents and Citizens' Associations of NSW, Office of Schools, Curriculum Directorate, Centre for Learning Innovation, Regional IT managers and computer industry representatives. I got very positive feedback when I met last week with the Secondary Principals’ Council and Primary Principals’ Association delegates. This approach – choosing laptops not other equipment – has the full support of the Secondary Principals’ Association, the Federation of Parents and Citizens’ Associations and the Primary Principals Association Stephen (Wilson) has met with delegates from the Secondary Principals’ Council, Primary Principals’ Association, Federation of Parents and Citizens' Associations of NSW, Office of Schools, Curriculum Directorate, Centre for Learning Innovation, Regional IT managers and computer industry representatives. I got very positive feedback when I met last week with the Secondary Principals’ Council and Primary Principals’ Association delegates. This approach – choosing laptops not other equipment – has the full support of the Secondary Principals’ Association, the Federation of Parents and Citizens’ Associations and the Primary Principals Association

16. Our overall plan is to move over time to a 1:1 ratio of computers to students in years 9 to 12, and use our combined buying power to buy a specialised high-end educational laptop. But this will only work if we all act together, so I ask schools that have been invited to apply for round one funding to submit an application before the due date based on the attached pro forma. Please apply for laptop computers, and only for laptop computers. The Commonwealth will give the department the funds associated with all approved applications so we can arrange procurement and delivery. We will only endorse applications for laptop computers in round one, and cannot offer technical and other support to anything other than an application for laptops.

17. Please note this is an indicative timeline and may change during the early planning stage of the Fund. TimelineTask 3 March 2008Applications open for round one funding 4 April 2008Applications for round one funding close May 2008Funding agreements entered into with state and territory education departments for government schools and Block Grant Authorities (BGA) for non-government schools June 2008Funds allocated as per funding agreements July 2008Applications for second round open

18. What are the features likely to be included in a third generation educational specific laptop? Work a full school day on battery / Start-up quickly Loaded with educational productivity software (presentation, word processing, spreadsheet, database and multimedia creation software) Play rich multimedia from a DVD drive Have a high quality display (WXGA 16:9, less than 10” wide) and a near full size keyboard Be low weight - less than 1.5 Kg Capable of wireless access from within the school to the internet, student e-backpack and the DET portal Be able to be connected to a home network or home internet connection via wireless or an Ethernet lead but be automatically routed back to the Department’s Internet Filtering, portal and e-back pack Have Bluetooth built in to enable the transfer of pictures and files between students’ laptops and their mobile phones Have an inbuilt camera, microphone and speakers Come with commonly used connectors like monitor out and USB What are the features likely to be included in a third generation educational specific laptop? Work a full school day on battery / Start-up quickly Loaded with educational productivity software (presentation, word processing, spreadsheet, database and multimedia creation software) Play rich multimedia from a DVD drive Have a high quality display (WXGA 16:9, less than 10” wide) and a near full size keyboard Be low weight - less than 1.5 Kg Capable of wireless access from within the school to the internet, student e-backpack and the DET portal Be able to be connected to a home network or home internet connection via wireless or an Ethernet lead but be automatically routed back to the Department’s Internet Filtering, portal and e-back pack Have Bluetooth built in to enable the transfer of pictures and files between students’ laptops and their mobile phones Have an inbuilt camera, microphone and speakers Come with commonly used connectors like monitor out and USB

19. Applications received after 8:00 pm (Eastern Standard Time) on 4 April 2008 may not be assessed for round one funding.

20. To be completed by 8pm Friday 4 April 2008 (Round 1 Schools Only) http://www.digitaleducationrevolution.gov.au/ Use the PDF proforma supplied with the D.G.’s memo of 28 March. Note: Q D2 is restricted to 150 characters. You should abbreviate the suggested response Note: Select “No, Under Development” for Q H1. Please try to complete the application on Thursday to avoid the expected traffic on Friday

21. The Application form requests an ICT Strategic Plan to be emailed. Ignore for now: A statewide strategy and template will be developed for schools to work with covering: A vision for the school relating to ICT Assessment of the current ICT Environment including:  Audit of infrastructure and age of computers  Capacity of electrical components and cabling  Security  Technical Support  Physical capacity of the school  ICT Capabilities of Students and Staff  Internet access and use of digital equipment in class An implementation plan, strategies, timeline and budget

22. No. The Australian Government will allocate funds for schools to purchase computers and other ICT equipment through funding agreements with state and territory education departments. The purchase of computers for schools is the responsibility of those education authorities. State and territory education authorities have primary responsibility for decisions about design, purchase and use of educational hardware and software to meet the specific needs of the school. The Australian Government is encouraging the education authorities to take advantage of bulk purchasing arrangements. Some already do this and have advised they can achieve significant benefits. The Minister for Education has asked education authorities to commit to a range of initiatives to complement the rollout of the Fund, including technical and maintenance support, infrastructure, power supply, accommodation, security and purchasing support at the local level. The Australian Government is working in partnership with the states and territories through the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) processes.

24. Desktops have been discounted because they require major infrastructure upgrades for which there are no funds: Network outlets Power upgrades Furniture / Available space Extra security Laptops can be totally “untethered” Battery operated Wireless Network Connections To allow for this, broad Wireless connectivity will be required in each school – wireless saturation

25. Standard (“Thick”) Access Point(s) (AP’s) installed Multiple laptops connected Security provided by WEP or WPA (or none) More Access points added as wireless needs increase

26. To be covered : All Classrooms – 4 x 2 Floor Buildings, 6 x Single Floor Buildings Library Office Hall Canteen / Covered Area

27. Coverage based on up to 400 laptops 27 AP’s – Ground Floor 20 AP’s – First Floor

28. Thick Access points are managed separately Each AP must be configured individually Thick Access points do not talk to each other Each AP works independent from others Laptop Management Laptops need security keys entered Individually

29. Bandwidth is shared by all connections More connections – slower for all Practical limitation – 15 connections per Access point Distances Environmental factors Management overhead Channel management Rogue AP’s / Interfering AP’s

30. Can your school support 300 + Laptop devices? Who will manage Security, Connection, Virus and Spyware software?

34. NSW DET has chosen Aruba Centralised Wireless Management systems as a Statewide wireless standard for schools and TAFE. It is expected that schools will require installation of such wireless systems in order to fully support the NSSCF Project. Implementation of a wireless solution for all High Schools is currently under consideration. No support is available for alternative systems.

36. We need your help to find as many as we can up front AND we also need to prioritise these hurdles as a matter of urgency We need you and your staff to contribute to this process in the short term We need to capture all the barriers to effective 1:1 computing in schools Please e-mail your school’s comments to Stuart.Hasic@det.nsw.edu.au Stuart.Hasic@det.nsw.edu.au Or join us in the Sydney Region ICT Support Forum – http://sts.sydneyr.det.nsw.edu.auhttp://sts.sydneyr.det.nsw.edu.au

37. Federal and State Governments working together Education Authorities working together Regions working with schools Schools working with their staff and their communities Together we can make this happen! Let’s keep the discussion alive.

38. Thank you for your time