Academic Broadband

Broadband lessons: Speeding up your connection

admin — Tue, 10 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

While doing research for school or work your connection speed can make the difference between spending a few minutes and spending a few hours doing the same work. You have no control over the broadband connection speed, but you do have control over how your computer handles it. Think of your computer as a doorway to your broadband connection- if you want information to flow freely through that door, make sure there are no obstacles in the way. If your broadband connection seems slow, chances are that you have many obstacles blocking your doorway in the form of tray icons, clogged cache and registry issues. To find out how slow your computer’s connection is go to speedtest.net,www.speedtest.net and run their free test. Write down the result for future reference.

To fix this, start by running the msconfig program and click on the “startup” Tab. Uncheck all entries that are not necessary, such as media programs and search engine tools. There is a program called ctfmon that is almost completely unnecessary but you won’t be able to remove it with msconfig. Do a search on “ctfmon remover” and you will find instructions and a program to safely disable it. Next, use the control panel to get to the “add/remove programs” section and remove every program that you know you will never use. Browser toolbars can be huge connection hindrances and you probably let some of them in unwittingly while installing other programs.

Next, you want to run the system cleanup utility located in the system tools section of start-all programs-accessories. Once you have cleaned your system, install a registry cleaner and run it. Registry cleaners can be had for free and it’s easy to find them with a simple search. Finally, run the disc defragmenter found in the same section as system cleanup. Restart your machine and run the speedtest utility again. You should see a marked improvement in your speed and you will begin to enjoy doing your work more efficiently.

The classroom and the internet: a perfect match

admin — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The internet is the most powerful learning tool for teachers and students today. With just a click, a class can visit far away lands on a virtual field trip, access textbooks and study guides online, and do research, that in the past, would have taken hours to complete. Now research can be done in a matter of minutes or even seconds.Children seem to naturally take to using a computer and utilization of the internet is no exception. Students, as young as 4 and 5, can learn to play online games and navigate the world wide web. Most classrooms today have student computers and even laptops available for use everyday in the classroom. Research for papers or projects is right at their fingertips and teachers can be assured that their students are getting the most current information available.Do students need extra help or practice on particular skills? Online tutorials are readily available. Young children can practice early reading and language skills on child friendly sites tailored just for them. One popular children’s website encourages learning through games, songs, and stories.Teachers and students alike can learn valuable skills through activities on this classroom website Activities and games are categorized by grade level and correlate to state education standards. This site also provides engaging lesson plans for teachers to use in the classroom. Through games, activities,virtual field trips and engaging lesson plans, the learning environment is kept fresh and engaging for students by using the internet.Whether students are working on the alpahbet or mastering geometrical formulas and proofs, the internet is a valuable resource in the classroom.

New uses of broadband technology

admin — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Internet has only been around for a decade or so. Before the internet life was different. If you needed to know something you looked it up in an encyclopedia. These books could be upwards of tens of thousands of pages long. Now, with a quick internet search you have almost unlimited information at your fingertips. The original way to access the internet was through a dial up type of connection. A dial up connection is where your computer takes up a phone line and gets speeds up to 56 kbit/s. 56 Kilobits a second is extremely slow and the fact that it took a dedicated land line made Dial Up internet a very annoying thing to have to deal with.With broadband came a whole new way to access the internet. Most of the time broadband does not have to take up phone lines and it can provide speeds more than twice as fast as a dial up connection. The general rule of thumb when it comes to the nomenclature of internet services is this. If it’s slower or at speeds of 56 kbit/s then it is known as dial up. Anything faster is generally known as broadband. The nomenclature depends on where you live, however, as the US defines broadband as 4 mbps or above.Broadband is being used in many different places to make life easier for the general public. The new uses of broadband technology cover the entire world. Hospitals use this internet to get quick access to their patient’s data. Pharmacies use it to get quick access to prescriptions made by the hospitals. Patients use it to know when their prescription is ready from their pharmacy. Government uses broadband, churches are starting to adapt and a variety of other of people and things are all starting to take advantage of the most important technological revolution in the past 100 years.

JSTOR: a researcher’s first stop

www.academicbroadband.com — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Do you need to learn about economic theory in the 1800s? What about horror movies during the Cold War, or the invention of indoor plumbing? All of these subjects, and more, are available at JSTOR (Journal Storage), an online archive founded in 1995. Hundreds of journals are available for full-text search, dating back hundreds of years where appropriate. The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, the world’s longest-running scientific journal, offers issues dating back to 1665.Access to JSTOR is licensed out to libraries, publishers, and universities. If you are using a school computer, or are connected to your school’s or library’s wireless internet network, you may be eligible for access. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation created the resource in 1995. Mellon was a banker and industrialist who also served as Secretary of the Treasury from March 4, 1921 until February 12, 1932. The foundation’s core areas of interest are higher education, art conservation, performing arts, environmental conservation, and information technology. In addition to JSTOR, the foundation is also behind ARTstor (a similar service for art images) and Aluka (an online digital library about Africa, later integrated with JSTOR).William G. Bowen, president of Princeton University from 1972 to 1988, is officially credited as the founder of JSTOR. He saw the opportunity to outsource the expensive costs of journal storage from libraries while simultaneously ensuring their long-term access. After archiving the journals online, it also became much easier to search the database for specific terms and keywords.Today, JSTOR is now a self-sustaining non-profit organization based in New York City and Ann Arbor, Michigan. In 2009, JSTOR merged with ITHAKA, another non-profit dedicated to introducing the academic field to the newest “networking technologies.” At last count, 692 publishers provided materials to the archive, constituting 1,289 titles in 20 different collections for 53 academic disciplines. Over 300,000 individual issues are available. The newest issues of each journal are not, howeverthe archive normally starts 3-5 years before the current date, but this gap can be specifically chosen by each individual publisher.JSTOR is an invaluable resource for students conducting research projects, for professional academics, and for anybody who believes that educational materials should be preserved for the future. If your school or library does not have access, politely suggest that they purchase a license. The more institutions JSTOR reaches, the better the chance that future generations will continue to benefit from this impressive archive.

Broadband in schools gets help from SHLBC

www.academicbroadband.com — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000

The Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition has the clear-cut goal of improving “the broadband capabilities of schools, libraries, and health care providers so that they can enhance the quality and availability of the essential services they provide to the public.” The SHLBC is particularly dedicated to bringing broadband capabilities to areas that have been unconnected in the past, much as the USDA’s Rural Utility Service Fund is (see “New broadband stimulus has rural consumers wired”).As of September 22, 2010, the Coalition had 58 members, coordinated by John Windhausen, Jr. of Telepoly Consulting. Other members hail from the American Association of Community Colleges, the American Association of Law Libraries, the Association for Information Communications Technology Professionals in Higher Education, and more.Since its inception, the SHLBC has helped initiate a high-speed internet upgrade in Maine and supported a broadband extension into rural areas across 32 Michigan counties. Interested parties can contact the Coalition at its website, including applying for membership. AcademicBroadband.com has already outlined some of the ways in which the internet can be a resource for educational providers. The SHLBC helps to make those resources available to students all across the nation. Visit the Coalition website to learn more, or contact your local broadband internet company to learn how it is expanding its network to reach under-served areas.

Youtube EDU offers college content for free

www.academicbroadband.com — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 06:20:00 +0000

Learning doesn’t have to end when you get a degreenor should it. If you’re interested in continuing your education without making a financial (or even a large time) commitment, Youtube EDU might be the place for you. The hub brings together different channels from both major and minor institutions of higher learning and divides the videos by concentration. Instead of having to waste time searching for information on a particular topic, you can focus on improving your knowledge of any subject imaginable.The videos uploaded to the site range from full lectures, theses, and promotional course videos to more recreational looks at college life, such as a flash mob at Bucknell University or welcoming day at Stanford University. While these latter videos may not get be necessarily educational, they are a great way to relive fond memories of your own college days. Search Youtube EDU and see if your own school has a channel. With a good internet connection, you can finally get that music theater minor you always wished you had.

Distance-learning programs take off with the help of broadband

www.academicbroadband.com — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 23:18:19 +0000

Believe it or not, what is now referred to as “distance learning” is far from a new idea. Eager academes in the 18^th and 19^th centuries sent out to teachers like Caleb Phillips and Isaac Pitman, who taught shorthand writing through letters. The growth of the postal service and development of “Correspondence Education” courses at colleges became popular in the mid 19^th-century. So imagine how the rapid advances in Internet technology have affected the industry.On the one hand, it has made it easier than ever for reputable institutions to move their distance learning programs to the web. Several schools offer online courses, especially during the summer, but some campus schools like Columbia University offer whole online degree programs. Other programs are online-only, like those offered by Aspen University. Before investing in any online course, you should check to make sure it’s accredited by a national organization. The Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) include a list of all recognized institutions on their website.Online programs are optimal for students with unique schedules or time constraints who still want access to a high-quality education. The type of broadband connection you have on your device can hinder a distance learning (or “e-learning”) program. The connection should be quick enough to accommodate video footage and easily communicate with instructors and other students. Many programs now use synchronous communication techniques, such as web-based VoIP, web conferencing, and live streaming applications.If you’re willing to make an investment in your future through an online degree program, shouldn’t you be willing to make an investment in your broadband access as well? If you’ve been thinking of enrolling in an online program, take the next step towards a degree and ask your broadband provider how you can improve your connection today.

Bringing broadband to Colorado schools

www.academicbroadband.com — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 18:17:59 +0000

On Monday, September 13, the Denver Business Journal announced that Colorado had been awarded 100.6 million in federal stimulus grant money for schools. The money will go towards remedying the lack of Internet service in rural Colorado schools.Traditionally, Colorado’s geography has made it difficult for traditional broadband networks to reach outlying areas. The new project will use fiber-optic lines (almost 5,000 miles worth) to reach these areas, including schools, libraries, and community centers. Fiber-optic lines have a lower loss along their length than traditional cable, which makes it easier for them to reach longer distances.Non-profit organization Eagle-Net is figuring out the logistics behind the spending of the stimulus money. Currently, the schools in Colorado average 3.5 kilobits-per-second of broadband Internet access for every student. The national average stands at 6.4 kilobits-per-second. With the new access being installed, these students will now have the opportunity to expand their education and interact with the global society via the Internet.