Online version of the NEN trial extension update as published in the May issue of Interface Magazine.

May 2010 NEN update

Since 2008, the Ministry of Education has been trialling a National Education Network (NEN) in 23 schools around New Zealand.  The NEN gives schools access to a range of education-related content and services via KAREN (Kiwi Advanced Research and Education Network) which is run by Research and Education Advanced Network New Zealand (REANNZ), a not for profit Crown-owned company.

Late last year, the Minister of Education, the Hon Anne Tolley, announced the extension of the NEN trial to up to 200 schools, and until June 2011.  The Ministry of Education has now contracted REANNZ to connect these new trial schools to the NEN. This is the first in a series of articles to update schools on how the extended trial is progressing.

NEN – the benefits for schools

The original trial demonstrated how schools could benefit from connecting to the ultra-fast KAREN broadband network.  Schools enjoyed a virtual visit to Te Papa to witness the colossal squid and a dissection of common squid via high definition video conferencing. Auckland students took part in a music lesson delivered from Christchurch and then played an ensemble together. Students studying German were able to view live streaming TV from Deutsche Welle German TV.  Schools also discovered they could better manage their Internet bills by accessing learning resources over KAREN.  Google Apps and You Tube were particular favourites.

“We have hammered the system to see how many concurrent users we can have accessing e-asTTle over KAREN.  And it has passed the test, with whole classes accessing the e-asTTle tests at one time.” Ian Lambie, Appleby School, Richmond. NEN Trial School

Keeping schools informed

Briefings about the NEN trial extension were held in February and March in areas where schools are already collaborating and sharing information using fibre networks. The briefings have been well-attended and indicate schools are welcoming the extension of the NEN trial.  For schools that missed the briefings, the presentations can be downloaded from the NEN wiki or viewed on KAREN’s Media Channel. The wiki also includes a Q & A section covering questions raised during the NEN briefings.

NEN wiki (http://www.wiki.karen.net.nz/index.php/National_Education_Network)
KARENmedia Channel (http://www.youtube.com/KARENmedia)

Connecting schools to the NEN

The NEN reaches from each trial school to KAREN and its global partners, as well as to the public Internet. The aim is to make it easier and less expensive for schools to not only download education resources but also upload their own materials, including pictures and videos. Wherever possible, connections to and from trial schools will pass over KAREN, avoiding public Internet usage charges and eliminating any bandwidth restrictions. It is already possible to access other KAREN member sites in this way, including the Ministry of Education, the National Library and Te Papa in New Zealand, as well as education resources in over 50 countries.

Ongoing support

The trial with the original 23 schools identified the need for good technical support in connecting schools to KAREN. For the expanded trial, a technical support person, called a network wrangler is to be appointed for each regional cluster to assist schools getting connected to KAREN and to provide ongoing support.  With many different organisations involved in the provision of network services for schools, including fibre infrastructure providers, suppliers of switches and routers, Internet service providers, Internet filtering service providers as well as national and international connectivity providers, it is a challenge for schools to easily identify any faulty or constricted components that could be affecting end-user performance. The job of the wrangler is to take responsibility for identifying and resolving any performance issues on the network connection between the school and KAREN. Schools continue to be responsible for the quality and performance of their own in-school networks and ICT.

Selecting trial schools

To participate in the NEN trial extension, schools must have open-access fibre connections by 30 June 2010.  This means that the provider of the fibre connection must be willing to provide access for any content and service provider wishing to deliver services to schools.  We have already received expressions of interest from 250 schools in the following areas: North Shore, Auckland City, Hamilton, Manawatu, Hawkes Bay, Wellington, Nelson-Marlborough, Christchurch, Ashburton and Invercargill.  All these schools have been asked to complete a short online survey which will be used to invite up to 200 to join the trial.

Schools in other areas that have formed local or regional fibre network clusters may also be included.  Clusters that believe they will have the necessary fibre infrastructure in place by 30 June 2010 should contact the NEN Implementation Manager at REANNZ, Laurence Zwimpfer at laurence.zwimpfer@reannz.co.nz.

All enquiries about services to be delivered over the NEN or any other aspects of the Ministry’s work to support ultra-fast broadband in schools should be directed to Douglas Harré at the Ministry of Education at douglas.harre@minedu.govt.nz

How the NEN works

The NEN runs on KAREN which provides lightning fast, unrestricted broadband to New Zealand's education and research communities. Typical connection speeds are 100Mbps and higher.  Over 70 organisations are currently connected, including New Zealand’s universities and Crown Research Institutes and some polytechnics (ITPs), as well as a number of schools. KAREN also provides access to the global education community through its links to similar networks around the world.

Updated 5 May 2010