Other Potential Solutions
When research potential solutions I found several other vendors and solutions that could be considered in meeting the district’s needs.
Infrastructure and Management
The district certainly has pressing needs in management of its infrastructure and the client machines within the network. There are several potential solutions out there the district could look at. One useful article I found was on eSchool News when it presented the results of a survey related to best administrative software. Some of the solutions mentioned there:
Novell Open Workgroup Suite
Open Workgroup Suite is a series of products including their server software (Novell Open Enterprise Server), email software (Novell GroupWise), ZENworks Suite (systems management), and SUSE Linux and OpenOffice.org mentioned earlier.
Apple Macintosh OS X Server
A number of items make Apple an attractive solution in education and one of the reasons why many school districts have turned to Apple for their solutions. Some of the main benefits include an unlimited client license ($999), virtual immunity from viruses, remote desktop management and NetBoot and Network Install capabilities which allow for client “images” to be stored on the server thus standardizing machine software configurations across the entire network. In fact, as evidenced in a testimonial from Libertyville District 70′s IT manager, Apple’s Professional Development services stand out in the industry. Apple also offers a number of E-rate funded solutions.
In fact, one can find several Apple case studies related to our neighbors in Illinois using their solutions:
Winnetka District 56
Des Plaines District 62
Waukegan CUSD
Some other interesting case studies:
1 to 1 Learning Transforms Underperforming School
District Makes Move To Mac (similar situation to RLAS)
District Enlists Students Recent High School Graduates For IT Staff
Dell has also made many efforts to provide solutions to the K12. In fact, they have an interesting presentation on what they call Dell School Architecture. They also provide E-rate support, professional development, and have posted some case studies.
Virtual Classrooms
A key facet of the Net56 proposal was Microsoft Class Server which is one of a number of growing solutions commonly referred to as “virtual classroom” or “education content management” software systems. These systems are frequently common in that they provide a way for teachers and students to communicate and collaborate. You can read more about some of them below:
Microsoft Class Server
Blackboard Academic Suite
Apple Instructional Management Solution (using Studywiz)
Studywiz
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