What is Net Day?

NetDay started as a volunteer program in 1995 in the state of California to help schools install Local Area Networks (LAN). The idea was that the school would purchase the necessary wires jacks and tools (hopefully arranging a discount with a local vendor) and have a qualified person create a network plan for the school. Then community volunteers would arrive at the school usually on a weekend and drag drops to the rooms! It worked as evidenced by the fact that in one day more than 3000 schools in California (http://www.netday.org/how-to/itworks_2.html) were wired with a LAN! Since then NetDay has grown to virtually every state and are expanding internationally.

Cisco Systems sponsored a site about NetDay it is located at: http://www.netday.org/how-to/ this is the site where I got a lot of the information for this piece and I encourage you to check it out if you have an internet connection.

Something traditional NetDays do not usually provide are connections to the internet and that is what makes NetDay 4D even more wonderful! As the first BIA NetDay brought connectivity to over 20 BIA schools, we have a chance to bring connectivity to the remaining schools in Four Directions who do not have that "window to the world" that most of us enjoy! Currently these are the Four Directions schools that are listed as not having connectivity.

Marty Indian School
Muckleshoot Tribal School
Quileute Tribal School
Seba Dalkai School
Standing Rock Community School
Takini School

NetDay 4D is going to occur September 25, 1999. Through a cooperative effort with the Bureau of Indian Affairs the Four Directions Project is going to wire these schools with a Local Area Network (if this has not already been done) and connect these remaining schools to the internet. There is a lot to do to make sure this happens! On the culminating day in September when the last switch is thrown and all of the Four Directions schools are online we will be having a NetDay 4D celebration! This celebration will feature secure chats between students in different Four Directions schools, online audio trials, streamed media shared to the schools, a sharing of school web sites, speeches, songs and ceremonies at each of the participating schools.

4D schools participating in NetDay 4D should begin planning immediately! Here are some things that should be done:

1. Hold informational meetings for the community. It is important to explain what the Local Area Network will do for their children. Also, the community needs to be informed about the Internet so that consensus can be built regarding the uses the school will make of the Internet and how much access students should be given. This is a crucial issue for many communities and needs to be dealt with in an open manner.

2. If you don’t have a Local Area Network begin planning for one. Where do you plan on having computers in the classrooms? Where do you want them in the library? What about in offices and common areas? Do you have a parent center or room that should be connected? Use blueprints or a good map of your school site and begin marking where computers are and where you want them to be. Don’t make the mistake of only indicating where current computers are. You must indicate where computers will be so that the connections can be wired there! This map will help whoever comes to your school to make a network plan with you.

3. Revise your Technology Plan! You do have one don’t you? Don’t think of your Tech-Plan as a document that satisfies a requirement and then gets filed away! The Tech-Plan is your map to better use of technology in your school. Make sure that your tech plan indicates your current technology status and your desired technology status. Indicate how you will get from where you are to where you want to be. Indicate how you will ensure that this vision is shared and communicated with the staff, students, and community. Make sure that educational issues are the driving force not the technology issues!

4. Here is an edited sample of some of the things that the National Net Day group recommends you do (from http://www.netday.org/how-to/local_3b.html):

a)Form a district or school steering committee - including representatives from business services, information services, educational technology, curriculum, and maintenance operations - to take responsibility for planning and coordination. Identify the primary district contact person for questions from principals and school organizers.

b) Develop a NetDay team to provide broad input in the planning process. Consider including personnel from maintenance and operations, information services, educational technology, curriculum, business, and public relations; school organizers; faculty; outside advisers; contractors; and representatives from telecommunications companies, industry, city government, and community organizations. In most cases, guidelines and time lines can be developed by a NetDay steering committee and then reviewed and refined by the larger NetDay team.

c) Secure and record school board and superintendent support, preferably with a resolution.

d) Recruit volunteers and resources for all schools that would otherwise be under-served.

e) Identify a press contact and develop a public relations plan (including a time line) and press releases.

f) Develop a plan for soliciting donations to the district. Identify and contact potential donors.

g) Review safety issues, liability, and insurance policies, and develop waiver forms for volunteers.

h) Review the position of the state teachers' association in support of NetDay with the association's representatives, and secure waivers if necessary.

i) Develop a storage and distribution plan for NetDay supplies and tools.

5. Begin organizing a work force! Unless your school’s LAN is being contracted you can expect some BIA people to arrive with a lot of materials and knowledge but they will need help to drill holes in walls, pull wire, and other tasks.

6. Begin designing a training plan. Don’t wait for the wires and connectivity to arrive to begin showing your teachers, students and parents how this will be a useful educational resource. It might be a good idea to designate a community liaison and perhaps a trainer to help teach people how to use email and browsers. If you have a LAN but no connection this can be as easy as setting up an Intranet. Contact Brian Newberry (785-864-0735 newberry@4Directions.org) or Bob Isaacson (785-864-03465 bob@4Directions.org) for help in getting an intranet set up on your server.

7. Begin thinking about a network administrator. Who will be responsible for keeping your network and your server happy? Send them to training now! Contact Gene Lott at ENAN (505-277-7310) for information on networking and NT server training.

8. Begin planning a community celebration. When NetDay arrives plan on having a huge open house! The community should be invited to see their children participating in First Class chats (Contact Mark Crystal at UT, 512-471-4014 for software and passwords for students and teachers).