Wireless internet in up to 1,000 Victorian schools

The Department of Early Education and Child Development (DEECD) has made a decision to standardise on Cisco® wired and wireless networking as the foundation for 21st-century teaching and learning in up to 1,000 primary and secondary schools across Victoria. This education-grade network will support future demand from one-to-one computing, mobility for flexible learning spaces, high-definition video, digital content and the Ultranet.
Jeff Rosewarne, deputy secretary of the Office for Resources and Infrastructure from DEECD, said: “To ensure Victorian Government school students remain at the forefront of a rapidly changing digital world, the State Government is investing more than $120 million this year on information and communication technologies.”
This means that students will have access to more computers in the classroom, which are linked to high-speed broadband. “The Ultranet, a 21st century online learning platform that will connect students, teachers and parents in every Victorian government school, is now up and running. Cisco has been integral to this Government’s ICT investment that will help strengthen our education system to build the workforce of the future”, Mr Rosewarne said.
With the additional mobility provided by Cisco wireless solutions, education can now take place in the classroom, the playground or anywhere else and on any device. By erasing the physical boundaries of the classroom, teachers also gain the flexibility to teach in new ways and from anywhere that wired or wireless connections exist, in order to prepare students for success in a global, Internet-based economy.