A network is simply a collection of computers or similar devices that can communicate over a transmission medium.

To actually send any data from one computer to another we need to make use of a network protocol. A network protocol is a set of common rules that defines how data should be sent.

Without a common suite like TCP/IP, the internet would not be possible.

The TSI does not address the need for infrastructure.

Higher-efficiency strategies result in more reliable technology support at relatively lower levels of effort.

ore than a decade ago, schools began investing heavily in laptops at the urging of school boards and parent groups who saw them as the key to the 21st century classroom. Following Maine’s lead in 2002, states including Michigan, Pennsylvania and South Dakota helped buy laptops for thousands of students through statewide initiatives like “Classrooms for the Future

Classrooms for the Future

Many school administrators and teachers say laptops in the classroom have motivated even reluctant students to learn, resulting in higher attendance and lower detention and dropout rates.

“The art of thinking is being lost,” he said. “Because people can type in a word and find a source and think that’s the be all end all.”

Plus, the 1 to 1 solution that Apple proposed included comprehensive professional development. We knew this would be critical to the success of our program, and would otherwise have been an additional, major expense.

They’re especially excited because they know we’re behind them all the way.”

This technology initiative provided every student with a district-owned laptop computer for use during the school year, both in the classroom and at home. In addition, all six district buildings are wireless environments.

The second phase of the program implementation included intensive and ongoing training of the faculty with the goal of integrating technology into all curricular areas. As a result of the faculty cross-curricular training, students receive instruction in the use of applications and resources in the context of the learning environment, rather than in isolation. In addition to content instruction, students simultaneously are able to expand their digital literacy, further develop curiosity and creativity, and benefit from the experience of teaming and collaboration with peers, both locally and internationally.

Community support for the initiative has been an important part of the successful implementation.

Such disappointments are the latest example of how technology is often embraced by philanthropists and political leaders as a quick fix, only to leave teachers flummoxed about how best to integrate the new gadgets into curriculums.

Last month, the United States Department of Education released a study showing no difference in academic achievement between students who used educational software programs for math and reading and those who did not.

a survey of district teachers and parents found that one-fifth of Matoaca students rarely or never used their laptops for learning.

In the United States, Maine has led the way with its laptop program, which has made students more enthusiastic in the classroom, but not necessarily resulted in better test scores.

More than 80 percent of instructors say the laptops help them make lessons more personal to students, make it easier for students to study problems from the real world and to dig deeper into certain topics,

Many teachers who were surveyed also said that students using laptops are becoming better at combining information from multiple sources and expressing their thoughts. Students in the program report that they understand the material better.

The upper layers of the OSI model deal with application issues and generally are implemented only in software. The highest layer, the application layer, is closest to the end user. Both users and application layer processes interact with software applications that contain a communications component. The term upper layer is sometimes used to refer to any layer above another layer in the OSI model. The lower layers of the OSI model handle data transport issues. The physical layer and the data link layer are implemented in hardware and software. The lowest layer, the physical layer, is closest to the physical network medium (the network cabling, for example) and is responsible for actually placing information on the medium.

Internetwork addresses identify devices separately or as members of a group. Addressing schemes vary depending on the protocol family and the OSI layer. Three types of internetwork addresses are commonly used: data link layer addresses, Media Access Control (MAC) addresses, and network layer addresses.

A data link layer address uniquely identifies each physical network connection of a network device. Data-link addresses sometimes are referred to as physical or hardware addresses.