The educational power of Intranets

Robert Long
Centre for Research in Teaching and Learning
Faculty of Education, University of Canberra
and
Greg Smith
Giralang Primary School, ACT 		Edtech98 logo

Introduction

Teachers want to use the Internet (Net)to improve the education of their students but many factors constrain their ability to do so. This paper investigates the use of Internet technology in a way that empowers teachers by helping them overcome some of the constraints concerning student access to the Internet. The paper offers an alternative to teachers using computers in education using Internet technology in a way that increases interactivity in learning. The paper argues that teachers have been too focused on the Internet itself rather than looking for solutions in their Local Area network (LAN). The paper suggests that the Internet can be brought into the school and used effectively through a school 'Intranet'. A case study of Giralang Primary School in the ACT, which currently practices this use of an Intranet, will be presented. The paper, whilst acknowledging the educational power of the Internet offers teachers an affordable alternative to full Internet (ISDN line) access in a school.

Internet and Intranet

The original creator of the World Wide Web (WWW), so it is told (Rotenstein, 1996, p. 47) wanted to use a protocol to manage the internal phone directory of his company over its computer network. The TCP/IP protocol, that is the Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) that supports open client/server networks, is the real power of creating a network. The original computer networks which developed (DarpNet - Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency-Net, ArparNet, NSFNet and MilNet) were the forerunners of the Internet as we know it and were created with an internal focus. It was the opening up of these networks which led to the development of the Internet. Whilst it is exciting and instructive to be occupied with the Internet and its globalising capabilities it is the original internal focus of the TCP/IP protocol which offers teachers a way forward in using the Internet in their schools. Exactly the same tools that are used to engage the Internet are just as educationally powerful within a private network or LAN (Local Area Network).

Just as the Internet has revolutionised information sharing between networks so the 'Intranet' can revolutionise information sharing within networks. The Internet refers to sharing between networks and the Intranet refers to sharing within networks. Thinking physically, an Intranet is a LAN using TCP/IP protocols to create a mini-Web in a school. It is an important distinction made by this paper that a LAN is not an Intranet. Whilst sharing files, printers or CD data across a LAN are educationally valuable it is the use of Internet technology across the LAN which is fundamental, this is why the word 'Intra-net' is used. Thinking pedagogically, working with an Intranet involves a 'mentality' or 'disposition of relexivity' between the resources of the school and its students and, the resources of the Internet. This will be discussed further in the case study.

This paper discusses educational possibilities offered to schools through using the technique of Internet learning in a LAN in such a way that it:

Whilst the last few years have seen an unprecedented fascination with the Internet, the Intranet has become the backbone of the corporate revolution (Rotenstein, 1996, p.48). Companies and government departments have realised the corporate power of being able to build communication within their network, either on a LAN or a Wide Area Network (WAN). The software used on Intranets is the same as used on the Internet but more recently a new type of software has been developed which is known as 'groupware'. Groupware includes electronic mail, shared databases and electronic forms handling which is destined to change the way information moves within a company. Whilst it is not the purpose of this paper to demonstrate this corporate revolution the fever of discussion related to this phenomenon can be investigated at Intranet Australia [http://www.intra.net.au/] or The Complete Intranet Resource [http://www.intrack.com/intranet/]. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the educational effectiveness of using the Intranet concept in schools.

Constraints in using the Internet in schools

This paper claims to offer solutions to problems and constraints experienced by teachers using the Internet in teaching. Before the Intranet concept can be explored in more detail the paper will briefly look at these common constraints . These are: Despite media 'hype' which seeks to 'talk-up' the real situation of Internet use in schools there are considerable constraints (Long & Smith, 1997a) which translates to the fact that very few children in schools use the Internet in the daily process of education. Chesher (1997, p. 47) realistically recognises that:
... teachers adapting and adopting technology in teaching will be a long process. With an on-going commitment to development schemes, pilots and research, students' experience in class may start reflecting the optimistic rhetoric of politicians and computer sellers.

Intranets and schools

There are many schools which only have single modem access to the Internet and simply cannot entertain the idea of giving one or two children individual access to the Internet in school time because it is logistically difficult and inequitable. A possible scenario might be a school which had just 400 students and one modem. Even if that school wanted to give students access to the Internet in school time in half hour sessions each child in that school would only get on for five sessions in a school year. This suggested scenario ignores the possibility of the server breaking down, some time allocation needed to teach students how to use the facility and the difficulties of time tabling, it also supposes the smooth time tabling of a steady flow of students and the constant running of the modem. In the normal day to day running of such a school it is more than likely that a student would not get such access and in reality would possibly get access to the equivalent of one half hour session per year.

Downes' study (Bersten, 1996, p.38) shows that the Internet is not yet part of the lives of children. In the realities of school life, even in those schools which have good ISDN Internet access, very few children get ready access to the Internet even when it is controlled with filtering software. In a recent comparative study conducted in three ACT schools, supposedly selected for their priority in incorporating the use of the Internet in teaching, it was discovered that there is a significant chasm between the espoused theory of schools regarding their use of the Internet in teaching and their theory-in-use (Long & Smith, 1997a). In these schools many of the prohibitive factors listed at the opening of this paper were real constraints on the possibility of incorporating the use of the Internet in teaching. It is the proposal of this paper that some of these constraints can be overcome by the development of an Intranet in a school.

Rutkowski's (1996, p.2) investigation of the importance of Intranets for schooling is instructive, illustrating ways that 'Intranets bring new cost-efficiencies to schools and can also bring new opportunities for teaching, learning and managing educational systems'. The argument of this paper is that the development of an Intranet can better optimise school resource utilisation than what is currently espoused in the discourse on Internet pedagogy.

Intranets can help bring together the limited power of multi-platforms in schools and the limited computer power available. Most of the computer power in schools cannot be upgraded and many believe that the power of the Internet is beyond their school's reach because a lack of funds in the current political climate which generates an improbability of upgrades. Those schools which are prominent in the media for their use of the Internet are often the well funded exception rather than the rule and those in schools of average resources know such technological 'dream stories' are beyond their reach. The school which will be discussed later in this paper is not such a 'dream' school and has never received special funding nor is it placed in a socioeconomic locality which might assist special generation of funding through parent community resources. It will become clear in the case study that very limited computer resources can be used with greater educational power when configured as an Intranet.

Typically schools which have a LAN use this to access a common printer or CD stacker. Even in schools with CD stackers the machines in the network need to be quite powerful in order for more than 6 or so terminals to access the CD at once with reasonable speed. The Intranet documented in this paper is not of this variety. Its configuration can support such processes but it is fundamentally designed to bring the Internet into the learning of the children in a more accessible manner. It is designed to make the technology of the Internet available to the students in their own context, on their own Intranet.

An Intranet typically uses a host computer to house special programs, databases and files which the other computers can access through the network. The client machines in the network, either in a lab or classroom, do not require as much speed or capacity as they might as a stand alone, without the benefit of a connection to the more powerful host. The Intranet which uses Internet protocols to run an internal net is what is suggested by this paper and the work of Giralang Primary School. Intranets are very well suited to run Web browsers because network speeds are many times faster than the Internet. All the capability of running Internet technology such as Netscape, email, data sharing, Muds (Multi-User Dimensions/Dialogues like interactive role playing and simulation games - Moos, Mucks, Muse, Mush) and chats (online real time conversations) are enhanced on an Intranet because of better control and network speed.

Whilst an Intranet can provide new means for presenting class materials and curriculum at an another level it can open up new ways of handling administrative matters such as assessments, student records, daily memos, community communications and human relations functions. The Intranet can be used for professional development and training with greater access to interactive media. Whilst these uses of a network are not new the recent capability to download whole Internet sites through a program called 'WebWhacker' has brought the possibility for a total change in perspective for resource limited schools.

Intranets, security and WebWhacker

Intranets provide greater security (Long & Smith, 1997b). The management of an Intranet effectively filters out any unwanted visitors and unwanted web sites. This can be done through the use of such programs as WebWhacker. WebWhacker allows the Intranet controller to 'whack' down whole sites (including links if desired) off the Web and place them on the host computer. Using TCP/IP protocol through Netscape the students can then engage those sites from any terminal in the Intranet without any necessity for modems or filtering tools. In affect a teacher can locate a site a suitable for their needs, set the computer to pull that site down off the Web, go away and make a cup of coffee or do some shopping and on return have that whole site in one folder on the host computer. Similarly the teacher could set WebWhacker overnight to extract large sites. The program is very simple and inexpensive and revolutionises the power of the Intranet as an Internet simulator. At Giralang Primary School, which will be studied shortly in this paper, students are able to access a large number of 'whacked' sites which have been selected according to the school curriculum. The students engage Internet information this way in a controlled environment at much faster than Internet speed and get the opportunity to navigate, write and engage the Internet in a realistic way.

This system of bringing down relevant sites off the Internet for use on the Intranet eliminates the need for firewall technology and expensive filtering software. In this way teachers use the school's modem (or modems) at home or after hours and the software program to work for them whilst they do other things. The students are given the gateway to the Internet without the threat of access to undesirable Web material. WebWhacker is a product of ForeFront Group, Inc. and can be purchased readily at most software outlets.

Intranet pedagogy

Educational demands in schooling are changing as technology continues to have its impact. New theories of cognition and pedagogy infer that teaching should have less emphasis on students using the technology - learning applications or tool usage and more emphasis on information literacy, that is, the mastering of information problem-solving skills. Information literacy is one of the five essential competencies for solid job performance according to the US Department of Labor Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS). Learning which results from the use of multiple resources is often referred to as 'resource-based learning'. Resource-based learning requires that students are effective users of information regardless of format.

To become effective information users students must have frequent opportunities to handle all kinds of information. Locating, interpreting, analysing, synthesising, evaluating and communicating information should become a part of every subject across the curriculum (WEMA, 1996). In an effective electronic information literacy curriculum, the student's experience with information moves away from learning traditional library location skills taught in isolation. Rather, the student learns information literacy embedded in the core curriculum. This demands that students have adequate access to Information Technology (IT). The establishment of an Intranet enhances the opportunities for students to develop information literacy skills. A distributed network of computers can better support new kinds of collaboration within a school in dealing with information.

Intranets do require some strategic planning. They will require new personnel, new support structures and some organisational change. In this regard a bold and new sense of leadership is essential. The principal of a school need not be a 'techno geek' in order to be innovative in using the Internet/Intranet in teaching but must be willing to empower others and not walk away from its decentralising power. The principal ought to be able to embrace the technology without fear and must be able to consult others regarding the wisest options in IT expenditure. This last point is crucial because changes in technology are so rapid and commitments to expenditure in projected budgets can be outdated and on the wrong track by the time the equipment is purchased. It is sad to see some school bodies work very hard for funds to buy IT equipment only to see the investment gather cobwebs in 12 months time.

Giralang Primary School, ACT - A Case Study

Giralang Primary School is a small primary school with approximately 380 students in the northern suburbs of Canberra (Smith, 1998). It has not received special funding for IT, has received minimal sponsorship and has a declining enrolment due to demographic constraints. Greg Smith is a teacher at Giralang who was appointed as an IT coordinator at the school in 1995. Previously Smith had been a teacher at nearby Hall Primary School. Whilst at Hall Smith had taken an interest in Bulletin Board Systems (BBC) and had used that particular technology with his students using the First Class Communication Protocol (FCCP). When he moved to Giralang, Smith developed the use of BBS technology to establish an Intranet of sorts using FCCP. The Giralang BBS was used as an internal mail service for staff and students and some access made to wider BBS outside through the use of a modem.

When Smith first went to Giralang the school had 22 Mac LC II (4/40) computers, 2 Mac Classics and a small lab of Apple II E computers (which were later sold). The Macintoshes werenetworked as a LAN using Local Talk, having common access to a printer. It was in early 1995 that the principal of Giralangon return from a conference, became enthused about the possibility of establishing an internal BBS at the school. Smith's previous experience at Hall enabled this to happen and a classic computer was set up as a BBS server. The use of FCCP enabled low level technology, low cost, low bandwidth equipment to link the computers together exchanging mail, graphics and live chats. It also enabled students and staff to download from other FCCP sites throughout the world through BBS archives, and to upload student's work. The evolution of the TCP/IP revolution and the introduction of Mosaic and later Netscape led to the adaptation of that system to the Giralang network and hence the beginning of the Giralang Primary School Intranet.

In 1996 Giralang had moved from using HTTP freeware to manage the Intranet with both TCP/IP protocol and FCCP operating as an internal network. In the early part of 1996 the network was managed through WebStar using a FileMaker Pro interface for the exchanging of forms, database information, database research, data collation, image mapping, Netscaped sites and site searching. The school does not have an ethernet based network as yet but has made the most of the limited in-built Macintosh Local Talk system. The host (server) computer is a small Macintosh Classic which has numerous 'whacked' sites on it which the students access. The school has sought sponsorship through Apple Australia for a better server.

The majority of the computers on the Giralang Intranet are located in the library which provides an information literacy context for the physical structure of the Intranet. Some computers are also located in hubs in class units. The location of the Intranet in the library completes the electronic aspect of a total information literacy program in the school. The Intranet site at Giralang Primary School is explained on the school site [http://giralangps.act.edu.au/]

What is on the Giralang Intranet?

The Intranet allows the students to interact at a variety of levels: students are able to become webmasters as they manipulate the simulated Intranet using Netscape; they are able to research and enter data in a multi-user data base and collaborate in research; gather and interact with data as they use forms and exchange images and establish personal home pages on the Intranet Web using HTML. In this way the possibilities for the enhancement of information literacy skills are encouraged. The power of this learning tool is currently being used with undergraduate students in Studies of Society and the Environment in the Faculty of Education at the University of Canberra in an IT module which forms part of the unit.

Savings made by using second-hand Macintosh computers (some 6-8 years old) had enabled the Principal to send the whole staff in 1996/97 on an Internet skills development course for teachers in the Faculty of Education at the University of Canberra. This enabled the development of such a high level skills base in the school that much of the on-going professional development occurs informally, this has resulted in considerable savings which can be reinvested into the school's IT program. Many staff are highly skilled in the use of Internet technology and most staff are competent at using the Intranet in teaching.

The networking capability of and inexpensive cost of old Macintosh computers is essential to the Intranet program in the school. The fact that quite old computers can network and be used to browse Internet technology in the school has enabled students to still be exposed to and educated in this medium. Through the Intranet children in the school are able to be use the world standard Internet protocol and they often express an appreciation of the relevance of using the technology in their learning (Smith 5.2.97). The fact that student work is able to be published so readily gives students an arena for the publication of multimedia, animations, HTML documents and email projects. The important thing to note is that students do the publishing not teachers on student's behalf. The ability to control the technology enables staff to have a greater opportunity to assess student readiness and competencies regarding information literacy and Internet technology skills (including server management). Parents and friends are able to see student's work showcased on the Intranet on parent/teachers nights and open days.

The introduction of an Intranet at Giralang Primary School has changed the culture of the school (Cant 5.2.97). The use of an Intranet at Giralang Primary School has consolidated staff, assisted student cohesion and enhanced the sense of community in the school. This has occurred through the use of the Intranet as a community communication and showcase tool. The exchange of data and communications is much quicker, immediate and more effective than previous assisting 'the whole school to own problems' (Cant 5.2.97). The Principal reported that there were 'no more meetings for meetings sake' (Cant 5.2.97) and that many basic time consuming housekeeping processes had been eliminated. The use of (CGI scripted) forms on the Intranet enables staff to enter data easily and send it to the Principal's (password enabled) data base online. The Principal reported that much double handling of paper and incident reports had diminished and that the automatic assembling and manipulation of data had made behaviour management in the school more effective. She indicated that children tended to 'slip through' the old system and that the Intranet behaviour management strategy had increased access and consistency in reporting.

Conclusion

This paper has explored various reasons why the use of the Internet in schools is difficult. It has proposed that the power of education through the Internet can be brought to children in a safe and interactive way through the establishment of an Intranet. The paper has proposed that Internet technology can be set up in a school with relatively old equipment with an effective educationally interactive structure. The case study of Giralang Primary School establishes the practicality of the proposal. Giralang has been implementing the Intranet with great effect since late 1995. The potential of this interactive education is available to any school with a LAN and a vision for Intranet learning.

Bibliography

Bersten, R. (1996). Internet for eight year olds. Internet.au, August.

Chesher, C. (1997). Educating Generation I. Internet.au, July.

Rotenstein, J. (1996). Intranets: the corporate revolution. Internet.au, July.

Interviews

Helen Cant, Principal, Giralang Primary School, 5 February 1998.

Greg Smith, IT Coordinator, Giralang Primary School, 5 February 1998.

Electronic bibliography

Long, R. (1996). Negotiating IT into the Primary Classroom. http://crilt.canberra.edu.au/negotiating/home.html

Long, R., and Smith, G. (1997a). Negotiating Information Technology into School Curriculum - Access and Education. http://crilt.canberra.edu.au/intranets/issues/access.html

Long, R., and Smith, G. (1997b). The Internet, Education and the Privacy Act. http://crilt.canberra.edu.au/intranets/issues/privacy.html

Long, R., and Smith, G. (1997c). Using an Intranet to Develop a Behaviour Management Plan http://crilt.canberra.edu.au/intranets/issues/behaviour.html

Rutkowski, K. (1996). Transforming Schools Using Intranets. NetTeach News Online Version, May 27, Vol. 4. No. 1.

Smith, G. (1998). http://giralangps.act.edu.au/

Wisconsin Educational Media Association (WEMA) (1996). Position Statement on Information Literacy. http://badger.state.wi.us/agencies/dpi/wema/infolit.html

Robert Long has been a teacher for more than 20 years in SA, NSW and ACT, across most sectors (Primary, Secondary, Tertiary - government and non-government) of education. He is currently the founding principal of an alternative school in the ACT called the Galilee Day Program. This is a government funded education service delivered by a private provider to young people in substitute care aged 13-17 excluded from the school system. These students have juvenile justice, mental health and accommodation issues which affect their educational development. Rob also lecturers part-time in the Faculty of Education, University of Canberra. Rob consults with schools and teachers on Internet/Intranet technology and curriculum.

Greg Smith has been actively involved in education for the past 18 years and has been a specialist teacher in the areas of Computers and Information Technology for the last 5 years. His teaching has been in the area of the Internet and its associated technologies with all sectors from Early Childhood to Tertiary. He has been involved in the establishment of Intranets in schools and his own school's experiences have been described in Apple's Education News, and the school's web site also contains comprehensive documentation. [http://www.giralangps.act.edu.au]. He has been engaged as an Internet project consultant in the tertiary and commercial sectors.

Please cite as: Long, R. and Smith, G. (1998). The educational power of Intranets. In C. McBeath and R. Atkinson (Eds), Planning for Progress, Partnership and Profit. Proceedings EdTech'98. Perth: Australian Society for Educational Technology. http://www.aset.org.au/confs/edtech98/pubs/articles/long.html

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