JANUARY 24, 2008 -- ADVA Optical Networking (search for ADVA) today announced that deployment of the ADVA Fiber Service Platform (FSP) 3000RE in Georgia's statewide PeachNet has enabled Barrow County Schools to implement a host of innovative services, including becoming the first K-12 school system in the state to connect to advanced networking consortium Internet2.
"If we continue to do only education as usual, we're not providing our students the education they need to be global leaders," admits Dr. Ron Saunders, superintendent of Barrow County Schools and the Georgia School Superintendents Association's 2008 Superintendent of the Year. "By connecting to Internet2, we are providing our students with educational opportunities that were simply impossible to offer only a few years ago. With this technology, we are keeping our students excited about learning, and we are giving quality teachers more reasons to come to and stay in Barrow County," he contends.
Among the innovative projects that Barrow County Schools officials plan to implement thanks to the connection to PeachNet via ADVA Optical Networking's equipment include:
• High-definition video links to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, with cameras controlled remotely from Barrow County classrooms;Â Â Â
• A "global concert series" offered by the Philadelphia Orchestra via Internet2;
• Interactive programs offered by Atlanta's Center for Puppetry Arts;
• Environmental science programs where students can interact with researchers on the sea floor at Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary;
•Â Calculus classes from Georgia Tech, utilizing a virtual-whiteboard application that fosters close interaction among students and teachers connected remotely; and
•Â A Georgia State University project in which education professors can observe student teachers in Barrow County classrooms as part of their teacher training and skills development programs.
PeachNet is a statewide communications network supporting more than 60 University System of Georgia sites, five private higher-education institutions, and more than a half-dozen other government agencies, in addition to Barrow County Schools. With the ADVA FSP 3000RE providing backbone transport, PeachNet supports services of speeds up to 10 Gbits/sec across the full network distance of 2,400 miles.
"PeachNet and Barrow County Schools are at the vanguard of a developing trend where the unprecedented capabilities of the nation's research-and-education networks are being rolled out to users beyond universities," notes Brian P. McCann, senior vice president of marketing and strategy with ADVA Optical Networking. "We are pleased to deliver these capabilities to enable Barrow County Schools to change their approach to education. We look forward to continuing to help PeachNet innovate and remain on the cutting edge of both technology and education."
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