Re: Scalable Technical Architecture, etc.,
Margaret Honey (mhoney@tristram.edc.org)
Mon, 31 Mar 1997 09:20:10 -0400
Thank you Rashidah, Larry and Nora for beginning our conversation on Scope
and Support. I trust the rest of the folks on this list will join us soon.
I'd like to begin to focus our discussion on some of the issues that NSF is
particularly interested in learning more about. We have all been involved
in building networks -- either in community-based organizations or school
districts. A key issue is the support of end users.
Once projects provide connectivity for a site and its individual users, how
are individual users supported when they have difficulties and questions?
Is support distributed across different sites? Is it
consolidated in one operation?
In the Union City New Jersey School district, this issue is being dealt
with in multiple ways. The central office has hired additional staff to
handle support issues. There is now one individual assigned for every two
school buildings. However, this has not totally eliminated the need to
have knowledgeable people available in the buildings, and in most buildings
it's the library media specialists who are assuming responsibility for
local support. We are, however, still in the early phases of the project.
Most teachers and students do not yet have access to email. This will
change dramatically over the next several months, and it's not clear to any
of us how much support will be required.
I'm looking forward to hearing from the rest of you about how you are
handling these and other issues.
Regards,
Margaret Honey
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