FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Sally Bowman Alden, Executive Director
(408) 720-8838

COMPUTER LEARNING FOUNDATION RELEASES VIDEO SERIES TO HELP SCHOOLS WITH NETWORKING FOR INTERNET ACCESS

Cisco Internetworking Academy for Education
Provides Easy-to-Understand Introduction

PALO ALTO, Calif., (August 15, 1997) - - The Computer Learning Foundation announced the release of the Cisco Internetworking Academy for Education, a comprehensive, yet easy-to-understand, video series, to help educators learn what they need to know to set up and administer a school network for Internet access.

Access to the Internet provides real benefits to children's learning; however, thousands of schools are not yet fully networked and/or connected to the Internet to take advantage of its opportunities. With the FCC approval of the universal discount on telecommunications services for schools and libraries, increasing numbers of schools throughout the U.S. are embarking on networking their classrooms for Internet access for the first time. To do so requires an understanding of technical information about when to use what type of cabling, how to develop a wiring plan, how the Internet and networks transfer information, what routers are and how to configure them and much more. This comprehensive video series helps educators master the information they need to know to make informed decisions and administer their school internetworking needs.

Based on an Arizona television broadcast and designed for non-technical people, the Cisco Internetworking Academy for Education includes four videotapes, with a total of 6-1/2 hours of presentations, that clearly present the technical information educators need to know. Also included are 90 pages of handouts to support their learning, complete with summaries of concepts introduced, terms and definitions, and presentation screens from each video segment.

Video 1: Introduction presents an overview of the series, a discussion of issues to be solved in building networks and internetworking in schools, the basic components of a technology plan and important issues to include in training plans.

Video 2 has two parts. Internetworking Today presents what internetworking, NIC cards, MAC addresses and IP addresses are and how data moves across networks and explains data packet structures and the OSI Model. The second part, Bridging and Routing Technologies, presents the functions of bridges and routers.

Video 3: Structured Wiring & Wiring Lab presents what the basic types of networks and cabling are, how to plan a school wiring layout and potential problems and caveats to observe when installing cable. This tape closes with a lab presentation of students connecting wires and testing connections.

Video 4 is divided into two parts. The first part, IP Addressing and Subnet Masking explains and demonstrates how to count in binary, how to construct IP addresses, different classes of IP addresses, determining the number of hosts possible on a network and the purpose and procedures for creating subnet masks. The second part, Routers and Router Configuration explains the functions of routers, when to use routers, hubs and switches, different access levels with routers, how to configure a router, different router commands and when to use them and methods for maintaining security on a network.

Thanks to a development grant from Cisco Systems to the Computer Learning Foundation, the Cisco Internetworking Academy for Education is exceptionally affordable at a price of only $49.95 (plus $9 shipping and handling). (For international schools, a PAL version is also available for $69.95 plus $28 air freight).

The Computer Learning Foundation, based in Palo Alto, California, is an international nonprofit educational foundation dedicated to bringing businesses, schools and communities together to improve the quality of education and preparation of youth for the workplace through the use of technology. Founded in 1987, the Foundation serves as a clearinghouse of information for parents and educators on using technology effectively with children. In addition, the Computer Learning Foundation hosts Computer Learning Month each October, a major national grass roots educational effort, and motivates and recognizes innovative uses of technology through annual competitions for children, educators, community groups and schools. The Computer Learning Foundation is funded by corporate and individual donations and is endorsed by and collaborates with 56 U.S. State Departments of Education and Canadian Ministries of Education and 26 national non-profit organizations.

Complete information on Computer Learning Foundation initiatives and materials is available at its Web site (http://www.computerlearning.org) and in Computer Learning, the Foundation's free annual publication (write to: Computer Learning Foundation, P.O. Box 60007, Palo Alto, CA 94306-0007).

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