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Winter 2003 A newsletter for business, educators and students in the telecommunications industry |
Greetings!
In September we started our 6th year here at NCTT. We have changed considerably over time and we will continue to change and mature with the telecommunications industry. With our recent name change to the National Center for Telecommunication Technologies and our new national focus, this year promises to be very exciting. Here are a few things that are currently in the works here at NCTT:
Please contact us, refer to our website, and use us as a resource as you develop your academic and training programs. All of us here at NCTT thank you for your support and efforts.
Sincerely,
Gordon F. Snyder, Jr.
Executive Director
Dates for the sixth annual NCTT Summer Workshops have been selected!
NCTT will be offering its state-of-the-industry, hands-on telecommunications workshops at three skill levels with offerings for academic and industry professionals in the telecommunications technologies of networking, photonics and wireless communications.
The Introductory Topics Workshop will be held on the campus of UMass Boston and will offer 3 Graduate Credits to participants. The Intermediate and Advanced Workshops will be held on the campus of Springfield Technical Community College.
For more information and to register, visit: http://www.nctt.org/pages/events.php.
Introductory Workshop participants.
Teachers and faculty from across the nation attended NCTT summer workshops in June and July. From June 24 to June 27, 2002, 18 educators, from as far away as California and as nearby as Springfield, Mass., attended an ‘Introduction to Telecommunications Technologies’ workshop at Springfield Technical Community College. Participants were introduced to the essentials of telecommunications and industry trends. The first day, concerns of educators new to teaching telecommunications were addressed. Executive Director Gordon F. Snyder discussed networking technologies, while associate Directors Gary Mullett and James Downing spoke about wireless and photonics technology. Steven Solomon, then president of Telitcom Development Corp., a western Massachusetts regional economic development agency, described ongoing consolidation in the telecommunications industry, stressing that former competitors have become collaborators, making cross branding and product bundling important marketing strategies.
The subsequent three days were devoted to technology focused lab and lecture sessions. Participants spent one day each covering the topics of networking, wireless and photonics. At day’s end, participants met with vendors Emona-TIMS and Technical Education Products, Inc., to learn more about the introduction of laboratory equipment into their classrooms. An instructor at Patrick Henry Community College in Virginia, Earl Dodrill learned about NCTT from the National Workforce Center for Emerging Technologies in Bellevue, Wash. Dodrill wanted to learn about curriculum development and laboratory configurations while networking with others.
James Davis, an instructor at Muskingum Area Technical College in Ohio, a community college serving approximately 2,000 students, needed to broaden his telecommunications experience. Muskingum currently offers four Cisco Networking Academy courses. To broaden the range of course offerings, Davis learned more about photonics and wireless technologies. Davis explained that he’d discovered the workshop’s availability from the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Engineering Divisions listserv.
John Kurnik traveled from St. Petersburg College in Florida. He'd met Gordon Snyder at a meeting of Working Connections colleges, a program sponsored by Microsoft Corp., along with the American Association of Community Colleges. Kurnik’s college has multiple campuses, and his goal was to learn where wireless and photonics technology would fit in already existing networking programs.
Advanced Workshop participants.
The July 22 to July 25, 2002 Advanced Topics Workshop also attracted educators from across the nation. Snyder, Mullett and Downing again presented an overview describing the latest technology trends in each of their areas of expertise. Their presentations were followed by laboratory demonstrations by Larry Hash, an assistant professor from SUNY Institute of Technology, and graduate students Nikhil Ahluwalia and Bindu Sundarasan, also from SUNY. They were followed by a presentation by professors Mark Wildemuth and Keith Quigley, both from Midlands Technical College in South Carolina, who shared their experience of ‘Teaching with Technology.’ For the remainder of the week, attendees of the July workshop were afforded the opportunity to concentrate a full day of lectures and open labs on advanced topics in the three telecommunications technologies of networking, wiring and photonics.
During each workshop, Maureen Bourbeau, the technology access coordinator at Springfield Technical Community College, provided information about STCC’s Office for Students with Disabilities. The office is now in its second year of activity under an NSF grant that is applying ‘Universal Design’ strategies for facilitating access to the college’s science, mathematics, engineering and technology programs. Bourbeau hosted a hands-on session with SmartBoard and Mimio, instructional technologies for teaching students with disabilities. Instructors using the technology also are finding that it can enhance the educational experience of all students. (See article below)
The National Center for Telecommunications Technologies (NCTT), in partnership with publisher Delmar Learning, announces the publication of the first two books in a series of telecommunications texts designed for the community college classroom. Launched in 1997 by a grant from the Advanced Technological Education program of the National Science Foundation, an NCTT goal is to develop and field test instructional materials for the telecommunications technicians of the 21st century workplace.
Introduction to Telecommunications Networks, by NCTT Executive Director Gordon F. Snyder, provides a history of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), followed by descriptions of public and private telecommunications networks. A basic electronics refresher as well as analysis and discussion of analog and digital signals concepts, frequency spectra, and modulating and multiplexing techniques are included. Information is presented from the technician’s point of view, allowing students to make connections between theory and practice. Knowledge of math is limited to algebra and basic trigonometric functions, making information readily accessible to students of technology and others without higher-level math skills. System hardware is introduced, including transmission and reception technology switching systems. Objectives, outlines, key terms lists, summaries and review questions for each chapter direct the reader’s attention to key concepts. Illustrations focus exclusively on telecommunications examples.
The other newly available text is Basic Telecommunications: The Physical Layer, by NCTT Associate Director Gary Mullett. Wireline, wireless and fiber optic concepts are presented with a focus on physical layer implementation of system hardware. Industry regulations and information on filters, test equipment and Fourier analysis is provided. Students are launched into the study of modulation schemes, and provided with digital and traditional techniques comparisons. Multiplexing is also explored. Presentation is guided by the needs of technicians tasked with evaluating system operations and reconfiguring programmable hardware. DC/AC theory and digital electronics knowledge is assumed while math is limited to algebra, some trigonometric identities and Bessel functions. A systems-oriented approach and block diagrams explain concepts in a manner consistent with the trend toward PC-centric testing and measurement. Examples, pictures and screen shots of waveforms and signal spectra data highlight the connection between theory and practical systems hardware operations. Each chapter summarizes the evolution of individual technologies and describes current knowledge about the physical layer. Applications of telecommunications technologies related to system hardware provides information on the delivery to consumers of wide bandwidth and highspeed data capabilities. Supplements to both volumes contain a companion laboratory manual, an instructor’s guide on CD-ROM, and WebTutor on Web CT or Blackboard for Web-based teaching and learning.
Future texts, with an anticipated release date of spring 2003, include a volume on fiber optics, wireless technology and network security. Delmar Learning delivers products and services to customers for lifelong learning, and offers learning solutions ranging from introductory coursework to professional certification and continuing education. Delmar Learning is a Thomson Learning Company and a division of The Thomson Corp., a leading, global e-information and solutions company business and professional marketplace. Visit Delmar Learning at www.delmar.com and Thomson Learning at thomsonlearning.com.
Sample chapters of the first two texts can be explored at:
electronictech.com/common/email/dec02_electronics_update.html
Gene Longo is the manager of U.S. field operations for Cisco Systems, Inc.’s Networking Academy Program in the office of Worldwide Education Market Development. His office is located in Columbia, Maryland.
Mr. Longo joined NCTT’s National Advisory Board in March 2002.
What is the mission of the Cisco Systems Networking Academy Program?
The Cisco Networking Academy Program is a comprehensive program designed to provide students of all ages with an opportunity to gain Information Technology (IT) skills, thereby creating a skilled technical workforce with a competitive advantage in the information economy. The Cisco Networking Academy Program is one of the largest eLearning laboratories in the world. Our goal is to provide a wide variety of quality IT courses to the academic market. Globally, our program has a presence in 147 regions, 30 of which are least-developed countries. In the U.S., most federal empowerment zones are included as well.
Cisco has expanded its Networking Academy program to include optional, partner-sponsored courses from IT leaders in the fundamentals of Unix, sponsored by Sun Microsystems; the fundamentals of web design, sponsored by Adobe Systems; the fundamentals of voice and data cabling, sponsored by Panduit; and IT essentials, sponsored by Hewlett-Packard. All courses are delivered in partnership with educational institutions and government agencies.
How do you see your role as a member of NCTT's Advisory Board?
I have spent nearly twenty years working in instructional technology for companies such as Apple Computer, the Caliber Learning Network and Cisco Systems. During the past years, I worked in Silicon Valley in software development and in Washington, D.C., with policymakers. I also have worked in a variety of positions in sales, marketing and operations. And over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with educational institutions across the U.S. I believe my experience in Cisco’s Education Market group combined with my knowledge of the industry and federal government can be applied to provide insights and suggestions on how NCTT can further its reach and extend its mission.
What aspects of your work at Cisco Systems can help bring a special expertise to the Advisory Board?
My work with the Academy Program has given me extensive experience in defining and responding to customer needs. Now that the center’s products and services are ready for wide distribution, the ability to respond to customer requirements is critical. Marketing is an area I not only enjoy but an area in which I believe I can help provide focus and guidance to the advisory board and staff at the center.
How do you think NCTT can best serve students and employers in the telecom industry?
NCTT is one of the leading academic technical centers in the U.S. It can share its lessons learned, best practices and solutions with other educational institutions and industry. Providing this type of assistance can extend the Center’s outreach to more students and ultimately provide the industry with a more knowledgeable workforce. It’s important that NCTT establish its own ‘brand’ and market a value proposition that clearly informs customers about who they are, what they offer and that the consumer can expect a high quality and credible product.
by Professor Djafar Mynbaev
Associate Professor and Telecommunications Coordinator, Department of Electrical Engineering Technology and Telecommunications at the New York City College of Technology and co-author of "Fiber Optic Communications Technology" (Prentice Hall, 2001)
The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks affected more aspects of our life than is readily apparent. Importantly, it affected the ability of telecommunications networks in New York City to deliver information. What can be done to build new and more reliable networks?
New York City since September 2001
A major telecommunications player in downtown Manhattan is Verizon, which holds all legacy networks from Bell Atlantic, the regional telephone company. With the destruction of the World Trade Center and surrounding buildings, Verizon lost two central offices (switching facilities) serving the Twin Towers and nearby area. All switches located within these buildings and operated by other telecommunications companies were also destroyed. Thus, the telecommunications infrastructure in lower Manhattan literally lost its ‘brains.’ Obviously, all copper-wire and fiberoptic cables running through the buildings were also lost, and many underground cables in the downtown area were destroyed or severely damaged. The telecommunications networks lost their links.
Moreover, lower Manhattan is the heart of global business and financial operations, and an area where millions of connections merge. The result? Network destruction in such a small area seriously affected the telecommunications infrastructure worldwide. It remained difficult to place a telephone call through both regular and cellular lines for about a month after the attacks.
Immediately after September 11, Verizon marshaled more than 3,000 of its employees to restore its networks. People toiled in 12-hour shifts around the clock for several weeks. Verizon built a temporary central office in the downtown area powered by 10 independent engines. Through enormous effort, Verizon was able to restore the bulk of its telecommunications network in lower Manhattan, which, in turn, has largely restored the metropolitan and wide networks.
To comprehend the scale and function of these restored networks, consider the operation of the New York Stock Exchange during that period. The Exchange was ordered closed after September 11 for the remainder of the week, an unprecedented action. Yet, given the scale of destruction in the area, NYSE’s reopening occurred in a surprisingly short time.
What should be done in the future to provide a more reliable telecommunications infrastructure?
Many proposals have been presented for new telecommunications networks to be built in lower Manhattan. These proposals include fiber-optic networks in a ring topology with four cables, a so-called bidirectional line switch ring, or BLSR. The high level of survivability inherent in this architecture can be increased greatly if all four cables are placed in different locations—that is, physically separated from one another.
The importance of devising network topology to ensure survivability cannot be overestimated. For example, Verizon built its city network in mesh topology so that every central office is connected to another office. Thanks to this arrangement, the Verizon network managed to survive the attacks and telephones were operational, albeit with some difficulties, almost immediately after the horrific events.
One recent proposal calls for building a wireless citywide network using optical (infrared) and microwave links. This proposal entails setting up antennas and lasers on the roofs of tall buildings and connecting them in mesh architecture. [1]
The events of September 11 demonstrated the vulnerability of our telecommunications networks—and how much we depend on these networks.
1. Mel Horwitch (moderator), “Challenges in Information Technology after September 11,” CATT Annual Research Review & Wireless Internet Center for Advanced Technology Kick-Off Meeting, Polytechnic University, Brooklyn, NY,November 9, 2001.”
Linda Meccouri, professor of information systems fundamentals (seated), with STCC students Ray Taft and Bernice Perry, who benefit from “Universal Design” elements incorporated into classrooms and curriculum.
Diversity, access and opportunity for learning are the hallmark of our nation’s community colleges. Although the average age of community college students varies by institution and state and depends on the college-going patterns of the local community and mission of the institution, basic indicators suggest that the average age of students at community colleges is between 27 and 29. This means that many community college students have had work experience and, indeed, may work part- or full-time while attending college. They also have attained varying levels of previous academic and life experience. In community colleges, these students participate in the same classes as traditional high school graduates, creating a mosaic of learning possibilities.
Given the diversity of students in her classes, veteran professor Linda Meccouri, who teaches information systems fundamentals at Springfield Technical Community College (STCC), in Massachusetts, has developed a teamwork teaching strategy that incorporates ‘Universal Design’ systems that support different learning styles for all students. Meccouri, along with seven other STCC faculty members and three student services administrators, participates in a National Science Foundation project that examines the ways in which science, engineering, mathematics and technology curricula can be made more accessible for students with disabilities. However, as a result of the project, faculty members have discovered that ‘Universal Design’ strategies benefit all students.
Meccouri’s wide experience has taught her that a diverse group of students generates exceptional power in the classroom. She begins each semester by asking her students to pair up and fill out index cards with the following questions: What are your learning strengths? (listening, questioning, reading, etc.) What are your learning challenges? And, What do you excel at outside of school? The answers reveal that a diverse group is more competent in solving problems than any single individual. Using this knowledge, Meccouri creates opportunities for her students to interact in small group activities designed to improve learning and create reciprocal relationships.
Meccouri always includes a team research project in her courses. In that way, students can relate to and extend the course content to an area of specific interest to them. Last spring, several students were intrigued by the problem of teaching computer technology to persons with low vision; in particular, how students with low vision might be enabled to succeed in traditional classrooms. Among the many outcomes of the study was the finding that the course textbook was not accessible to students with low vision or, interestingly, to students who are aural learners.
With permission from the publisher, four students researched how currently available technology can make a text accessible to low-vision classmates. The team, which included Ray Taft, Bernice Perry, Faustina Dalaba-Roohi, and Yekaterin Alekseyeva, devised a research plan, assigned tasks and worked harder than they had ever envisioned. The outcome, after only 10 short weeks, was a set of 6 CDs that can read the entire text of the book to the student, including options for choosing the voice and speed at which the text is read.
For the students, working as a team provided an environment where differences became competencies. A case in point was expressed by Ray, a mature student entering a difficult programming curriculum. Early on, he questioned whether continuing his education would prove too much for him. Over lunch, William Barnes, a 17-year old student, convinced him that they could work together and have fun. “I never thought that a kid could convince me to do something I didn’t want to do,” Ray said. “This was one of the best things I have ever done.”
For Meccouri, the success of the low vision project again demonstrated that teamwork supports student learning and, although the project-based method is a more complex classroom strategy, “it makes me a better teacher.”
The CD set is now available to all students at STCC through the Office for Students with Disabilities. The college also is investigating the possibility of making the set available through a publisher so that students at other colleges also can benefit. “In my experience,” said Meccouri, “when students are given the opportunity to apply technology to reallife problems, commitment and achievement is much higher. It is impressive that this group of students worked so hard on a project that would benefit others whom they did not know. It is equally impressive that the students involved in the project came away with competence in 21st century technology skills such as teamwork, networking, research, ability to learn new software/hardware and presentation.”
“Choose Smart! Choose a Technical Career” is the message of a calendar developed by Bristol Community College’s department of engineering and technology. The poster-sized calendar, with full color photographs, highlights and depicts each of the department’s major programs in an original manner.
Professor John Majkut, chair of BCC’s engineering and technology department, came up with the original idea and plan for the calendar. “Getting out the fact that your community college has outstanding technical education can be done without a large bank account. All that is needed is a digital camera, an inkjet plotter and a dedicated support staff,” Majkut noted.
In describing the project, Majkut said the key to its success was a dedicated staff. The department’s lab technical specialist took digital photos of faculty and students at work.
Each program option is highlighted by a photo: an environmental technician suiting up; a shot of an hydraulics trainer in the CIM lab—National Science Foundation/Advanced Technological Education project; faculty demonstrating surveying techniques for a civil engineering course; students evaluating an electronic circuit in the telecommunications lab (also funded by NSF); and faculty and students in the materials science lab.
The division’s secretary, Colleen Vickery, demonstrated her considerable skills in desktop publishing, skills she maintains were learned “on the job.” Working with Majkut, she created the 17 x 22-inch poster design for the calendar with its catchy message. The digitized photos were scanned into Microsoft Publisher and dropped into boxes. The six associate of science degree programs, three transfer programs, and five certificate programs were listed in large Arial bold face type. And a monthly calendar was positioned at the bottom third of the poster followed by pertinent contact information.
Fifty poster calendars were printed individually on the inkjet plotter and are being personally distributed to guidance counselors and technology teachers at high schools, regional schools, and vocational schools in southeastern Massachusetts. The counselors and teachers are pleased to have the posters for their bulletin boards and BCC’s engineering and technology department is delighted to have developed a promotional tool with an important informative yet personal message to prospective students.
For further information, call Prof. John Majkut, chair of the engineering and technology department, at Bristol Community College at 508 678-2811 x2351 and e-mail: jmajkut@bristol.mass.edu.
picture of poster
NCTT announces the publication of the second edition of its Telecommunications Technologies Education Guide. First published in 1999, the guide surveyed colleges and universities in New England and New York and provided information as to which institutions offered associate and bachelor of technology degrees in programs of study that can prepare graduates for work in the telecommunications industry.
The second edition offers a new, web-based searchable database to enable the viewer to locate available programs by area of study or by state. Curricula for each of the programs as well as links to the host campuses are also available.
A comprehensive 120-page directory of telecommunications-related programs and contacts at 136 secondary and 84 postsecondary institutions in New England and New York.
Information is organized into easy-to-use matrixes and a resource information section:
NCTT News is a publication of the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE)
45 Temple Place, Boston, Mass. 02111 (www.nebhe.org) and the
National Center for Telecommunications Technologies (NCTT).
Fenna Hanes, Senior Director, Office of Programs, NEBHE
Amanda E. Burton, Editor
Susan Martin, Editorial Coordinator
© 2003 New England Board of Higher Education
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of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Science Foundation.
 This material is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number DUE 0302548. |
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