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CEN's annual conference brings a wide range of members from across the state together to learn valuable information from our community. Our breakout sessions have now been finalized and there is sure to be something that fits your needs. These sessions along with other information can be found by visiting the link below.

Follow CEN on Facebook and Twitter to get up to date information on the conference. If you have any questions regarding the event please contact [email protected].

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CEN Connects Newtown School to NASA Space Station

On April 8th Sandy Hook Elementary School had the opportunity to connect to NASA's space station through CEN's videoconference bridge. Students were able to interact and ask questions to the astronauts who left the planet on March 25th on ISS Expedition 39. 

This educational event was broadcasted on NASA TV and streamed live on NASA's website. CEN's Video Telepresence Service allowed for the entire 20 minutes event to be recorded. The replay of the show can be found here: Sandy Hook Space Station

CEN is always looking to expand its member base. With some new and exciting services getting set to roll out why wouldn't you want to join? Since February 1 CEN has connected 9 new sites to the network 

1. Connecticut Institute for the Blind - Hartford
2. Cheshire Academy
3.  *Jackson Labs - Uconn Health Center (1Gb Connection)
4. Town of Bethel
5. Town of Mansfield
6. Town of Plainville
7. Town of Newington

8. UConn Cooperative Extension System - Norwich

9. UConn Cooperative Extension System - Tolland

We've been busy! CEN is in the process of upgrading sites to Cisco ME3600 switches. This will increase internet handoff speeds from 100mbps to 1 Gbps. Since February 1 CEN has upgraded 8 sites! 

1. Beecher Rd. School
2. Coginchaug Regional High School - Durham
3. North Haven Memorial Library (DSL to Fiber Connection)
4. Post University
5. Ridgefield Public Library (DSL to Fiber Connection)
6. Russell Library
7. Vinal Tech - Middlefield
8. Westport Public Schools (IPv6)  

Coventry Public Schools has started to incorporate tablet technology into their classrooms through their Ipad Initiative. Students and teachers are now provided with 1:1 access to Ipads or Ipad carts in their classrooms depending on the class level. 

With the Ipad initiative Coventry plans to put students at the center of learning by challenging them with real-world situations and problem solving, and then give them innovative technology to work collaboratively, promote global connectivity, and communicate effectively with their peers to find creative solutions.

For this type of learning to be effective, it is very important that both the students and teachers understand how to utilize the technology. Coventry has collaborated with the NEAG School of Education at the University of Connecticut to provide courses on how to effectively teach and learn using Ipads in the classroom. Dr. Jae-Eun Joo, Neag Director of Online Programs, is leading the program for the university.

CEN reached out to Carla Kennedy, Director of Educational Technology, to provide additional information on the initiative. Michelle Mullaly, Principal of Coventry High School, and David Petrone, Superintendent of Coventry Schools, collaborated with Carla to provide CEN with a detailed interview. The full article can be found here. 

Is your organization worthy of being a spotlight member? We would like to hear from YOU about something exciting your school or organization is doing. Tell us about how you are using CEN, an accomplishment you have recently achieved, or how you are integrating general technology in a new way. It's easy to reach out to us. All you have to do it fill out this form, and if we like what we see, you will be featured in an upcoming newsletter!

CEN has connected Westport Public Schools with an IPv6 connection. Westport is the first K-12 school system in Connecticut to utilize IPv6 with CEN. Jonathan Gryak, Infrastructure Manager of Westport Public Schools plans to test out the IPv6 capabilities over the next few weeks.

IPv6 was designed to eventually replace IPv4 and allows for more Internet users to communicate with each other. IPv6 addresses have 128 bits, which allows for around 340 trillion unique devices.

Want to see if you're ready to make the jump to IPv6? Visit http://test-ipv6.com to check out your connectivity and readiness for IPv6 only sites.

**Numbers on IPv4 and IPv6 gathered from http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4669

In July of 2013, state legislators passed new legislation (PA 13-247) that has accomplished two major items.  First, it allows all municipalities and regional councils of government access to The Nutmeg Network at a discounted rate.  Second, it has created a grant fund that municipalities and regional councils of government (RCOGs) can apply to for achieving connectivity to the fiber optic Nutmeg Network.  The legislation states that there has been funding made available for two years, and that the Department of Administrative Services / Bureau of Enterprise Systems and Technology (DAS/BEST) is responsible for assisting the municipalities and the RCOGs to get their connections up and running.

The Connecticut Education Network (CEN), which reports up through DAS/BEST and UConn, has been tasked by DAS/BEST to assist in the execution of this legislation.  CEN has historically been focused solely on schools, libraries and research organizations.  By providing connectivity to all of the municipalities and RCOGs, it broadens the member base for The Nutmeg Network. It also increases utilization of the state's multimillion dollar fiber optic asset, brings in more revenue for a better sustainability model for the entire network, and increases the ability to share applications and other resources across the state.

CEN is also looking to provide all of its members additional services above the network layer.  Some of these services include web filtering, video teleconferencing, DNS & firewall services, etc. 

Sharing applications and services across the state will provide an opportunity for Nutmeg Network members to cut costs by sharing resources, streamlining business processes and creating additional collaborative opportunities.

To date, 12 Municipalities have been connected and there are over 60 more that have utilized the first round of grants, and are in the queue to connect.  

For more information on this project, please contact [email protected] or click here