Week 4, Question #2

Why is it advantageous for educators to share resources and programs on a network? What concerns are associated with program sharing?

A network can allow you to share the use of programs over an entire school. If there was not a network to share programs, busineses would have to buy a program for each individual workstation. With a network you cna buy a special type of program that allows sharing over multiple workstations. The cost of buying a program for each individual computer would be rather expensive. Most companies have special rates for buying a program that can be shared over a network; the program is bought with a site license, allowing the program to exist on any computer that is on that particular site. It si cost beneficial to have a network for sharing programs. Another benefit of having a network in the work ploace is that the program can be installed on the server and not have to be installed on each individual workstation. Since the program exists on the server then maintenance can be done within the server instead of on each individual workstation.

Sharing resources can be cost efficient and it maximizes the students' education. When educators have access to the same programs it allows them to help each other learn the programs to the best of their ability. Then educators can maximize the potential of the programs in the classroom. Each student has the privilege of working on many different programs since it is so cost efficient.

Another wonderful advantage of working on a network is the sharing of data. If one secretary needs to see a file that another person has been working on and they are located at the other end of the campus, the file is accessible by saving it to public domain on the server. Then whoever needs the file can access it at their individual workstation.

A great disadvantage to sharing programs on a network is that when the program is down on the server it is down for each workstation. Most networks have back up servers in case of emergencies. However when a server is down and there is no plan for back up the whole network will suffer until it is fixed on the server.

I work at a school that uses a network and we enjoy it greatly. Lately we have had a couple of viruses that have been trying to camp out in our server. It has caused the whole school quite a bit of grief. We have a back up server and after one day started having problems with it. It has been two weeks now since the problem started and it has been very trying. When the work that needs to be done exists on ly on the workstations and they are not working properly then you got a really big problem. Since the school runs off of a network system, it is all workstations that is having the problem and not just one or two. It hasbeen a great test of patience during the past two weeks. I know that when the problem is fixed everything will go back to being as perfect as it can be. Before viruses the network has been a wonderful experience. I have made the comment to a couple of co-workers who have been in the district for about twenty years, wondering; "How did you guys make it without computers?" Their answer was; "Very carefully, and with a lot of headaches!" I seriously think that technology in the school district is a blessing. Even if there are problems sometimes.