The consultative paper is in regard to a 'reference interconnection offer' put forward by DataCo.
The Reference Interconnection Offer is an offer document setting out matters relating to the price, and terms and conditions, under which DataCo will permit the interconnection of another carrier to its network. A RIO aims to provide and facilitate new entrants with sufficient information about a dominant carrier’s or another carrier’s network to assist it in its decision-making processes, and to provide a baseline for negotiating an interconnection agreement.
DataCo has divided wholesale access into five (5) different services, each with its own capacity, unit pricing per monthly basis, and conditions.
Wholesale Internet Service (WIS)
Domestic P2P Metro (up to 1km) over Fibre delivered to Customer Premises
Domestic P2P Metro (more than 1 km) - over Fibre delivered to Customer Premises
Domestic P2P Longhaul (DP2P-LH) over Fibre delivered to Customer Premises
International P2P (IP2P) over Subsea Fibre delivered to at the CLS
Here is the updated (as of July 1st 2020) schedule of pricing for wholesale access services with details (Attachment B of the RIO). Note:this information is extracted from this consultative paper shared here for information purposes.
End-users (consumers) are hoping that lower prices at wholesale level will reflect at the retail end.
The key matters associated with the RIO which NICTA considers should be highlighted are:
a.The form and minimum requirements of the RIO
b.Previous involvement in this RIO by NICTA
c.Services covered in the RIO
d.Relationship between the RIO and the proposed amendment to the Service-Specific Pricing Principles (Submarine Cable Services) Determination 2019
Each of these matters is discussed in the consultative paper and NICTA is inviting interested parties to consider and comment on the RIO.
There has been much enthusiasm about new undersea internet cables in
Papua New Guinea (PNG) and predicted improvements in internet pricing,
speeds and reliability. This blog post looks at mobile internet prices
in the first half of 2020.
Myself and two other colleagues collected data over a period of 6 months. The original article went through several edits before the final one was published to the Devpolicy blog.
During the refining of the article, two graphs were removed due to the fact that there was simply no change in the mobile internet prices so here are the graphs. As we continue to track the prices and observe any change in the prices than we will surely include graphs to illustrate the changes in the future article. Read the article on the devpolicy blog to make sense of what these graphs illustrate; there was simply no change despite several announcements made for a reduction in the prices.
The Internet consists of thousands of Autonomous Systems (ASes) networks that are each owned and operated by a single
institution. Usually each ISP operates one AS, though some ISPs may
operate multiple ASes for business reasons. As is the case now with
DataCo. The visual below shows you the interconnections between ASes
within PNG, and compares the state of interconnections between the IPv4
and IPv6 address families. Notice there
is ZERO interconnection for IPv6 to DataCo, only IPv4. (Writing an
article on this very soon.)
From this visualization, you can
also see which networks play an important connectivity role within our
economy. Notice how the numbers (ASes) outside connect to the two ASes
inside (17828, 136587) which belong to DataCo.
Over the last 5
years the number of Tier 2 and Tier 3 ISPs has grown in the country and
should continue to grow with the PPC1 and CS cable pricing review
(presumably lower pricing) and better arrangements through PNG IXP for
ISPs and CDNs. I strongly believe that when this comes about it will
bring new and real opportunities for economic development in the
country. Research by the ITU has also shown that for every 10% increase
in broadband penetration, GDP growth can be boosted by 1.21% to 1.38%.
(Image source: https://stats.apnic.net/vizas/#)
A rare opportunity to take a habour cruise aboard Melanesian Tourist
Services (MTS) MV Kalibobo Spirit. This was an opportunity me and family
could not pass when invited by bro Sibona Mani and Sir Peter Barter. Here are some of the moments captured using my rusty old Huawei phone. Videos aren't that very clear so if you want to experience it in person please do the right thing. Contact MTS!
You can find more about Melanesian Tourists Services on their website here. Stay in the Madang Resort Hotel or tour the nearby villages and islands aboard Kalibobo Spirit. You can also visit their Facebook Page to find out more...
Use Lesson Activity together with audio, short video and quiz.
A tutorial I created initially for colleagues in the Information Systems department, DWU but I would like to share it here on my blog as the 4th sequel to the Evolving as a digital teacher series.
This tutorial is based on the use of Lesson Activity which is an activity tool in Moodle.
Part 1 Lesson Plan. Create a lesson plan based on the topic you are going to cover for that week.
Example: I want to cover a topic on VPN & IPsec concepts. This topic is part of a module that is already divided into three subtopics with clear objectives for each section. If you're using a text reference as a guide you may want to follow the text layout for each chapter.
Here are the key objectives for each section of the topic.
Lesson 8.1 VPN Technology - describe benefits of VPN technology.
Lesson 8.2 Types of VPNs - describe different types of VPNs.
Lesson 8.3 IPsec - explain how the IPsec framework is used to secure network traffic.
What I usually do is to identify what technique I want to use to cover each section and what tool will help me achieve that.
Lesson 8.1 - Use Moodle's lesson activity to cover it.
Lesson 8.2 - Post discussion points on Moodle and get students to post replies and contribute to the discussion. Creating the task as a Q&A forum and setting the options to allow students to post feedback to a discussion question which can then be rated using a rubric.
Lesson 8.3 - Invite students to a 25 minutes Zoom or Webex online meeting/discussion.
For this tutorial, I will focus on Lesson 8.1 and demonstrate step-by-step on how to setup the Lesson activity.
Part 2 Creating the Lesson Creating the lesson will include an audio intro, a 30 minute pre-recorded video lecture followed by check your understanding quiz at the end of the lesson. (This is how I approach my lesson activity, you may have your style or method. Use what method works for you.)
1. Adding the Lesson activity
Click on Add an activity or resource and select Lesson.
Add a Name and Description. I'll leave out the other important details about a lesson activity like the Grade and Flow Control until the end of this tutorial. I'll go ahead and create the lesson.
Here at DWU, we have talked about online learning for several years now. Several workshops and seminars were conducted all in an effort to upskill academics in the area of online learning. One of the workshops I remember attending was with A/Professor Dr. Susan Crichton from University of British Columbia (UBC) back in 2015. There were quite a number of tools introduced during the week-long session.
Since then we've had lengthy discussions and musings over the pros and cons of online teaching among other things e-learning. Discussions continue to evolve on our university broadcast surrounding this topic as several staff already using various tools share through blog posts (like this post itself) and Youtube videos such as this and others shared by Bernard Yegiora (a DWU staff who also shares some digital teaching tutorials on his blog). We even had a separate Moodle site set up by ICT to experiment with online learning. This site unfortunately has been decommissioned recently this year. Initially not many were keen on taking on the idea of online teaching. In fact only two or three people used the DMS Moodle
platform setup specifically for online learning. Reasons as to why
academics did not take the challenge to at least offer a unit online are
unknown.
DWU however does have a well established e-learning environment using Moodle established several years ago which has gone through various updates with one done recently beginning of this year adding additional features and plugins to allow for more functionality. This university-wide learning platform has been used for both its undergraduate programs and flexible mode programs. Use of Moodle in this case has been mainly for blended learning where lecturers upload resources and post assignments for student to access and for students to post task submissions for feedback. It was not used for full online learning programs. The traditional approach of face-to-face classroom style seminars and lectures is still the norm for most of our programs.
The idea of online teaching using video,web and audio conferencing tools for remote learning was there but somewhat shelved every time it came up in discussions for various reasons.
Anyhow, it now seems the COVID-19 may well 'force' academics to start using the vast array of tools online that allow for remote learning. At least that is the approach taken now in many universities across the globe given the outbreak of this pandemic as this article suggests among many other similar articles.
This post will not talk about how you can move your classroom online, an expert at HarvardBusiness School has done that already and is sharing his expertise and experience by hosting several webinars like this one which you can sign up to attend or download recordings. Harvard Business Publishing also share some great resources on Moving Your Classroom Online.
In this post, I share with you briefly three online delivery options I have been using and which I am familiar with. I use all three of these tools at various times in the Graduate Certificate in Data Networking program that I teach for 14 weeks fully online (remotely) and 1 week face-to-face on campus.
I am currently teaching a flexible learning graduate certificate (data networking) program under the Faculty of Business & Informatics. The course is instructor-led, mixture of asynchronous and synchronous mode (better known as blended block mode) with 14 weeks fully online and a 1 week F2F component for hands-on hardware practical and an exam. Course participants are mainly working class adult learners.
As an online course instructor, you have to put in a lot of work up-front in setting up the lessons for the online component and 'front-loading' a lot of the key concepts for learning during this learning phase so your learners are prepared for the 1-week intense practicals. Learners are expected to do their own readings with a bit of guidance and support through pre-recorded video lessons and a single weekly synchronous video webinar through Zoom. A tip I picked up here is to utilize the backward design approach in your lesson planning and especially with identifying what is critical to learn and what is additional information.
One challenge I face is with pre-recording video lectures. So much more when you have 2-3 other courses you are teaching full-time to undergraduates. One approach is the use of the software Camtasia to produce 5-10 minute explainer/demo videos (often demos using a network simulator application) - if videos go beyond (happens quite a lot) you may have to segment them into 'bite-size' chunks of 3-4 minute videos. I am doing all these from my desk in a shared office space or sometimes in the test center with just a laptop and a Logitech camera. Nothing fancy.
In this article, I share a tutorial on how I use Camtasia to record Cisco Packet Tracer demonstrations for my class.
Video recording and post-prod editing: 30 minutes.
1. Reasons why I do this:
The unit IS601 Graduate Certificate in Data Networking that I am teaching under FLC is a 14 week online + 1 week F2F course. My target audience is "adult learners". During this 14 weeks 'participants' are expected to do their own reading and self-learning. I as a 'facilitator' only guide them along and summarize key concepts at the end of each topic and highlight key learning objectives.
This video I recorded covered 5 learning objectives for one topic all in one activity.
If you are teaching F2F, you may not have enough time in a week (just 4 contact hours is not enough for some) to cover as much as you can. Recording a video for 'course participants' to watch can be helpful.
2. Tools used
Camtasia - a proprietary tool from TechSmith that allows you to record your screen and edit videos with a powerful, yet easy-to-use video editor to create professional-looking videos.
Cisco Packet Tracer - this is a simulation tool purposely for teaching and learning data networking
and it may not so much be of use to other fields of study. We use this tool in our IS/MCS programs specifically for data networking.
Logitech C920 webcam - used here for audio recording only since the audio quality is very good compared to the inbuilt audio mic on the Dell laptop (in my opinion). Using the inbuilt mic is still good.
The tool I want to share with you is the Camtasia tool and how easy it can be to record and share a video without any time-consuming serious video-editing involved. It has a free trial version which you can download from the link given.
Start out by preparing a script before you record, or just plan out (in your head) what you are going to say and do for the duration of the video recording. I usually plan in my head as script doesn't work well for me - not used to it.
3. How I recorded this.
I prepared my Cisco Packet Tracer demonstration file. Created a sample starter file first (which I planned to give to participants to watch video and follow through using the same file).
Did some mental preparation on how I wanted the video demo to begin and end.
Listed down clear objectives to be achieved at the end of the video.
I then proceeded to the recording part.
Note: I chose to record my audio as it is much easier explaining while recording than adding annotations or text later to explain what you are doing in the video demo (like what I have done in this tutorial, it took me a while to add annotations for each process...quite time-consuming).
Note: this video has no audio recording but annotations and text is used to describe what is happening.
Thanks for reading and watching these videos.
Let me know how this has helped you or how you use these tools too.
Find techsmiths library of camtasia tutorials here.
NOTE: Methods and digital tools / software / sites etc..etc.. shared is not a one-size fits all.
What works for me may not work for you. We may all use Camtasia and you name it but in different ways and for
different purposes and to achieve different results. The important thing is see from the different methods shared and
adopt what works for you. Critique technology but don't hate it.
Different tools can be used to address different learning aspects.
Was nervous but excited when invited to give a talk as one of the two presenters during the DWU Integrity Week (Feb 24-28, 2020) in the Madang campus. I was invited to talk about online integrity.
I honestly did not know what to talk about at first when the invitation came at least 2 weeks in advance. It was only about a couple of days before the presentation day (Wed 26th Feb) that thoughts around the topic started to take shape - of course after doing some research online using the key words online learning and drawing lessons from my own experiences teaching a course online and also taking several courses myself online. I thought maybe this could be an opportunity to share some thoughts on my observation and what online integrity and the theme of the year meant to me.
It was a rewarding experience in itself as the presentation preparation prompted me to read several literature to draw from various expert opinions and perspectives and see where my experiences and thoughts correlated with those ideas. Anyway the presentation went well and here is the powerpoint slides that assisted me in the presentation.
Written in November 2, 2020. Updated: 30th May 2024
What does it mean to be a digital teacher? There is no concrete definition to this term however various articles and websites do try to define this term around the idea of a teacher being able to deliver a course or teach using various digital tools, engaging and interactive content to enhance learning. This definition relates to the terms online learning, blended learning and flipped classroom as opposed to the traditional way of learning.
How efficient and effective one does this depends I believe on the level of expertise and experience. I am no expert at this stage and I don't claim to be. I'm
a strong believer that technology itself is not a magic bullet, it is
how we use it. Learning at the end of the day must be the focal point
and not technology. It is only a tool. A hammer is only useful in the
hands of a carpenter or builder, it cannot hit a nail on its own.
This series started in the wake of the pandemic to offer some guidance to those looking at adopting and integrating technology. If you're only just beginning or are already some years into teaching with technology I recommend you take a look at the FCIT's Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) framework. The TIM provides a framework for
describing and targeting the use of technology to enhance learning. It incorporates five interdependent characteristics of meaningful
learning environments: active, collaborative, constructive, authentic,
and goal-directed. These characteristics are associated with five levels
of technology integration: entry, adoption, adaptation, infusion, and
transformation.[Update: Developed by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology (FCIT) in 2005, the TIM is now in its third edition (2019)]
In Part 1 of the series I list some of the tools I have learnt to use over the last six (and now into the
seventh year) of teaching at DWU and share briefly what I use them for. In the next series of articles I will then share
what I do with each or combination of these tools or how I use them. I wish to say here that I am by no means yet an expert in all these tools (I have mastered some and still learning others) however I would like to share briefly how I use them or what I do with them.
Most of these are
software I use in delivering blended mode units/courses over Moodle LMS
or Canvas LMS. Some are proprietary while others free to use open source software.
📌Sparkol VideoScribe - is a whiteboard animation/story-telling software. Its an amazing piece of software. It was one of the first tools I used to create the hand-drawn animations. 📌Articulate - is a course authoring tool. A proprietary platform for full online course creation. I have only used this tool with a free trial account to create some demo courses. 📌ActivePresenter - similar to Camtasia, this tool is great to do screencasts, record video demos etc. It is now a course authoring tool also. 📌iSpringSuite - an authoring tool, great for interactive content. 📌Adobe Captivate - another amazing authoring tool. Was lucky enough to get the eight version. Creating interactive content or choose from beautiful design options, ready-to-go slides and assets to
quickly create courses. 📌MailChimp - an email marketing tool which I use for academic purposes back in 2017-2018. I would usually send weekly updates for my online Graduate Certificate in Data Networking course using the free monthly plan on this platform. I no longer use it. 📌Camtasia - Camtasia is a software suite for creating and recording video tutorials and presentations
via screencast, or via a direct recording plug-in to Microsoft
PowerPoint. Other multimedia recordings may be recorded at the same time
or added separately. Its similar to ActivePresenter and can also be used for authoring content. 📌Open Broadcast Studio (OBS) - I try to use at least two camera views and the desktop, OBS comes in very handy. More recently since I moved across to CLT. I have used OBS in all the livestream and lecture capture events. A free open source lightweight yet powerful software video encoders. A trusted piece of software. 📌Audacity - free alternative to Adobe Audition for doing podcasts but I use it to record audio for VideoScribe. 📌Zoom - I use this for meetings, short trainings and webinars. The more recent updates now have clips, notes and whiteboard. 📌Cisco Packet Tracer - simulation tool purposely for teaching/learning data networking. I use this for most of my teaching demonstrations. 📌GNS3 - Graphical Network Simulator. More of an emulation tool purposely for teaching/learning data networking. A steep learning curve though and can be very resource intensive. 📌
Facebook Social Learning groups. - so far I find this very helpful as
FB has become more like a universal, easily accessible, lite platform
not just for socializing but for learning also...social learning!! 📌Canva - for all my graphics, marketing, banner needs etc etc... Canva is there to save me.
Forgot to add two recent tools I've started using, Shotcut... a tool
I use for video timelapse, and VSDC Free Video Editor...for video
editing of course.
Stay tuned for more...
Picture credit: spark.adobe.com
"In places like PNG, internet users tend to use mobile phones, rather than laptop or desktop computers. The GSMA’s mobile connectivity index
looks at pricing, as well as other factors such as infrastructure,
content, ownership rates and user skills. It rates PNG’s mobile internet
connectivity as better than neighbouring Solomon Islands, but poorer
than other Pacific nations such as Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. The
index has data on 165 countries and PNG is ranked 121st, meaning there
are 44 countries with weaker mobile internet connectivity and 120
countries performing better."
Read more here in this article of interest from a former DWU staff Dr. Amanda Watson. The article was re-published by Post Courier in today's paper.
Dr. Watson (now a Research Fellow with the Dept. of Pacific Affairs at
ANU), myself and another academic from UPNG (School of Business &
Public Policy) are now collaborating on a research project in this area
given the recent announcements by DataCo for an increase in internet
prices and its impact on mobile data rates.
Follow me on this blog as I will update on progress in this research.
The article was re-published by Post Courier in today's (03/02/20) paper.
