Storage Management
Most schools do not have sophisticated storage servers or CD burners in every room. Below
are suggestions to help schools manage storage with modest technology, as well as
information about a variety of useful storage devices.
Storage Suggestions
•
If teachers need a file temporarily, they can save it to the desktop of their computer.
Remind teachers to delete the files as soon as they are finished using them.
•
Direct users to download their videos to a shared folder on their network server. To
prevent filling up this server, technology coordinators can restrict folder sizes or
schedule purges of video folder content at regular intervals. Users will be informed
when to transfer downloaded videos to a more permanent location (library, computer
lab, resource center) or to save to a storage device (see below).
•
If streaming and downloading are not allowed during school hours, teachers can
download videos at home. They can make virtual e-worksheets for their students, with
all the video clips hyperlinked from a folder, and put the e-worksheets in a shared folder
for students and other teachers. Downloaded clips can be brought to school in a variety
of portable storage devices (see below).
•
The administrator can configure unitedstreaming to restrict the hours of streaming and
downloading. The Administrative User Guide provides extensive instructions. It may be
necessary to have this functionality enabled; contact Discovery Education at
800.323.9084.
•
Users can schedule video files to download during off-peak hours by using Network
Manager. This application relieves daytime bandwidth congestion and provides powerful
administrative controls for limiting the size of individual downloads, as well as the
amount of time downloads sit on a server. Administrators: Please contact Discovery
Education to have this functionality enabled; call 800.323.9084.
•
Teachers and students can use the Playlist to store the URL paths to specific clips to
stream or download later. The paths are stored on unitedstreaming servers.
Storage Devices
One minute of unitedstreaming video equals approximately 1.8 megabytes (MB) of storage
space because the videos are formatted at 256 kbps. One megabyte is roughly the storage
size of a 3½” diskette. Listed below are devices that can be used to store unitedstreaming
media.
Flash Drive
Flash drives—also known as a solid-state drives, memory fobs, or jump drives—are small
portable storage devices. They are available in a variety of sizes from 128 MB to 4 GB. The
flash drive connects to a computer through a USB 2.0 port. Prices range from $20 to $300.
Zip Drive and Disk
An Iomega Zip disk can store 100, 250, or 750 MB, which holds about 25, 50, or 375 minutes
of video, respectively, not including any multimedia application files that may embed the
videos. The Zip drive connects to a computer via a FireWire or USB 2.0 port. The price for a
750 MB drive may be about $149.00; three zip disks cost approximately $45.
CD
A CD-R/W stores approximately 700 MB, which is about 350 minutes of video. Most burners
will include a list of recommended CDs. Burner prices range from $75 to $175; a spindle of
100 CDs costs about $25.
DVD
One DVD stores 4.7 GB of video (about the same amount as seven CDs); one DVD+/-R/W
can store 2,450 minutes of video. Most new computers have internal DVD burners. The
DVDs range from $15.00 to $35.00 for a spindle of 30. Note: Be sure to match the DVD
format to the burner and player. DVD+ and DVD- have different formats, and not all burners
and players are compatible to both; check your hardware documentation for accepted
formats. (An external DVD burner must connect to the computer via a FireWire or USB 2.0
port; this type of burner costs about $75 more than an internal drive. Prices range from $100
to $500.)
External Hard Drives
High-speed external hard drives can hold up to 1 TB (about 200 times the storage of one
DVD). They connect to a computer through a FireWire or USB 2.0 port. An external hard
drive is necessary only for very large files or for transporting great amounts of data. They
may have USB 2.0 connections, FireWire, or both. Prices range from $100 for 80GB to
$950 for 1 TB.
Check for compatibility, a good warranty, and a return policy when purchasing any technology.