REACT

2006 Consensus Software Awards

Product Description

M & S Consultants Pty Ltd developed REACT to provide a platform from which Interactive Distance Learning (IDL) and conferencing can be conducted.

REACT was initially created to enable school students in remote (communities and stations) and regional areas of the Northern Territory to participate in educational IDL lessons through the Schools of the Air - arguably the largest classroom in the world.

REACT enables teachers, students and parents to engage in a collaborative classroom environment using combined communications tools (capabilities) such as audio, video, PowerPoint, chat, desktop sharing, browser sharing, playing media files and file transfers etc to enhance the interaction between teachers and students but just as importantly, between the students themselves. The software is easy and intuitive to use even for the technology challenged participant.

REACT enables teachers, students and parents to engage in a collaborative classroom environment using combined communications tools (capabilities) including:

        Audio

        Video

        PowerPoint

        Chat

        Whiteboard & inking

        Inserting screenshots 

        Popup questions and Flag responses

        Desktop sharing

        Internet browser sharing

        Playing Windows media files

        File transfers 

Combining the capabilities for use in one form provides an easy and flexible way in which to participate in a session and enhances the interaction between teachers and students but just as importantly, between the students themselves.  The software is easy and intuitive to use even for the technology challenged participant.

Some of the capabilities are shown below in Teacher View and Student View.

REACT also provides for a choice of other venues and options where students can engage in secure chat venues, teachers and parents can use conferencing venues and special event venues while still providing IDL experiences for classes of students through the studios based at the Schools of the Air.

REACT also provides the ability to use 'virtual studios' where access to provide a lesson over satellite (or terrestial) can become as simple as using a laptop, web camera and a microphone at a suitable location.

M & S Consultants have developed REACT using C# and Microsoft’s .NET architecture to work within one of the most challenging network environments in the world.

Designed to be used over a variety of communication transports, REACT is optimised for operation over satellite infrastructure which is often the basis for remote communications. REACT has been proven to work over satellite, ADSL and MPLS Wide Area Networks and can be tailored to operate over most network architectures.

However, REACT is not limited to use in schools and provides an efficient and effective conferencing solution for public and private business. In this time precious society, workers can attend meetings and conferences without leaving their desk, office or home – just by using their personal computers and REACT software.

Innovation

REACT has been designed to minimise latency to provide ‘Real Time’ interaction with high quality inbound and outbound audio and video. Using Peer 2 Peer architecture, participants send and receive information directly to other participants eliminating the need for a central server and the associated delays and possible network bottlenecks.

REACT also provides for efficient use of bandwidth in that video quality resolution and compression rates can easily and quickly be configured to suit capabilites being used and the bandwidth available.

In addition to using REACT in the studio classroom environment, REACT also provides the ability to use 'virtual studios'. With all the functionality of the studio model, the ‘virtual studio’ is simply contained in a laptop computer together with a web camera and microphone making it extremely portable and cost effective method of delivering lessons.

This further provides the business environment with innovative ways of holding ‘virtual’ meetings without staff having to leave their desks. With high quality audio and video combined with other capabilities, REACT provides a flexible and excitng way of delivering staff development & training courses and dissemination of product/service information to staff and clients, however geographically dispersed they may be.

Researchers and those living, working and studying in remote and regional locations know that it is difficult to form a 'Sense of Community' so that they do not feel removed from activities or are working alone. 'Transactional distance' and 'social presence' are key factors noted by researchers in promoting a ‘Sense of Community’.

M & S Consultants focused on providing a flexible way of bridging the perceived ‘transactional distances’ and providing a high quality interactive means of communication to enable all students to be able to form ‘social bonds’ with their classmates and develop the ‘Sense of Community’ that is desired and has been lacking in the past.

REACT also provides a simple and clear solution to recording sessions and making these recordings available to users at a later time. The ability to capture and use components of a lesson or activity will change the dynamics and resources available to all those that use IDL.

Performance

M & S Consultants recently won the Northern Territory Department of Education, Employment & Training tender to supply REACT software to the Schools of the Air to enable delivery of IDL in the NT.

This has been the launch pad from which REACT has entered the commercial market. During the past two months, M & S Consultants have fully deployed REACT into the three Schools of the Air studios and to remote clients with IDL lessons now being delivered to school students living in remote and regional locations. Initial feedback from all sources is very positive and encouraging.

Not only have M & S Consultants designed the REACT software program, they have also designed the network architecture over which REACT is used further optimising performance. The network diagram is shown below:

M & S Consultants will fully support and maintain REACT infrastructure and software for the duration of the DEET IDL tender contract. The Framework for ICT Technical Support as used in many UK schools forms the basis of all support and maintenance management.

M & S Consultants offer full customisation of REACT to provide a flexible and innovative solution to suit individual client requirements together with ongoing service and maintenance as required. Further capabilities are currently being developed, which will be released in future versions.

As M & S Consultants is a Darwin based company whose directors live, work and play in Darwin, clients can be assured that the tyranny of distance so often faced by people living and working in remote and regional areas is well understood and catered for.

The design of REACT has been forward thinking, employing multi-threading for example and is compatible with the very latest offerings in Information and Communication Technology.

Potential

REACT was developed in 2005 and is therefore a relatively new product which has been successfully launched into the most challenging educational arena of distance education for primary and secondary school students.

However, REACT is just as valuable in the urban environment and It is expected that REACT will be implemented within the NT urban schools VPN so that schools can take advantage of new communications resources together with the interactive capabilities that REACT offers.

The application of the virtual studio model will also see the increased use of IDL satellite bandwidth to increase DEET departmental communication.

Other potential markets include REACT’s use in Vocational Education & Training and a higher education potential for people in remote locations.

It is expected that REACT will have a place to play within the wider Northern Territory Government environment providing a video conferencing solution that can bridge both WAN and satellite environments.

Whilst REACT has tremendous potential in the NT, other states offer as much market potential as do international markets.

Whilst M & S Consultants have not marketed the software as yet, word of mouth has generated a number of enquiries from other organisations. Enquiries come from both government and private sectors in the fields of education, finance, health, corporate communications and include early interest from South Pacific neighbours.

REACT is the winner of the 2005 Northern Territory Information and Communications Awards in the category of Enabling Technology which was awarded in November 2005.

Other information the judges should know

M & S Consultants Pty Ltd is a Territory owned company which has been operating in Darwin since October 2003. The directors of the company are Michael and Suzanne Wilson (husband and wife) who have lived in the Territory since 1999.

Michael has extensive experience and knowledge of satellite communications and software development & programming gained from working with and on projects for organisations such as Optus, the Northern Territory Government, Heartland Communications, Labtam International and the National Security Agency, Washington. Michael has contracted as a technical specialist to the NT Government and to corporate clients since the company was established.

Suzanne’s experience lies in business management backed by a Master of Business Administration degree and has spent several years lecturing at Charles Darwin University and in Vocational Education & Training. Suzanne has run her own businesses for many years, worked in finance and hospitality and contracts her expertise and assistance to local businesses in Darwin.

Referee

Mr Tony Richards
Director of Distance Education Technology and Strategies 
Information Technology Services Division 
NT Department of Employment, Education and Training 
PO Box 4821 Darwin NT 0801

Phone: 08 8901 4980
Mob: 0401 115 029 or 0408 955 102
Email: tony.richards@nt.gov.au  or trichards@pobox.com 

Attachment:  REACT Brochure V3.4 (pdf)

Content2004Copyright©M & S Consultants Pty Ltd
Format2004Copyright©Consensus Pty Ltd

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