SIMON — School Internet Manager Over Networks

School Internet Manager Over Networks (SIMON) is a software tool, exclusively for use on Macintosh computers, that is designed to provide access to, and management of, Internet information for teachers and students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. By eliminating the requirement for advanced system services typically provided by proxy seravers (the computer tools of choice for access to the Internet), SIMON, which is available free on a NASA web site, has eliminated the related need for costly hardware servicing and system administration. Indeed, after installation, SIMON can maximize the overall utility of a user's local-area network (LAN), retrieve Internet information, and organize and present information to students. SIMON is not unique in the industry: several programs now commercially available perform a subset of functions that SIMON also performs. However, inasmuch as SIMON is uniquely tailored to the public-school milieu, it uses equipment commonly available to public schools, thereby reducing costs and serving as a more user-friendly product, relative to the other programs.