Announcements-Technology
Sacred Heart School Technology Update
By Mark Chinsky. Technology Committee Head
9/20/2009
Welcome back to the 2009/2010 school year!
We disassembled, cleaned and resetup all the computers over the summer. All the existing machines are fully patched and updated.
A new HP computer and flat panel were installed in Grade 7 to replace a computer that died. A new Elmo Overhead projection system with Video Recording was installed in Grade 1. This device, which is similar to the units now in Grade 2 & 7, allows the teacher to view both flat and 3D objects on the smartboard. It also has the ability to do signficant magnification to see fine details such as the wing of an insect.
This year will be challenging. The recession has caused state and federal taxes to drop and because of this we have lost all funding for technology this year. Historically it was about $10,000/year. We are hoping this is a one year anomaly. This year we will only be purchasing equipment that is essential for maintenance but not doing any significant investments such as new Smartboards etc.
Some of our great volunteers at SHS have done some construction in the Convent computer classroom. This has opened up the rooms that were formerly closed off. The goal over summer 2010 is to add desks and computers so that the computer lab can accommodate an entire class rather than just half a class. This will result in a more than doubling of instruction time due to all the student movement back and forth between classrooms.
We hard-wired the computer lab so that the historical problem of intermittent access due to the use of wireless technology is no more. We also secured the hard-wiring to the library so full internet access is now available to the librarian.
Various computers and printers have already been contributed by parents. Due to these budget cuts if you have a machine to donate with the following specs or better, please let Janet know so that we may be able to upgrade some of the aging equipment. Remember donations are tax deductable. We have a particular need for computers in the Pre-K room.
Pentium 4 or higher
1 GIG Ram
80 gig Hard Drive
17" or larger display.
Our slow migration to Windows 7 has begun. A computer in Grade 2 was just upgraded. The plan is to upgrade all machines currently running Vista to Windows 7 when it becomes available in late October. We have found Windows 7 to be much faster and more reliable than Vista on the same machine. Machines running XP will be left status quo until funds are available to replace the machine entirely.
We will be moving this website to a hosted platform (currently it runs on my company's web-server) and will be upgrading the technology significantly. This will make it much easier for less technical people to add and edit website content. It's a pretty big job for me currently with everything else. If you feel you would be a good candidate to help keep the site up to date, please let us know and we will teach you how.
A new online backup system will be implemented that will ensure that important data stored on local PC's by the faculty is regularly backed up offsite.
On a regularly basis we continue to address questions, problems etc from the faculty and staff of SHS and much thanks to the technology staff that helps me with this role. Feel free to contact Janet if you would like to join the technology committee. It's a fun way to earn your volunteer hours.