Summer EdTech Progress

I'm way behind on blogging, so I'll take a few minutes to update everyone with some of the EdTech projects going on at SLCSD this summer:

1. 180 new netbooks for student use. We have them all configured for imaging, and the first lab is complete. We are waiting on the next five labs to see if we are changing our copiers at the elementary school and to get our new middle school wireless settings. They should all be imaged the first week of August.
2. Yes, we will have brand new, robust wireless at the middle school! The cablers come next week, and we deploy it the following week. We are so excited as this is the last part of our wireless improvement project!
3. New and improved student information system - We are still running JMC, but it is a brand new web-based version with many new features that is going to be very nice for our staff, our students, our parents, and our teachers. The new JMC server is up and running, and it looks great!
4. Our updated website is just about ready to be launched. We hired a company to design the site, and Pat Fisher and Tracey Bailey at Central Administration have busily been updating it and getting it ready to replace the old site. This site will become the hub of online information about SLCSD, and we think you are really going to like it. Kim Johnson will also be involved with her high school web page class students, and every teacher and administrator will be involved with their corner of the Internet world, whether it's lesson plans, student grades, blogs, student bookmark sites, or their own teacher/classroom web sites. It's very exciting!
5. Eight new SmartBoards are going in at the high school, middle school, and elementary school.
6. There will be three new student computers at East Early Childhood and another SmartBoard, too. There will also be a laptop for teacher use on the SmartBoard that is already in the media center.
7. Network upgrades. We are re-routing some of our district network to provide better performance at the middle school and the elementary school.
8. A couple more iPads for Special Ed students.
9. Some new software for math and reading interventions at the elementary school and the high school.
10. And, we continue to update all 1200 district computers.

These are just some of the things you might be interested in that we've worked on this summer. In addition, our email server will be updated sometime soon after school starts; we are working on getting a guest access wireless network up and running; and we are in the beginning stages of planning our EdTech PD day for the end of September.

I have a great crew of tech people who work very hard in the summer to get as many projects done as possible - Kim Johnson, Justin Overmohle, and Jorge Gallaga. I also have to thank both J.D. Goodchild and Todd Larsen who have been so willing to help with anything I asked of them this summer!

EdTech is still on the move at SLCSD!