Vision Overview
The members of
the District 88 learning community recognize that the use of technology is an important
part of today’s educational process and have prepared this vision to guide us in
technology integration, curriculum development, professional growth and infrastructure
installation. As the vision began to take shape, it was clear that our technology design
and purchases should support classroom learning and instruction. Our technology network
should provide students and staff with the appropriate hardware and software to assist
them in acquiring knowledge, achieving high standards, gathering information, problem
solving, and idea communication.
To illustrate
the important elements of a network system that meets the needs of a wide range of student
abilities, educational programs and management support, our vision has five essential
elements:
The following
executive summary briefly describes each of these essential elements of this vision.
Details of this vision, the educational rationale, current status and projected needs are
contained in the total District Technology
Vision 2000 document.
Internal/External
District Network System
The
internal/external network will provide two connections for each classroom and learning
area (Room 2, Little Theater, Gyms, etc). It will also connect all departments, P.P.S.
administrative and clerical offices as well as the Learning Support Center, Instructional
Resource Center, Media Centers, Assessment Centers, Laboratories, District Mainframe, etc.
These connections will permit student and staff access to Internet information in the
above centers, and software programs on lab servers. They can communicate through internal
and external e-mail, as well as share files over the network and Internet. All students and staff will have access to the
Internet on computers throughout the district. This
network permits us to share information, resources, programs, and files.
Connected Classrooms & Learning Areas
Once the network
infrastructure is in place we plan a connected computer for each classroom and learning
area. This computer, equipped with either a large screen video/monitor or projector, will
be used by the classroom teacher for instruction, planning, communicating and management
activities. Instructional resources could be
gathered from various in-district and Internet sources as well as those prepared on the
teacher’s computer. This computer and its peripherals are an integral part of
today’s classroom. Current plans are to purchase the classroom computers first with a
few of the large monitors and other components available in department offices. As demand increases, additional classroom monitors
and components will be added.
The other major
component of the connected classroom is the availability of a connected 8-station mobile
mini-lab. This concept will bring connected
computers for student’s use into the classroom for small-group instruction and use
and reduce the need to schedule labs except when whole-group instruction is required.
Initially we plan one or two mini-labs per building and more in years two and three if the
demand warrants.
Specialized
Technology Laboratories
The focus of
this vision is to bring technology into all classrooms for both students and staff.
However, there is still a need for large group labs and specialty labs for certain
instruction. The vision includes provisions for upgrading current labs to 1998 standards
and designing and equipping new labs needed for instruction in sciences, graphics,
CAD/CAM, publishing, writing, etc.
“Safety Net” Programs
& Centers
The district has
continually developed and offered a wide range of programs to assist special student
populations and students with unique needs. Programs such as special education,
LSC/IRC-WIN, ESL-bilingual education, gifted education, and library/media centers have
integrated technology into the learning process, but all of these programs are in need of
additional, upgraded, and networked technology to serve these students.
Support Structures
Once initiated,
any learning program requires on-going/annual support. Equipment and software maintenance,
replacement of obsolete hardware and software, network and server enhancements, additional
capacity, and staff inservice training are a few of the ongoing items that are addressed
in this section. Also, as the network and technology increases, additional technical
support personnel will be needed to keep everything running smoothly, building new
systems, assisting staff and students and maintaining the network hardware, software and
infrastructure. While some of the expenditures in this section represent one-time costs
others, like personnel are ongoing expenses.
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