Best Practices
Best Practices in School Technology Spring 2009
Visual learning delivered on Cat 6A cable Oct 13, 2009 Primary Topic Channel: Audio-visual technology
Students can watch TV programs on a large projection screen from their desks or anywhere in the classroom, thanks to a specially designed and integrated video and data system that uses a simplified cabling network. Teachers use a computer to project live programs or to preview and record shows for viewing later.
Predictive assessments help enhance one district's performanceSep 25, 2009 Primary Topic Channel: Assessment & Evaluation
Missouri's Park Hill School District (PHSD), with 15 schools and more than 10,000 students, has seen a 17 percent increase in enrollment over the past decade. Teachers used classroom assessments, but the district lacked the capability to track data on student progress toward state standards, and also lacked predictive assessment data. Key words: Acuity Predictive Assessments, state educational data, educational technology, student data tracking
Online tools boost parent-teacher communicationsSep 22, 2009 Primary Topic Channel: Communication & Collaboration
Few will dispute the fact that parental involvement improves a student's chances for success. And in order to engage parents, first we need to communicate effectively with them. To increase the participation of parents in our California district, Natomas Unified School District created a Communications Committee in 2007 to research and identify ways that we could improve the district's communications with our parents and other stakeholders. Key words: school communications, Schoolwires, educational technology, school technology
Going green saves greenAug 03, 2009 Primary Topic Channel: Networks and infrastructure
School districts consume huge amounts of energy. But as much as we wanted to turn green talk into action, it was difficult to do with our aging buildings, large installed infrastructure, and rapidly growing student population. The perfect opportunity came with a bond measure in 2006 that gave us a chance to remake our technology program with a new green vision. We built architecture around virtual desktops--and that has resulted in huge cost savings and considerable energy reductions. Key words: NComputing, virtual desktop, Judson Independent School District, green IT, education, technology
IPTV goes to schoolJul 27, 2009 Primary Topic Channel: Video technologies
Though parting may still be sweet sorrow, no one at Michigan's new Pennfield High School misses the days when they had to search for an AV cart to show Romeo and Juliet. Whether it's film or television in the classroom, or daily announcements in the cafeteria, everything travels in digital format over a single IP network. Gone are the days of tangled cables, damaged tapes, and precious class time wasted wondering why there's no sound coming from the system. Key words: IPTV, school video, educational video, education, technology
Florida Department of Education builds plans for disaster and recovery Jul 15, 2009 Primary Topic Channel: Emergency Planning
In preparation for a disaster, Florida's DOE was paying an annual maintenance fee to SunGard to reserve equipment in their facilities. Duncan realized there were significant cost inefficiencies in that approach and saw an ideal opportunity to save money and still acquire the necessary DR technology and functionality. Key words: disaster recovery, InMage, school data, school emergency preparedness












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