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Health & Fitness

New Technology for Clarkstown's Schools

New computers, netbooks, laptops, and Chromebooks will be installed in Clarkstown schools in the upcoming weeks, replacing computers that were 6-13 years old.

This week, the first shipment of computers for Clarkstown’s schools arrived.  Over the next few weeks, these computers will be configured and installed in classrooms, computer labs, and on a variety of portable carts.  Each school in the district will benefit, and the goal is provide our students and teachers with increased access to technology to support instruction and student learning.

Each of our elementary schools will receive 26 new small-form factor desktop computers for the computer lab, replacing computers that are more than six years old and were frequently unreliable.  Small-form factor computers provide powerful computing while using minimal desk space.  Additionally, 15 netbook computers will be available for fourth grade students in each school, and establishing a secure wireless network in each fourth grade wing is in the final stages. A projection unit and pull down screen will be installed for second grade classrooms that do not yet have such a setup.

At Felix Festa Middle School, outdated library computers and one of the labs will receive new small-form factor desktop computers, and rooms with SMART Boards using older computers will have those computers replaced.  Many teachers will receive netbook computers, but the biggest change is the two class sets of Google Chromebooks that will replace outdated computer labs.  The school, which uses Google Apps with increasing frequency for student collaboration and learning, requested these devices after a pilot in spring 2011.  Wireless access was installed over the summer, and is in the final configuration stage.

North High School will receive new computers to replace outdated ones in its library and computer labs, and rooms with SMART Boards using older computers will have those computers replaced. Thirty CR-48 Chromebooks, donated by Google, and sixty netbooks for student use will be available as well, and many teachers will also receive netbooks to use in school and off campus.  Expanded wireless access throughout the buildings is in the final stages.  Last year, the Clarkstown Education Foundation helped continue the district’s move to expanded access by sponsoring a wireless wing in both high schools. By the end of October, nearly the entire campus will have wireless access to support the increased use of portable devices, including netbooks and Chromebooks.

South High School will receive new small-form factor desktop computers for the library and one of the computer labs, as well as 60 netbooks for student use, replacing two outdated computer labs.  Many of the teachers will also receive netbooks, and a project to expand wireless network access is nearly completed.

Increasing access to technology is an essential component in further engaging our students and allows us to use a variety of digital tools in all grades.  However, the computers and digital resources are merely tools; it’s what the students and teachers do with these tools that is transforming student learning in our district. In upcoming weeks, I will share some of the ways in which technology is infused in units of study aligned to the Common Core State Standards.  

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