Upgrading of the Durango School District 9-R computer network that started last fall and continued through the summer has made a day-and-night difference in the ability of teachers, students and administrators to access data, connect to the Internet and communicate with each other.
In the past, spokeswoman Julie Popp said, sharing information electronically within the district was a cumbersome process because of slow speeds, poor network capacity and limited reach.
It was easier to share photos with others, for example, by copying the images to a CD or flash drive and hand-delivering it.
Now, Popp can download photos into a shared drive, making them available to anyone who can access the drive.
The occasion arose Monday, the first day of school, when she visited two schools to digitally chronicle activities. Two assistants went to other schools on the same mission.
When they returned, each downloaded photos into the shared drive, making them instantly available for viewing, use in a district publication or by El Diablo, the student newspaper at Durango High School.
“Since last year, we reconfigured switches and replaced network hardware to support demands in the classroom,” Popp said. “Students now connect to the Internet to download information or upload assignments to a classroom website.”
The network supports technological devices such as iPads, laptops and cellphones, she said.
At DHS, an English class uses a Web-based tool called Quizlet to memorize grammar rules or vocabulary lists, Popp said.
“If a student doesn’t have an iPad, an iPhone works as well,” she said. “The key is having wireless Internet access.”
All schools have wireless Internet connectivity, Popp said. Connectivity speed has increased a thousandfold, from 100 megabits a second to 1 gigabit. The cost to bring wireless connectivity to each school was $1,500 per school.
DHS needed a new server and storage unit for video surveillance, and buses were fitted with surveillance devices as well.
The everyday need by students for rapid Internet access led the district to invest in 21 laptop-carrying carts known as “computers on wheels” or affectionately as COWs – at $25,000 a piece.
Each COW, which carries 30 laptops, can be wheeled to classrooms. The carts charge only computers that need it.
“Ideally, we could use one COW per classroom,” Popp said.
The value of knowing how to navigate technology can help students when they take two major online performance tests – Colorado Measures of Academic Success (social studies and science) and Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (reading, writing and math).
“Our whole purpose is to create a technologically rich educational experience,” Popp said.
It’s the basis for student success, she said. She likened sound technological grounding to the foundation and the water and electrical systems in a house. They allow everything else to work, she said.
The district is switching the operating system that runs its network, from Novell to Active Directory, Popp said.
Teachers rely on high-tech tools to assess student performance, and administrators use similar systems to assess teachers and help them perform better, she said.
daler@durangoherald.com
