5.a. & b Describe the existing hardware, Internet access, electronic learning resources, and technical support already in the district and needed by the district’s teachers, students, and administrators to support the Curriculum and Professional Development Components (Sections 3 & 4 of the plan.
In order for the Merced Union High School District to incorporate technology as a natural part of education it is necessary to create, maintain and continually improve upon a modern technology infrastructure. Various funding sources including E-Rate will help support the evolving infrastructure needs of the District.
Hardware and Software
The MUHSD continually monitors and evaluates current levels of hardware provided to students and staff. The District currently has 3600 desktop computers in classrooms and offices. The majority are Windows XP and Vista. The District maintains a 4:1 computer ratio. One fifth of the computers are replaced each year through the District computer refresh program. The District strives to provide the most up-to-date
technology to ALL users. In response, MUHSD has established ten technology infrastructure standards that formally guide the focus of the District’s efforts in providing a rich technology environment for all students.
MUHSD Technology Infrastructure Standards
1. Classroom Connectivity - Every classroom will be connected to the District network and the Internet at no less than a 100 Mb connection. This will be achieved through Category 6 or better cable to the intermediate distribution frame, fiber optic to the main distribution frame, and 1.0 Gb wide area network from the school to the District Office.
2. Access to Student Performance Data – Every teacher will have access to student performance data for students in their classes through School City and ABI.
3. Online Grades and Attendance – Every teacher will submit attendance and grades online. 4. Student Connectivity – Students will have access to Internet ready connections at the bandwidth
described in Standard 1.
5. Data Projectors – Everystandard classroom will have electronic data/images projected through a mounted projector that is connected to the teacher’s classroom computer.
6. Interactive Display Technology – Every classroom will have an interactive display device allowing for real time editing and feedback. This may be achieved through SMARTboards and Wireless Slates.
7. Parental Access – Every parent will have access to their student’s grades, attendance, and information through a secure internet site.
8. Video Security through the Network – Every site will be protected externally by an IP addressable security camera.
9. Telephones on the Network with Integrated Voice and Email – Every classroom will have an IP addressable telephone featuring integrated voice and email.
As Merced Union High School District becomes more dependent on technology to support its curricular goals, it becomes more important that the technology is up to date, configured and working properly. This dependence necessitates maintaining current technologies such as increasing bandwidth, replacing computers on five-year cycle and upgrading student information system and library automation software. Furthermore new technology needs to be added, such as data projectors, SMART boards, classroom student response systems and wireless access points. Software targeted to meet specific student needs has to be reviewed, purchased and implemented. Support for the technology to keep it running properly and smoothly will require a technology integration specialist at each site. MUHSD will be piloting a mobile computer lab pilot (carts with wireless laptops) at each site.
Table 1 below, MUHSD Software & Hardware Chart aligns resources necessary to support the activities in the curriculum and staff development components of the plan. The chart indicates the resources required by all schools in order to meet specific Curricular and Staff Development goals and objectives. It should be noted that “technical support staff” is found in section 6c.
Merced Union High School District Software and Hardware Table 1
Goal & Objective
The following items (Hardware & Software) are required to meet the objective in the first box.
Existing Technology at Schools Required Purchase of Technology CG. 2/Obj.2 SDG. 2/Obj. 1- 2
- Educational software to improve reading and writing - Insufficient I $30,000 CG. 1/Obj.2 CG. 2/Obj.1-2 SDG. 2/Obj. 1- 2
- Online library catalog software
- Internet access to school library catalog system - Reading comprehension assessment tool - Writing/Publishing Software
- Library Media Center with networked workstations - 1:1 laptop carts for classrooms
Sufficient Sufficient Insufficient Sufficient Sufficient Insufficient $10,000/yr $500,000 CG. 1/Obj.1-2 CG. 2/Obj.2 SDG. 1/Obj.1- 4
- Electronic reading software - Electronic encyclopedia
- Filtered access to student research sites on the Internet - Document publishing & information research tools - Library Media Center with networked workstations - A 1 : 1 computer ratio in each core classroom
- LCD projector and SMART board in each classroom through the local - Remotes Response Clickers
Insufficient Sufficient Sufficient Insufficient Sufficient Insufficient Insufficient Insufficient $5,000 / yr $5,000 $1,000,000 $ 250,000 $5,000 CG. 2/Obj.1-2 CG. 3/Obj.1-2 SDG. 2/Obj. 1- 2 SDG. 3/Obj. 1- 2
- Writing, multimedia & publishing software - Web publishing & graphics editing software - Digital still & motion cameras, scanners - A 1:1 computer ratio in each core classroom
- Access to web hosting services & web servers within the district - 1:1 computer ratio in each core classroom
Insufficient Insufficient Insufficient Insufficient Sufficient Insufficient $25,000 $5,000 over 5yr. $15,000 Listed above Listed above CG. 3/Obj.1-2 CG.4/Obj. 2 SDG. 3/Obj. 1- 3 SDG. 5/Obj. 1- 3
- Skill/Concept – based software - Spreadsheets & Database software - Word processing & presentation software - A 1:1 computer ratio in each core classroom - Assessment and Evaluation software
Insufficient Sufficient Sufficient Insufficient Sufficient $4,000 Listed above
Additional Infrastructure Technology
The increased demand on technology to provide student information for administrative and student
performance data compiled with the need for reliability and speed creates additional infrastructure needs as listed in Table 2 that follows.
Table 2
2
SDG. 5/Obj. 1- 3
- Web access available to all FTE Teacher workstations
- Staff development computer lab facilities for group training complete with well maintained workstations, projection system, web access, handheld devices & appropriate curricular and administrative software
Sufficient Insufficient-need handheld devices for training distributed across 10 schools $6000/site
Additional Infrastructure Technology Needs for Curricular Support
Install new servers at each site and at the district office
Upgrade hardware at each site to accommodate Custom Switch Multimegabit Ethernet (CSME) Expand the bandwidth to the Internet from 100 MB/s to 300 MB/s
Increase bandwidth to each site from 100 MB/s to 1000GB/s Implement new Aeries client/server student information system VoIP telephone systems
Wireless attendance for PE
Wireless access to SIS for campus supervision Wireless POS for food services
Networked security cameras RF ID tagging
PA system
Fire and emergency alarms, clocks, and intercom Network Electronic Fax
Web Hosting
Replace Pix Firewall with new ASA Firewall and VPN Infrastructure for proposed new schools
Wireless Access to classrooms
Prepare Infrastructure for 1:1 digital 21st Century Learning Video Conferencing Equipment
Computer and Infrastructure Needs
The Information Services Department evaluates the hardware specifications for desktops at least every 6 months with his staff and outside vendors. Other hardware (peripheral's and internal components) are evaluated by the IS Department as the market and the District's needs demand.
The Information Services Department will establish a minimum standard of supportability for computer hardware which will allow school sites to budget for obsolescence of equipment, plan to move the obsolete equipment to surplus (pending board approval) and offer it for sale at large. Equipment not purchased through the community sale is disposed of.
Table 3 lists the computer and infrastructure need for the district; Table 3
Type of
Infrastructure Need Have
Need to Obtain Due Date Person(s) Responsible Computers 620 3200 620 Yearly IS department Site and district
servers 8 replacements 8 8 replacements 06/30/10 Aeries SIS 1 1 1 SMART boards 210 250 210 Data Projectors 210 254 210 Wireless Access 6 sites internally 6 sites externally 6 sites internally Targeted software
See chart 1 See chart 1 See chart 1 Yearly Tech and
educational committees Classroom student response systems 135 46 135 Tech and educational committees Networked security cameras
At 5 sites 1 site 5 sites August
1, 2009
IS department
RF ID tagging All sites All sites IS department
PA system All sites All sites Facilities
Fire and emergency alarms , clocks, and intercom
All sites All sites Facilities
Network Electronic Fax
All sites All sites IS department
Web Hosting All sites All sites August
2009
IS department Replace Pix
and VPN
District Office District Office IS department
Video
Conferencing Unit
Baseline Network Requirements
The Merced Union High School District network is built around a hub-and-spoke wide area network topology and supports all campus networks at each school site as well as local area networks at each administrative site. The District will use the latest technology at the time of install. An ISP provider distributes to each school and administrative location. The District will seek to find the highest possible connection based on District needs. The District will identify and use the most appropriate and cost effective telecommunications strategies to upgrade the network as needed to support the curricular and administrative needs of the District. The District plans to continue to utilize E-Rate to enhance the network infrastructure to support curricula and administrative needs.
Servers:
Servers at school and administrative sites are running Windows 2003 sp2 or better. Servers will be upgraded as required to support the curricular needs of instruction and support provided through E-Rate funding and requirements. Currently, the administration of backups is done centrally by the IS Department. The IS Department houses the exchange bridgehead, domain controller, media center server, student
information server. School wiring
All schools have Category 5E or Category 6 network cabling to serve local area networks (LANs) within each building. Each building is attached through a fiber optic backbone to a main distribution frame (MDF) from its own intermediate distribution frame (IDF) on campus. All campuses support at least 100 megabit Ethernet with some schools utilizing gigabit switched Ethernet. By 2011 all schools will be interconnected with a minimum of gigabit connection. Upgrades will be planned as appropriate to accommodate and support the curricular and administrative needs of the classroom.
Wireless Access Present and Future
All sites in the District currently have external wireless access points. Technology integration plans necessitate the installation of wireless access points in the classrooms. Learning anytime, anywhere with a 1:1 laptop deployment will require such infrastructure upgrades to support the curricular needs of students in the future.
Usage
All teachers can currently log on to any district networked computers and can access their own files from networked fileservers anywhere in the district. In the future all laptops in the district will be wireless and will be able to accomplish accessing information utilizing the wireless access points within the district. Similarly all Personal Data Assistants (PDAs) will be wireless and have the same kind of access to
information through wireless access points. Security will be established for all stored files so that only those who need access to the information can get it. This will be centrally managed by the Information Services Department.
All district staff currently has access to district email through any computer in the district once they log in. They also have access to district email from the internet through the district's web-based email server.
Hardware and Infrastructure