Valley View School District plans technology upgrades

Valley View School District has picked up where it left off in August with its technology upgrades throughout the district.

Last summer, the school district began the process of deploying new elementary classroom technologies and the infrastructure to support it. Additionally, it increased the district’s Internet bandwidth capacity and began evaluating new mobile technologies.

This summer, the district’s Technology and Facilities departments are working in tandem to complete upgrades in the remaining elementary classrooms. But the upgrades don’t end there. As part of a multiphase, multiyear technology upgrade plan, similar classroom upgrades will begin at the district’s middle schools beginning in early September.

These upgrades will ensure elementary and middle school students and staff have similar access to the Instructional Technology resources that high school students and staff have been using for several years.

The implementation of a new, more robust wireless network across the district will run concurrently with the middle school technology and infrastructure upgrades. The final phases of the new technology deployments are targeted for completion at the beginning of the 2014-15 school year.

Upon completing the technology deployment at the elementary schools, similar work will begin at the district’s middle schools.

Most of this work will be completed during off-hours so as not to interrupt instructional time. The upgrades for middle school core classrooms are scheduled to be completed by Sept. 1, 2015.

The fourth phase of the multiphase, multiyear technology upgrade plan encompasses all schools, the district’s administrative center and administrative support facilities.

Once the wireless upgrade is completed, small groups of students and staff will be able to begin using their own computing devices in the classroom.

This piloting phase of BYOT will enable the district to complete an assessment of the use of personal computers in the classroom and their effect on the educational experience. It is anticipated that the piloting phase will lead to a further expansion of the new wireless infrastructure to enable a full-blown implementation of BYOT, enabling students and staff to fully integrate the use of personal devices in the classroom.

The district’s Instructional Technology Trainers and the school based Technology Coaches have been instrumental in ensuring staff and students can successfully use the devices, so when school starts in August, the “New Technology View” is a bright one for Valley View.

Don Tufano and Astrid Welch are directors of Valley View School District’s Technology Department