School CIO: Systems Integration


Texas district pioneers one-to-one curriculum Like many of her fellow educators, Dr. Susan Simpson is continually striving for better ways to keep her students actively involved in their classrooms - and their education.
Online school runs smoothly with network monitor Originally designed to help reluctant learners gain access to the kind of alternative education they need for credit recovery or supplemental assistance, Class.com has developed into a comprehensive online education service, which helps schools individualize instruction, offer high-quality standards-aligned curriculum, and provide alternatives for students who need new ways to learn.
Tiny NJ district increases bandwidth, learning Although New Jersey-based Denville School District comprises only three schools, it has the same goals as systems 10 or 20 times larger - goals such as empowering their students to be productive global citizens.
Texas district locks up student data With more than 66,000 students in 98 campuses, El Paso Independent School District (EPISD) is the seventh largest district in Texas and the 57th largest district in the United States. So it isn't hard to imagine the amount of stored student data the district must protect every minute of every day, in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Guide to Emergency Technology For Non-Tech Executives Was your school hit by the recent record-breaking “Snowmageddon” storm? What can you do to prepare for a blizzard – or for any emergency?
Which Comes First - the Interactive Technology or the Technology Backbone? Most school districts today understand the importance of providing interactive, engaging learning environments for their students. But in their drive to improve students' classroom experience, districts frequently prioritize the adoption of new technology platforms without first ensuring that they have the right IT infrastructure in place.
Cinncinati schools gain bandwidth, save money with WAN management system At CPS, preserving access to education-related content and applications has always been a priority. But, notes Network Administrator Paul Wright, “Our bandwidth resources were being absorbed by file-sharing requests.”
Electronics, cable offer flexible TV solutions for district 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.
Computer system overhaul yields $60,000 savings in one month Based in Indianapolis, Ind., the GEO Foundation has worked statewide to improve public education since 1998. The foundation helped foster support for Indiana's current charter school law and now sponsors three charter schools in Indiana and Colorado, with a total of more than 1,300 students.
Report Explores K-12 Engineering Possibilities A committee of experts on diverse subjects has attempted to determine the scope of efforts to teach engineering in elementary and secondary schools. Issues include types of curricula and professional development, how engineering education interacts with science, technology, and mathematics, and the impact of initiatives.
Washington school district standardizes high quality curriculum Bellevue School District (BSD) of Bellevue, Washington has an ambitious statement of purpose clearly displayed on its Internet homepage: Our mission is to provide every student with a top of the line college preparatory education so that they can enter and succeed in the college or university of their choice.
Wireless overhaul yields improved reliability, simplicity Maintaining adequate wireless coverage was a continual battle. Placed on a shelf, a table, or the floor in a classroom, access points were easily moved, unplugged, or even stolen. Without central management, there was no way to know a problem existed until a user complained.
The world according to Curtis Bonk In his new book “The World Is Open,” author Curtis Bonk makes bold predictions about a more personalized age of learning. Everyone will need and likely have an electronic coach or e-mentor. By 2020, there will be access to learning gurus who understand the innumerable learning pathways available on the Web.
Web-based assessment tools help schools without burdening network Web-based student-assessment tools are growing in popularity, and this popularity shows no signs of abating. They save time, enable schools to customize remedial or enrichment tools for specific skills, and automate state and national reporting.
The Challenge of Coordinating District-wide Communications The great American conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein once said that technique is communication; to conductors the two words are synonymous. For school executives and administrators who are orchestrating communications across their districts, technology is communication; and their ability to piece together the right array of technological solutions in a time of tight budgets is likely to determine whether they’ll be applauded or have to face the music generated by disconcerted constituents. It’s not an easy task.
Districts gain reliability, save money with integrated communication system The simple days of Ma Bell are long gone. Now it’s not just telephones – it’s a variety of communication equipment and functions, all integrated and controlled through one computer system. Many schools districts struggle to achieve and maintain such a complex, integrated communications system – especially one that is reliable, flexible and cost-effective.
The Episcopal Academy in Philadelphia designs new print environment Sometimes, it’s just great to get a fresh start. At The Episcopal Academy in suburban Philadelphia, aging facilities were threatening to hold the schoolback. Buildings were in need of renovation. A hodgepodge of unreliable printers left students andteachers frustrated. In
New York State's Alden Central School District goes wireless The more than 1,900 K 12 students and teachers who returned to New York State's Alden Central School District on September 1 gained ubiquitous high performance wireless Internet access for the first time using a district wide Meru Networks 802.11n
Philadelphia school makes cost-effective new print environment Eager to update its campus technology, the PreK 12 Episcopal Academy (Philadelphia, PA) worked with HP to plan a flexible, cost effective print environment as part of its new campus developments.For some time, the academy’s buildings were highly in need
Free virtualization assessment CDW Government, Inc. (CDW G), source of Information Technology (IT) solutions to governments and educators, has announced an assessment services offering that enables qualifying K 12 schools, higher education institutions and government agencies to consider the potential benefits of server
Idaho schools saves money, reduces energy with Faronics' PowerSave Coeur D'Alene School District (ID) was looking for ways to save money on its energy bill. With over 10,000 students and 1,300 staff members, the district had about 4,000 workstations operating on Microsoft Windows XP. Bryan Martin, the district's Director
School for the deaf collaborates with Tandberg for videoconferencing The Kentucky School for the Deaf (KSD) in Danville, KY, recently decided to use TANDBERG video communications equipment to unite its students with the deaf community nationwide. KSD’s 150 elementary, middle and high school students make up a deaf population
IBM helps Alabama schools mine student data more efficiently IBM announced its partnership with Mobile County Public Schools (AL) to help teachers, administrators, principals and guidance counselors mine student data more efficiently. MCPSS is Alabama’s largest school district, with over 63,000 students in 95 schools. MCPSS previously struggled with
Alabama partners with STI for statewide enrollment and scheduling STI announced its partnership with the Alabama Department of Education to provide a Web based statewide enrollment and scheduling system for the state led online learning program. STI’s InformationLIVE will help Alabama manage scheduling and staffing for ACCESS (Alabama Connecting
Rutherford County picks Lenovo for new pilot program Rutherford LEAP announced its selection of the Lenovo IdeaPad S10e netbook as the computer for its pilot program at Kittrell School in Rutherford County (TN) for the upcoming school year.The county’s technical administration team and Rutherford LEAP found the netbook
Alabama schools overcome data corruption issues Mobile County Public Schools (AL) recently turned to Information Transport Solutions to overcome data corruption issues and update the technology for its K 12 schools. System users were complaining about the slow performance of school based applications, and the IT
Indiana district chooses Calypso to manage AV Michigan City Area Schools (IN) has chosen Calypso Systems products as key components of their total classroom technology solution. Calypso products are already being used in 41 Michigan City classrooms and another 40 are expected to be converted by next
TN school finds new tool to better organize data Finding it difficult to evaluate school performance for the No Child Left Behind Act, the Hamilton County Department of Education (HCDE) turned to PASW Modeler data mining software from SPSS Inc. to find a better way to organize information and
Texas SD installs new multimedia distribution centers The Franklin Independent School District (Franklin, TX) recently implemented a new control system solution for multimedia distribution centers, using the CampusSV system from SchoolView Technologies, LLC. (Plano, TX) in conjunction with other devices. The system interfaces nearly all audio and
Evergreen Public Schools improves website, school communication Schoolwires, a provider of website and community management solutions for K 12 districts, has expanded its partnership with Education Service Center (ESC) Region XI in Texas, in order to provide certified hosting of the company’s solutions to more districts. This
A Virtual Good Idea: Virtualization software allows districts to stretch dollars, conserve resources School districts across the country always have had to do more with less. Funding only goes so far, leaving administrators and IT staff to find innovative ways to save money while maintaining a high level of academic quality. Creating virtual
Bulletproof Remote Access Making school or district database and network resources available to IT employees, administrators, and teachers from remote locations can greatly improve productivity, but at what cost? Despite the vast improvements in
Administrators Accessing the Effectiveness of Technology As districts continue to invest in new more advanced technologies, school building administrators are being charged with the added responsibility of overseeing and managing their local technology program and few are prepared to do so.
The Digital Dashboard by Lane Mills You can access your district's key performance indicators at a glance.
Archiving and Retrieving Email by Lane Mills In the case of a lawsuit, will electronic data be at your fingertips?
A Virtualization Starter Kit by Lane Mills New to the concept of virtualization? Here's a quick look.
Making the Most of Alert Notification Systems by Sheila Riley 11 tips for using emergency communication solutions in your district.
Linux's Education Push by Ed Moltzen When it comes to desktop PCs, schools could be the first, real place where Linux grabs hold.
Can Office 2007 Prevail In A Web 2.0 World? by Barbara Darrow Microsoft's challenge: countering the Web 2.0-stoked perception that no one needs huge applications anymore.
Microsoft's Most Important Launch Ever by Mary Hayes Weier Can promises of "software and service," increased security, and programmable mini-apps get the company's installed base to upgrade to Windows Vista?
Running Windows (Alongside OS X) On Your Mac by Richard Hoffman Apple's OS X and Windows can now live nicely together without fighting. Here's the scoop.
Larry Ellison's Linux Plans by Charles Babcock The Oracle CEO is determined to shape Linux's future.
The Coming Database Revolution by Josh Greenbaum You may not want to rip and replace, but consider the possibilities for new deployments.
The Promise and Pitfalls of Virtualization by Charles Babcock Virtual servers are going strong, but virtualized applications still need some help.
Performance Pays by Lindsay Oishi Between implementing a teacher pay-for-performance system and organizing the CIOs of his state, Ed Freeman of Denver Public Schools is a busy man.
Windows After Vista by Aaron Ricadela Microsoft is at a crossroads, and the operating system that follows Vista will likely mark a serious break from the past.
Book Excerpt: Enterprise Architecture as Strategy by Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, and David C. Robertson How establishing a system of governance mechanisms in your organization can mean the difference between surviving and thriving.
Are You Being Servered? by Don MacVittie Just because you can't pay big bucks for servers doesn't mean you have to limp along with a substandard infrastructure.
Surviving an ERP Implementation: Notes from the Field by Philip J. Brody, Ph. D. One CTO's account of the rollercoaster that is enterprise resource planning.
How to Buy a Student Information System by Richard Hoffman Lessons learned from Prince George's County Public Schools.
How To Stay Happy With Windows XP by Preston Gralla Think Windows Vista will bring more hot air than benefits? Here's how to get the most out of XP for a long, long time.
Big Idea: Utility Computing to Reshape IT by John Roberts Business pundit Nicholas Carr says that the way organizations now buy and use IT will be replaced by a utility computing model driven by a handful of big service providers.
Beyond Open Source by Matt Villano According to Jim Hirsch, open technology, not open source, is the wave of the future.
SOA Goes to School: Part II by Richard Hoffman Learn first steps to implementing a Service-Oriented Architecture.
SOA Goes to School by Richard Hoffman Can Service-Oriented Architecture solve your district's enterprise integration nightmares? Find out what the buzz is all about in this first part of a two-part series.
Building a Better Enterprise by Elbie Yaworsky Envisioning the emerging data architecture paradigm in K-12 and how district leaders can use it to streamline operations, target instruction, and improve accountability.
Application Integration: A Strategy Guide by Richard Hoffman Whether your district has six systems or 60, having a coherence plan to connect them is absolutely essential. Here, an overview of your technical options.
T&L Announces the 2009 Awards of Excellence Winners Tech & Learning magazine named 65 education technology products as winners in its prestigious 27-year-old recognition program.