AE/MS and its technology integrator, Heidi Unger, have received generous help from Proctor Academy with AE/MS’ technology needs. There have been volunteers that have worked at AE/MS to not only choose what kind of technology changes that the school needed to be updated, found weaknesses in the previous systems, but also helped set- up many new devices, including a SMART Board donated by Proctor.
These technology changes have allowed more students to get online at once, helped kids learn about programming, and allowed for more peer as well as teacher editing.
Proctor donated money to AE/MS this year to improve the school’s technology. Proctor made it easier for AE/MS to monitor, maintain, and manage AEMS’ network. Though there have been many improvements, as times change, technology will need to be continually updated.
One major player in the advancement of AE/MS’ technology is Alec Blumenfeld. Alec is a senior at Proctor Academy. After taking a class in the fall about computer networks, Alec decided to complete an assessment of AE/MS’ network in the winter as a part of a class in which he was learning about businesses and the technology needed to run a business. AE/MS presented Alec’s work to the School Board. This assessment would have cost the school thousands of dollars if completed by a professional. Alec gave useful feedback to AE/MS on how to resolve many of the school’s issues, including advising the school to expand its bandwidth in order for more people to connect to the network at AE/MS. Alec also helped AE/MS students learn computer programming. Jim Cox, the current director of technology at Proctor Academy, commented on the value of learning programming: “It’s not just about being a geek. Programming is really about problem- solving.” Alec taught programming to students via a free program called Scratch. Scratch allows children to create their own hands-on narratives, animations, and games. Through Scratch, students in middle school can show their work to other individuals online. Alec has continued to help AE/MS fix its technology challenges and is currently doing work for the school as a part of his Senior Project.
There have been many technology advancements addressed by Jim at AE/MS. The technology at AE/MS has been updated to twenty- first century standards. AE/MS purchased 30 iPads; 10 of these were given to staff. Jim Cox and Anna Hanlon, Proctor’s helpdesk specialist, assisted in setting up these iPads.
Jim also advised AE/MS on equipment to monitor AE/MS’ network. This technology is less expensive long- term, because the school won’t need to bring in outside people to check their network to make sure it is up-to-date and functioning correctly.
AE/MS teachers saw significant enhancements in their teaching after the school started using Google Docs with fourth through eighth graders. Google Docs is an online service that allows students to share their assignments with teachers. Instructors can then make comments on the students’ work, and the pupils get those corrections back immediately.
The kids have no excuse for losing their work, misplacing their Flash Drive, or their computer crashing, because all of their assignments are saved online. Students’ work is not saved to laptops, so kids can work anywhere, including at home.
Though AE/MS has seen many improvements in its technology, according to Jim Cox, iPads only last three to four years before they need to be updated. Other computers last about three to four years, possibly five. The networking hardware will be good for another ten years.
Through solving some of AE/MS’ technology needs, Proctor and the local middle school have built a strong connection. Heidi Unger speaks about the school’s relationship with Proctor: “I am really amazed of how supportive Proctor is. I’m very impressed with the connection.” Jim and Heidi would like to continue to keep AE/MS’ technology up-to-date by working together and purchasing new equipment in order for students to have a more productive learning experience.