Technology has undergone many upgrades and changes over the past year. Most of these were conceptualized and planned out several years ago and have finally come to a completion.
One of those is the installation and completion of the new phone system. This allows the district and schools to have access to modern features, streamlined communication with parents and patrons, and lower monthly costs. We also completed the setup and installation of a new server farm which gives us more storage, faster access, and redundant backups.
In addition to that, new intercoms have been installed at both Cherokee and Greenwood Elementary. Both these systems bring in modern features, allowing for better integration with security notifications, and can instantly broadcast across the schools when an emergency event is taking place. The last major upgrade completed this year has been the installation of a new camera system. This is an upgrade across the school district. This is a major upgrade that brings an increase in camera clarity, and improvements in searching and tracking. This provides us with tools to help make our schools safer.
The summer is the time when technology is upgraded, repaired, and prepared for the coming school year. Summertime is the busiest time of the year for the technology department as they have a limited amount of time to get many things done. Over the past few years, we have brought in additional help by hiring student workers to assist. Every summer includes repairing, cleaning, and inventorying all student devices (iPads and Chromebooks). This process takes some time, but it is worth it as it makes sure all devices are ready to go on the first day of school.
The substantial additional summer upgrades (or possibly reaching into the fall) are a full replacement of our network infrastructure including wireless, updated and redundant fiber links between our school locations and district offices, and doubling our speed capacity between sites and many of our school buildings. This should be a considerable upgrade that will help address speed and capacity limitations.
We are also going to be making some adjustments to our student device policies and procedures. We are working on a plan for the high school that will allow students to retain their assigned Chromebook for the duration of their high school years. This would mean students would be assigned a new Chromebook their freshman year and retain that Chromebook until their graduation. We will also continue to offer the insurance for all student devices.
This policy is one that many school districts across Oklahoma have implemented. This gives students some ownership of their device, ensures that they are solely responsible for its care, and will ease technology and library staff workload.
Also due to the termination of ECF funding, the district will only have a limited number of hotspots available. Details on how that will be determined are still in the works, but we will post an update once that is determined.
The next few months will be an extremely busy time, and we are sure there will be a few hiccups along the way, but ultimately, we will be in a much better place by the end of the coming school year.
Robert Batson Technology Director Tahlequah Public Schools