Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Network Upgrade: Almost Done

The saga is coming to a close. We finally chose a vendor: CTI in Hunt Valley. They were not only the most timely in getting back to us, attentive and professional, but they were quite accommodating about working with us on pricing. We're going Gigabit, people! Woo hoo! We also decided to install a middle school lab--the wireless laptop cart was a failed experiment for our current staff for many reasons, some of which included our failure to provide enough support for those teachers. Even though it may be perceived as a step backwards, it's what our teachers have asked for and what they need. Isn't that my job as technology coordinator? To figure out how to help MY teachers, given their own talents and circumstances? So, it's back to a wired lab. It's still going to be a fully integrated experience, not a "class" that happens outside of curriculum goals. It will simply be wired rather than wireless. That fact alone will increase their desire to use the laptops: no startup time, no sloppy wires issues, no time required to put them back, no problem accessing the network. The actual upgrade will happen this summer.

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