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Infrastructure Needs/Technical Specification, and Design
Technology use in Education can be divided into two areas: Business Functions and Education Functions. The need to maintain and upgrade/replace technologies in both areas to increase productivity and efficiency has been established for some time. Additionally, for these systems to meet the needs of both areas, they must be interoperable; they must not only be able to seamlessly work together within there functional area but also between business and education.
From the time before the bond period which brought PPS the majority of technologies we have now to today, we continue to evaluate our needs and inform purchases by conducting frequent business function and grade level/subject area assessments. These assessments take into account the following factors:
The next section details current technologies with replacement time frames in years (in parentheses).
Using the same criteria to justify upgrading/replacing existing systems, we are seeking to add the following new technologies:
Technical Support and Resources Supporting Technology:
Currently Portland Public Schools has the following support personnel and resources for staff and administrators:
Portland Public Schools is in the process of reviewing the feasibility and impact of adding some or all of the following technology department support personnel:
Finally, the district continually looks to add value in the area of support. To that end we are looking to implement the following programs/projects as feasible:
From the time before the bond period which brought PPS the majority of technologies we have now to today, we continue to evaluate our needs and inform purchases by conducting frequent business function and grade level/subject area assessments. These assessments take into account the following factors:
- District vision and mission.
- Departmental needs.
- Board policy.
- Related State and Federal mandates.
- Current technology level of function against need.
- Buy-in by the effected groups. Good assessments allow for purchases that have buy-in.
- Enhancement/Improvement over current system.
- Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). Including interoperability (e.g. SIF compliance) and hidden costs.
- Return on Investment (ROI). Has the technology been installed in a similar district with good results?
- Best Practices. Including Gartner studies.
- Sustainability. Our goal is to stagger the purchase of equipment to lessen the impact of one time costs while limiting the age of computers to 5 years. Our plan is to replace a subset of computers yearly (200 per year) or in groups (teacher, student, administration, etc.).
- Supportability under current system. See below.
- Standardization.One of the major findings to come out of early assessments was the need to standardize on both hardware and software. As of 2000, PPS was supporting multiple computer, server, and network hardware and operating system and application versions and manufacturers.
The next section details current technologies with replacement time frames in years (in parentheses).
| Current technologies: Voice: | Upgrade Timeline |
District Phone system: Acquired 2003:
| Software: 2010 Hardware: 2010 |
| Current technologies: Video: Acquired: 2002 | Upgrade Timeline |
Portland PS CCTV Network (15 years):
| Hardware: 2011 – 12 |
| Current technologies: Data: Acquired: 2002 | Upgrade Timeline |
Server Hardware and Software:
| Software: 2010 – 11 Hardware: 2009 – 12 |
District Network:
| Hardware: 2011 |
Computers, Laptops, Printers, and Software:
| Software: 2010 – 11 Hardware: 2010 – 11 |
Miscellaneous (5 years):
| Software: 2010 – 11 Hardware: Replaced as needed |
Using the same criteria to justify upgrading/replacing existing systems, we are seeking to add the following new technologies:
| Technologies to be Enhanced\Acquired: Voice / Video | Timeline: |
District Phone System:
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TVs/VCRs:
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| Technologies to be Enhanced\Acquired: Data | Timeline: |
Server Hardware and Software:
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District Network:
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Computers, Laptops, Printers, and Software:
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Miscellaneous:
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Technical Support and Resources Supporting Technology:
Currently Portland Public Schools has the following support personnel and resources for staff and administrators:
| District Technology Department | Technology Director - The director oversees all technology systems, technology-based professional development, and aligns technology use with Portland Board of Education policy in order to accomplish district goals. The director hosts district technology meetings as needed bi-weekly and is in the buildings weekly to meet with staff. The director is responsible for keeping lines of communication open with staff, students, and community to insure needs are met and goals achieved. Building Technology Specialists – These individuals (at least 1 per building) are responsible for identifying training needs, providing basic hardware and software troubleshooting as they are able, and maintaining their building’s web page. They meet bi-weekly with the technology director to determine support and training needs. Student Support - The district technology department sees value in establishing partnerships with students to provide support for District technology while providing them training and school to work opportunities. Student technicians perform daily maintenance tasks related to maintaining computer systems, telecommunications equipment, A\V systems, overhead projection equipment, etc. They also assist staff with training and support. Support Cadre – The technology department provides training opportunities and conference reimbursements to staff that makes the request and is willing to share knowledge gained. Additionally, the district encourages technology savvy staff to provide support to other staff on an informal basis. District Secretary – Takes support calls and dispatches outside support. Support Materials – The technology department provides “Just in Time” training opportunities and training materials via the District Tech Helps page (http://www.portlandk12.org/TechHelps.html) |
| Kore-HiComm | Kore-HiComm provides network engineering, new technology implementation, server support as needed (4 hour response time). |
| Kent ISD | The Kent County Intermediate School District is a source/provider of training and support. |
| Ionia ISD | The Ionia County Intermediate School District provides training and support services to PPS. ICISD operates and maintains an IBM AS400 which is the database for Portland Public Schools’ employee payroll, district accounting, student records, and gradebook/attendance/data mining systems. The Ionia ISD also provides Internet access for the Portland Public School District. |
| AB Dick of West Michigan | AB Dick maintains our printers and copiers. 98% of printers/faxes and 100% of copiers are under currently under contract with AB Dick. |
Portland Public Schools is in the process of reviewing the feasibility and impact of adding some or all of the following technology department support personnel:
| Support Area | Position Title | Role and Impact |
| Curriculum | One (1) full time Education Technology Specialist |
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| Technology | One (1) Network Technician |
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| Technology | One (1) Data Services Assistant / Help Desk staff |
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Finally, the district continually looks to add value in the area of support. To that end we are looking to implement the following programs/projects as feasible:
- Summer Technology Academy
- Community technology support hours
- Database to track support issues, inventory, and inform future purchases
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dpalme |
Latest page update: made by dpalme
, Apr 28 2009, 5:17 PM EDT
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