SAC Technology Committee
Chairman Jerry Latas: jlatas@rochester.rr.com
The Technology Committee exists to support the efforts and requirements of the educators at St. Joseph School. At St. Joseph's we encourage, support, and celebrate the ever-increasing use of current and emerging technologies throughout the school community. The mission of the Technology Committee, through good planning and financial support, is to enable our school to achieve increasingly high levels of technological integration within its programs. The “Technology Plan” exists to document and track the goals and needs of St. Joseph School with respect to technology.
Current Environment
Physical Environment
Technology Committee Funding
At St. Joseph's we are currently providing students with technology experiences to develop computer proficiency. Grade specific curriculums are documented in the “Technology Plan.”
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Primary Grades
Computer use in the primary grades is centered on having the students become comfortable with using the keyboard, mouse and printer. Proper terms for components, as well as proper care of the computer are stressed. A variety of software is used to reinforce math and language arts skills. -
Intermediate Grades
Computer use in the upper grades expands on the skills learned in the primary grades with further exploration of technological advances. Students will see the computer as a programmable device as they learn programming languages. Students will also view computers as a research tool through the use of the Internet and reference oriented software. CD-ROM’s will be used for instruction and as a research tool. Instructional material taught in the classroom is reinforced in the lab through a variety of software packages, and skills needed for the information age will be taught. The goal is to ensure students departing St. Joseph School are fully prepared for the requirements of Junior High School.
St. Joseph’s School is one of the leading schools in the diocese for computer technology. The entire school is networked with a 100 Mb Ethernet backbone with connections to all classrooms, the computer lab, special rooms (e.g. Art, Learning Center), administrative offices, and the teacher’s lounge. A server (with redundant backup) provides a domain for login accounts and central storage for all staff and students (grades 3 and up).
The computer lab has 30 multimedia computers providing a 1:1 ratio of computers to students during lab periods. Student using the library have access to three multimedia computers.
Each classroom has two multimedia computers with age appropriate software available for their use. The preschool classroom has a computer specially designed for use in these environments.
All of these systems are connected to the school’s network and have RoadRunner high-speed Internet access provided by Time Warner. A router/firewall protects the environment from intrusion. The network is attached to a special advanced proxy server, maintained by the Diocese of Rochester, that virtually eliminates access to undesirable sites and content. Use of email and chat rooms are prohibited without direct staff supervision and permission. This policy is documented with all students in grades 3 and up required to sign an Internet Usage Policy along with their parents.
The Technology Committee is funded entirely by proceeds from SAC as a result of fundraising activities throughout the school year.
Funding for computer software expenditures, such as CD titles for classrooms and the computer lab, is provided in part by an annual software budget through New York State and the Penfield School District. Recently, a small hardware budget from the Penfield School District has also been allocated.