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SAC
- Technology Committee
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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
Current
Environment
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.
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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.
Physical
Environment
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.
Technology
Committee Funding
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.
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