EPSDtechintplan2004

Each school library received additional digital cameras, and expanded the use of Adobe
PhotoShop Elements as the graphics editing software for use with still image
photography and the incorporation of images into class projects. The standard
configuration for new classroom computers now includes CD-RW for ease of use in
creating original movies and digital projects.
The lack of cost-effective, adequate battery life in wireless laptops has lead to large group
instructional areas designed with power and data connections in convenient recessed
floor boxes or wall locations. Dedicated power sources for laptops extend the use of the
computers to a full school day as opposed to the 2-3 hours supplied by laptop batteries.
When Alburtis and Shoemaker Elementary School construction projects are completed,
the new libraries will include such setups, as do the 12 classrooms in the new high school
addition. Similar setups will be considered for the Eyer construction project.
Studies are underway to identify solutions for existing facilities for which it is too
expensive to install recessed boxes for power and data access for notebook computers. A
district goal is to decrease the student-to-computer ratio by increasing the number of
laptops and computer mini-labs available to students. Use of handheld PDAs is expected
to increase as proposed studies investigate potential uses beyond data gathering. At the
same time, the state of wireless technology with questions of system security and battery
life is still being monitored as progress is made in the industry.
The completion of the Carbon Lehigh IU connection to Internet II found East Penn wellprepared
to enter a new world of high-speed broad band resources. In May of 2004, a 6 th
grade science class at Eyer Middle School successfully utilized the Internet II connection
to access an electron microscope at Lehigh University as the culmination of a joint study
of West Nile Virus and mosquitoes. The interactive connection enabled Eyer students to
go beyond observing samples to actually manipulating the microscope as they worked
with prepared samples submitted in advance to Lehigh University scientists. As a result
of the successful project, Lehigh University has requested the participation of district
science classes in additional studies using Internet II and Lehigh electron microscopy
resources.
Acquisition Strategies
Unlike typical business models, the use of technology by the school district follows a
"useful life" plan of determining replacement cycles and retirement plans for technology.
While industry standards may define the "support life" of a technology, this encourages a
philosophy of planned obsolescence as opposed to emphasis on actual usefulness in the
classroom. At the request of classroom teachers, I.T.S. often continues to support useful
technology that has outlived the advertised industry support standard, but that is still
having positive effects on the learning process of the students. Examples are older
versions of educational software still in use by students, running on older versions of
hardware.
EPSD Technology Integration Plan
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