New Google Email (summer)
The district will be implementing GMail to save money and expand services. July 15th is our target date to transition to this free and powerful service. You can learn more about GMail athttp://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/edu/gmail.html
New Google Applications (Now and Fall 11-12)
Along with Gmail we are integrating Google Apps for Education. This web-based and powerful suite of productivity and collaboration tools includes word-processing, spreadsheet, and presentation. Any of the Google Docs or Calendar can be for personal use or shared across your department, team, or committee. To provide the best Google Apps for Education experience possible, we are installing the Google Chrome web browser on all Remote Desktop Servers in the district to use in conjunction with Google Docs.
While Google Apps for Education is open to every employee now, we will be working to implement it for every secondary student (to start) in the fall. This will give our students free online storage and applications they can use in school and continue at home, at the public library, at a community center or wherever there is a computer, web browser, and a connection to the Internet. You can learn more about Google Docs athttp://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/edu/docs.html
New SchoolCenter Web Hosting (beginning summer, ongoing)
With our new SchoolCenter web hosting service, our district, including every school, every department, every team, and every teacher will have access to easy to use web hosting space and capabilities. You can preview what SchoolCenter will bring to your school and classroom athttp://thinqed.com/products/schoolcenter/index.php. Also feel free to periodically preview the new site as it is being built athttp://pawtucketcityschool.ri.schoolwebpages.com.
New Smart Labs (10-11, seeking funding ongoing)
The 11-12 school year will be the first full year of operation of our new Smart Labs at Goff and Slater encouraging learning and exploration while enforcing the precepts of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to students by using state of the art technologies. You can learn more about the Smart Labs athttp://www.creativelearningsystems.com/smartlab.aspx.
New General Labs (10-11, summer, ongoing)
While new equipment installs still remain at Tolman and ALP, we were able to upgrade 15 secondary computer labs with newer model, Windows 7-based clients. We still have additional secondary labs to update and ALL elementary schools to consider. We will be seeking any additional funding sources to upgrade elementary classrooms and capabilities. This is a priority.
New READ 180 and System 44 Labs (summer and 11-12)
Made possible through literacy funds, every elementary school will be getting a dedicated reading lab. You can learn more about READ180 athttp://read180.scholastic.com/reading-intervention-program
New Wireless Access and Servers (11-12, eRate dependant)
We have applied for well over a million dollars in government technology subsidies under the federal eRate program. If funded, all schools in the district will have their wireless coverage upgraded significantly and secondary schools will receive new physical servers.
New Directory Services (11-12, ongoing)
Invisible to everyone, but at the core of all district operated services is the network directory. We will be migrating from Novell’s eDirectory to Microsoft’s Active Directory. This will bring greater compatibility and tighter integration between systems and services. You can learn more about Active Directory at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/ad-main.aspx
New Remote Desktop Servers (11-12, ongoing)
Made possible by the Active Directory migration, we can begin replacing our older Windows 2003 Remote Desktop Servers with Windows 2008R2, This is equivalent to moving from Windows XP to Windows 7 and will improve performance, operations, and accessibility. You can learn more athttp://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/rds-product-home.aspx
New Virtulization with RemoteFX (11-12 and ongoing)
Again, invisible to everyone but having a profound impact on all network users, we will begin transitioning from Citrix XenServer to Microsoft’s Hyper-V to host our virtual servers. Why would anyone care? Hyper-V when combined with our new Active Directory, the new Windows 2008 R2 Remote Desktop Servers, and the newer model HP thin clients allows us to turn on Microsoft’s RemoteFX technologies. RemoteFX will greatly improve native multimedia performance on the newer model thin clients bringing a high fidelity desktop experience while retaining the cost savings, reduced power consumption, increased security, and total cost of ownership benefits of a thin client. You can learn more athttp://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/rds-remotefx.aspx
New Filtering (11-12, budget depending)
For years we’ve been utilizing an effective but fairly inflexible Internet content filter at the state level. Sometimes a valuable and appropriate website falls behind a blocked list. Hosting our own filter will allow a teacher to enter his or her network ID and password and override the filter when appropriate.
New Fiber Optic Connections between Admin, Shea, Tolman, and the State (11-12)
As part of a statewide BTOP (Broadband Technologies Opportunities Program) Shea and Tolman High Schools along with the Administration Building will be hooked up to a very high speed statewide fiber optic ring. Connections between Shea,Tolman,and the Admin building will be extremely fast, almost as if we were on a single network. As a foundation for future collaboration, video conferencing, and other services, Shea and Tolman High Schools will link to other high schools across the state via the fiber ring. You can lean more about the BTOP award at http://www.oshean.org/Page/View/BTOP/
New Microsoft Agreement (11-12)
For the past few years we have allowed all district employees to purchase the full Microsoft Office Suite for $10. As part of our new Microsoft School Licensing Agreement we will be extending purchasing rights to Windows 7 in addition to Office.
Refinements (ongoing)
The current systems we run, including Aesop, AlertNow, MMS, ePass, TIENet will continue to improve and be refined.
