Seven districts choose digital reading resource
Challenge: Boston Public Schools, Washington, D.C, Baltimore, MD, Richmond, VA, Pittsburgh, PA, Wausau, WI, and FKO AfterSchool in Maine were looking for digital books to include in their summer reading programs.
Solution: Through a partnership between the National Summer Learning Association and myON, students in these districts will have free access to myON, which offers unlimited access to thousands of enhanced digital books, along with tools to track and measure their reading progress. Students can rate and review the books they are reading in a safe, social networking environment; myON will provide individual accounts for students and staff in the participating programs as well as professional development for staff.
Oakland USD to deploy Dell Chromebooks
Challenge: California’s Oakland Unified School District (USD) wanted to give all 3rd- through 12th-grade students a reliable wireless device to maximize access to digital learning opportunities and be prepared for the new testing environment required by California state standards.
Solution: The district will roll out more than 8,000 Dell Chromebooks and 11 laptops for its 1:1 program. “Thanks to the affordability and manageability of Dell Chromebooks, we have been able to realize this vision and give every student in every school access to a computer,” says Superintendent Gary Yee. “Dell took care of all the logistics and really made this a plug-and-play solution. With their expertise, our team is able to get more devices into the hands of our students so they feel prepared to meet Common Core standards.”
It’s time for a wireless LAN upgrade in Arizona
Challenge: Dysart (AZ) USD uses district-owned laptops, student- and teacher-owned mobile devices, Google Apps, videoconferencing, and other tools to create interactive classrooms. The district also planned to use the wireless network for online testing and expanding its video surveillance system. However, the district needed to deploy a more robust wireless LAN to meet all of these objectives and advance the district’s technology vision.
Solution: Dysart USD turned to Aruba Networks for its district-wide wireless LAN deployment and upgrade. Working with integration and Aruba Platinum partner VectorUSA, the district has implemented Aruba’s wireless solutions in four high schools and five elementary schools, with plans to extend the wireless infrastructure throughout all of its facilities and beyond.
Comcast helps NJ district make 1:1 possible
Challenge: Springfield (NJ) Public Schools was looking for a way to start a 1:1 program for more than 2,400 students across the district’s five schools.
Solution: Comcast Business Ethernet services will support the 1:1 initiative and provide a connection between the district and its primary data center for the secure transfer of all critical administrative and educational data. Comcast Business upgraded Springfield Public Schools’ network from 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps of ethernet-dedicated Internet connection, which will support numerous devices simultaneously accessing the Internet without overtaxing the system.
Los Angeles USD selects a new email solution
Challenge: Los Angeles USD needed to find the right communication and collaboration platform so that faculty and staff could work more efficiently and the IT staff could deliver better outcomes for teachers, administrators, and students.
Solution: The nation’s second-largest district chose Microsoft Office 365. Office 365 allows users to collaborate, interact, and share documents online, communicate via videoconferencing and instant messaging, and access email from many types of devices in most locations. The district also realized Office 365 would offer added services should a disaster ever strike Los Angeles, which is prone to earthquakes, fires, and other natural calamities.
