Mayfield High School has a tremendous technology infrastructure, program, and focus, which is presently allowing the district to deliver educational content to students quarantined at home. Information about the Mayfield district technology initiatives, hardware and software is readily available from the 7-member technology team, which is housed at the high school. This team is headed by Technology Director John Duplay and Assistant Director Tony Jiannetti, both of whom are key contacts for understanding the technology goals and hardware/software needs of the district, as well as ensuring the infrastructure is in working order. In addition, there is a large amount of information about the district’s technology programs available through the district website.
Technology really infuses the high school. Several years ago, Mayfield initiated the 1:1 initiative/mission to “create a collaborative learning environment through the utilization of district approved technology for all members of the educational community”. (See http://www.mayfieldschools.org/ChromebookPolicies.aspx). A key component of this initiative is to ensure each student has access to technology at home and in the classroom. To this end, each high school student is given a Chromebook to access digital content and to interact with content and learning using digital tools and techniques. The Chromebook (education edition) is distributed at the start of their high school career. They are allowed to use it through the year (including summers) and upon graduation, the Chromebook becomes theirs to keep. The Chromebooks are equipped with Google’s G-Suite for Education, as well as key content and school access programs, like Infinite Campus and Schoology.
There is a filtering program on the Chromebooks (Barracuda Chromebook Security Extension), and other access limits depend on whether the student is accessing the internet through the school’s Wi-Fi network or their own and time of day. The district’s technology website notes that “Chromebooks can stream music, access Netflix, Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites but only after 3:30 p.m. on school days.” (http://www.mayfieldschools.org/ChromebookPolicies.aspx). There are category restrictions as well, thus, websites and content related to Adult Content, Alcohol and Tobacco, Illegal Drugs, Pornography, Nudity, Violence and Terrorism, and Weapons are always restricted.
The district has elected not to install a monitoring program to track students’ activity on the Chromebook. As an aside, this feature was introduced by Hudson High School this year, so I do receive a report of my daughter’s activity each week. If a teacher needs to access restricted content, then there are processes to do so in cooperation with the Technology Department. I know that in the classroom, I can unblock Youtube content on the teacher’s desktop at the push of a button.
Beyond simply getting Chromebooks to students, part of the technology mission of the district is to incorporate technology into the classrooms, using digital smartboards, which are available to all classrooms, along with document cameras, and mimeos. One of the most technology laden areas is the new Option space for self-paced students. The Option space is filled with large screen televisions that can be connected wirelessly to laptops and Ipads so that teachers can screencast from their personal devices. The space is truly an “ode” to technology and the possibilities for technology in the school. The library is another technology infused area, with approximately two-dozen desktop computers for students to use throughout the day.
Beyond this, there are technology classes – specifically, Mayfield is a member school in the Excel TECC program and is the site for the Information Technology and Interactive Media programs headed by Ron Suchy and Mike Caldwell respectively. These programs offer access and training on a wide variety of technology resources for digital media and IT including, without limitation, cameras, monitors, scanners, printers, editing software, etc.
One particularly “neat” initiative is the Chromebook repair class. This is a class offering that serves to help students learn how to repair computers. Not only is this an excellent learning opportunity, but it provides an on-site location for students to receive help keeping their Chromebooks in good repair. The first repair is free to students, which is a tremendously valuable benefit. Several of my students have used this program to fix their broken screens, keyboards, and/or track pads. The idea of creating a class around computer repair to meet the needs of students is just one more example of the technology focus in the district.
The sheer scope and range of technology resources at Mayfield High School is a testament to fulfilling the 1:1 initiative.
For further information, the following links provide significant additional information about Mayfield’s technology resources. As an aside, the website itself is a tremendous source of helpful links and resources, aside from being informative about the district. (See, e.g. http://www.mayfieldschools.org/techlinks.aspx) for a variety of useful digital tools and platforms)
http://www.mayfieldschools.org/InformationalTechnology.aspx
http://www.mayfieldschools.org/InformationTechnologyProgramming.aspx
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