pfc newsletter O A K
P A R K
H I G H
March 2013
S C H O O L www.oakparkusd.org/ophs
The Principal’s Message Tech Talk It’s hard to tear our students away from their technology nowadays to play outside or have a face-to-face conversation. And while we stress the importance of interpersonal interactions and the health benefits of active play, we cannot deny the power and lure of social networks and today’s high-speed wireless technology. I’d like to spend a few minutes on how we at the high school attempt to navigate the current tech landscape while nurturing the human and personal connections so vital to adolescent development. Let’s start with cell phones. Virtually every student has a cell phone and most of them are smart phones. They are not allowed to be on them during school. This includes class time, lunchtime, and during the nutritional break. Now, there are some teachers who have managed to incorporate cell phones into their instruction, conducting surveys, using the cameras and calculators, and even conducting quick research. However, the majority of us are very wary of student cell phone use, as more of our issues with academic dishonesty increasingly involve the use of cell phones. They are so powerful that it takes no time at all to snap a picture and text it to a friend, or store documents or webpages to be accessed during a quiz or test. So for the most part, the prevailing rule is enforced and that is they need to be off and out of sight during class. During breaks, we want the students to talk to each other and engage in conversation and banter, to look around to see who’s with whom and participate in the social dynamics of high school. One other caveat with cell phones is that they are almost always involved when nefarious activity is concerned and illegal substances are being bought and sold. Enough said.
OPUSD has just completed the drafting of the latest technology plan and with the input and representation from all the schools; the next five-year technology plan is laid out and will be made public very soon. At the high school we are justifiably proud of our capacity to introduce technology into the instructional program. Almost all of our classrooms are equipped with SmartBoards and teachers are trained to use them. Students are using wireless responders in classrooms to allow the teachers to check for understanding instantly and make instructional decisions on the spot whether to move on to the next concept or to review the material again based on student feedback. We have five COWs (Computers on Wheels) which each contain twenty wireless networked MacBooks. These are in full use throughout the campus as teachers bring the computer labs to the students. We are currently piloting a CALF which an iPad cart. We expect that we will incorporate more CALF’s as tablet computing becomes the preferred platform. We also have the language lab equipped with dual boot iMacs, high quality cameras and audio headphones, along with two other computer labs where students take classes ranging from Advanced Placement 2D Design to Virtual eCommerce and computer programming. We recently purchased a new LED theater lighting system for the Pavilion which will be in operation for our production of Les Miserables on April 11-13, and the audio and video projections systems in the Pavilion and G9 have been significantly upgraded with improvements made in the maintenance and ease of operation of these systems. New and powerful sound systems have also been installed in the gym, the dance room, and the football stadium. A new phone system will be installed in the coming months and the high Continued on page 21