EXPANSION OF TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE CONTINUES

Dec 2000 - Teachers and staff returned to school this year to find several new technological upgrades to aid in their teaching and communications.

This August, the computer network was updated with DSL wiring. This new connection will allow the school community to access the Internet at a much higher speed. As faculty begin using more and more computer-assisted lessons in their classrooms, this proves to be very beneficial.

Related to that, Director of Technology Ed Fener has been assisting teachers with integrating technology into their daily lesson plans. For instance, Mr. James Tomassi has been using software in his earth science class that allows the students to conduct experiments on the computer and to log their findings.

Hardware in some of the classrooms has also been upgraded, as the primary grades have replaced the IBM DOS computers they were still using. Further improvements are planned.

Within the administration, communications have been enhanced with the addition of e-mail and telephone voice mail. The new e-mail system will not only allow members of the St. Elizabeth community to send news, policy changes and other messages to one another. Each class will also have its own file on the server, in which it can store classroom work completed at any terminal.

Faculty and staff have been receiving training in the use of the e-mail system and new hardware, as well as various software packages and opportunities for classroom integration.

The school hopes to continue its technological expansion with the automation of the library within the next two years.