Southwest School Corp begins plans for 1-to-1 technology integration

Southwest Dubois School Corporation took steps to incorporate one-to-one technology in the schools.

One-to-one refers to each student in the corporation having a device – tablet or computer – to use in conjunction with a curriculum designed to incorporate the device.

The move to expand services with Sellersburg-based Five-Star Technology Solutions was approved unanimously by the three board members in attendance at Thursday’s meeting.

Five-Star Technology already provides IT assistance to the school. The approved contract for $3,250 per month will expand their services to include assistance in creating a technology integration plan for the school as well as implementing the curriculum.

According to Amy Lyons, the school corporation’s technology integration specialist, the services provided by Five-Star will smooth the process and set up the procedures to ensure the success of the program.

Driving the decision is the fact the current equipment is nearly obsolete and will be out of warranty by June of 2017. With the current system, devices are in a cart that can be wheeled between classrooms. All the devices are dependent on a single server called a thin client. A downside of the current system is that if the thin client goes down, all the devices quit working.

The timeline Lyons presented has Five-Star working with the teachers and administrators to create a plan until this fall. Then the teachers will receive the chosen devices to begin training and curating content for them. In the spring of 2017, the corporation will determine how many devices are needed. They will be purchased in time to deliver the devices to students at the beginning of the 2017-18 school year. Students and parents will be prepped for receiving the devices during the summer.

Five-Star will assist in determining the costs associated with the changes.

“I think it is time and money well spent to come up with a plan and look at the numbers,” board member Christopher Neu said before the approval.

The board also took the following actions:

-Approved the following administrator changes to take effect in July: Huntingburg Elementary principal John Seger will become the Holland Elementary School principal on a one-year contract; Southridge High School principal Kelly Murphy will become the Southridge Middle School principal on a two-year contract; and Southridge assistant principal Chad Sickbert will become the Southridge High School principal and corporation transportation director on a two-year contract. The corporation will be seeking a new principal for Huntingburg Elementary and an assistant principal for Southridge High School.