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Technology Overview

updated August, 2019

Student Mobile Devices - Chromebooks, Chrome desktops

The district currently has over 1,000 Chrome OS-based devices – mainly Chromebooks – in use between all six schools. There are one or more mobile carts of Chromebooks available for classroom use in each of our buildings. In addition, we are piloting 1:1 Chromebooks in select classrooms at our Junior and Senior High Schools. In these classrooms, each student has dedicated use of their own Chromebook for the entire school day. Additionally, several of our traditional desktop computer labs at the elementary level have recently been converted to Chromebooks. Similar devices are available for student use in libraries and classrooms around the district.  

Student Mobile Devices - iPad tablets

The district currently has approximately 400 Apple iPads in use between all six schools. Every classroom in grades K-6 has access to iPads, as well as all of our Title I, Speech, and Special Education classrooms. There are one or more classroom carts of iPads available for student use in each of our kindergarten and elementary buildings.

Interactive Classroom Technology

All of our classrooms from Kindergarten through 12th Grade are equipped with ceiling-mounted digital projectors and digital document cameras. In addition, many of our junior and senior high school classroom projectors have interactive whiteboard technology built in. We have multiple mobile Smartboards available for use at the elementary level. All classrooms at Webster Kindergarten Center, Soo Hill Elementary School, and Escanaba Jr/Sr High – as well as select classrooms at Lemmer Elementary School – have classroom amplification systems installed.

Administrative Technology

Many of our central office administrative staff use Windows PCs — primarily HP desktops and laptops — to perform their job duties. The district also operates various task-specific Windows computers, including at our bus garage to diagnose engine and transmission problems on our fleet of school buses. 

File Servers

The district maintains and operates multiple file servers, most of which are housed centrally in our district data center, which is located in the Upper Elementary School. The district data center is a secure, monitored, and climate-controlled environment that provides an optimal operating environment for our servers and head-end network infrastructure equipment. In addition to servers that provide our student and staff authentication and file services, the district operates several servers which provide DNS, DHCP, and other services.

Local Area Networks (LAN)

The district has standardized on Cisco/Meraki 10GB POE Ethernet switches in all its buildings. In addition to the wired infrastructure, wireless access is available to students and staff in all of our buildings. All schools are equipped with high-capacity wireless arrays from Cisco/Meraki and Xirrus which provide a robust wireless network for our many student mobile devices as well as allowing staff to utilize Chromebooks and laptops throughout each building.

Wide Area Network (WAN)

Our wide area network is a combination of district-owned and leased fiberoptic cable tying our buildings together into one cohesive network. Each building is connected back to the district data center and ultimately to Delta-Schoolcraft ISD, which provides our access to the Internet as well as other critical services such as content filtering and server hosting for financial and student information systems.

Voice over IP (VoIP) Telephone Service

The district operates a unified VoIP telephone system which provides service to all of its school buildings. All offices and classrooms in the district are able to connect using a four-digit extension. The VoIP telephone system allows the district to further leverage its fiberoptic WAN to reduce dependence on traditional telephone infrastructure for in-district calling, resulting in lower monthly telephone bills.

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