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Developed by: Chris Caldwell
Technology is an integral part of the daily education of the students of the Harlan County Public School District. Technology is to be used as a tool to reinforce academic skills and enhance all areas of the curriculum. It is our goal that students will receive computer training through traditional instruction as well as through computer use in all areas of the curriculum. The computer labs and libraries at each level are designed to be active centers of computer activity to search local resources and the Internet. Teachers, administrators, and staff are encouraged to integrate the use of technology into their day-to-day jobs and become competent in a variety of applications and benefit from improved productivity through the use of technology. Students will also benefit since teacher competency will allow teachers to use available technology for instruction and guidance for students in subject/grade level training. The Technology Department ensures that Administrative and support staff will be provided with current technology to perform the tasks which are vital to the day-to-day operations of the district.
The students, teachers, staff and administration of the Harlan County Public School District will use technology to ensure that students receive the highest quality education possible. Technology will be integrated into all areas of the district's established curriculum and used to enhance student achievement. Students will acquire technology skills necessary for furthering education and entering the workforce. The district will provide training for all teachers, administrators, and staff; provide the necessary resources to sustain enhanced student learning; and provide technical support for the district's technology resources.
The Internet can be a wonderful resource for kids. They can use it to research school reports, communicate with teachers and other kids, and play interactive games. Kids who are old enough to punch in a few letters on the keyboard can literally access the world.
But that access can also pose hazards. Sometimes, searching for common topics can yield unwanted results. That's why it's important to be aware of what your kids see and hear on the Internet, who they meet, and what they share about themselves online.
Just like any safety issue, it's wise to talk with your kids about your concerns, take advantage of resources to protect them, and keep a close eye on their activities. We have compiled a number of Adobe .pdf documents that will help inform you about the pros and cons of the Internet and ways to protect you and your loved ones.
Links:
- Carefully Select Usernames
- Guide to Instant Messaging
- Internet Chatting is Dangerous
- Internet Predators Tip Sheet
- Parent Tip Sheet
- Symantec Family Online Safety Guide
KY Dataseam Grid Computing Initiative
Kentucky Dataseam deploys more than 6,000 Macintosh computers across the Kentucky State School System as part of one of the world’s largest managed grid computing systems. In the grid system, unused computing power from each Mac is pooled together and allocated to critical cancer research projects, which dramatically cuts research times, sometimes by as much as 1000x. The grid is set up in such a way that during ‘peak’ hours, students work with their computers as normal, with grid projects running silently in the background using only a small percentage of resources. During non-school hours, projects are moved to the foreground where they can use 100% of the machine’s resources, thus ensuring that computers are constantly in use during hours in which they would normally sit idle.
Kentucky Dataseam ran into a challenge, however, when they realized that teachers and students wanted and needed to work with certain Windows-only programs, specifically those from the Microsoft Office suite of applications. KY Dataseam couldn’t deploy PCs to each school because the grid relied on Macs powered by OS X to operate. Every lost Mac dealt a blow to critical cancer research projects. The Initiative needed a way to provide educators and students access to Windows, without eliminating a single OS X-powered machine.
Kentucky Dataseam turned to Parallels Desktop for Mac to solve this dilemma. Because Parallels Desktop for Mac enables user to run Windows at the same time as OS X on a single Mac, without rebooting, students were able to learn and experiment with Microsoft Office, while still having access to the great stability, functionality, security, and usability of OS X. Additionally, Kentucky Dataseam was able to keep its research initiative intact, because it did not have to take a single Mac offline. “Parallels gave us a cost effective way to provide teachers and students the ability to work with multiple software applications across operating systems. The schools are very happy with the versatility that this software brings together in one machine,” said Gupton.
By deploying Macs + Parallels to schools statewide, Kentucky Dataseam created the ultimate win/win/win situation. Each new Mac deployed to a school as part of the grid is powered by Parallels Desktop for Mac, so from Day One, each Apple computer is a Mac, a PC, and an important part of the Initiative’s cancer research projects. This ensures that students and teachers have the resources they need to teach and learn effectively, IT budgets aren’t crushed by having each workstation outfitted with two computers, and the grid’s cancer research initiatives are able to move at a pace that facilitates world-class research at world-record speeds.
The Harlan County Public School System came on board with the Kentucky Dataseam Grid Computing Initiative during the 2006-2007 school year. We currently utilize approximately 120 IMAC systems district wide with hopes of adding more soon. The district's Lead Systems Analyst, Chris Caldwell stated, "Not only are we helping with cancer research, obviously a major health problem found all to often in our area, but our students have an opportunity to broaden their skill set and technical experience by becoming familiar with IMAC technology. In a society primarily dominated by PC's, IMAC's are becoming more and more of a standard in desktop publishing and web design. Our students need the opportunity to learn various technological platforms in order to be successful in an increasingly competitive job market."
Brent Chitwood, Director of Education Technology
251 Ball Park Road, Harlan, KY 40831
573-4330, Ext. 2004
david.burkhart@harlan.kyschools.us
Doug Bowling, LAN Technician
251 Ball Park Road, Harlan, KY 40831
573-4330, Ext. 2008
doug.bowling@harlan.kyschools.us
Chris Caldwell, Lead Systems Analyst
4000 North US HWY 119, Baxter, KY 40806
574-2020, Ext. 3532
chris.caldwell@harlan.kyschools.us
Mike Scott, Technology Integration Specialist
251 Ball Park Road, Harlan, KY 40831
573-4330, Ext. 2005
mike.scott@harlan.kyschools.us
Austin Hall, Technology Instructional Assistant
251 Ball Park Road, Harlan, KY 40831
573-4330, Ext. 2006
austin.hall@harlan.kyschools.us
Jeffrey Saylor, Technology Instructional Assistant
251 Ball Park Road, Harlan, KY 40831
573-4330, Ext. 2007
jeffrey.saylor@harlan.kyschools.us
No person shall, on the basis of race, color, national origin, residence, religion, sex, disabling condition, age, or marital status, be excluded from participating in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination in any educational program, activity of, or employment practice by the Harlan County School System in compliance with Title VI, Title IX, and Section 504.
Harlan County High School is committed to educate every student to a high level, accept no excuses for failure, and understand the value of hard work by students and staff. Our culture of success will support systems in the school that encourage and even reward hard work.