School board spending money on computers

The Rainy River District School Board is spending $705,000 to install more than 150 new computers at Fort High, 35 new ones in Rainy River High School, and bring Atikokan High School’s total up to 120.
The school board is stressing the importance of students getting on-line and familiar with technology.
“It prepares students for the future. It’s a whole lot different than it was 20 years ago,” said Stephen Danielson, computer systems administrator for the board.
“All the computers will be capable of Internet access. As we get more information available, that works into the curriculum in many ways,” he added.
Tom Fry, formerly the curriculum co-ordinator for the board, is now its information technology co-ordinator responsible for integrating what students can learn with computers and what that means in the classroom.
“I will be responsible for all the information systems within the school board,” said Fry. “I’ll be working with teachers to make sure that what is required in the curriculum can be taught through computer usage.”
Danielson, who will take of the hardware and software side of things, getting and installing what’s needed, noted the $705,000 expenditure will leave district students well above the provincial standard for computers.
“The province demands that we have a 10 to one ratio of computers to students but with these new computers, we’ll have a three to one ratio,” he remarked.
Danielson admitted the downside to so many computers was phone lines for Internet access.
“I don’t think the infrastructure can handle this many students. We have a T-1 line going into the board office but we can’t spread that out to all the schools for the students to use,” he noted.
But that problem may soon be solved through a co-operative effort with the Northwest Catholic District School Board.
“We’ve been talking about a partnership in information for quite some time now and hopefully, in the next year, we’ll see something happen,” said Warren Hoshizaki, education director with the local public board.
He added the partnership would benefit both boards as a cost-saving measure, allowing for joint-ownership of software, advanced telecommunications lines, and the possible hiring of a full-time technician who would operate across the district.
From an educational standpoint, Fry said the importance of computers in a school could not be stressed enough.
“The benefit is long-term. There aren’t too many jobs you can enter that don’t require this kind of training,” he noted.
“Kids can get a good background in that form of communication,” he continued. “Plus they can practice curriculum skills–math, writing, desktop publishing, research through the Internet.
“It’s all there,” he enthused.
As an objective, the board will try to see that primary level students get 30 minutes of computer time a day; grades seven/eight 40 minutes; grades nine/10 60 minutes; and grades 11-12 90 minutes.