Computers

1994/5 was another great year! The biggest change was the addition of communication to the rest of the world from our network. We added the K12net echoes to our in-school's E-mail and became Fidonet node 1:134/95. We also added a UUCP connection to Telnet Canada, that gave our staff and students Internet E-mail via Eudora.

1995/6 our connection to the CBE WAN was made. We are now directly connected to the internet and students have full graphic access to the internet from any of the school's computers.

Technology Plan

We are continuing with our school's technology plan. We finished setting up a class set of computers in our Library. These have been used by students 91% of class time, before school, after school and during our noon hour. The Computer literacy lab is at 100%. It is also heavily used outside of class time and will be used by evening classes next year. Both labs are networked and most of the classrooms have at least one computer on the network.

Action Statements for Technology at John Ware Jr. High. (1992-3)

1. Every student will have an introduction to the use of technology for research and as a tool to produce text, graphics or other media for assignments.
2. Every staff member will have in service instruction on how to use the John Ware computer network and new media as it is purchased.
3. We will have a school wide computer network, with each room having a connection to the John Ware network servers. Rooms will also be "wired" for video/satellite communications.
4. All of the programs and data for the school will be available from the network.
5. Each room will have at least one computer connected to the computer network.
6. Each student will have a private area on the network protected by password. This will give them access to all their files from any room in the school (with no disks for programs or data).
7. Each teacher will have a private area on the network protected by password. This will give them access to all their files from any room in the school (with no disks for programs or data).
8. Expensive peripherals like printers, modems, phone lines, CD and hard drives will be shared over the network.
9. Each student will have Internet mail, Schoolnet, K-12 and e-mail access to other CBE schools through a network/dial up John Ware BBS.
10. Staff will have access to student directories for portfolio marking and reduced paper usage. We will also increase the use of LXR test.

1994/5 Computer Literacy Projects

In the computer class students have a choice of how to use their time each period. They have at least three activities they should do each day. They have a major project, E-mail to check and touch typing. Students also choose the topic of their major projects. Because of the amount of control the students have over their learning, discipline and vandalism have not been a problem for several years in the computer classes.

Each major project lasts about 6 weeks. For example our first major project this year was image manipulation. Students were to take their scanned image and add it to another image to make a realistic photograph and story. I was surprised by the number of our students dating famous film stars and having secret identities as Power Ranges. Before starting these major projects, students do a mini project that allows them to experience completion and all the skills needed to start the major project. For our first mini project, students colorised their black and white scanned photographs.

Another project had students creating a virtual reality world. Here are two sample screens from one of our student's projects. Note the top view of the world in the upper right corner of the screen. You can see where the "camera" is in each of the views. Two screens:

Our last mini project was to create an internet HomePage. Students created wonderful graphics and had fun linking their HomePage to other students photographs, graphics and HomePages.

1995/6 Computer Literacy Projects

This year we started off with an HTML research project. Students were to find information from our CD ROM server, 3 articles, 3 pictues and 3 links to other students projects. Students picked their own topics and the best part was when they linked to other projects related to theirs.

Our E-mail project had students writing all over the planet. We had hundreds of mail messages every day! With our connection to the internet, E-mail and World Wide Web access is an every day event.

In the third term we made movies. We used a program that could "Morph" from one picture to another. Some of the student projects were very well done and we will have a link to them from the student homepages that we will be doing 4th term.

Hardware Setup

We believe that people make a greater difference to students than any technology. We have included a list of what we are using only to help other schools with their plans. We have an 8 port ethernet star. Connected to the star are two TribStar ethernet to AppleTalk routers, 3 servers and our demonstration machine. We have a main server with all the student accounts, programs and data, an E-mail server and a CD ROM server. Connected to the TribeStars are the two labs and from the labs run cables to nearby classrooms. Our average price per work station is $1200.00 (Canadian!). We have 70 networked student work stations, 6 administrative stations, 5 modems, 2 scanners, 2 digitisers, 3 CD ROMS, 1 Laser Disk Player, 5 bubble jet printers, 4 networked dot matrix printers with single sheet feeders and 2 Laser printers.

Software 1995/6

We have over 2000 files on our server's "programs" disk. Most of the programs are freeware or inexpensive shareware found on educational CD ROMS and the Internet.

Return to Previous Page

Story of John Ware

Student HomePages

Research Projects

Course Information

Author: Phil Stobo

Copyright © 1996, CBE. All rights reserved.

Send Comments / Suggestions to: PStobo@cbe.ab.ca