New Hoosac High School To Have Cutting-Edge Technology
 Teacher Steven Raimer explains how he teaches a typical class with technology that he wheels from room to room. |
A projector, a laptop computer, a portable DVD player and other technological gadgets are all he needs, and he wheels those around from classroom to classroom. As a mobile teacher, his work relies almost entirely on technology, and that is why the building committee for the high and middle school project asked him to make sure the new rooms have the infrastructure to grow with technology.
The committee approved Thursday a standard classroom but not before they heard from Raimer, a virtual expert on technology with a 20-year history in corporate information technology, about what infrastructure the school needs to keep pace with the electronic world.
"It's really compact. It all fits right here," Raimer demonstrated. "There will be a lot of neat things coming out that will be cheap."
Easy access to power, a white board and a place to put a laptop and full coverage with wireless Internet is all Raimer said he really needs. The approved classroom design will have easy access to power, a whiteboard and a chalkboard, projectors and a docking space, with all the needed connections and gadgets right by the teacher's desk.
"The function of the room depends on the teacher," said Robert Stevens, an architect with Tessier Associates Inc. "We want all classrooms to be basically the same."
The outlets will have interchangeable connections to the projectors to accommodate shifting technology. There will be about four desktop computers in the back of the room but no place for students to charge laptops. The committee voted against charging stations because there is a shift toward iPads that keep power for longer, said Principal Henry Duval.
"This gives us the flexability. It gives us the state-of-the-art technology," Adams-Cheshire Superintendent Alfred Skrocki said.
The plan is almost identical to what the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts has done with the Murdock Hall renovations, Skrocki said. Conference rooms will also feature new technology. The board has not decided how speakers will be integrated into the room though. Further along in the process the committee will decide if they will build speakers into podiums or some other way.
The board debated over flat-screen televisions or projectors. Skrocki said that eventually the school may shift to flat panels because the televisions are cheaper to maintain.
Raimer warned the board not to go too heavy on technology but rather just keep the options open. He used a grant last year to purchase an electronic writing pad and infrequently uses it now.
"People will brag a lot about technology. Sometimes simpler is better," Raimer said. "It's cool and it's fun but not very practical."
The rooms will be equipped to help the regular teachers as well as mobile teachers. There will still be about five mobile teachers, said Duval.
The building committee spent more than two hours hearing the most recent updates on the plan. Stevens described the progress room by room and is nearing final drafts for about a dozen rooms.
Skrocki asked the committee to consider installing a rubberized floor in the new gym to accommodate all sports. Committee members will visit other places that have rubber floors before reaching a decision.
He also reported that the main structure of the bleachers will not have to be replaced and can maintain seating of about 1,000 on the home side of the football field and that it was recommended to move the driveway 105 feet to the south for safety reasons. The average speed is 53 mph on that stretch of Route 116. The committee responded by suggesting more signage instead.
