Technology
The purpose of having computer technology at Claire Lilienthal is to provide the latest learning tools to aid both our children and their teachers in the pursuit of academic achievement. Computers provide access to a broad range of information available over the Internet, in various formats - audio, visual, interactive - which are accessible by all learning types of all languages. The use of computers at CL enhances the learning experience and encourages students to improve their knowledge and academic skills by providing a creative learning environment that students find exciting. In addition, computer technology provides teachers with much needed educational teaching and administrative tools.
Back during the school year of 2004/2005, the CL PTA and CL Administration, Mary Richards and William Hack, formed the Tech Committee - Sue Chang, Vic DeAngelo, Richard Delwiche, Jim Fong, William Hack, Helyse Hollander, Ed Hughes, Otis Maxwell, Bill McLeod, Jim Nemerovski, Anne Vollen, Christopher Williams and John Wong. The CL Tech committee met to discuss the current status of computer technology and to plan for the future. Studies of computers in other schools were reviewed, including Urban High School in San Francisco, which has a 1 to 1 computer program. In addition, the CL teachers and administration were surveyed to determine their computer needs. All in all, the Tech Committee decided that Claire Lilienthal’s educational needs would be best suited by the Apple Macintosh platform for the following reasons:
- Apple has a 25+ year relationship with education.
- The Macintosh computer and its operating system – Mac OS X - is more reliable and more stable than Windows computers. Mac OS X is developed for and tied to the Macintosh computer hardware, unlike Windows which is developed for a multitude of computer hardware.
- The Mac is easier to use and more intuitive, requiring less time to learn and allowing for more time to be spent on instruction.
- The Mac is more secure than Windows. Mac OS X is based on UNIX and on established computer technology standards which provide for stronger protection against virus and hacking attacks.
- The cost of maintenance and ownership is less than Windows PCs due to better reliability, ease of use and stronger security.
- Apple is quicker to embrace and to incorporate the latest in computer technology into its computers and software. This means teachers, staff and students who use Macs acquire and accumulate the latest computer skills.
After deciding on the Macintosh as the computer of choice, it was then determined how to outfit each campus' computer lab. For the Madison(K-2) campus, 10 eMacs were chosen. For the Winfield Scott(3-8) campus, 4 mobile labs with a total of 35 iBooks(laptops), 4 printers, 4 wireless access points and 4 projectors were chosen. In addition, in cooperation with the SFUSD IT Department, a Dell PowerEdge 1800 Windows 2003 Server with 1TB of storage space was chosen, with the intention being that the SFUSD goal of a single logon account for e-mail, SIS access, data storage and individual web sites for both students and teachers was achievable. On April 21st, 2005, Vic DeAngelo and Christopher Williams presented the Tech Committee's plan for computer technology to the PTA Board; the PTA Board awarded the Tech Committee $85,124.30 to carry out the purchase and installation of the new computer equipment. Of the total amount awarded, $75,000 was spent. In addition, in order to prepare a new computer lab space for the Winfield Scott campus, Room 17 was renovated by John Wong's contractors with materials and labor donated by John Wong. Architectural plans for the renovation were drawn and donated by Jim Fong.