Chris Rasile, left, and Christian Sanders look at some of the laptops that students at Graham High School will be receiving this fall. (Photo by Cherry Rushin)
Gearing up for a year of change
by Cherry Rushin
(Posted 7/23/2010 02:47 pm)
newsdesk@grahamleader.com
Graham ISD is gearing up for a year of big changes. While much of the faculty and staff have taken a break this summer, the technology department has been working nonstop to prepare for the rollout of the laptops for students at Graham High School.
“It’s been busy. I thought last year was busy because of the construction, but this year has far surpassed it,” said Chris Rasile, GISD network administrator.
Rasile said the department is getting ready to image the computers which is putting all of the software and settings on them.
So far this summer, wireless Internet has been installed at all of the campuses, which included a major network upgrade.
“We put in a new infrastructure that had to be done for the wireless and the stability. Something that has needed to be done for a long time,” said Rasile.
With the new network, teachers and students can create and use wikis, blogs, podcasts and RSS feeds.
With all of the changes, several computers are being upgraded and repurposed to get older computers out of the classrooms.
“We’re trying to put two good working student computers in every classroom. Before we started that, some classrooms had computers that were seven or eight years old, so we’re trying to purge all of those machines,” he said.
Before school starts, AT&T will be coming and doubling the district’s Internet bandwidth.
To help out with the nearly 900 new Macbooks for high school students, GISD has created a new position as the first line of defense, but it will be filled by a familiar face.
“Christian Sanders is going to be the high school Apple person,” said Rasile.
Sanders, the former GHS drama department head, has been an Apple user for years. He said he is suited to go from a position teaching the arts to one of a more technical nature because in theater he often delved into the technical side.
“A lot of what people saw took place on the stage, but when I wasn’t doing that, I was working on the board or building a prop. The technical aspect has always been heavy in what I did, but there’s a big learning curve,” said Sanders.
Sanders has been in training constantly since he took the position. He said he feels comfortable that he and the rest of the technology department staff will be able to maintain the new machines.
“They’re very reliable computers. It is a big job, but I think the administration will give us what we need to succeed,” he said. “When we looked at the kinds of repairs and issues Brownwood had, it seems very feasible that we’ll be able to handle what will come our way. The administration has planned well.”
Sanders said he will miss teaching, but he is looking forward to helping all GHS students and not just those that take theater classes.
“It’s important to me that I help the kids move forward and get the skills to help them later on, and I think the computers do that. Graham ISD is taking a step here that provides an advantage that not many districts have, and I like being a part of that,” he said.
