WWES can also be characterized and described using apps:
- This site ranks a 35 on walkscore.com, and is therefore car dependent.
-The nearest transit is at the Parkland Drive and Falcon Street intersection.
-The nearest RelayRides vehicle listed is located 1.1 miles away
The first technology that I wanted to explore was the idea of a smart dashboard screen for the school lobby. If you think of the school as an energy district, energy monitors could be used to compare energy consumption among different parts of the building and compare energy use to that of other schools. Comparisons could also be made between the current month and year and the current month of past years, to account for seasonal differences in temperature as it pertains to heating and cooling. The new facility will be LEED certified and will feature a green roof and may feature a geothermal heat source. It would be wonderful to be able to use these environmental features of the building as a teaching tool that students could monitor on a regular basis and use information gathered for projects and reports.
One of my Twitter followers is the energy specialist who serves WWES, and he engages with students and teachers on a regular basis to help conserve resources. The school currently does a great job with energy conservation despite having an energy-inefficient facility.
 |
| Energy Dashboard (Source: EfergyOfficial) |
 |
| Typical RFID chip (Source: midnightcomm) |
 |
|
Neos system
(source: Anne Davis)
|
A second new technology I wanted to explore was to provide sensors in busses and cars to alert the school staff as to when a particular vehicle such as the "blue bus" or "student x's mother" has arrived. This would improve upon the existing paper signs in the windows of cars and busses whereby an arriving vehicle may prompt a walkie-talkie communication from one staff person to another to communication over the public address system to inform a particular teacher. In the case of a bus delay, communication is currently poor and must be made over static on a radio.
In my research on school bus arrival sensors, I came across a few interesting technologies. There is a company called NorthStar that makes an integrated child and school bus tracking and monitoring solution for trips from home to school and back and provides notification of impending bus arrivals. Busses can be equipped with GPS devices that send signals to a central server. Something like this would allow the school to keep track of school busses online and automatically mark attendance when students exit the school bus and enter the school building. It could potentially send out text messages to alert schools and parents if the child misses school. Other companies making similar products include Logica, Docomo, Cosmicgate, and Hi Tecpoint Technologies Ltd.
As a peer pointed out, it would be best to include twice as many sensors as I think would be needed. I was thinking that the sensors would be best placed at the entrance to the bus loop, bus parking spaces, and the entrance to a new parent drop off loop that will be built when the school is modernized. Parents who would park their cars in the parking lot, get out of the car and walk to the plaza to greet the students would be more difficult to track than those who used the drop-off loop.
A related technology that could be introduced would be a push-button activated solar flashing light for the main crosswalk or two that leads to the school. Currently the crosswalks are manned by student patrols and administrators. Drivers would be more alert and attentive to the crosswalks if they also saw a flashing light.
A third new technology I explored was the idea of a more advanced security system. Particularly after the tragic events at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, security is a major concern that must be addressed.
Currently, the doors at WWES are locked and visitors must push a button outside the main entrance. The administrative secretary can then push a button from the office to unlock the door, and the visitor is to report directly to the office to be checked in using the computerized visitor information system, which uses either an employee ID or driver’s license for identification. This system will be improved upon in the new facility by means of a security vestibule at the entrance. The security vestibule will have a second set of locked doors, so that visitors entering the building during school hours can enter the vestibule but must visit the main office first to check in, and then go through the office to access the rest of the building. All of the exterior doors always open from the inside, so this will not impact exiting the building.
Currently, with the eight relocatable classrooms, there is a lot of traffic going in and out of the building. Each time a student needs to use the restroom, they must take a swipe card and use it to enter the building. There are no security cameras at these doors. There are no measures in place to prevent these doors from being propped open, or from someone letting someone into the building who is not supposed to be there. The Linkages to Learning office is currently located inside the building without direct access and has a lot of visitor traffic. In the new facility, it is important that this office have its own exterior door with its own measures in place to see visitors as they come and go.
To make the
school security even tighter, one option would be to install an upgraded system
that could include 10 interior digital cameras and 4 exterior digital cameras,
to upgrade the existing camera servers to support digital camera systems, and
to add network switches to support additional camera installations. The existing driver’s license scanners in the
visitor management system could be upgraded because the software has become
outdated. There is also an opportunity
to provide a remote strike release visitor management system. This would involve replacing outdated
hardware including access card readers, call boxes, or any other door hardware.
With so many users, thumbprint or facial recognition is probably not a viable
solution. While these measures are not
as visible as some of the other ideas, they are certainly important and should
not be overlooked.
Security cameras are not supposed to
be used in toilet facilities, changing areas, or private offices. The “public areas” of the school site such as
the hallways, lobby, gymnasium, multipurpose room (cafeteria) and parking lot
are appropriate locations for security cameras.
Classrooms are a gray area. Some teachers want the added layer of
protection and others do not.
Security will also be improved
for after hours use by strategically locating the “public” areas of the
facility apart from the classroom wings, so that the classroom areas can be
gated off after hours when the entire facility does not need to remain open. The fourth technology I researched is the use of electronic play systems, which have been utilized at nearby Woodlin Elementary School and at a county playground adjacent to Jackson Road Elementary School. These outdoor play areas combine high energy activity and exercise with a multi-sensory experience. They are for use by both children and adults. It appears that the three major vendors of these systems are Kompan, the Neos by Playworld Systems, Wicksteed in the United Kingdom.
These “i.play”,
as they are termed, intelligent play games are similar to computer games
brought outdoors, in the best of both worlds.
The fancy bells and whistles sound and lights would be incorporated with
peers interacting in groups and with fresh air and activity to counteract
childhood obesity and promote exercise.
Agility skills could be strengthened, imaginations broadened, and they
are designed for wheelchair users and individuals with impaired hearing or
vision.
The final new idea I explored
was the use of RFID tags. According to
my research, there are pros and cons associated with the use of RFID tags on
tablets, laptops, fixed or mobile smartboards, smart tables, and other
electronic assets in schools.
With Promethean
smart boards in every classroom and more and more mobile carts and smaller
computers, theft is a major concern.
RFID tags could be quite beneficial.
I did not understand how RFID tags worked until taking this course. I think any laptop and tablet tags would need
to have the capability to work in a far range in the event that they may not
always be used at WWES; perhaps they would be checked out and taken home to
complete assignments or may be shared and used by other schools. Ideally, tags
would be rugged and able to be mounted onto metal components without signal
interference.
There are
ethical considerations when it comes to personal information and identity
theft, so the content of information stored on the RFID tags must be
thoughtfully planned and maintained.
Safety measures
for tracking stolen laptops such as alarms, GPS tracking, etc. must be in
addition to the necessity of a recognized username and password or even a
recognized fingerprint needed each time
the laptop is turned on or logged off.
Survey Results
For a visual
preference survey, I used 21 images of the perimeter of the school site on
StreetSeen and asked for participation from the school community by word of
mouth, by Twitter and by a link posted on the school website, and from other
people who work in my office.
The survey can
be viewed at: http://streetseen.osu.edu/studies/wheaton-woods-elementary-school/vote
As of today, the
survey has been taken 346 times.
As expected, street trees were among the favorite images and the parking
lot and portable classrooms were among the least liked images. I was surpised that so many people chose the
front of the building and the bus loop.
I think this image was selected largely out of familiarity. Comments I received include “I like green but not too much green,” “I
like the character of the building and the roads,” and “I like when the
building is less sterile, with no tall blank walls.”
One of the online surveys I created was in Spanish and is available at:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DGRTQRJ. This survey was advertised in both English
and Spanish on the school website. I also conducted in-person surveys in both
English and Spanish with parents as they approached the site. There were twice as many male as female
participants. Surveys were conducted
between 8:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. There
was a lot of pedestrian and vehicular traffic during that time. Most of the parents I spoke with were walking
and a few were driving and dropping off the students. As is also reflected in the findings from the
student survey, when asked about priorities, new technology for the school was
not near the top of the list. Pressing
concerns that were mentioned were to have a new building with a new design and
better parking. About half of the people I spoke with used the facility outside
of school hours, for a variety of uses, including aerobics, reunions and other
services offered by the Linkages to Learning Center. Only one out of six parents was a Twitter
user. One person said “I know I should
(use Twitter)” and others said “I would but I don’t know how to.” I was unable
to speak with everyone I approached, either because they said they were in a
hurry or they said that they only spoke Amharic. Ironically, I could not
connect with more people in person because they were using their mobile phones for
phone calls or other purposes.
Linkages to Learning is a school-based collaboration among the county’s
Department of Health and Human Services, the public schools and non-profit,
community based service providers. The program provides accessible services to
at-risk children and their families to improve adjustment to and performance in
school, home, and community.
WWES has 472 students enrolled this school year, from prekindergarten
through fifth grade. The survey I
created for students is available at:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DC2T6FD
Teachers took students to the computer lab to complete their surveys. Third graders and walkers had the highest
participation. 70% of students said they
use the school outside of school hours, either for the playground or their
families come to attend meetings. 90% of
students use the internet at home. When asked about their top priority, safety and
an interactive playground were chosen
over having new technology in the classroms or a larger building. These findings do not come as a
surprise.
WWES has 63 full-time equivalent staff.
Of these, just over 80% are female and around than 20% are male. School staff were asked a series of targeted
questions about technology, with the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/76DZWWX
The findings from the staff are as follows.
The results were more or less as expected.
Teachers receive staff development training on the use of these new
technologies. When the building is
modernized, every classroom will be fitted with a Smart Board, or the latest
technology at the time.
When I asked
staff what new technologies they would like to see, the results were as I had expected. The overwhelming response, with 90%
selection, is improved technologies inside the classroom. Smart boards along with tablet and laptop
computers were a top choice, while a smart dashboard for energy efficient
features of the building received only 10% support. The responses were split evenly as to the
desire to explore improved security measures, electronic play equipment, and sensors
at crosswalks and for bus arrivals.
The results of the Twitter question are discouraging. Only about one
quarter of the staff said would use Twitter to follow the project and provide
input or to connect with parents and others, and less than that have begun to
use it. Very few people started to
follow me on Twitter even when they were told that Twitter was going to be used
specifically to get their feedback during the new school design process.
In addition to
the surveys, I conducted a little bit of other research.
I explored what
Android applications currently exist that could apply to my project. I downloaded and tried “Walkonomics”,
“Geo-wiki pictures”, and “Where’s our school bus”. The motto “There’s an app
for that” clearly doesn’t apply to the case of my project. There is no existing app that I could find
for a similar project, or for my study area.
I did particularly like the features in “Where’s our school bus” which
helped parents to track bus arrivals by alerts from parents at earlier bus
stops, etc.
I did a Google
search of my study area and found very little of interest. There was one blurb
in a local paper that described the school in a very general sense and included
one photograph.
Other Findings and Conclusion
I came across an
interesting article about digital badges for students, particularly K-12. These badges are an up and coming technology
that is described as computer icons combined with metadata that would work to
show skills, accomplishments and interests that could be earned in school. The badges could help to bridge the gap
between learning experiences in school and learning that takes place outside of
the classroom, or could be used to match skills to future employers.
In summary, my findings were both good and bad. I was discouraged that adoption of online engagement with this community was not as smooth or quick as I had anticipated but I was encouraged by some of the feedback I did receive. There are people who volunteered to participate further, and there are people who learned how to use Twitter through this process and others who learned about new technologies for the school that they had not thought about before.
This was a pilot project for online engagement for school facilities planning in my county, and only a starting point, so I will take the lessons learned and share them with the other planners and project managers for use with other communities. Twitter, online surveys, and a blog will work better as a means to engage some communities better than others.
Finally, I want
to note two of the major limitations to my project.
Since this
project is tied to work, and my employer does not allow the use of facebook, I
was not allowed to use facebook in my project.
Facebook is blocked on all school-district owned computers, therefore
teachers and students are not using it either. I was specifically instructed by
my employer not to use it for this project, even on my own personal computer.
I also recorded several
short video segments while walking around the site, describing the existing
conditions. Unfortunately, my smartphone
took the videos but did not have the capability to attach them to email or
upload them to youtube, due to some sort of error that I was unable to
resolve. If I had been able to upload my
videos, I had planned to add captions and incorporate them into my
project.
I would like to
especially thank the principal of WWES, Mr. David Chia, assistant principal Dr.
Linda Williams, the media specialist Mr. Kirk Bickel, and physical education teacher
Mr. Jose Casiano for their help and support, and extend a special thank you to
Ms. Debbie Szyfer, senior planner for Montgomery County Public Schools for her
assistance with Spanish translation.
