Surveys underway

I've drafted a survey for students at

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DC2T6FD that is currently under review. A few questions that are more sensitive are going to be optional, not required.

I am open to feedback about the survey so I am sharing it before it is distributed.

(Source: self)

Options, options, options

(Source: GWWO Architects)

In the image above are two options that the community explored for improved site circulation and parking.  These options provide a separate parent drop-off loop and bus loop in front of the building where there is currently only a bus loop with a handful of parking spaces.  A poll question will ask which option is preferred.  The bus loop in option A has one curb cut and the bus loop in option B has tow curb cuts. 

In either case, how could technology be utilized?  My thought is to provide sensors in busses and cars that indicate to the school staff 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.

(Source: GWWO Architects)

These options show a couple of options for a proposed new Media Center (library) inside the new school building.  The location is on the first floor at the front far left corner, if you are standing facing the front of the building. The location within the building is good for community use for meetings and events because this corner of the building could be opened for after hours use without needing to unlock the entire facility.

In either option, there are opportunities to explore new technologies such as interactive tables to enhance the educational experience. What other new technologies might we explore?

(Source: GWWO Architects)

Here is a third example: mulched and paved play area options.  In the upper rendering, the play areas are all grouped together which is optimal for supervision, however there needs to be a long ramp to reach the softball and soccer fields on the lower terrace level.  In the lower rendering, the basketball courts are spread further away from the gymnasium.

Another technology I would like to explore is the use of electronic play systems, which have been utilized at Woodlin Elementary School and at a county playground adjacent to Jackson Road Elementary School.

I am looking forward to engaging with the community around these topics.

Project Proposal

My project proposal for Technicity is currently being evaluated and improved upon by other students taking the course.  Here is an interview-style discussion about the project. 

I want to explore a few new technologies to see which the community would most like to see in a new elementary school and how each new technology could benefit the school community.

First, since this is my first time seeking online engagement from a community, I hope to learn how to best engage the community and respond to comments online. I am a new Twitter user, so will Twitter and a blog provide the type of input I am seeking? 
The people who could benefit the most from new technologies at the school site are those who I would like to engage. This primarily includes the school staff, students, parents, neighbors, and the community at large.

So far, participation on Twitter has been abysmal. I am discouraged that people have not been using Twitter to follow the project, even when directly invited.

Secondly, I want to see what new technologies are most of interest to this community, whether it be sensors to alert the school staff as to when a particular bus or car arrives to pick up or drop off a student, or whether it be sensors to help track movable assets such as mobile computing devices and smart boards as they are moved around the building, or between buildings, or whether it be technologies that more directly improve the learning environment. Finally, since this is going to serve as a pilot project for the school system on this topic, I want to be able to report back as to how much time was involved, what resources were involved, what worked well, and what could be improved upon.

One important piece to note is that we are just exploring ideas here and anything additional would have to be considered and approved by the school system and would likely be considered an "Add Alternate" to the project.  This means that it would be a seperate line item from the "base bid" for the school modernization.

 I am exploring this issue because as an educational facilities planner, I view a school and its site as a microcity, or a micro-neighborhood, with similar needs and challenges that any community may face, including but not limited to traffic, pedestrian safety, access for persons with disabilities (Americans with Disabilities Act), stormwater management, tree preservation and other environmental impacts, wayfinding, and program adjacencies that are similar to zoning. For example it is desirable to locate the public uses of the building such as the gymnasium close to parking and playfields, while it would not be desirable to locate the loading dock and trash and recycling area directly adjacent to the main entrance. I believe that a school can greatly benefit from the introduction of new technologies such as RFIDs and sensors to enhance the learning environments as “smart classrooms”, to enhance safety, and to streamline daily operations such as pedestrian traffic.

I also hope that findings from this project could be applicable to other schools in this system and throughout the world.

I am primarily hoping to obtain survey data from polls and a visual preference survey. This feedback will help me to prepare a recommendation to the design team as to a preferred new technology that could be explored as part of the modernization of the school. I also hope to gain general input to supplement the input the school system will soon receive through public community meetings to design the new building and site.




The key design elements I hope to include in my project are about 70% short polling surveys each targeted at a specific group of stakeholders and 30% longer more exploratory surveys, similar to methodology used by the U.S. Census. The short surveys will be in both Spanish and English. One survey will be targeted at students and will ask a few general questions. Another survey will be targeted at school staff. A final survey will be targeted at parents and neighbors. The longer survey type will include open-ended questions and may be more of a discussion that could be videotaped.
 
Timing is going to be tricky. In order to give stakeholders adequate time to respond, I am going to run short on time to evaluate the results and meet the project deadline.  For example, the principal needs to approve survey questions before they can be distributed to students.

StreetSeen survey

I have created a survey using StreetSeen. All are welcome to participate. 

Link to my survey: http://streetseen.osu.edu/studies/wheaton-woods-elementary-school/vote

The area I have selected encompasses four residential streets that surround Wheaton Woods Elementary School: Parkland Drive to the east, Faroe Place to the north, Evanston Street to the west, and Falcon Street to the south. Each street faces the elementary school on one side and fronts single family residential properties on the other side. 

I selected this geographic area because it is the study area boundary for my Technicity final project.  I am asking people which image they prefer from the viewpoint of a neighbor or someone who is walking or driving by the site. I expect the results to indicate that the trees and green areas are most preferred, the existing building will come in second, and the relocatable classrooms (trailers) and parking will be least preferred. 

My survey opened on May 10 and will stay open through the end of the course.  Therefore, I can only analyze the results for the time period in which the survey has been open thus far.  In my final project, I can expand upon the findings, particularly to note whether anything changed after more participation. 
In the results, most people prefer the photograph that shows the existing main entrance to the building and the bus loop.  This is a surprise.  I believe this image received the most votes simply because it is the most recognized location.  

While this may be some people’s favorite part of the existing site, there is a lot of room for improvement.  Perhaps this part of the site is the best starting point to generate discussion about improvements.  For example, how could we improve the circulation and access into the building in this location?  The public school system would like to improve the pedestrian experience and minimize conflicts between walkers, cars, and busses.   

As expected, the least preferred image was that of the classroom trailers.  One image received no positive votes. 

According to the heatmap, there were mixed feelings along all four streets. This is expected, depending on the individual’s perspective.  A neighbor facing the back of the school will probably have a different opinion than a parent who drives to the front of the building.  In conclusion, this analysis will help to determine where resources may best be allocated for new technologies in conjunction with the upcoming building and site improvements.

Background on Wheaton Woods

Wheaton Woods Elementary School is located at 4510 Faroe Place in Rockville, MD 20853.  

 

(source: Montgomery County Public Schools)

(source: Montgomery County Public Schools)

The original facility opened in 1952 and was added onto in 1976.  The building is 66,763 square feet, and the site size is 8 acres. The school has a capacity of 334 and has been over capacity for several years. There are currently 8 relocatable classrooms on site.  
There are currently about 472 students enrolled. 

(Source: GWWO Architects)

The demographic characteristics are as follows:
58.3% Hispanic
26.9% Black or African American
7.2% Asian
6.1% White
1.5% Two or more races

The community is diverse. The school serves Head Start and preKindergarten students through 5th grade.  There is a countywide program in the building called Linkages to Learning.  

(Student artwork display. Source: self)

A series of Feasibility Study meetings were held with the community during spring 2011.  The purpose of the feasibility study was to develop three viable options for the modernization of the building and improvements to the site and the costs associated with each, identifying one option as the preferred option based on the consensus from the participants.  Participants included representatives from Montgomery County Public Schools Division of Construction, Division of Long range planning, the Maryland State Department of Education, Montgomery County, GWWO Architects, school staff, parents, neighbors, etc. 

Wheaton Woods site (source: GWWO Architects)

Some of the characteristics of this community school are:

-  extensive community use of the facility and the fields
- a predominately walking/car riding community with fewer bus riders
-  desire for an outdoor plaza area for parents to drop off and pick up students
- desire for a science garden
- extensive rock outcroppings exist in front of the school and in the courtyard

The next stage is called schematic design and meetings with the community will be starting in late May 2013.  Schematic design will run through the summer and will involve a series of refinements to the preferred option to develop it into further detail, including appropriate classroom adjacency, building elevations, etc. The final product will be presented to the Board of Education and will proceed into even more detailed design, called design development.  The project will be bid in fall 2014.  Construction will last 18 months, from January 2015 until the new school is ready to open until August 2016.  During construction, the school will move operations to another building, called a holding center.  

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