Design Software Available in Computer Lab

Students at Blair Academy have many opportunities to use design software in their classroom work.  In the open computer lab in the Chiang Center, students have access to the same design software used in their classes.  For example, the technology team installs on these computers and manages licenses for Inkscape and Adobe Creative Cloud.  The large screens aid students with layout that might be more challenging on their smaller laptop screens.

Annual Account Creation

During the summer months at Blair, the technology team creates accounts on several systems for incoming students, faculty, and parents.  These accounts all need usernames, passwords, and levels of access on our secure systems, including the school website, the grading platforms, and email.  The team also disables and deletes accounts for departing members of the Blair community.  This work has just been completed, and the new school year is ready to begin!

Summer Computer Set-up

The technology office team is hard at work this summer setting up computers for the new school year.  Above, User Support Specialist Mr. Kemp sets up computers with the aid of our summer intern.

Roughly 20% of the computers on campus will be brand new for the 2018-2019 school year, including laptops for faculty, desktops for academic spaces, and both laptops and desktops for office staff.  Macs, PCs, and Chromebooks are all utilized across campus.

Technology Aids Collaboration Among Department Members

Blair's faculty members often collaborate together, using shared materials to help enhance teaching and learning.  Technology has made this easier for some departments.  For example, the History Department maintains a website that includes links to primary source material so faculty can use these to enhance their lessons.  According to Language Department Chair, Ms. Lang, whose department members have access to a collaborative workgroup folder, "We use it all the time and it has been a great way to share resources, weekly plans, and meeting agendas."

edACCESS 2018 at Blair

For four days in June, Blair’s technology office hosted the 2018 edACCESS Conference.  During the conference more than 50 attendees from more than 20 different schools participated in focus groups on timely topics and issues.  Head of School Chris Fortunato ran a focus group on the challenges of creating new technology spaces and how Blair advanced the vision for the Chiang Center. Mr. Garrant held workshops on robotics and Blair’s maker space. Reuben Loewy, a scholar committed to teaching Internet studies worldwide, delivered a keynote address on digital citizenship and how to encourage teachers and students to engage in a positive way online.

EdACCESS is a nonprofit organization committed to providing support and networking opportunities for smaller schools. For more information on edACCESS and its annual conference, visit www.edaccess.org.

Open Computer Lab Space for Students

In the Chiang Center for Innovation and Collaboration students can visit the open computer lab space on the mezzanine level, near the cafe.  The lab is intended to be a place in which students have access to design software used in their classes.  Students can design objects on these computers for printing at a later time when they are in the maker space, located on the ground floor of the same building.  It is also a place for students to be able to use computers with large screens for general academic work.  This may be helpful for students who want to use a larger screen for some work than is available on their laptops.

Types of Devices on Blair's Network

The chart above shows the different types of devices that connect through the Blair network.  Apple iPhones and Macs are the most popular type of devices.  We collected this data during the afternoon on a typical school day.

Updating Mason and Freeman

During the Christmas Break, technology office staff updated Wi-Fi in Mason and Freeman dorms. The work included removing old access points, adding all new ones, and increasing density.  The number of wireless access points more than doubled as a result of this project.  Combined with the installation of new network switches, the dorm rooms and faculty apartments benefited from improved performance and coverage.  This was especially helpful for smartphone users, as phones have a harder time picking up weak wireless signals than do laptops.

A Mix of Cloud and Physical Servers

Blair has a cloud-based strategy to server management.  When possible, the school adopts cloud-based software, such as Google docs.  If an application must be server-based, the server is virtualized and run in a hosted environment off-campus.  The transition from physical servers on campus to cloud-based solutions resulted in a significant decrease in downtime for our systems.  It also helps our technology staff focus more on people and their needs than on running server updates.   

Insley Hall Door Project

During a recent faculty maker space training, dorm parent Mr. Wenner imagined a project on the vinyl cutter.  With assistance from Mr. Garrant and Ms. Sykes, Mr. Wenner engaged students to help in the design, cutting, weeding, and transfer process.  The results are shown on the doors of Insley Hall.

Blair Hammer Award Makerspace Project

A recent maker space project made use of Blair's laser engraver to customize the handle of a hammer.  The Blair Hammer Award is a recognition for student athletes who have demonstrated one, some, or all the following characteristics, which are engraved on the hammer:

• Grit
• Strength
• Teamwork
• Character
• Effort

More information on the award, and information about its recipient, can be seen at this link:  https://www.blair.edu/athletics/blair-hammer-award