Hybrid Classes at Blair Academy during the pandemic

     

The distance learning cart in use while Mr. Brandwood teaches English

For the 2020-2021 school year, Blair's faculty and students shifted to a school-wide hybrid learning model.  The model focused on enabling faculty to teach simultaneously in person and virtually. Over the summer months, our technology team deployed 60 free-standing distance learning carts to all teaching spaces and classrooms.  Each cart included a 360-degree camera, a room microphone, and speakers, plus its own desktop and webcam to give virtual students a "classroom-like" experience.

Virtual students attend live class instruction with students in the classroom

Virtual Learning puts Technology to the Test

 

When the State of New Jersey declared a lockdown in March of 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Blair Academy faculty and staff switched to a virtual school environment in a matter of weeks.  Part of the smooth transition was our faculty's ability to adapt to new technology.  School-issued laptops were already distributed to all Blair Academy faculty as part of our regular practice.  Periodic upgrades of these devices over the years ensured smooth functionality.  In addition, the existing Faculty Technology Training Initiative, which encourages and supports faculty to expand their use of technology in the classroom, was already in place for years.  At the time of the switch to virtual learning, approximately 80% of our faculty were already using Google Classroom and Google Sites.

Bogle Science Center Wireless Access Points

This past summer, the technology team increased the number of wireless access points (APs) in the newly renovated Bogle Science Center.  The devices project a Wi-Fi signal to a specific area and increasing the number of them improves the functionality and features of our network.  The size of Blair's campus and the number of buildings provide a unique need for many of these devices.  Around campus, we install, manage, replace, and monitor approximately 320 APs.  By comparison, the average household has one or two access points.

Email Verification Feature

The school cybersecurity initiative continues to move forward.  Recently, we added an email verification feature to Blair accounts.  This feature, called two-step verification, adds an extra layer of protection by sending a confirmation code to a cell phone to verify the user's identity.  The technology team enabled the feature in stages:  first to faculty and staff, and then to each year level of students, one at a time, starting with the seniors.  Moving forward all email accounts will require two-step verification.

Mathematics Classrooms

The audio-visual systems in Weber Hall classrooms are different from other classrooms on campus. The unique multi-projector design of Blair's mathematics classrooms started with testing out the idea of a 360-degree classroom, in which multiple projectors could be used in one room, for a few math classes.  The mathematics department was pleased with the positive impact on their instruction and included this AV system design in the planned renovations of Weber Hall. The mathematics classes are now held in Weber Hall with seven 360-degree classrooms.

On-boarding New Employees

Blair's technology team works with the Business Office to on-board new employees all throughout the year.  Beyond assigning an email address, the team creates accounts on several systems for new hires.  These accounts need usernames, passwords, and levels of access on our secure systems, including the school website, the WiFi network, and the emergency notification systems.  Technology training is also a vital part of welcoming new hires to Blair, including explaining the the mission of the Technology Office and an overview of the software systems related to their positions.

Telephone System Upgrade

A new IP phone system has replaced the digital telephone system on campus this summer.  The technology team replaced more than 120 physical phones and gathered the old phones for recycling.  We added more direct dial extensions and upgraded the voicemail system.

Naming Technology Devices

One facet of renaming buildings at Blair involves updating the many systems on campus to appropriately reflect the new name.  The technology team manages information and systems dynamically to try to reflect the real-world changes which happen every year on our campus.  The recent name update of the Chiang-Elghanayan Center prompted such attention.  Network technology devices which required changes included the wireless access points, Chromecast devices, switches, projectors, DNS names for door locks, and HVAC controllers.  Blair's information systems, which include building names, also needed to be tweaked.  

Bogle Renovations for 2019-2020

Blair Academy's recent renovation of Bogle Hall includes a three-story addition with new classrooms, labs, dedicated research space for long-term projects, and upgrades to legacy spaces such as existing classrooms, labs, and Cowan Auditorium.  The technology team's work on the wiring, infrastructure, internet access points, and classroom AV systems contributed to a successful opening of the building in time for the start of the 2019-2020 school year.

Read more about the renovation project at this link:  https://www.blair.edu/support-blair/forward-thinking-campaign/bogle-hall

You can see a walk-through of the renovations by playing the video below:

Registration Days Baseline Concussion Test

Opening of school registration is a busy time for our students and families.  Each year, registration includes completion of a baseline test as part of a comprehensive approach to student athlete concussion care.  The test occurs online either at home before the student's arrival to campus or in a computer lab on registration days.  The technology team partners with the Health Center to ensure all our students complete this testing before their first team practices.

Cybersecurity at Blair

The cyber-security needs of Blair's community continue to be a top priority of the technology office.  Safety measures have already included decommissioning physical servers, enforcing drive encryption on employee laptops, and providing antivirus and malware protection campus-wide.  More recently, technology team members have also worked together to enforce multi-factor authentication, give cyber-security presentations to faculty and staff, sponsor a Skeptics talk by a cyber-security expert, provide dedicated training opportunities, and reduce potential network vulnerabilities.

Electronic Report Cards Six Years Later

Reports cards were emailed to parents for the first time in 2013 after final exams.  You can reminisce by reading the blog post here.  At that time, the technology office was just starting a long term process of reducing physical paper mailings and creating a more efficient process for getting grades out to parents.  Since then, the school has not only streamlined report cards, but also the application process, enrollment, re-enrollment, health forms, and more have gone to being mostly paperless.

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.