Advancement Office Remodel

Recently, the Advancement Office space was remodeled to include a more open reception area and new office space.  The technology office was responsible for moving phone jacks and adding data wiring in order to accommodate the locations of the new work spaces.

The Construction of the Center for Innovation & Collaboration

With construction underway on Blair's new Center for Innovation & Collaboration (CIC), the technology office staff have been coordinating with the contractors who install the underground fiber optic and phone wiring.  This also involves planning for the Ethernet ports which support wireless access points and network devices such as switches and printers.  This planning and communication is necessary during the construction in order to ensure that the technology in the building will be ready when it opens.  A time lapse video of the construction is available here.

Blair Robotics Team

For the first time ever, Blair students participated in a robotics competition in October. The students were tasked with building a robot and programming it for specific functions. Under the direction of Computer Science teacher, Mr. Garrant, the student team were finalists in the competition.

Faculty Tablets instead of Interactive Whiteboards

Faculty members are issued tablets that include a touch-screen function and can be used in conjunction with classroom projectors to simulate interactive whiteboards.  The allows for multi-modal instruction: teachers write on the tablet, project onto a white board to add to the image, and students have another level of interaction with the material.  At the end of instruction, the files can be saved and emailed to students or posted on the class website for student reference.

360-Degree Classrooms

Technology advances help students get up and move around the classroom while working on traditional math equations. In the Math Classroom in Timken 012, faculty and students alike take advantage of multiple projectors in the room.  The projectors aim at three walls of the classroom. Images project in front of white boards and retractable screens. The experimental audio-visual system allows teachers and students to work beyond to their desks and helps make math come alive.

Parents View Grades Online

Since switching to the OnCampus student information system at the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year, the Academic Office is no longer emailing report cards to parents.  Instead, parents can look at their student's progress through a secure password-protected online account and view grades as a PDF.  Under the Performance tab, parents are also able to view monitor letters and advisee reports.  The switch was a collaborative effort between the Academic Office and the Technology Office.

Taking Attendance by Phone App

This year saw a launch of the OnCampus system for taking attendance in class.  For the first time, faculty have the ability to save the mobile site to their smart phone home screens and take attendance directly from their smart phones.  This makes it easier to submit student attendance during the day for classes and other student commitments, such as athletics and activities.