Schools

Tech Upgrades Start This Summer at Northville Schools

Northville schools will all get new desktop and laptop computers for $3.5 million.

Northville high school and middle school students will start the 2013-14 school year with new computers and interactive white boards.

The technology bond projects were approved by voters in the November 2012 election. The district's technology upgrades start this summer at Northville High School, Hillside Middle School and Meads Mill Middle School. Upgrades at the district's six elementary schools will begin in the fall. 

"We're most excited about, from an educational standpoint, our classrooms getting outfitted with interactive audio visual systems," said David Rodgers, Northville Public Schools human resources director. 

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New technology equipment in the classrooms will include:

  • new desktop and laptop computers
  • classroom audiovisual systems
  • document cameras
  • instructional carts
  • interactive whiteboards

More than 3,600 desktop and laptop computers with the latest Windows 7 and Office 2013 software will be installed in every building, classroom and lab across the school district beginning in mid-June, according to an email from the district.

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Select classrooms and learning labs across the district will be equipped with interactive whiteboards, the email said. The interactive whiteboard has a large display that connects to a computer and projector, which projects the computer’s desktop onto the board’s surface. Teachers and students can control the computer with a pen, finger or other device.

The classrooms getting these updates have already been selected, Rodgers said.

The Northville Board of Education awarded contracts at its April 23 meeting for the installation of these upgrades:

  • desktop and laptop computers via Inacomp TSG for $3,583,412.85
  • video production computer equipment from Apple, Inc., via REMC state contract pricing, for $128,193.93
  • instructional technology carts via Detroit Pencil Co. for $157,115.00

Despite the millions of dollars that will be invested, residents' taxes will not change from last year.

The district, according to the email, will also get:

  • a replacement and upgrade of the district’s server and storage area network
  • new phone systems that will be linked to computers to allow for notification via e-mail when there is a voice mail message 
  • new phone numbers throughout the district but the old district and school building phone numbers will work
  •  VMView technology, which will allow staff and students to have secure and remote access to their files


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