Instructional Integration

Technology Center: As part of a major renovation project completed ten years ago, H-F built a Technology Center which houses three computer labs and a Computer User’s Center, along with offices for Computer Services.    One lab is devoted to regularly scheduled classes in the Art curriculum.  Teachers sign up to schedule classes into the other three labs.  The Computer User’s Center houses 30 PC’s, all Internet accessible along with scanners and printers.  It is staffed by a supervisor and is a drop-in computer facility for teachers and students alike.
 

Computer Labs:   H-F has other specialized computer labs spread throughout the building all used to incorporate technology into the curriculum. No matter what course a student takes, he will run into technology. 

• The South building also houses a Teaching Learning Center. This center features a computer lab, tutoring tables, and individual meeting rooms. H-F students may use this center before school, after school, and during classes.

• The North building has two separate computer labs that teachers can reserve for use with their classes.

• English classes use the computer labs regularly, including their own 30-station lab, in the writing process, while some are incorporating computer-driven multimedia presentations into their coursework. 

• Journalism students use their 30-station PC lab to write up their articles and create the student newspaper, The Voyager, using desktop publishing,

• Students who work on the literary magazine EDDA produce the finished copy using desktop publishing.

• The Applied Academics Department has a 30-station lab devoted to the teaching of Keyboarding and Accounting.. 

• Applied Academics also has a 26-station lab devoted to CAD and a Tech Prep curriculum.

• The Foreign Language department has a 33-station lab with specialized software for the teaching of Spanish and French. 

• Mathematics has a 30-station computer lab. In addition, students use graphing calculators and have the opportunity to take computer programming in a mini-lab devoted to that purpose. 

• Fine Arts students can take Computer Graphics courses taught in the Tech Wing lab. Photography students use a 24-station lab located in lower G Building.

• Music classes use a mini lab equipped with MIDI equipment to compose their own original music. They are also able to record that music to DVDs.

• Students put together layouts, copy, and digital photos for the ODIN (H-F’s yearbook) using desktop publishing. 

• Science classes have 7 mini labs, with probes and other peripherals, for use in data gathering, simulations, and other lab work.  For the 2008-09 school year, tablet PC's have been added, allowing student mobility while doing experiments.

• Social Science has found useful programs for Economics, US History, and World History. 

• The IMC/Library has a 36-station lab devoted to research, allowing students to access on-line databases

Classrooms:  As a result of administrative support and backing, technology has become a part of the everyday life of the H-F student.  Every classroom has a computer with an Internet connection.  Teachers use the computer for taking attendance, reporting eligibility, and doing progress reports and grades.  They also use the computer in the course of everyday instruction.  The Science, English, Mathematics, Social Science and Applied Academics departments all use Smart Boards for instructional purposes.  In addition, many classrooms use state-of-the-art presentation projectors.

 
Software:  

• H-F has converted to a new school management software, SASIxp. 

• Student records, attendance, discipline, grades, and scheduling are all being done on the SASIxp software housed in Computer Services. 

• Teachers take attendance using CLASSxp, a module of the SASIxp program. 

• Faculty and Staff communicate using First Class, software which provides an electronic mail and web page system, housed on another server in Computer Services. 

• Teachers use an electronic grade program, IntegradePro, which plugs into the SASIxp program and provides data to our new ParentCONNECT Server.. 

• Teachers also use ABACUSxp to record results of local assessments. 

• Deans use SASIxp to access student records and the discipline letter generator.

• Guidance Counselors use SASIxp to access student records and have access to Guidance Information System software for college and career information. They also use an appointment program.

• The Business Office is online with the Treasurer’s Office and produces purchase orders electronically and uses the MSE Fees program.
• The district utilizes the Schools Interoperability Frameworks (SIF) and a Zone Integrated Server (ZIS) to exchange data between software applications.
• Visual Casel is the security program used for student logins.
• ParentConnect software is used to better communicate with parents about their student's attendance, grades, schedule, and transcripts.
• The IMC/Library uses the Follett software.
• The food service uses WinSnap.