Burlington High goes wireless, with more changes ahead

By Sara Brown, Town Correspondent

When Burlington High School students head back to class September 1, they’ll be hitting the books—and the laptops—in a school outfitted with some new technology.

For the first time, the high school will have total wireless internet access, and students will also be using new computers in some classes and a new network to save and access work. 

The wireless access is part of a $1.5 million town initiative to make Burlington wireless, said Burlington High principal Patrick Larkin.  The high school is the first building to get the treatment.   

The high school’s wireless connection has been completed, said Faydeen Sateriale, who works for the district's technology department.  She said the school will be wireless the first day of school, with students given a password to sign on to the network from anywhere in the school.

The connection extends to an outdoor area by the gym, according to Sateriale, so students can do work outside. 

About $300,000 worth of technology has also been added to the school as well, such as MacBooks for art, music, and foreign language labs. 

Sateriale said each student will also have access to a folder on a school-wide network, through which they can save work and then access it from either home or school. 

“There’s so much going on,” Sateriale said.  “It’s exciting.”

Even more changes could be on the horizon.  Over the summer, Larkin approached the School Committee about making the high school a one-to-one school: one laptop computer, or similar device, for every student by fall 2011. 

"It's not a bad thing for every student to have a laptop instead of carrying a book bag," said Larkin.  

A committee of parents, teachers, students and administrators will be created to discuss the proposal, including questions about whether the district should use Macs or PCs, and how the district will approach paying for the initiative.

Options include requiring students to purchase their own laptops, with bulk discounts and financial assistance for those that need it; leasing the computers, and having the district provide the laptops for the students.  

Larkin said he is aware of the cost of the project, though he noted that the district would save money on paper and textbooks, and students would need laptops eventually.  "The investment would have to happen anyway," he said.

"It's a community decision," Larkin said.  Burlington would be the second school district in the state to go one-to-one; the Beverly school district also plans to institute the policy in September 2011.  

"We'd love to be that kind of a leader in our part of Massachusetts," Larkin said.  "We're excited about it.  We have great teachers...if it can't be done in Burlington, it can't be done."  

Teachers have already gone one-to-one, Larkin said, with the district providing each high school teacher with a laptop so they can get comfortable with the technology.    

Larkin and the rest of the School Committee have stressed communication and transparency as the district discusses the initiative.  In July, Larkin set up a webpage about one-to-one that has information about the proposal, notes about initial discussions, and a place for interested parties to ask questions.  

Michael DeSimone, a School Committee member, said communication is the most critical part of the transition.  "Patrick has great communication skills," he said of the principal, noting that the district would have to involve teachers, students, and parents in the plans.  

DeSimone also stressed the getting students acclimated with computers would give them a leg up as they enter college and the working world.  "It's important that kids understand how to use technology," he said, "and how to use it as a form of communication."