Technology has become by far the factor most responsible for driving change in our world today. The power of computer technology is rising almost as quickly as prices are falling, the result being that incredible technology is available to almost all American citizens. With increases in the capacity of fiber optics and new developments in other communications technologies, Marshall McLuhan's vision of the "Global Village" has become reality. The size and rate of growth of the Internet is proof of that! Technology is radically transforming our economy, our society, our politics, and our individual lives.
For any organization to be successful in the future, it will have to be knowledgable about technology and proactive in pursuing opportunities that allow it to provide better products or services. Also, for individuals to be successful in the future, they will have to, at a bare minimum, have a basic understanding of technology and be able to apply that understanding in a variety of settings.
The basic philosophy of the agency's technology plan is to deploy and develop technology and then use it as a living laboratory. We have been very successful at deploying computer technology within the agency. Every classroom is equipped with multiple computers. More uniquely, we have deployed computers to all of our residences, which makes new learning opportunities available for the people who live there. Additionally, being linked via computer has reduced the amount of travel residential staff must do simply to move paperwork from location to location. We'll continue to make more gains in this regard in the future.
Professionals, administrators, and students alike also share a wide area network that links our major facilities at the Wildwood School on Curry Road Extension and the Latham Circle Mall. Smaller sites, including Wildwood's residences, are connected to the main network through a combination of low-speed leased lines, dial-in remote network access, and the Internet. All of the agency's locations are 100% connected to our main network, which everybody shares. Furthermore, everybody on Wildwood's network is connected to the Internet.
Our Media Center at the Wildwood School is similarly a shared resource for students, professionals, administrators, and families alike. At the Media Center people can work with most types of computers they are likely to find in "real world:". We also have an extensive library of CD-ROM and educational titles for use.
One of the most successful technology initiatives we undertook was the creation of the Wildwood Network. The Network is essentially an electronic mail and conferencing system built on top of a FirstClass server from Centrinity. We use this system to electronically connect our students, consumers, staff, families, community supporters, and even individuals from partnering agencies. We have even established electronic pen pal activities between students at Wildwood and those at other schools. If you'd like to be a part of this community, please see our Wildwood Network page for more information and the necessary software.
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