Technology Improved

With each passing year, technology plays a bigger and bigger role in the work of our teachers and the education of our students.

Because of that, the improved use of and access to technology has been a major part of the Students First projects.

Technology upgrades have included infrastructure, wireless and hard wired systems, IP phone and PA systems and updated teacher computers and student labs.

DMPS has taken steps to upgrade the district network infrastructure for our future needs. Making the network more efficient brings a wide range of benefits to the district, including better communication, improved data sharing and cost savings.

Most significantly, an upgrade in the district’s network backbone to 10GB will increase bandwidth and offer a faster and more reliable network district-wide.

DMPS has  increased our wireless capacity to over 90% of our buildings with the plans for 100% by the end of the 2014-15 school year. Our buildings have been saturated with the latest wireless technologies that will allow up to 30 wireless devices per classroom, preparing our schools for future 1:1 computer or tablet initiatives.

DMPS is also replacing analog phones with digital IP phones. This replaces phone systems in renovated school buildings to a centralized phone system, and includes new PA systems in those buildings.

In addition, the district has placed one computer lab per elementary building, two for middle schools and up to three in the high schools, in addition to providing a laptop for every teacher.

The chart below shows the steep decline in the computer:student ratio at Des Moines Public Schools.