West Jefferson Hills
School District Staff
and Students Are
Working in the
CLOUD
BY SUHAIL BALOCH,
TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR
WE ST J E FFE RS ON H IL L S S C HO OL D I ST RIC T NE WS
ES T
OL
est Jefferson Hills
T
raditional methods for storing files and documents
include either saving them on the device they
were created on or a local computer network. The
latter option allows a user to access his or her files and
documents from any device inside the network. With
the introduction of removable media, such as flash
drives, users can carry their files on their person and are
not limited to being inside the network. However, this
method requires the presence of a physical device and
all changes are applicable only to the files on the drive.
Recently, with the invention of cloud storage, it is
possible for users to create, modify and access their files
and documents from anywhere and at any time using
an internet connection. Cloud storage is basically a
virtual extension of a computer network accessible over
the Internet to users belonging to the network. Using
the cloud, users no longer have to be physically inside a
school building to access their files and documents. In
addition to computers, cloud storage is also available
from tablets and smart phones using either apps or a
web browser.
West Jefferson Hills School District offers its staff
and students several methods of cloud storage and
computing. First, our district has a Google domain.
Thomas Jefferson
Student Teaches
Hangul Korean
Language to
Gifted Students
ifted
BY TONY SONITA,
WEST JEFFERSON HILLS
SCHOOL DISTRICT
50 West Jefferson Hills
A
This means that our users have access to Google Drive,
Google Apps and variety of other Google offerings.
Next, we also offer the online version of Microsoft
Office called Office365. Office365 not only includes
web versions of Office products, but also Microsoft
SkyDrive. SkyDrive provides each of our users with 25
GB of cloud storage they can access both inside and
outside the district. Finally, WJHSD also provides our
staff and students the ability to access their network
files and documents outside the district. Using a web
browser and their network login name and password,
our users can securely access their files, modify them
and create new ones on our network. For example, if a
student starts work on a presentation in the classroom
or a computer lab, he or she can continue to work on the
same presentation when at home or any location with
an Internet connection using a computer, tablet or smart
phone. Any changes made to the file in one location will
be evident in another.
Here at West Jefferson Hills School District, our goal
is to keep pace with cutting edge technologies and
make them available to our students and staff, along
with training on how to use them in an instruction and
learning setting.
s part of her senior project, Thomas Jefferson High School
senior Gina Kilmer visited McClellan Elementary School
Tuesday, December 17, to teach the gifted class about the
Hangul Korean language. Kilmer taught the students
about the basics of the Korean alphabet and how to
write their names in Hangul Korean.
“The project is part of an entire lesson on
Korea,” said District gifted support teacher
Colleen Triffanoff. “The students learned about
the Korean culture and the history of
the country.”
“The elementary students get a
chance to learn about a culture that
they might not learn about until
later in their education,” said Kilmer.