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Technology at Sage Hill
 
Our goal is to ensure that our students thrive in a world laden with information and characterized by an ever-quickening pace of change. As a tool and as a medium, the computer is essential to a Sage Hill education. Along with books, paper, and ideas, new and emerging electronic resources shape the ways our teachers teach and our students learn.  To that end, the school provides to each student a username and password that opens access to an email account, computer resources, the Internet, printing and file access.

"Green" computing initiative

In 2005, Sage Hill School began an initiative to reduce technology e-waste and its effect on the environment. Electronic waste (e–waste) is a term used to describe electronic products nearing the end of their "useful life". When these products reach the end of their useful lives or become obsolete, some are considered hazardous waste and cannot be disposed like regular trash. To that end, Sage Hill School began investigating ways to provide technology that would be useful to our students but also incur less e-waste.

Implementation began when the need arose to refresh computers in the library.  The school converted obsolete library computers into "thin" clients. Thin client technology moves processing power to one or more servers. What this means is that we can use low end computers that can run newer applications, such as Microsoft Office 2007. Today, 80% of our school computers run on thin client technology.

We’ve already begun the second phase of our "green" computing initiative by creating virtual servers. Our ultimate goal is to provide technology that will help our students learn but also provide technology that will provide a cleaner place for our students to live.

Student Computer Notebook Recommendation
Students are not required to purchase computer notebooks. But, it is recommended that each student purchase a USB flash storage drive.

For families that feel notebooks are a necessary classroom tool, they are encouraged to follow the technical specifications outlined below:

  • Dell, HP, Asus, IBM, Sony, Toshiba
  • Apple (recommended to also purchase a VGA video adapter)
  • Processor with at least 1.0 Ghz or more
  • 1 GB RAM memory (or more)
  • 40 GB hard drive (or more)
  • Micorosft Windows XP Professional (not Home Version) or Vista Professional or Mac OS 10
  • Microsoft Office Suite or Equivalent (www.openoffice.org)
  • Antivirus Program, Free Antivirus software is available.  (www.avast.com, www.avg.com) 
  • 3 year warranty (optional but recommended)
  • 802.11b wireless (recommended)