The once-isolated traditional classroom of yesteryear has become a 21st Century global learning portal for students in Ulster County, thanks to the extensive technology infrastructure and services available through Ulster BOCES.

“It often goes unnoticed,” says Jane Bullowa, assistant superintendent for Instructional Services at Ulster BOCES. “All of our component school district buildings are connected electronically.” 

Educational Technology (Ed Tech), a division of Instructional Services at Ulster BOCES, offers an exciting array of sophisticated technical service support, curriculum delivery, assessment, and learning management systems to the County’s nine school districts. Located just north of New Paltz on Route 32, Ed Tech brings a multitude of services to Ulster County schools. The technology infrastructure provides high capacity bandwidth, which is the foundation for 21st Century services that today’s students deserve. The environment for learning and teaching is greatly enhanced for students in schools with robust connectivity and access to modern digital tools and resources. 

An additional bonus is that Ulster BOCES, and its collective buying power, makes it possible for schools to provide students with today’s high-tech learning tools in an economically efficient manner. As with all Ulster BOCES services, the cost for participation in the Educational Technology Cooperative Service (Co-Ser) is shared among all member districts, making it an extremely cost-effective option for obtaining quality services and creating a tremendous savings for taxpayers. It also minimizes duplication of services in the various school districts, which translates into big savings, as operational expenses are divided among participant districts. 

Ulster BOCES offers voice, video, and data transfer to the nine component school districts in Ulster County (Ellenville, Highland, Kingston, New Paltz, Onteora, Rondout Valley, Saugerties, and Wallkill School Districts, as well as West Park Union Free School District) as their individual needs require. With a 200-megabyte broadband capacity in which to flow information safely and securely, Ulster BOCES is capable of providing all the bandwidth Ulster County schools need and more. 

Moving data and information by broadband is an economical and efficient method to access a wide variety of instructional and management resources for schools. It not only brings the 21st Century classroom to our students, it also streamlines the various support systems – from distance learning and student assessment to food services and heating and cooling systems management – in our schools.

That’s just the tip of the infrastructure iceberg. Ulster BOCES Ed Tech provides a long list of high-tech services and resources for Ulster County school districts. IP (Internet Protocol) telephony services, web hosting, daily network monitoring, network design, project management, email virus protection, spam filtering, DNS (Domain Name Service), firewall support, and repair and maintenance of hardware are just a few examples of the types of support available to districts through the NOC (Network Operations Center) at Ulster BOCES. 

The Ed Tech Service Desk at the Ulster BOCES NOC provides troubleshooting and facilitates technical assistance for district networks, library automation, online course work, and video services. Bridging technology brings multiple sites together for instruction and meetings across the country and around the world. Ulster BOCES provides cost-effective connectivity for access to educational resources and management tools held at the Mid-Hudson Regional Information Center (MHRIC) and Instructional Services (IS), as well as bid specifications for technology equipment compiled to benefit the districts through cooperative bidding.

“Today’s students live in the digital age and demand that we incorporate intelligent and sophisticated uses of technology to enhance learning,” says Ms. Bullowa. “Our schools must orchestrate learning opportunities available locally and globally, and be aware of new tools and opportunities to engage students. They must stay relevant and leverage the potential of educational technology and digital resources – just one of the many ways Ulster BOCES can assist school districts in the preparation of our students for the challenges ahead.”