Technology at Stella Maris Academy goes beyond the computer lab. Not only do we maintain a 32-station iMac computer lab equipped with an LCD projector and "Smart Board," all of our buildings are networked and well-equipped; each classroom is has at least 3 computers, a Smart Board, and an LCD projector. Technology-based projects are integrated throughout our curriculum.

SMA buildings have wireless Internet access across the entire school campus. Stella Maris Academy uses iMacs and students utilize the Office 2004, iLife '08,  as well as a variety of educational software and Web-based subscription programs.

Students and parents are required to sign the Stella Maris Acceptable Use Policy form agreeing to abide by its terms.

Only school issued computers are allowed at school without the principal's written permission. Students shall not bring laptops, iPods, MP3 players, video players, cameras or other electronic devices to school.

The lab is open at recess, lunch or after school only if prior arrangements have been made with Mr. Martin. You will not be allowed upstairs at the lab at lunch or recess without a note from Mr. Martin. You must have your parent's permission to use the lab after school. This is to insure that parents and carpool drivers are informed of the student's plan to stay late. Extended Care students must get a note from Mr. Martin to show when they sign in to Extended Care.

Flash Drive Tips

A flash drive is optional but recommended for middle school students. This durable and portable storage media has all but replaced increasingly shoddily made floppy disks. Flash drives, which are being required more and more by high schools, hold various amounts of memory, from 128 MB to more than a gigabyte. At least 128MB is fine. Flash drives can usually be obtained for less than $20 with careful shopping. Some sources of inexpensive flash drives include Target, Office Depot, amazon.com, Tiger Direct and CDW.

To minimize the chances of loss, SMA recommends that students put a label with their full name on the flash drive. Students should also rename their flash drive to include his/her name. 

School Technology Issues: Social Networking

Parents should be aware of the current phenomenon of "social networking" sites. Simply stated, social networking sites allow students to quickly and easily create web pages that contain information about themselves. Although not inherently evil, these sites can make students vulnerable in a number of ways, depending the amount and type of information students share. Parents and students need to carefully review the rules of the site, the restrictions on others viewing the site, and the kind of information and/or pictures your student would put on the site.

Problems which can occur from students creating these sites include vulnerabilty to Internet predators and cyberbullies, as well exposure to other high risk activities. Read more about these and other problems by accessing the links below.

Here at SMA, social networking sites are blocked for students.The dangers of social networking are often addressed during technology current events discussions in computer class.

Some social networking sites which are currently popular include My Space, Xanga , Facebook, and Tagged.

Please read the information on the links below and discuss the issues with your student. If they have a site, look at it and make sure that it is safe.

GBI Internet Crimes Against Children and CyberSafety Site This site is a portal for information for parents, teachers, and kids about how to stay safe on the Internet.

"The "My Space;" Phenomenon" by Nancy Willard This article provides a good overview of why parents and teachers should be concerned about social networking sites with some guidelines for keeping students safe on the Internet.

My Space Safety Tips for Teens These tips are offered by the My Space website for teens who use the service and includes links to other safety oriented websites

My Space Tips for Parents These tips are offered by the My Space website for parents and include links to monitoring software and a way to remove your child's profile from the website.

Dangers Children Face Online: Dateline NBC This article describes Dateline's ongoing project to reveal the dangers children can face online.

Why Parents Must Mind My Space This article describes the dangers of MySpace and has links to tips for kids of different ages as well as online safety contracts for parents and kids.

US Computer Emergency Readiness Team Cyber Tip on Social Networking Sites

List of Notable Social Networking Sites This list from Wikipedia, while not exhaustive, gives most of the social networking sites that your kids might want to join.