Modesto City Schools increased instructional time and scaled modern technology district-wide with the help of at-the-desk charging. After implementing new Active Charge solutions, they saw positive results such as:
“If you design technology in a classroom correctly, it just works, and the teacher does not have to think about it. That’s exactly what JAR Systems did for our teachers.”
Russ Selken
Chief Technology Officer
Modesto City Schools
Modesto City Schools is a school district located in Stanislaus County, California. They have 34 schools within their district, with a total enrollment of approximately 32,000 students. The Modesto technology team supports the district’s vision of every student graduating with the skills, knowledge, and character traits essential to thrive and contribute to society.
The Chief Technology Officer, Russ Selken, leads the technology team’s initiatives. Anthony Luna is the Technician Manager for Modesto City Schools and has been with the district for 23 years. Misty Roton is the Help Desk Manager for Modesto City Schools and works primarily with students, teachers, and parents, overseeing 37 computer technicians and any issues that may arise.
One of the biggest challenges that the district faced was transitioning towards a technological and digital world in the classrooms. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, they rapidly expanded to a fully 1:1 mobile device model across the entire district. As in-person instruction resumed, finding ways to keep students’ devices charged and ready for learning was difficult. Prior to mobile devices becoming integrated into lesson plans there was less demand for outlets in classrooms. But now, there were not enough to go around. Students frequently came to school with an uncharged device, preventing them from participating in lessons. This resulted in wires and extension cords being strung across the classroom floors, creating trip hazards and disruptions to learning.
Modesto City Schools needed a solution that could be used immediately to charge students’ devices, so they could participate in daily lessons. The technology team first turned to an easy DIY solution that could charge and store multiple devices simultaneously. It consisted of surge protectors and AC adapters wrapped up and zip-tied to file organizers.
While this DIY solution did help the district address the basic charging need, the solution was not scalable and came with additional challenges. AC adapters were often removed so they could actively charge their devices while they were working instead of leaving the device at the back of the classroom to passively charge. The team quickly realized that they needed a solution that could charge students’ devices while they were in use.
The team researched all available options that would be adaptive without creating safety hazards or changing classroom infrastructure. Throughout the exploration of many different options and companies, JAR Systems stood out from the crowd.
The team consulted with their trusted partners, Justin Davenport and Pat Hein at CDW, to lean on their industry knowledge and gain insight into other customers’ experiences with JAR Systems’ solutions. With CDW’s recommendation, they set their eyes on JAR Systems’ Active Charge Solutions. While other solutions solved the issue of charging, they were stationary and not able to travel with students to the next class. Active Charge Power Banks met the districts’ specific charging needs while allowing for the adaptability of ever-evolving technology.
The technology team at Modesto City Schools along with JAR Systems and CDW worked together to plan a smooth deployment. “Working with JAR Systems, specifically Terri Donato, was a pleasure from beginning to end. The focus was always on the customer experience and making sure Modesto City Schools had everything they needed for a successful deployment.” Justin Davenport, Executive Account Manager at CDW. The team appreciated the plug-and-play nature of the solutions, making the deployment easy.
They implemented JAR Systems’ Universal USB-C Charging Docks to Kindergarten through 6th-grade classrooms, Adapt4 USB-C Charging Stations to 7th-12th grade classrooms, Library Check-Out Charging Solutions to office and technology rooms, and 8 Active Charge Power Banks to each classroom in the district. The Active Charge Power Banks’ scannable barcodes enable the district to easily track them as assets in their system. The school bus yellow color of the power banks allows staff to differentiate them from other technology items.
Soon after, the district also implemented Library Check-Out Charging Solutions for substitute teacher devices. This allows them to charge power banks, loaner devices, and USB-C devices side-by-side with ease. “Once we had a few solutions in place, one of the first requests we got was ‘How do we get them into the hands of administrators?’ The entire district saw the value in these solutions immediately.” Misty Roton, Help Desk Manager.
After implementing the solutions in the district, the teachers recognized an immediate increase in instructional time in the classrooms.
“Without JAR Systems, the use and integration of 21st-century tools in the classroom would be minimal to non-existent. The value I have recognized that JAR has brought to our district is higher educational minutes in each classroom and the ability for the teachers to set their curriculum structure without interruptions. If you design technology in a classroom correctly, it just works, and the teacher does not have to think about it. That’s exactly what JAR Systems did for our teachers.” Russ Selken, Chief Technology Officer.
Not only were teachers recognizing the benefits of these solutions, but the impact was even discussed in school board meetings. The district observed the positive impact that the solutions were having throughout their classrooms and decided to increase their investment in the power banks.
“Our experience with JAR Systems has been great. The customer service has been exceptional, but what I have appreciated the most is how much care there is in creating a solution to our problems.” Misty Roton, Help Desk Manager.
