SWARTZ CREEK — On June 6 the Swartz Creek Community Schools Board of Education approved $296,678.25 in funding for the district wireless infrastructure project.

The project is being paid for through the Swartz Creek Schools building and site fund, not the general fund.

The project will see wireless internet installed in all eight school buildings, including the high school, middle school and five elementary schools.

Swartz Creek Community Schools assistant superintendent Lauren Hunter said there is not a specific timeline for installation, but it will be completed before school starts in the fall. The school board approved the services of the company NETech for installation of the project.

“NETech came in as the lowest bid, and the district has been satisfied with work done by this company in the past,” Hunter said.

NETech had previously installed wireless internet in the board room at the administration building, the high school cafeteria and the special education offices at the Mary Crapo building. The project is a means for the school district to integrate technology in the classroom.

“National Technology Standards have determined which skills young people need in order to be successful in a global economy, and schools are responsible for teaching those skills,” Hunter said. “To improve our ability to provide this for students Swartz Creek Schools will be installing wireless internet access across the district this summer.”

With kids commonly possessing smartphones, iPods and other similar devices, schools must stay ahead and find ways to use the technology.

“From iPods to smartphones to Facebook, today’s youth are more wired than ever before, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that traditional teaching methods — textbooks and lectures — are not as effective as they were in teaching previous generations,” Hunter said. “Here in Swartz Creek we are paving the way for this inevitable change.”

Further, teaching through technology is becoming more involved than simply having the students read textbook materials on a computer screen.

“The development and application of higher-level thinking skills is a key component,” Hunter said. “Technology as an instructional strategy also opens the door for students to learn in ways that may better match their learning style than the traditional classroom offers.”

Wireless internet access by students will be subject to the same content filters that are currently in place for all Genesee County public schools.