Tech Facilitator Meeting Sept 2012

Betty Weycker: 

Address of today's meet chat: http://todaysmeet.com/wsfcstfsept12

Introductions:  Hula Hoop demonstration

• Life isn’t always what it seem to be--same can be seen when struggling with technology
• Pilots Programs are teaching us this!
• recap:  not everyone was doing the same thing (with the hula hoops) even though we thought they were. This is the same idea when we realize what everyone is doing in different schools considering the varied roles that tech facilitators are playing these days.

Role of Tech Facilitators:   

• Betty shared our diverse roles in meeting with Principals 
• Keep focused, listen to the directions, know who your counterparts are, etc. 
•  PIAT: “Put in a ticket”--This process works 
• Tech Facilitator role is not defined in the sense of an allotted position--which makes it a gray area for people in Betty’s position
• Come to meetings at least 80% ("Betty Weycker policy")
• There is a $2000.00 stipend 
• Technical and instructional support (can’t do that if teaching all day in one spot) 
• Fastest increasing category of  "time specifically allotted for tech facilitators" is zero!  Wow! 
• Best they can do is offer district level support and get out the message 
• Make sure you are getting TBD updates--subscribe via email 
• DPI tech support now falls under finance –another wow--shows the lack of "support for technology :(

ISTE nets:  for teachers

• Digital age work, learning, professional growth, digital citizenship—all intertwined
• http://www.iste.org/standards
•  This is the framework for everything we do 

Kevin Sherrill/Technical updates:

Work Order systemBest practices for using KACE system

(Dell product):

• Top Line of ticket information has max of 255 characters—Kevin as asked for more of a box
• Recommends brief description of issue and treat it as a subject line, and then elaborate in the comments box below 
• Be aware of your School Que for your work orders:  You need to keep an eye on that, and assign to service desk as appropriate 
• Priority levels:  Medium by default—please don’t change the priority level 
• BIG CHANGE/TICKET PROCESS  
•  Most efficient to log ticket before you call.  
•  (There are only 5 people on service desk) “F” is new service desk person 
• Password/account unlocks—don’t need a ticket for those 
• This will give a clearer and more accurate log of ticket 
• This is about a process that makes it better for everyone

• Reminder: You do not need to put in tickets for account creations/deletion, etc—Those come from HR. 
• Kevin will look into stopping all those extra emails (user satisfaction ones for example) 
• Question: How long does it take HR action to get through technology—it is based on action date. 
• How are Student teachers handled? They will give them access as if a teacher—DOES need a ticket
• We have to keep principals updated on account status of new employees 
• Long term subs will get accounts, Daily subs, just use the guest account. 
• Calls from teachers to HELP DESK:  Process should be a KACE ticket first for them too--see your tech facilitator first –They are going to look at putting that in any mass communication from the service desk notices. 
• Remind the teachers of this process

Wireless Environment:

• Continuing to roll out 
• Code for guest access: currently issued by service desk  
• Working on internal vs external access: 
• Wsfcs_managed—only used for devices joined to the domain--that have WPA policy/certificate installed on them.  
•  If not working, let them know or
• If it’s been off the domain for three months, then you have to bring in laptop and connect to Ethernet wire and do a gpupdate
• Wsfcs_guest:  For access to folks who are not part of our organization (vendors, guest speakers)
• Call to help desk and you get that temporary user name and pw 
• When guest connects, they will browse for guest network, it will then launch a browsers, and the guest will put in guest user information 
• This provides "outbound traffic only"--internet no internal server access

Going Forward:  wsfcs_MLC  will be out new guest network (As of Sept 17^th)

(Mobile learning community)

• They will give you a user name and password for MLC community—it  will be 566_MLC with a password (the password will not expire)
• They will only be on the guest network not the internal network, may change the pw periodically 
• They will be able to go to other schools and use 
• Tablets:  They authenticate with managed now, but will be guest as well. 
• All "off the domain" devices will connect to this guest network (webportal access?  maybe an issue to iron out
• But as of right now personal devices are still prohibited,  
• The details of changing to MLC network will be summarized in next week’s TBT

Carla Miller Printer Management:

• In the next two weeks they will be doing an Inventory on your printers
• They will be checking: 
•  the physical location
• verify the printer name
• the IP address

• When a printer moves, you have to let them know because the printer name needs to be changed.
• Issues when printers are moved and not renamed
• Causes confusion when supplies are delivered and teachers choose printers  
• Lots of emails about toner cartridges not being delivered properly
• Carla looks at the toner level report
• Has to reach the 20% threshold or strategic will charge the school the difference 
• When submitting a ticket, print test page showing amount of toner left, send IP address, and name of printer to Carla.  
• Question? What if extra Cartridges are found?  Strategic will issue a credit in some cases, or use with a stand alone printers.  Technology does not support those.  
• Any new printer should be put in the system.

Kevin Sherrill--Web Browsers:  IE verses Chrome

• Google Chrome browser is now available on the AICP:  
• Only install for teachers who need it, certain things don’t work well including NCWISE, webportals, Plato.   
• If teachers uses a lot of google docs, you might install it for them.  
• IE 8 is available on AICP too.

 Buddy Martin:

• Chis, Sherry, Justin and Luu are part of this team.  
• Email notification on TBT about security enhancements that required password changes.  
• The Policy in active directory was to change password every three years  
• When we upgrade domain, they will be able to differentiate between students and teacher password requirements  
• Security enhancements will go in effect this fall.  
• Email and active directory passwords will sync, but password should be changed with active directory (cntr-alt-del on desktops)  
• Issues discussed about giving personal email and cell phones for MS Live email—they will research if this issue is

Computrace: https://cc.absolute.com/Default.aspx

• Asset tracking system--not the best for those purposes, but good for tracking the location of machines.  
• Email address is user name on computrace  
• Generic password 123...123456 and prompted to change it

“File Screens”: on home directories—

• Purpose is to filter out certain file types: including mp3’s , executable files, etc.
• You can use the K drive instead--it's not backed up but doesn’t count against your allotted space.   
• You have to backup old K drive or loose previous year's files (they keep one year archive)  
• Speaking of space/quotas:  Teachers have 300 MB  
• Tech Facilitators/Admins currently have unlimited space

Technical Update continued…miscellaneous items

• Have users change password in active directory—cntr-alt-del 
• Local contacts in people's email are what syncs to contacts on Samsung Galaxy phones.  So,  change on local contacts in email to fix mistakes.  
• If a Principal needs to find a mobile number it is published in active directory—look up in email address book and you will see the mobile number there

Chris Corbin

• Java issue/ "Unknown publisher" problem with NCWISE:  not much news on it.  
• Seems to be only Affecting windows XP machines (not windows 7) 
• Problem appears/behaves to be profile based   
• No root cause known yet  
• Fix for labs? Can use generic log-in for training  
• Encourage teachers to mainly use one machines to access NCWISE for now
• 
  
• Erin Mulhern sent me these directions to share with teachers, and I edited and here they are:
• Here is the Notice/directions:  There have been issues with accessing NC Wise (district wide) - to prevent chaos Monday morning, PLEASE follow these steps:
  • Using the computer(s) you plan to use primarily for NC Wise (attendance and grade book), please go ahead and try to open NC Wise (under user options on any school webpage or esis.ncwise.org) as soon as possible.
  • If you can get to the log in boxes, you can stop reading and hopefully yours will be OK Monday morning when you take attendance : )
  • If you get any kind of error message about not being able to get to the site, please follow the next steps:
  • Go to http://java.com/en/download/manual_v6.jsp and click on Windows Online.
  • Install the update (be careful not to install the Ask Toolbar--uncheck the box).
  • Re-launch NCWise and it should be good as new.
  • Contact me if you have any other issues.  (You will still have to maybe click on the Run options for Java).
  • NEVER DO JAVA Updates if they pop up in a window (lower right corner of your desktop)

• In some cases have to remove version 7 of Java in control panel and then go to Java site.
• Is there a way to stop the JAVA update?  there is a registry update that can stop that. 
• Use teacher issued laptop until they work out this issue

Printer Issues?:

• Justin part of the systems team, and has worked on work station images  
• Anything with windows 7 license now has that on the image
• the "unintended error" problem with windows 7 images is now fixed.  
•  Betty will put out a complete organizational chart on the roles of the system team

Digital Learning continued:

• Standards based report card with this new system coming in the future (next year)
• Report works  
• Parent Access will be available  
• Will roll out next August!

Debbie Harmon:

• Parent Assist:  url as of last week was going to a test link environment.  It should be running on the 11^th day.  
• NCWISE team working on TAM training in schools—calendar is filling up      
• Very Important that prep setup stays the same throughout the year once it is setup  
• On teacher webportal there is a link to TAM user guides and web x too—They can do it at home.  
• Also under departments/ncwise:  http://www.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/Page/45268

Connect 5:  Blackboard connect

• Two training 17^th 1:00 in NCWISE lab and 18^th at 8:00 am  
• Ava has a web-x to be posted soon and will be updated soon.

Digital Citizenship:

• Setting the tone:  A connected school approach to creating a bully-free classrooms.
• Book we were to read this summer:  http://www.amazon.com/Setting-Tone-Bully-free-Classrooms-ebook/dp/B006WWGWK2 
• Stand up against bullying walk—emphasis on cyber bullying for the month of October Sept 27, October 13th

Steven Anderson:

Roles and Responsibility of Instructional Technologists

• Angie Wallace, our admin assistant
• Brian takes care of central office and Moodle
• Colleen:  handles e-rate
• Marty:  one to one pilot, and CPS issues
• Dorene:  Smart issues, edmodo
• Evan:  Promethian, media caste, school wires
• Melissa:  Learning Village, Learn 360, netrekker
• Celia   Newest—special project with admins,

NCTIES:

Plug—call for proposals opened on Tuesday

www.Ncties.org

Grants:

• Teachers must go to departments and research and evaluation and grants and read before they apply for a grant—can’t put in a grant before reading those two documents:  http://www.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/Page/817

Mobile Pilot Program:  http://wscommunityoflearners.blogspot.com/

• Invited teachers at the end of June to apply for a one to one device either tablet or laptop  
• 6 teachers were chosen after rigorous screening
• (2 at each level, Rural Hall, Clemmons Elem, Jefferson and Kernersville Middle Schools,  Mt Tabor and North Forsyth) 
• Teachers say "It's the hardest thing they have ever had to do"

School wires Update:

• There have been some errors in their database  
• Best piece of advice is to navigate to the site that you want to edit and then sign in to school wires.   
• Otherwise you get errors.  
• There was slowness recently and was reported.

• Major update coming, we have told we don’t want until this issue is resolved.

Accounts: 

• Angie Wallace handles the account change ticket
• it causes problems when webmasters create them with wrong credentials.   
• Please don’t create School Wires user accounts.  
• Just hide them for now—there is a back log, and they know about it.

TPACK documents:  http://www.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/tpack

• Activity types--what technologies go with what activities

Software clearing house:

• Remind staff about the process—place to look for approved and unapproved software

• Don’t waste money on software that is not approved by instructional services/technology

Password matrix has been updated:

Webportal--Information for tech facilitators under security:  https://webportal.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/sites/Techfaq/Information%20for%20Technology%20Facilitators/Security/Password%20Matrix.pdf

Learn 360:  issues:

• There service has been kicking out all of our users, and they run a script and it gets fixed.  
• Password changed this year to wsfcs  
• Lists and old things went away too

Betty:

BYOD—Bring your own device. IS NOW

MLC:  Mobile Learning Communities

Pilots—we will learn so much from these pilot classrooms!

• Her money is on veteran teachers who can handle classroom management

• Tuesday night to the Board:  

• The proposal is for  Science classrooms in 3^rd, 5^th grade, HS to get”

• classroom solution,

• Teacher would get 28 laptops and cart

• Some leasing involved

Modified classroom solution:

Desktop

Teacher cart

Monitor

Sound enhancement

Document slate

Will start in high schools because of testing in the fall

Video from Betty:

The times are a changing/education on Youtube:  http://youtu.be/wuyrP_HhWEg