Technology Facilitator Meeting December 2014

Kevin Sherrill

• Pollev.com/wsfcs
• Or text:  340671 your message to 37607
• Sally Mercer retiring

RUA: Responsible Use Agreement  

• Debbie Harmon will run a report of students who still show as un-returned in Power School and will send out a report to the schools 

MS Deal for students and staff:

• Information to go to all employees: https://portal.office.com/Home
• Student advantage MS program for up to five personal machines
• Same deal for all of our employees; install office 2013 pro plus for free
• Instructional video www.office.com/getoffice365
• It overlaps with the program already in place for purchasing windows operating systems:   
• http://wsfcs.onthehub.com/WebStore/ProductsByMajorVersionList.aspx?JSEnabled=1
• Users Can change their email start page view under the settings cog wheel
• Kevin will be changing link to the office 365 under user options and on the icon on the desktop so that it takes users to the page where they can easily download office
• Mobile apps are available too
• Mobile office on the phone is nice since it directs you to one drive
• FAQ:  http://products.office.com/en-US/microsoft-office-for-home-and-school-faq
• Have them use FAQ section:  encourage teachers not to call service desk
• Won’t work on Windows XP machines and certain windows updates

• "I am having trouble installing on my home machine"--refer them to FAQ on that.

Laptop deployment

• Still plan to distribute laptops by first week in January
• Laptops will be etched on the top with WSFCS logo

Chris Corbin

• Datacenter core update to take place in January
• Filter update has solved the problems the were having earlier in November

Chris Corbin: presentation

https://wsfcsk12nc.sharepoint.com/sites/Technology/techfac/_layouts/15/WopiFrame.aspx?sourcedoc={7CB7FB84-1E45-4580-8984-D00F1574794A}&file=Technical_Updates_Dec2014.pptx&action=default

Light speed update:

• Spoke to someone they never spoke to before and determined the filtering devices they have were not suitable for our environment
• 10 GB devices and could only handle 1 GB of bandwidth
• So, they sent us true 10 GB devices and now not having any problems
• Bing and yahoo bloc ked for students because of issues Chris sent out email before about
• Google and non secure searching
• Right now redirects to http
• Because filters cant capture encrypted searches
• Google doing away with non-encrypted searches as of the first of the year

Repairs and School Dude

• All zones now covered by onsite repair process
• Carla—make sure items to be repaired are in the proper location
• CTE still put in the school dude tickets for the old repair process for Gloria to evaluate

Secure browser/NCTEST utility

• Re-imaged machines not having the  NC TEST
• Set login script to install on all machines that don’t have it and won’t show up a shortcut until the next login
• DPI is saying last year for the NC secure browser
• They say that next year, only way to do the online testing is through Google chrome
• Chrome web store--Type in NCTES
• Installs as a chrome app
• Only way it will be offered next year.

Can they put chrome app in the image or is it profile based or machine based?

• Continue using the secure browser until the problems with the chrome app are worked out
• Chris will verify which icon is most updated

Could there be issue with windows XP and using the Google chrome app

• Script to install will remain in effect.
• Google chrome updates
• Home use or business use—two different installers
• Downloads an msi file tagged for business—and updates are blocked
• Retail side, updates are updated automatically
• Quick fix, is to uninstall chrome and re-install it if problem of it not updating
• Chrome running real slow on XP machines
• Version of Google chrome cog wheel and about (version 39)
• If you have version 27 came from chrome for business.
• Maybe Firefox ?
• Data Managers use Firefox

Feedback from the survey: http://goo.gl/UVUtXC

Topics:  

• Re-imaging
• Printer setup
• Cold resetting?

Lenovo and bios settings of certain machines and no images

• X11-e
• Windows 7 and 64 bit
• Yoga model with flip screen has windows 8
• John is working on a login script process
• Imaging documents:  Image worksheet
• Article KB022 in the knowledge base has workstation images and image information

Windows 7 on T60 and T61?

• Some things will work well others will not
• The more applications you have opened, you will see a dip in performance
• As a Windows XP machine dies, do not bother trying to fix it.

Current list of retires

• R40 and below?
• Deleting old computer objects:
• Description field should pick up from active directory script
• Could try disabling account and then seeing if you hear anything back about it.

Driver depot navigating

\\340srv12\driverdepot

Bomp prof

• KNOWLEDGE BASE Article KB0031 in the knowledge base gives you information on deleting profiles
• In cases Bomp Prof doesn’t work, go to:
• Users folder
• Find profile you want to delete and delete it
• Then user will get a temporary profile message
• You can Go into regedit and follow the instructions in the KB0031
• If you mess up, then just re-image the computer
• What about Profile sweeps?
• it is run through the womac utility
• No automated way to do it right now, but Chris will figure a way out

Question about AICP 2015—CTE

 folder with nothing in there?

• Microtype is being phased out
• AB tutor is the one thing that needs to be on CTE machines

Instructional:
 Power School/ School net Access/  One note?

Sites

Technology blog—price list

Administrative services

Tech facilitator one is just us

Technology services also for general use and public

Folder for presentations

Heather Horton’s presentation:

https://wsfcsk12nc.sharepoint.com/sites/Technology/techfac/_layouts/15/WopiFrame.aspx?sourcedoc={E4CB17F0-66D4-48D5-8E91-29BB4CDA017A}&file=TF%20Meeting-%20Dec%204th%20(2).pptx&action=default

School net

To get there

Home page

User options

Power teacher

Go in as admin

Change teacher to admin

https://wsfcs.powerschool.com/admin/pw.html

admin user name is all one box and semi colon connected to password

School net linked on the left

Brittany Guy

Three main things she sees us using School net

• Tech check
• Tech check bottom of school net

• Student view
• Toshiba studio scanning
• Acrobat version
• Acrobat error if you get the yellow warning you are probably okay
• Screen must be maximized to see the next button on test questions
• Multiple scroll bars can be problematic for students
• In reading test—compare and contrast from two passages can be tricky scrolling
• Light gray at the top for passage 1 and passage 3
• Never submit until students have submitted all answers
• Show students before they take the test?  Yes by all means
• Could create a fake test and show the students
• Preview online test to see what students would see

Jim Mendoza

• e-studio survey
• most schools have studio scanner
• model number ending in 5, 6, or 7 should be new enough to handle networkingIf not networked, then put in a ticket to get a drop or
• Scan it button
• Don’t have teachers install scan it from school net, have them install it from UTILITIScan it Toshiba installer
• If teacher had already installed it from school net, you will have to uninstall it, tho Chris will write a script to do a clean install
• Teachers only have access to an introductory version right now
• Video Play list will be in active directory folder of Sharepoint
• he configuration once they get it installed
• Always install on the teacher laptops not desktops
• Because the laptops can scan own bubble sheets
• Does not care what order the sheets are in
• Automatic integration with grade book
• Need to watch the videos since teachers will want to start using it.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7X24nMB0_TMURUKvIsg2kE_x10Zf1m2D

Office 365

https://wsfcsk12nc.sharepoint.com/sites/Technology/InstrTech/office365/_layouts/15/start.aspx#/

presentation

Adam Seipel:

• Database for high quality resources for office 365
• One note
• One note classroom creator
• Site contents
• Can create a class notebook for students
• Adam will be pushing this as a resource
• Sort of like Evernote
• Maybe just start with a private notebook
• Maybe make a notebook for MTAC meetings
• Upload a folder in one drive
• Go into one drive and create a new folder
• Good time to clean out H drive
• Issues with uploading certain documents
• 97-2003 documents might need to save as a later version first

Technology Facilitator Meeting November 2014

Poll everywhere
Text 1245347 and your message to 37607 for questions

New Laptop carts

• Kevin will send an email with quantity
• About 1 laptop for every 4.5 kids
• So take your 6 and 7th graders and divide by 4.5
• Should arrive around Christmas break
• They used to have computrace on them
• It is about $60.00 per laptop for a 5 year license
• For the new laptops they are etching the WSFCS logo on the laptops
• They have recovered about 20 machines so far this year, but is it worth the $60.00 per machine?
• The x-131's that have already been purchased, will still have computrace on them 
• With the 11000 laptops, we got a deal and the carts were included

RUA: Responsible Use Agreement

• It's been a bit of a challenge
• Continue to work with your principal to get those back in
• They are not locking accounts from the district level (school level decision)
• Angie Wallace can send you more copies of the purple forms if needed
• There should be a check box in Power School for Data managers to mark if the form has been returned
• Sandy Holt--could the Picture opt out be included?
• They may need to communicate again with Theo Helm about Photo Opt out form
• Digital Safety Resources http://wsfcs.k12.nc.us/Page/82963

New Repair Process

• Starts December 1
• technicians will be coming out to the schools and you need to identify and area for the techs to work on computers that previously were sent in for repair
• For now, Put the location in the body of the School Dude ticket
• What about CTE?
• Gloria Padgett will do things the way they were done before 

School Dude Work order system:

• Are teachers not using it?  Some keeping spreadsheets?
• Emphasize with Principals the work order system
• Any time you can document your workload, then do it
• Suggestion to put in ABC (already been corrected) ticket to help document your workload
• Someone else suggested Tech Facilitator could put in a ticket at the end of the day with all those small miscellaneous items that don't warrant a written up ticket 
• Icon on the desktop for school dude?
• Erin Mulhern? to Kevin--Send Joan the information about Tech Facilitator having to go back in to school dude request and change the responsible party when they submit a ticket in their name 
• Bottom line is that the volume of workload needs to be documented (not put in spreadsheets for example)
• "Equipment request field" (no flexibility right now) but working with school dude and perhaps later 

Share point /Jonathan  Hoff

• NC secure browser:  https://center.ncsu.edu/nc/mod/page/view.php?id=515171

• It is not on the new image because the state can never decide on a version 
• Will need to be installed through AICP
• Next year testing on a secure browser will be a google chrome plug in
• We will go to chrome store (not google play) 
• Type in nctest
• You will need to be up to date on Chrome version
• John Hoff will be working on how we should be updating chrome
• You can go in as a regular user and download latest chrome for now

Chris's printer request for information

• How many people going to IP printing instead of Trac?
• Chris sent out a survey:  http://bit.ly/1zstgm9
• Need to be aware of some of the problems with IP printing
• IP printing can't track any documentation on printing if using IP address
• The reason for using the IP printing, is the old printer and the 64 bit machines
• A lot of the older printers don't have a 64 bit driver
• Most of them should have the right driver on them now
• In Utilities:  There is a "spooler fix" for teachers 
• Can't fix something they don't know about, so let them know if you are still having issues
• Be better to try the TRAC  printer Utility again 

They are still trying to find the best way to communicate (blog?)

Share point /Joan Proffitt

• Office 365 on the web
• Go to Sites
• Tech facilitator site (or search)
• Knowledge base library is being updated from the old KACE knowledge base and old tech facilitator handbook
• Click on the Knowledge Base number and there are attachments and some have videos

School Dude Tickets:

• Issue:  Tickets going back to you for more information "Waiting for more information)
• They are starting to use New message that will generate an email
• Chris has asked that the message center notes be added to journal notes
• If not been heard from within three days, then they might close the ticket  (you can open it back up if necessary)
• That's why they are asking department to use the message center and it generates an email
• Issue: At schools with multiple Tech Facilitators,  then one person to go through emails

Jim Mendoza:

• Browser Analogy--In cooking people use different pots for different items-- same with browser
• Chris is working on a matrix to determine which browser to use which applications
• Power Point from Jim on YouTube
• You tube quality 
• They are working to improve video quality playback
• Starting to publish playlists for tech facilitators
• Jim is now making high quality videos and Playlists 
• In YouTube:  If you see a little star, that's an indicator
• if no HD in red above then its not filmed in high definition
• School net assessments
• e-studios if the machines end in 5, 6, 7 then can be used as a scanner (copiers)
• Curriculum coordinators will be trained this month
• Students will login to Schoolnet
• Tech Facilitators will getting test coordinator access 

Office 365 One Drive:

• Will not be an H drive next year 
• They can map a drive like the H drive to one drive next year 
• Will only work in IE 9, 10, and 11 
• If you don't have one of those versions, then you might have to do copying from another machine 
• Should not be an issue for the x-131 teacher laptops
• Have to have hot fix patch installed from utilities 
• One note use and support is going to increase and best used with outlook version preferably office 2013 
• Never install Outlook 2013 "on top of" any other version of Office 
• A ton of new server equipment has been arriving--system center is coming with i
• Hopefully by January it will be automated process.

Heather Horton:

• MTAC and Digital Resources

Found in:

• Share point 
• presentations 
• instructional
  month

Then under Sites

• Administrative services (yellow) 
• technology services

https://wsfcsk12nc.sharepoint.com/sites/Technology/_layouts/15/start.aspx#/SitePages/DIGITAL%20RESOURCE%20APPROVAL%20REQUEST.aspx


Presentation:

https://wsfcsk12nc.sharepoint.com/sites/Technology/techfac/_layouts/15/WopiFrame.aspx?sourcedoc={D675CE93-A176-43DD-A5FB-9E155B532A3F}&file=TF%20Meeting%20-%20November%20%20(1).pptx&action=default

• Apps for IPADS have to be reviewed by MTAC committee 
• MTAC can approve some things without district approval 
• District approvals for software/apps will happen in January April, July and October 
• Exception for right now since this is a new process (she will work on some things in November) 
• Need to go through this process before PO money has been sent 
• Put it through if you know if even for next year. 
• Someone at school has to "own it" 
• If the software needs installed on all the laptops, has to be tested. 
• If more than $500 then definitely needs to go through this process 
• If students don't need anymore data than email, user name and pw, then it should be good to go. 
• If they have to test it they need the license information etc. 
• If data is needed, let central office generate the csv file 
• try and get vendors to help with the data 
• Has to be a contract in place with the company to not use the data (student) 

http://www.socrative.com/

• Tech Facilitators took quiz on guidelines for submitting items to software approval process and copyright 
• School wires site is a public site and posting stuff even things they purchased, does not make it okay in terms of copyright 
• No sports logos for example. 
• Teachers could also post things in edmodo since it is pw protected 
• Teachers could also search creative commons:  https://creativecommons.org/

plickers

• Free app, free website 
• can get the cards on amazon for $20 
• You could also can print on card stoc

BYOD:

bit.ly/wsfcsbyod

https://docs.google.com/a/surry.k12.nc.us/forms/d/19AL_BmxxE_MORdcCojCSVWEwYsYTrgQzxGSd-Mu0PxI/viewform

Tech facilitators discussed the pros and cons that they are seeing with BYOD in the schools right now.

Technology Facilitator Meeting October 2014

Kevin Sherrill

• We are having three breakouts sessions today by level
• If you have questions today, post here: https://www.polleverywhere.com/wsfcs
• Results of FAQ on Kevin's blog

Sam Walker in on executive board at  NCTIES

http://www.ncties.org/conference/present/index.html

• Sam highly encourages us to talk to principals and assistant principals about attending the NCTIES Administrative Retreat
• Principals can add teachers on and get a discounted rate
• Student showcase is very inspiring

• You can register for this event on OCT. 13 when the conference registration link hits the NCTIES website. 

• Wednesday, March 4, 2015  9am-4pm (Lunch will be included:  March 4th - 6th at the Raleigh Convention Center

• http://www.ncties.org/conference 

• If you would like to submit a proposal here’s your information and link. Melissa Edwards mwedwards@wsfcs.k12.nc.us in Instructional Technology
   
• NCTIES will be accepting concurrent session proposals for the NCTIES 2015 Conference. NCTIES members, non-members and students of all levels are invited to submit a proposal. The deadline to submit a presentation proposal is: October 31, 2014

Miscellaneous notes from Kevin:

• BYOD—help Kevin promote that (there was a teacher at TAC who had not heard of it) More information:  http://wsfcs.k12.nc.us/mlc
• Work with principal to find out how teachers are using x131's if they are not being used they need to know
• Middle School Initiative:
• Continuing wireless infrastructure updates, high schools are done, and now have funding for all 8^th grade classroom will have wireless coverage
• There is also now funding for 5^th through 7^th grade device deployment
• End goal 5th through 12th will have wireless coverage by the end of the year.
• Middle School—6^th and 7^th grade devices—they will purchase 2000—lenovo model 11e
• Should be by the end of deployment about one laptop for about every four kids
• In carts of 24 units or 32? -discuss in Carla Miller session
• Bandwidth Issues with BYOD?  –all schools have 2 GB connection , with about 50% bandwith usage, so far, it's been okay
• Seeing about 4-5000 devices everyday.

• Issues with the webfilter about mid day everyday
• Knocks everyone off the public and then they have to re-authenticate
• About 10:30 – 11:00 every day, it falls off any connection and then when they reset the server,  it comes back—

Doreen Bates / Edmodo: http://wsfcs.k12.nc.us/Page/81443

• She has provided schools with a list of Edmodo user names
• There are so many duplicate names:
• Should NOT need an Edmodo account for every class
• What should naming convention be?
• Bring up at MTAC or all future accounts should be their current 4/4/4 standard
• Teachers can delete students and have other rights too
• Doreen is the district administrator for Edmodo—continue this discussion in the breakout sessions

Kevin Sherrill--Teacher Advisory/Communication Issue

• Teacher asked:
• When are students getting email?
• What is BYOD?
• May need to refocus on how you are doing things…

Table discussions:  https://wsfcsk12nc-my.sharepoint.com/personal/kssherrill_wsfcs_k12_nc_us/_layouts/15/WopiFrame.aspx?guestaccesstoken=FKCXVW5QsIb836m5D0q%2fzrruHg7PKgJBmSpQEy84t7o%3d&docid=1_15bf41047687e42aeac4f22d1355fe901&wdFormId={F0FDF306-6571-4BB9-9466-931E9C421A6D}&action=formsubmit

• Is redistributing Kevin’s emails effective ?
• Maybe connect five might be the best since it reaches everyone
• People are not reading emails these days?  Too much?  overwhelming people and it’s not working
• Maybe works for some and not others?  Daily blog?
• Things still on paper? For families that don’t have internet access

 Current Projects:  Chris Corbin systems update: Link to presentation

• Sharepoint 2013 development (ongoing)--Moving from the webportal
• Trip direct—for field trip requests—add on to schooldude
• Will be accessible from home
• Way to get IT direct to be the default?  They are working with school dude
• "System Center"—will be a way to get a full inventory of computers out there—allow us to deploy software more easily too, right now software installs are through user log-in script
• Updating backup solution starting on 10/8—triple the storage and half the physical computer space
• November 21—no email that weekend as infrastructure upgrade takes place

IT direct update:

• Over 6000 tickets—average of 212 rickets per day
• If you change status to “forwarded” it does not show up at all for those downtown
• Hit cancel to print without changing the status
• When we send in machines, what is the status supposed to be?
• Use "work in progress" for send in equipment
• Too many categories?  may limit them
• Make sure you submit before you print ticket
• So many emails generated from school dude?
• You might set up a email rule and send them to a folder
• Be as accurate as possible when choosing the problem type
• Use journal notes as message center for updates and communication
• There will be a video for School Dude and how IT direct  works
• They are going to try and Route service desk queue for your zone, so you will pick service desk by zone
• Can they make a routing rule for TF’s (obviously their tickets are not going to themselves) ?
• The number of Printing related  tickets have decreased
• Strategic is helping with the problem with hundreds of pages of paper printing--if it's blank pages, that is probably a firmware update that is needed by Strategic
• Firmware update combined with driver update may fix that for the printing hundreds of pages with just a little text
• Maybe more instructions on printer refresh?
• Local IP printer install will sometimes work when nothing else will
• Womac will delete any printer that is not locally installed
• Start/run:   way to get to network printers

M series image update:

• Video driver fixed for video driver should be fixed now as of Tuesday night
• Lenovo x11e models will be windows 8
• AICP:  better way to deploy software is coming
• Open in explorer for one drive will be fixed via AICP or will deploy the fix
• Will be adding smartboard tools to aicp

Student email feedback:

• Shortcut to windows XP machines will open browser by default in chrome
• UPDATE:  Chris has already added the Google Chrome shortcut for Student Email on Windows XP machines.  Chris remembered talking to several folks who had  mentioned  other requests for web shortcuts on Windows XP.  Please submit those as a ticket and They work on them."

Carla Miller:

• Surplus:  email from Carla sent out on Friday
• New way to handle equipment sent in for repair starting on December 1st
• They will start to Fix on site for machines that need fixed
• will need a designated place to work at the schools
• Warantee repairs will still need to go through Lenovo
• Accidental coverage for one time per accident per serial number
• Lenovo will call us on it if we have multiple machines with for example ripped off keys -- and the school will have to pay for it…it becomes a classroom management issue
• $39.00 to pay for a whole new keyboard
• Older wake Forest Laptops?  they can use older machines to replace the keyboards

Charge on Laptops issues?

• Best practice Once a month rotate, let them completely die, then plug it in and fully charge
• You can buy new batteries through CDW to buy a stash for standby
• If they are NOT  charged over night that may help

Strategic Printing Issues:

• Amber Gas sent something from Strategic--that was to be ignored
• Get list of all printers and compare to the bill from secretary--should be all the same--except You will not see on your school bill the CTE printers
• If you see a CTW printer on your school bill, let Carla know
• Toner:  level that will trigger the shipment is 10%
• Target times are Christmas, progress report time that can be a problem
• If you have to change out a printer?—consider a refurbished printer from Strategic?
• Or they will possibly replace one that has been so problematic its beyond repair
• John DeRose salesman for Strategic is good

Access point upgrade:

• Need to tell site survey group where your 8^th grade classrooms are
• May ask for a copy of your school map
• Deadline for 8^th grade is December
• Will get 16 access points per school and where 8^th graders sit
• Maybe another in your media center or gym

New laptops in 6th and 7th Grade

• 24 laptop cart is cheaper
• Who will be Setting those up? The district

Heather Horton--Directory of Instructional Technology:

Presentation: http://wsfcs.k12.nc.us/cms/lib/NC01001395/Centricity/Domain/2792/2014 Oct TF meeting overview Heather Horton.pdf

• School Net to be used this year for benchmark testing starting in January (Same way that we tested CTE at the start of this year)
• Curriculum Coordinators will be trained in November
• Tech Facilitators will be expected to support like we did for CTE

MTAC: (Media and Technology Advisory Committees at the Schools)

• Guidelines for MTAC committees:  http://wsfcs.k12.nc.us/cms/lib/NC01001395/Centricity/Domain/2792/2014  MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY ADVISORY COMMITTEE GUIDELINES.pdf
• MTAC meeting Agenda template:  http://wsfcs.k12.nc.us/cms/lib/NC01001395/Centricity/Domain/2792/2014 MTAC_Meeting_Agenda.pdf

Classroom Walk Through Update:

• Username: Full Email Address
• Password: Self Created
• Can use the App or Website - teachscape.com to reset passwords
• Sometimes uninbstall the app and re-install is a fix all solution
• The app was designed for iphone and works better in general than the android

PowerSchool Gradebook

• All help materials are available online
• Go to WSFCS website
• Click Employee then Resources
• Click PowerTeacher Help
• Resources by topic matching the progression of the year
• School Gurus Posted on Sharepoint Site

New ‘Student’ dropdown menu for Student Email

• Requires student be logged into computer --because of automatic SSO support
• Intructions here on how to set up Student Email groups (must use email OUTLOOK  client)
• Videos coming with instructions on how to use email 
• https://wsfcsk12nc.sharepoint.com/sites/Technology/techfac/SitePages/OFFICE%20365%20VIDEOS.aspx

Kevin Sherrill final words...

• Purpose of the RUP's was not to keep students off the computers
• Parents that say keep kids off the computers –Kevin can talk to them
• Data management has a flag in power school to mark kids as not having turned in their form and that maybe a source of confusion
• Kevin to clarify on this after talking again to legal 

May 2014 Tech Facilitator Meeting

Today's Meet stream:  https://todaysmeet.com/wsfcstfmay2014

Joan Proffitt’s notes:  http://bit.ly/Rv7Y43

Personal commentary from John Downs:  

So after I left yesterday's meeting, elementary folks stayed and received the following news:

"Elementary TF’s stayed after meeting and Kevin announced new position/duties for TF’s. Position will be posted as 50% Tech Facilitator/50% Testing Coordinator. It will be a classified full time position Class 61 which will post for each Elementary School. Many of our TF’s are certified and would obviously not move into a Classified position. Decisions are still being made as to how we can avoid losing so many Certified people as our TF’s. TF’s should check with their Principals to see what the Guidelines are and how it will work at their school, as well as how it affects their current position. This will be implemented for the 2014-2015 school year for all Elementary Schools. It will be implemented for Middle and High Schools in the 2015-2016 school year."

I find this disturbing and yet another example of how cuts to education in this state are driving decisions that are not best for students nor teachers.  Many of us technology Faciliators have years of experience in these positions. Its seems as though experience is not valued.  Also, many of us worked for several years on Master's degrees (like myself) in Instructional Technology for a state position that is both recognized and needed.  The message I get from this is that certified professionals are not valued or respected.  We would rather replace them with "classified positions" hired off the street for much less money.  Unfortunately this is a trend we are seeing all across our country and this is yet another symptom of a greater problem. 

I heard a native american lady speak at Natural Bridge, VA just this week on an 8th grade field trip and she said a very wise thing.  She explained that when native Americans started trading with Europeans they started to loose their culture in favor of easy to obtain and less "difficult" ways of making tools, household items, etc.  She explained that America is doing the same thing right now--giving up trades, professions, crafts, etc in favor of cheap solutions and cheaply made things.  This decision is yet another example of how we are watering down public education in favor of expediency.

Back to the regularly scheduled meeting minutes...

Jim Mendoza:

·        Google Chrome:  Is the preferred browser for compass learning is needed on those machines that use it.

·        Will not work with IE8 after Aug 1

E-studio and School net test scanning:

There are three URLs below in order to make this as easy as possible:

1.    Link to a short Video (0:03:28) on how the e-Studios will play an important part in Home Base’s software Schoolnet/ScanIt for grading bubble answer sheets.

The video also discusses how to determine the model, Toshiba Business Products ID number and if your e-Studio is networked or not.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csTYjaFmmuI&hd=1 

2.    Link to the read-only Excel spreadsheet showing the current inventory of known Toshiba e-Studios.
http://bit.ly/1lSFSem . Note that if your school is a Home Base Schoolnet pilot school and your e-Studio is already networked, I’ve already entered as much information about your e-Studios as I could find by remoting into the device.  This is a permanent URL that you’ll be able to use to refer to in finding e-Studios throughout our system. Once the survey closes I’ll publish it on a web page for Tech Facilitators.

3.    Link to an Excel Survey form which allows you to populate the spreadsheet mentioned above.
http://bit.ly/1lLeJs3 .  This will be the first comprehensive list of the e-Studios in our schools. If we need to address the possibility of networking your e-Studios, the sooner you reply to the survey the quicker we can begin this process.

AMTR:  Joan Proffitt:

Sent email with FAQquestions/cheat sheet linked here:

Login to AMTR:

https://schools.nc.gov/pls/apex/f?p=483:101:1607018041907201:::::

• Joan is offering help on Thursdays 8:00-11:00 for new folks starting next week

Tickets:  School Dude transition

• Need to look at old tickets and clean up
• Tickets with not enough information ("need more toner" is not sufficient info)
• Need printer name, make and model and IP address for example.
• Tell us what you have already tried on the various computer/printer issues

Classroom Solution Inventory Update

• Kevin is Sharingdocument with all the information from the classroom inventory for solutions and we need to keep inventories up to date
• You should save your school's tab and then update so he when he asks again it will be easy to produce

Carla Miller Updates:

• Old IBM models 6792 and 8305 computers that Carla was asking about surplusing—she needs a round number –including CRT monitors
• Cannot pick up TV’s

Laptops

• came up with 1500 for third grade
• If you run into some power adapters send her some—they are short about 200
• Kevin sent an email with survey about having an “issued X131 laptop”
• Giving out at the end of the meeting to those tech facilitators who did not get one previously

Installation of EC Access points from Same Dempsey:

• Wanted to piggy back with high school wireless 
• Some race to the top money and will contact schools for installation of those

Wiring closet clean up this summer:

• Carla would like some help with the following:
• The closets should not be supply closets for cleaning supplies, etc.

Elementary Camera Project

• installing switches and servers—deadline is the end of May

Evan Herreid and Instructional:

• Camp Inspire, July 15/16
• Smart con July 22/23
• Registration is already online
• Also need presenters -- contact Evan or Doreen if interested

Summer Cleanup of websites: 

• Please don’t say welcome to the 2013-2014 school year.
• Perhaps update with Summer ideas, or suggestions to prepare for rising grade levels
• Webmasters:  what to do with people moving on, retiring?
• Technology will move and delete websites and transfer teacher accounts, don’t do that
• You could hide the section in navigation if you want to do something.

Office 365 accounts:

• Coming in 2014-2015 school year for all students
• Rolling out in the fall—it’s happening!  In order to implement school net
• Learning management/homebase product that DPI and Pearson are pushing
• It is an "opt in" option for next year
• Other components are opt in at $4.00 per student
• Large districts are pushing back on that and asking for another free year on school net
• We are planning on not opting in and hoping the state is going to give another free year.
• If we go to school net then perhaps things like Learning Village, Learn 360 might go away.

Are people using the webapp tools of Office 365?

• (we are not a Google app district)
• Table discussion:  
• teacher strategies for using office 365 with students, technical issues? Browser issues…
• Encourage students to use smart phones
•  Need training for teachers at the start of the year on several aspects as folks are reporting some issues with creating shared folders, etc.
• Collaboration with students on documents and teachers could be a key component
•   Issues with older desktops identifying which will work (versions of office?
•  Similar training as BYOD needed
• Synching to local machines should make it easy to save documents--Desktop version
• Comments from todays table discussionshttp://www.polleverywhere.com/wsfcs

Staff and students will be moving to one drive starting next year!

• Will mean the elimination of home directory
• The collaboration function would be key advantage
• Entire video series maybe coming
• SharePoint sites is also rolling out:  where you can collaborate with
• The 25 GB that will now be available is  increasing our saving capacity
• There is also a survey tool—teachers will need more training—good way to get information back
• Kevin showed a form they are using with office 365 for principals in identifying grounds and building moves actually done in school wires but a similar form could be created in 
• Request for video on how to do the synchronization

What do we need from Tech support?

Table discussions:

• Offer some centralized training by zones for this at the end of this school year, so people with all these extra work days can start on it?
• Tech facilitators need perhaps a day/half day of training on this…
• "Get principals on board and come back and see me later"...Kevin
• Need for more in depth training
• Will be going strong with this in the fall—will develop a training plan
• Look at the features you have access to online now with online versions of office apps now available to use

Colleen Fitzgerald is retiring!!!  Congratulations to her!

Brian:  Spring workshops

• Offered in May:  http://wsfcs.k12.nc.us/Page/44870

Work order system—School Dude

• For maintenance, IT work orders and trip direct (field trip requests)
• Teachers will be able to submit maintenance work orders
• Connect authenticate is now integrated with log on
• Lead secretaries and principals are already familiar with this
• Will roll in Fleet management to deal with bus requests

IT direct:

• Zach LaGrand is one working on this, and they actually got a couple of tickets on it (they have stopped it)

Table Discussions:  What do we want to see in the new work order system?

• We don’t want the user satisfaction survey email notifications
• Consistency in how owners are transferred
• The new hire notifications (the name of the person could be in there) 
• Better search option
• Some more generic categories?
• A mobile app?  Possibly
• Free form questions?  Less fields to fill out
• Supporting the teachers as best you can on whether or not teachers to use work order system or not

Tech Facilitator Meeting April 2014

Tech Meeting Notes April 2014:

https://todaysmeet.com/wsfcstfapr2014

District Meeting Notes:  http://wsfcstechnology.wordpress.com/2014/04/10/april-2014-tech-facilitator-meeting-notes/

New staff: 

• Brad Chambers:  Working at Wiley and Jefferson
• Adam Seipel:  New district technology facilitator replacing Michael who they ran off
• Jim Mendoza:  Blast from the past,been back for a month working on Home Base
• Andy Smith is new technology network support, was at Jefferson and Wiley
• Steven Anderson is our newly departed director of instructional technology, working to get that position filled
• Data Management position and another tech facilitator position? to be filled also

Gilliam, Natalie, NTGilliam@wsfcs.k12.nc.us

• Donuts are from Sue Albertson (has cancer) living in PA commuting to  New York—tumors are shrinking!  She thanks everyone for their love and support!
• Natalie has a way to contact her-

PC Refresh/Classroom solution finish up/wireless upgrades

• Kevin met with county managers on the budget
• Much of it is driven by sales tax—bad weather affected income this year
• There is an unfunded plan is now in place:
• Will be sharing with principals
• Based on the Interactive projector set up
• Room inventories—he planned to have today to share, but will get to us.
• Where we have been and where we are going?
• Many full classroom solutions have gone into new construction
• We also had matching funds program—rolled out another 276 rooms
• Been about 1300 partial ones via school monies—like PTA, etc.
• Total 18.6 million spent over 7 years—pretty huge investment
• Rooms to go:
• Middle Schools- 689
• HS: 225
• Needs about 9.9 million to finish off all of them

Based on the survey:

• In red cost on Kevin's spreadsheet are the costs to finish or install in each and every room in the district—it’s an estimate to finish the job
• The numbers are based on the interactive projection system which are about $7500.00 per room
• Another Chart shows school by school—and cost to complete each school
• Schools that are part of construction or are not title one are in huge deficits

Wireless infrastructure:

• Race to the top gave us 1:3 ratio of wireless access points per classroom
• 2013-2014—we had the EC department upgrades and high school upgrades
• Another million dollars invested in that
• Now need to focus on middle and elem schools

Device life cycles

• Kevin and Chris have developed a "Dashboard of plans" A/B/C
• There are roughly 20,000 windows XP machines to retire ASAP
• Plan A
• K-2 classes —put four devices in every classroom –not sure of the best device yet—but not desktops
• 3rd and 4th grades: 15 units as part of mobile cart/room
• Same concept for middle schools: 20 units each for middle school classrooms
• High schools perhaps BYOD will fill in some of the gaps, so perhaps a little less spending there?
• He took all this information and playing around the different scenarios
• 1500 laptops at HS
• For 6th and 7th: 6800 units in MS
• Elementary:  8500 devices
• All told, this matches roughly the number of machines we need to retire—20,000
• There are roughly 41,000 out there—are there units not being used?
• May not be a one per one swap for old
• If every room in school is equipped, then maybe reclaim the labs, CTE?
• Maybe reclaim classrooms and remove some pods?
• 3^rd grade will get those t-400 laptops that teachers recently turned in
• Parent advisory council and teacher advisory want to hear about what they are doing about this problem.

Timeline for the Plan

• No perfect solution:  but to deploy mobile devices, then the prerequisite is to have wireless in place
• He’s got a proposal for the timeline—it’s a starting point.

IBM models 6792, and 8305 desktops

• Send Carla an email with the quantity working or non working
• The CRT monitors—only surplus if you don’t have a need for them—You will get nothing in return right now for them
• Get a quick quantity that is accurate…
• Carla Miller—separate pickup in later June
• Provide a separate quantity—for desktops and monitors
• Carla will send out a separate email asking locations of equipment, etc.
• They shred the hard drives

Chris Corbin: Power Point Presentation: Project updates:

Elementary Security Cameras- 

• Directed by operations dept.
• 2 schools completely done, cash and smith farm
• 2 different vendors working on it
• Requirements for the cameras from tech department is adding infrastructure to support 16 cameras (running wires, pulling cable—need to be on a GB interface)
• Carla’s staff will be installing GB switches in the closets.
• Only for camera connections at this point—new server at school serving DVR purposes, etc.

IP phone update:

• Money saving measure with multiple lines per school but only pay AT&T for one line
• 12 sites remaining to finish
• The school phone number you have now will remain for emergency purposes—tied to 911

HS Wireless:

• Working on a 1:1 ratio for access points:classrooms, and new switches in the closets

AS 400 cloud migration:

• DPI is working with SAS to be able to use
• 24^th district in the state doing this—we are not a guinea pig
• I series client will need to be installed on the workstation
• File that points to an ip address to point to Raleigh
• Principals and lead secretaries mainly will be affected by this

Work order system:

• Our finance KACE ticket system--$40,000 to maintain the system
• School Dude—been used by maintenance
• Cheaper than KACE, and friendlier user interface.
• Maintenance gave them a demo—especially from teacher perspective
• It is question based
• Routing will be done the same
• Will continue to use KACE while we slowly switch over to School Dude (we own KACE so no big rush)
• Should save money over the long term
• Perhaps by next meeting they will show us a demo

Server refresh for Middle Schools:

• Will start in August to refresh DELL 2600 servers
• You can image across the WAN, but it is problematic, so better to keep a server in the schools
• Consolidating all the print servers isn’t such a good idea either with all the crashes
• Will slowly start to go out to the middle schools, and make the switch.  
• Doesn’t take long and no interruption or down time, will start in late august
• Installing VM-ware to run virtual servers, and a sole print server for the school,
• Also will serve  dhcp services and imaging, & software deployments,
• Can schedule multi machine imaging

Student Email:

• It is happening
• Piloting at East Middle (piloting School net—this is driving this need)
• Attorney will not allow us to continue to use current ID’s for security purposes
• First four digits of first name, first four of last name and last four of student ID @wsfcsstudents.net
• Will change everything—log-in to the computer and email
• Email will start in 3^rd grade.
• Will K-2…have the same old log-in?
• Account provisioning will weigh out the options?
• Email Address books:  students will have separate book.
• If teachers want to search for students they can choose the student address book separately
• The groups will be provided for the whole school
• But other groups for clubs etc. would have to be maintained by individual teachers
• No real e-mail monitoring other than the regular webfilter
• The whole need for this is for logging into power school for school net assessments.
• Browser issues will creep in again. 
• Students will also have sky drive access (50 GB)
• Whole new possibility for collaboration
• There will be an APP for smart phones/tablets
• School based decision to help students with set up on those devices or not?
• OWA app for apple for the email right now

Office 365 updates:

• Connect authenticate—School Dude uses same kind of authentication as email now
• Single Sign On:  SSO enabled for School dude. 
• When teachers access the Staff icon on desktop it will automatically login to email
• Been some Calls to help desk with problems with teachers who share some devices
• Problem also when you switch users
• APP called credential manager in windows 7 (have to clear out if teachers have checked the box to save credentials)  I am attaching those instructions and also put them in Kace Article 111
• They will get screen shots for us to clear out those saved credential issues.

SHAREPOINT 2013 cloud hosted solution:

• Working with a local vendor to get everything in webportal migrating to the sharepoint 2013 environment
• Workflow for folders and permissions, etc.
• Integration with skydrive, blogging, social networking features
• At some point all the current webportals will migrate and be able to be seen on email

Image Updates:

• They have started working on them already.
• Lenovo showed them some new things and have revamped their imaging center
• Smart imaging—we built a single image and don’t have to add any drivers
• Then they store our basic programs and they update drivers before they ship
• WSFCS will still have to maintain an image library for re-imaging
• Lenovo will help us with maintaining and updating images
• Adding FireFox and java and flash updates to the new images.  
• Updating to office 2013 with sky drive app
• Hopefully have them done and updated by end of May.

Memory model  is changing—

• default 8 GB of memory with the new devices
• Need to switch to a 64 bit operating system to accommodate for that
• Some 32 bit apps don’t work with that
• There may be some issues with print servers to accommodate for 64 bit machines
• Depending on the model, you will need to know if 32 or 64 bit series to select the correct image.

Windows 8.1 testing

• An x series and x 11-e
• YOGA hinge:  laptop becomes a tablet—disables the keyboard

Office 365 –we are on A-2 version—the free version, have to be on the A3 version to use any of those apps to be able to edit office docs—too expensive

Jennifer Ellington:

• Volume Apple purchasing—for APPS
• Process was ordering through the price list
• Apple now forwards the code via email—those go to purchasing…no longer send out the "gift cards"

Computrace:  

• vast majority our theft reports deal with this
• Computrace gives us compensation if they can not find the machine
• Has to have a police report within 14 days ..report to include whether or not the power cord was also stolen?

Joan Proffitt:

• AMTR: Don’t have to start yet
• Joan will start enabling the NCID accounts and resetting passwords, and it will generate an email to let you know to login and reset
• Disables account over night again--so need to go in after 15 minutes
• Joan will go ahead and start next week
• You will need to reset the password.
• There is a 2^nd process for new people to subscribe

Book untangling the web—Have one for each school

Jim Mendoza/Home base:

• It’s the state of NC tool kit of software products to get students ready for careers, college and life
• School Net—does three different features but big one integrating common core based tests and give those tests
• Tests can be taken electronically
• Students have to have an account in school net and in turn an email account
• Teachers can issue those tests in written form.
• To score it, you had to use test scanners
• BUT Toshiba brand e-studio –the copiers in most schools can be utilized to SCAN IT
• Teachers can print out answer sheets for those tests, and use them to scan and results can go directly in to the grade book
• Jim will send out a survey and track down the Toshiba model in your school and whether it is networked or not?

Another Tool in that tool kit:

• Gradebook in Power Teacher:
• Browser dependent, different versions of JAVA
• Once per month the products get locked down for maintenance—25^th
• You can download stand alone gradebook version.
• Power Source site:  you login in with your email address and can get support
• You will have to add software to machine where they will be scanning from the SCAN IT software.
• May have to move copiers to be near a drop or may have to put in a ticket for a new drop (but move first if possible)
• Email Jim with questions

Instructional Resources:

Melissa Edwards: queen of Learning Village

• Hello from Marlo…
• User name and pw for learning Village is same as AD login
• Learn 360 had a major upload of resources several months ago but also recently added other new resources that she is going to highlight
• Email Meliisa Edwards if you have questions
• Full email address is their user name, and pw: ws….
• Instructions for KACE data base #65 for how to change pw in Learn 360
• Brain pop and netrekkar are now linked…(side note)
• Learn 360:  Calendar has links to videos and resources for a date
• History teachers were recently told about these resources
• If you go to the ADVANCED SEARCH area
• Can ALSO look things up by publisher or series
• Total training areas for things like Office 2007, and send someone the link (similar to atomic learning)
• Also pictures and sounds

Photo pin ( http://photopin.com/ ) is one of her favorite place to search for images for creative commons and gives you a url to copyright site

MARTY CREECH:

• BYOD and mobile learning:
• Have created 2 RESOURCES for parents/staff

CLASSFLOW:  https://classflow.com/

Technology Tool box page:

http://wsfcs.k12.nc.us/Page/80879

Brian Pikarski contact for curriculum pathways

Digital Safety curriculum:

http://wsfcs.k12.nc.us/Page/82963

• Each months will highlight a different ITS theme (via common sense)
• Will ask schools to submit plan of how teachers will teach the plan
• Digital Safety Curriculum is now part of the WSFCS policy and part of e-rate funding and will be renewed effort this fall.
• Policy 6161 has been revised and updated—will be covered in student responsible use agreement
• Timing is just bad for this to come out in the spring
• Will send out in the fall RUA (responsible use agreement) references policy 6161
• Kevin will post this document for us to look at
• Purple paper and electronic document for staff will have links to policy
• No user will have access until they have an RUA back. 
• Student will not have access until they have training in digital safety.
• Statement about using 3g and 4g—they have agreed not to use those.
• Kevin will post this document on the blog site (shows changes to policy)
• Where’s the cross reference for high school students? 
• An electronic flag in power School possible?
• Needs to be a streamlined process and may discuss at next month’s meeting
• Possibly a list of students who can’t get on and change their passwords—
• We will work next month on ideas
• End goal to follow policy and communicate with parents
• If you are not subscribed to blog site, can resend the link to subscribe to the  blog site.

May 8^th next meeting