Tech Meeting February 2014

Parents and Technology

Kevin Sherrill:  https://todaysmeet.com/wsfcstffeb2014
Steven Anderson's Notes: February Technology Facilitators Meeting-Notes and Wrap-Up

• New tech facilitator: John Palison, orchestra teacher
• Michael:  Last meeting, accepted position with Forsyth Tech
• John Hoff: senior system admin (filling Chris position) from Yadkin country schools

Initiatives:

• Looking for big money to start classroom solution finish up and computer refresh
• Kevin needs our help:
• Does not have an accurate count of classroom solutions
• Needs clear count to give to Dr. Emory

Online form:   http://wsfcs.k12.nc.us/solutionsurvey

• Due Feb 21^st
• Kevin may send a spreadsheet back to you to confirm numbers
• Any aging/technical problems put that in the "other notes"
• Classroom Solution Survey-include Media Center
• Anything with kids in them learning

Carla Miller/laptop program:

• She has received a lot of emails with questions about people not on the list—shoot Carla Miller with an email and she will go back to HR to confirm if you still have questions
• Home School of Employee gets the laptop for shared employees.
• Returning the laptops/Pick up process:
• A school with 35 or less laptops, They would like to have back by the end of Feb
• 36 or more laptops then by the end of March
• Some have been pinked slip—she realizes it
• Remove any labels
• Remove AD names—shoot those lists to Carla
• Email her if you have missing power supplies
• FYI, They will be re-imaging all of the laptops and then redeploy.

Spring Surplus:

• By Monday, the spreadsheet will be available
• Go to Webportal
• Tech facilitators
• Information for tech facilitator
• Request for information’choose school level/code
• Spring 2014 Surplus pickup
• Rules have not changed (non working/non functional equipment, except TV’s)
• Click on arrow down, and check out
• Then double click on spreadsheet
• Provide as much info as possible
• Due February 28^th
• Wants to get pick-ups done before testing
• Please walk with the recycle guy through the school to the pick up location

Kevin: Computers stacked up in the back of  rooms?

• Either need to get online or surplus if not working
• Anyone with a network running slower than you think it should, Kevin wants to know about it
• Maybe switch issues, uplink issues?, etc.  
• He wants to troubleshoot that
• Mention to principals—About not surplusing working machines.
• Techs wearing kaki’s and sport shirts now

Update on Projects:

• IP phone rollouts:
• Started with 37 schools that needed phones
• Doing three to four per month and hopefully finish up by late April
• Just replacing front office phones, No classroom phones are being replaced
• Bogen phones still maintenance department responsibility
• Some trailer and pod issues with phones—look at those situations individually

SHAREPOINT:

• Webportal replacement
• Looking to go live around spring break time
• Will go over in the coming months
• Will be a lot more than file sharing
• Cloud interaction with apps, etc.

STUDENT EMAIL

• Coincides with MMC/BYOD programs
• New domain for students
• Don’t want to mix student emails with staff email/address books etc.
• Long string domain:  Wsfcsstudents
• First middle initial last name and maybe few student numbers (still settling on that) @wsfcsstudents
• 3^rd grade and up?

Bring Your Own Device

• Wiley/Atkins and Glen
• Starting go live with those schools first
• Will turn student email on at that time
• Redistributing the Student Responsible Use agreements to everyone after spring break for official sign off by parents (will start with those schools implementing MMC live first)
• Want to get some more instructional use out of those mobile devices
• Reminder about not sharing confidential data will be in the employee sign off
• May post the AUP on teacher webportal

Wiring Closet Inventory:

• Going closet by closet to assess situation - have to maintain them as they age.
• Some switch gear is approaching end of life (money for that?—who knows)

PC Refresh

• They have identified 5 different students at three different schools (SE MS, Glenn and another)
• Testing mobile devices and wants feedback from the students who are testing
• 131x laptops
• I-pad
• Galaxy tablet
• MS surface with windows 8 (have detachable keyboards, etc)
• Ties into the decision of what to replace PC's .
• Kicking off on Feb 14^th
• If they break it or drop it, it’s on Kevin
• Will be completed at the end of March
• Firmly believe it’s not one device that will fit all
• Will take the data and come to some conclusions

Grumbling about browsers

• Hopefully come up with a best practices cheat sheet
• Issues especially for teacher assistants (who don't have new laptops and can't use client email)

Two articles on Knowledge Base in KACE:

104—for installing client:  http://ithelp.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/userui/advisory_detail?ID=104

106—for resetting browsers:  http://ithelp.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/userui/advisory_detail?ID=106

http://www.bu.edu/tech/support/desktop/software/troubleshooting/removing-password-from-browsers-saved-password-list/

Service Desk Issues

• Remind teachers that we are the first line of support
• Front office don’t tell teachers to call the help desk
• Over 120 tickets over 120 days owned by you  (clean those up)

Joan Proffitt:

• Natalie Gilliam:  Sue Albertson from East Forsyth --  Thoughts and cards for her.
• Living in PA, treatment in NY (Been there from Nov)
• Description Fields in AD:  goes back to machines not logged into the network
• If you have machines that don’t populate the machine information, get those on a ticket

Professional Development:

• Get our thoughts on  ideas for PD (speak up survey)
• Instructional tech page

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

• New RUA, piece of verbage giving permission to teacher to create accounts on the part of the student

• Teachers need to be aware of the terms of use of various tools
• For example, education versions of Animoto and glogster okay for students under 13, but not regular versions—instructional technologists are good sources of information.

Technology Blog

http://wsfcstechnology.wordpress.com/

http://wsfcstechnology.wordpress.com/2014/02/05/new-moocs-available/

Results of Speakup Survey:

• Between 400-500 teachers completed it
• Most teachers say they are average or advanced users
• Biggest problems teachers say:
• Not internet access at home
• Lack of computers in school for students to use

PD for teachers

Tech facilitator:  Table discussion -- ideas of how to help teachers with professional development

• Pinterest group for teachers?
• Direct Link To This Document: http://bit.ly/febtfpd
• Differentiation of PD is a district wide problem.
• A needs assessment with the teachers is important
• Tech Facilitators can do things individually with teachers,” you don’t know what you don’t know”—TPAC
• SAMR model?
• Teachers still feel unprepared for Common Core:
• There are still teachers not teaching the common core
• 1 hour model PD is not effective, but PLC model may not always be effective either?—many factors
• 7 Tech Facilitators covering 80 some school
• They need to find the most effective way to meet the needs of teachers
• Tech Facilitators  learning to be instructional coaches more effectively
• Principals who went through TLC :
• Principals need to be viewed as instructional leaders
• We need to focus on why is something the best tool not what is the best tool (MLC training)
• Try to bridge the gap with curriculum people in C/O
• PRC money is bringing back the science teachers for more training on the one to one classroom
• If time is a factor, how can we gain that time?  
• There is no one solution for time problem—find creative solutions
• STEM:  Science Technology Engineering and Math
• Piney Grove Steam lab? (Steam—throw in ART)
• Brian Piekarski an expert on Photo Shop
• Evan's expertise is social media
• Teachers are not always telling us what they need, maybe afraid to vocalize their deficits, also—“Don’t know what they Don’t know”
• Student Achievement not number one on Steven's list, looking at effective teaching is
• Identifying high quality digital content and how to find it
• Conference style workshops?

Parents: 

• Understand the importance of technology
• Table conversations:
• Ideas for parent involvement
• Direct Link To This Document: http://bit.ly/febtfparents
• videos for parents?
• makes more sense to come from central office ?
• Facebook page/twitter for the parents to follow?
• Difficult to get parents in the building/but provide opportunities during the day and night
• Come in before the school day ends?
• Let them use technology (use the clickers)
• Working on digital resources for parents
• Offer food

Staff Devlopment Opportunity March 22

Mt Tabor
9:00-3:00
Guy from Discovery and can dress up in the Renaissance

Kevin Sherrill: Recap:

Classroom solution surveys to be completed
Surplus equipment by end of February