Technology Facilitator Meeting January 27, 2011

It was the "Perfect Storm" of technology problems--Betty Showed this Youtube video if you want to watch it again :)

Though, NCWISE upgrade was fairly seamless, Parent assist had some issues, was down for a few days and the link changed.  Pa.ncwise.org

School Wires went plain badly!
Network issues also cropped up, at first they might have not caught it because it was semester time (much higher volume) but later learned that there were issues way beyond their control…Our break was an Internet server problem in DC or Philly?
Yesterday afternoon the bandwidth was a little better.

Reminders:

• Remind teachers that they have to post to parent…Teachers can’t show what they want to show because the averages don’t add up, and parents will catch it and start calling :)
• Teachers now must enter codes/reasons for absence within three days!.
• I-tunes with DPI videos—Betty can’t unlock itunes for right now. Encourage teachers to look at home for now.
• Budget, only had one meeting for now. There is a recommendation that Theme money be reduced to $20,000
• There will be avenues to express your concerns…
• It also impacts her staff…Double whammy if she looses resources and school resources.
• Atomic learning…some schools are not using at all..maybe cut, but then again maybe what we need when there might be less tech support next year?

Kevin:

• IP Phones: Send e-mail to Brian or a ticket for fixing extension names etc if your school is on the list
• Daylight savings time patch has been updated, will cause a problem with calendaring with Blackberries. Same with Lead Secretaries if they put items on the principals calendars. Call service desk to get the patch. If you find a machine not patched, then you will have to also have service done on the blackberry.

Work Order System/Assist:

• Speed should assist based on the improvement in bandwidth speed
• If there is a category you feel the group would need, send it in…
• reminded that you need to re-assign to Service Desk only
• On IT purchases, assist tickets will be directed right to Kevin.
• Encourage teachers to add a comment to existing tickets if tickets are not being addressed. (rather than submit another one)
• You can also cancel tickets if you figure out on your own …(it asks you to give a reason for cancelling

Question: about core protection module on the WFU laptops from Sandi Holt…They will get hit eventually as they are brought in once a month or you can run it through AICP? (someone is that correct?)

Find out for Tanya where to order the Dell long-life Battery…(I ordered with the new Dell Latitude 2100 laptop and asked for the battery with the enhanced life--lasts up to 8 hours. I spoke with this guy at Dell:  "Sean M. Lough" Dell@Education.dell.com   Sean Lough Inside Sales Representative K12 & High-Ed Sales

Dell Inc. 512-513-9314 OR 800-274-7799 x 513-9314 office 512-283-3586 fax )  He said the standard battery is still 3 cells but because of the processor difference and the power savings associated  the 2110, the new laptop gets and average battery life of 4 hours and 58 minutes (he admitted that this was optimal, maybe less than that) The 2100 netbook (also with the three cell battery) supposedly got 3.8 hours of battery life. Sean said he though the 6 cell battery (the enhanced battery that quotes a life of 10 hours and 13 mins--optimal) would work with the laptop carts designed for the latitude netbook)

Marlo: School Wires Upgrade Updates:

• non-negotiables are still in effect--Trebuchet is still the district font!
• In defense of School Wires, We were one of the biggest districts and users to go through this up-grade. More training dates are available for webmasters--morning and afternoon on Feb 9 & 10,  and on the 14th (morning only) 

Some advantages from the upgrade--

• You no longer have to navigate, to your page if you are a teacher and you sign-in to school wires, elementary teachers have to be on an elementary site for that to work.
• Groups: Only relevant if you are going to protect a page You as a webmaster can create your own groups, tho Marlo will create staff groups for all the schools based on what’s in personnel.
• Webmasters now have the ability to unlock users
• Navigation/old hierarchy is now drag and drop compared to the convoluted way it was before the upgrade. 

Known Issues:

• linking in tables--problems with that
• hyperlinking an image is an issue
• NCREPORT CARD: url has capital letters in the web address, but when you create a link in Quick links (and quick links only), it makes everything lower case, so that is an issue because NCREPORT card distinguishes schools by capital letters in the web address.
• Sometimes pasting from word, it will merge words.
• Forms and Surveys: some schools not receiving the e-mail saying you have received a response to a form. Speaking of forms, Ignore bully form issues, Marlo will be sending that form to all schools
• Flash Pictures on the Main Page, Marlo will be sending out directions, and a video soon.
• Hierarchy of editing--who controls what:  Flow chart (she will post this power point on the web portal
• Collections: has to do with calendars…have not been setup yet but should be by February. You can push down calendar items to teacher calendars—don’t need to get approval. We can push up with approval to district calendar.
• Page Types: With School Wires before the upgrade all pages were set to one column.
• You do have ability to set to two or three columns (Marlo does not recommend it tho)
• APPS: For example, you can add a calendar in one corner, a form in another corner and directions for signing up in another corner (all by adding “apps”)
• Page types are also called “apps”
• Marlo feels like “assignment pages” are under used, you could also use assignment pages for to do lists for PLC’s or School Improvement teams to do list.
• Photo-Galleries are easier now--They can be added as a separate school wires page or as an "App" to an existing flex page
• Marlo mentioned changing the homepage by clicking on the little drop down arrow underneath the picture of the house in Internet explorer and choosing add or change homepage so that the correct address for school wires is saved)
• Issue: If link on the desktop no longer going to the homepage. There is a “friendly url” for everyone’shomepage. Marlo has a list of the friendly url’s From now on, they will use the friendly URL for links.
• Mentioned that the link for Parent Assist changes, and if you had an old link on a page that you created, then the link needs to be updated.  https://pa.ncwise.org/
• Marlo and Site Manager: "The View Website" brings a window (black box) up and all you have to do is hit the x to get out it as opposed to before when you sometimes ended up exiting out.
• Issue with contact tab in account settings, have teachers check to make sure their e-mail address is correct--especially new teacher.
• How do I?” There is a section editor workbook, Interactive video tutorials, were they have you work along with them, it's not just watching a video.  Also don't forget Learning Village--Melissa has posted a bunch of links to resources on School Wires
• Statistics, you can check statistics on any section, teachers can also check on how many people are going to their website.
• When you go to edit a page, it brings up an overview box, and you can choose apps on that page (have to hit down arrow key) to see all of the apps.
• Important box is to make sure box for “activate on my page” it defaults to be on, but if it’s off then someone has clicked it off.
• Also must check display bullet image if you want a bullet to display for quick links.
• Calendar: recurring events --now have ability to choose weekdays, and choose number of recurrences and does not include weekends.
• Viewers: gives you the ability to keep a master calendar, and have certain events only be viewable to certain people (teachers could also to this for parent conferences, etc for a team calendar, and make those events only viewable to teachers)
• Anytime you protect a page, then people need to log-in to see the link. If you are going to protect page, train teachers to always sign-in when ever they go to our website, and this will happen more often as central office learns to use different features like this. (You could have landing page that says in order to see pages you will have to log-in)
• Comments on colors for the calendar--they will be working on that.
• Channels—little bubble now where you see the number of pages in that channel--so for example you can see the number of teacher pages in that view.
• Use the search, start typing your page and you can search.

Editors and Viewers tab: 

•  If teachers have not been assigned rights to their own page you can check under this tab
• Files: If you look under tools/ Files and folders (note that some files maybe under folders on the left
• Marlo, best thing when editing links on a flex page is to remove the link (there is now a remove link icon)
• Another button now is “remove formatting” that can be helpful if you copy and paste from another program and there were problems with formatting.
• You now have a button on the right called “DESIGN” and click on that design button and you want to add an app for example a photo-gallery.
• Under “more” button under users you can emulate users to see what they are seeing.
• You can unlock and lock a user by filtering to find a user and then clicking on them, opening their information and then taking the check box off locked.
• Groups: Don’t get "group happy"--Really only use if you intend to protect pages
• Today’s Power Point will be in the web-portal under documents/schoolwires/centricity
• Workshop Proposals: Steven Anderson has created a “School wires update” workshop in the workshop registration system--you can copy those proposals and make your own.
• Spring calendar is posted on the webportal:
• Feb 7th—quest Atlantis all day 8:-3 with Brian

Betty Weycker--final words:

Accommodation training—how to put accommodations in NCWISE..not for teachers…
more and more requests for Lotus notes accounts, request for email accounts, etc. It has to come from HR, and if they are never in HR, then they are never added.--Betty is holding off on dealing with those tickets

Alert Now: a person called the Superintendent’s office about a number being removed. It can be removed from the district, but many schools have local spreadsheets and if that is the case then you have to manually update those...

 The database from NCWISE to Alert Now is taken out every night.

 Staff is being pulled from HR…Home field.

Lenovo T-61 (Wake Forest Univ. Teacher laptops) laptop issues



 
Daniel Bryant our 6th grade math/science teacher offered the following solution for a couple of "display problems" with the new laptops


The first issue deals with the icons and writing on the new laptops being much smaller than on other computers. The second problem occurs (sometimes) when using Function F7 to transfer your computer display onto a projector. To try the solutions to one or both of these issues, read on below.

  

1) Writing and Icons are Too Small on the Desktop…
To solve this problem,

 

• click on the Start Tab and go to Settings and Control Panel .
• Next, double-click on the Display icon, and then press the Advanced button in the bottom right corner of the new window.
• You will see a highlighted drop down box titled DPI Setting . Currently, your setting is probably set at Normal Size (96DPI) . You want to click on that drop down box, and change the setting to Large Size (120DPI) .
• After making the change you will be asked a question acknowledging that font changes won’t be made until windows is restarted.
• Click OK . Next click APPLY in the bottom right corner of the box.
• Another question will pop up asking if you would like to skip loading new files and just stick with what’s on the computer. Click YES. Finally, if you are not prompted to do so, restart your computer for the changes to take place.

2) My Projector Only Shows My Background after I Press Function F7

 

OK, here is what has mysteriously happened… When you pressed Function F7, the laptop not only transferred your screen onto the projector, but it also changed your display settings (anyone interested in what they became, feel free to email Daniel for an explanation). I’m not sure what causes this change to happen, because I used Function F7 many times before this problem suddenly started taking place. Here is the Fix:

 

In the bottom right-hand corner of your laptop screen is a small green button that shows as NVIDIA Settings if you hold the cursor over it.

 

• Double-click this NVIDIA button.
• You will get a pop up window.
• Hold your cursor over Quatro NVS 140m (Display 1- Digital) ,
• then move it to the left over nView Display Settings .
• The “Dualview” setting is probably checked,
• but we want to go down and hold the cursor over Clone ,
•  and then click on Laptop Display + Analog Display
• Finally, the computer will ask if you are sure that you want to make these display changes.
•  Click YES .
• Clicking on this should return your computer to the correct setting so that you can see what is on your laptop and what is on the projector at the same time.
•  If it is only showing up on one or the other, press Function F7 again.

 

 

 

 

 

Parent Assist Issues

FYI, During NCWISE maintenance weekends” parent assist” is not accessible either.
List of Maintenance Weekends:

http://www.ncwise.org/documents/maintenance/NC_WISE_Maint_Weekend_Sched.pdf

Also, even before the maintenance weekend, I have been hearing about parents having difficulty accessing parent assist. ( https://pa.ncwise.org )

Unfortunately, there is not one simple answer as to why someone might be having difficulty accessing Parent Assist. However, having heard of some problems and possible fixes from various parents this week, the following are some possible solutions:

1) One quick fix is to start fresh try another internet browser, and then use that new browser only for Parent Assist. Why might that work?—because browsers can get corrupted by various spyware, tool bars, and the like, and starting fresh can be away to deal with those issues without addressing the other issues that are affecting your computer. A couple of good browsers that have been suggested to me are:

Safari: http://www.apple.com/safari/download/

Mozilla/Firefox: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/

Opera:  http://www.opera.com/download/

2) Another suggestion might to be to clean up your internet explorer browser. Depending on your internet explorer version, you might try the following:

From an open internet explorer window:
Go to the menu
choose Tools,
Internet Options,
advanced tab
select RESET (under reset internet explorer settings)

Warning, this will generally reset your homepage and other customized settings, but can be a good clean sweep if you were having other IE problems.

Another good thing to occasionally do is:
Also under Internet Options,
but this time under the general tab
choose “delete”: to remove temporary files, cookies, browsing history, saved passwords. This can sometimes make a program like parent assist work where there were problems with it loading before.

Otherwise, there is a Parent Assist FAQ site on WS/FCS’s webpage:

http://www.wsfcs.k12.nc.us//site/default.aspx?pageid=769

List of Maintenance Weekends:

http://www.ncwise.org/documents/maintenance/NC_WISE_Maint_Weekend_Sched.pdf

If you come across other suggestions that have worked for you, please let me know. I did speak about navigating to different grade views in parent assist in the weekly memo. http://weeklyhappeningsattjms.blogspot.com/2011/01/january-10-14.html

Saving Favorites/Bookmarks in the Cloud

I recently got an e-mail from a teacher whose Internet favorites were not carrying over to her laptop as they should according to our school's network policies. Since it was the holidays, and I could not get to her machine for a few days, I suggested the following:

I don't use favorites (I put my most frequently used links on an i-google page, so whenever I log-into any computer regardless of whether or not it is school system machine, I can get to my most frequently used links) i-google also allows me to customize my default home page regardless of the browser so that I see the same gadgets and same favorites anywhere I log in to a computer!  Here's how to set it up:

http://www.wikihow.com/Use-iGoogle

Once you have that set-up, one of the gadgets you can add is "favorites/bookmarks" and then you can add those frequently used favorite links so that they will always be part of your i-google homepage

More information on working with a google homepage:
http://www.wikihow.com/Set-Up-a-Google-Personalized-Homepage

Here's a How to on Social Bookmarking:
http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Social-Bookmarking

And, here is a current list of social bookmarking sites:
http://www.social-bookmarking-sites-list.com/
and another list:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_bookmarking_websites#Social_bookmarking_sites

But anyway, getting back to the specific question of moving bookmarks/favorites from one computer to another,  there is a way to export favorites to a file so we can move them to your new laptop.

What you would do is...from your main desktop computer where you currently have many favorites (at school for example)  navigate through "my computer" to the following location:

C:\Documents and Settings\"your user name"\Favorites

Copy that star looking folder called favorites, then go back to your laptop and paste the contents of that favorites folder to the dame location on your laptop:

C:\Documents and Settings\"your user name"\Favorites

Another way to move favorites/bookmarks is to do whats called an "export/import": (again you would have to go back to your desktop computer in your office)

From your Internet explorer menu, You go to:

• File
• Import/Export
• Choose "export to file"
• Choose "favorites"
• Choose a location--like your flash drive

Then once that is complete, you would do the same thing essentially, but this time:

You go to:

• File
• Import/Export
• Choose "import from a file"
• Choose "favorites"
• Choose the location on your flash drive where you exported earlier

Hope that helps...

:)

December 2010 Technology Facilitator Meeting

Classroom Solution Demo:

 

Brian Pie:
CPS/Mobi:

 

First message you might get about opening a database on a network server—just click yes to that message.

 

You have one database for the year, and it likes the database on the C drive

 

You can load CPS on your computer at home (from the website), teachers can save files on their thumb drives and then bring them in from home and over-write the one on the C drive.

 

So, best thing is to load the database on the C drive

 

Another setting to check...

• Go to Settings menu
• Delivery options
• Receiver tab
• Put the check to Power off the clickers…

 

Battery question: heaviest users—take about a year for the batteries to go dead.

 

Prepare tab is “Create”

Lessons are tests

Team activities tab—like Jeopardy type games

 Reports tab: there are tons of different reports you can create…

 

Can you import students? have to get your data manager to export your class files, so probably easier to just enter them manually

 

Research shows that if students get instant feedback, they perform better

 

You can do verbal engagement too, it's not just multiple choice.

 

CTE teachers should already have lessons (tests) made

 

These are generation 2 remotes—pulse—can do text answer up to 140 characters

 

Issue with text answers—they have to be worded exactly to get them right.

 

"FAST GRADE TEST": You can use a paper copy of a test and just use an answer key in CPS and have students take test.

 

You can also print a study guide out.

 

Engage Tab: Now we are going to take a test, teachers have to put a check ?

 

Modes:

 

• Teacher led test,
•  student paced (test in front of them and a remote)

 

until teacher ends test, they can change their answer as much as they want

 

• Student practice mode

 

Many schools have generation 1 clickers

 

Have to use version cps 5.62 to use generation 1 remotes

 

You can create lots of different types of graphs

 

You can add audio or video to a question…

 

Report tab: most recent reports on top:

 

Generate—most common on the top, reports are generated in PDF format

 

Kevin made the point about the sound being one of the most important component of the classroom solution, someone mentioned having the kids come up and speak with the sound enhancement, another person mentioned many students have hearing issues that are not on their IEP.

 

The sound needs to have the instructional cart for the placement of the AMP

 

Using zoomit to zoom and focus in on something on the screen

 

Brian: “Workspace”—google zoomit

 

You can also find zoomit—under teacher applications

 

Cntl -1 will zoom

 

Cntrl-1 takes you back out

 

Menu in workspace for mobi:

• go to preferences
• change size of tool bar,
• tool bar settings
• check to change to size 40

Also change advanced settings to show more items in the toolbar

 

Pen:

 

Math teachers love the mobi for moving around the room

 

The workscpace program wants to save it to their H drive (if teacher H drive is full—it will crash)

 

Problem: pens need to seat well inside the mobi or it will not charge

 

Icon for the charging battery for the pen on the mobi—make sure that is showing when you “seat the pen”

 

Might need to turn the pen just a little to make sure it is making contact and charging.

 

e-instruction will send you a courtesy pen if you have problems with them

 

Customer service for e-instruction (888) is fantastic –call them if you need anything: 888-333-4988

 

Gallery for –build the gallery database is not accessible sometimes…Chris is working on that problem…

 

Use your camera tool instead and capture any image out there…H drive too full can be a problem too…

 

Make sure teachers H drives are not full…Can you direct to C drive?  Chris may have fixed this default problem

 

But when you are creating files on Mobi, don’t load the interwrite content

 

COMPUTER SKILLS TEST for 8th Graders:

• Steven and Doreen will give us the list of kids who need computer skills test
• No proctors but they do have to have mods, they will be entering kids in atomic learning
• Go into my trainings, my assessments
• 48 questions randomly assigned, so they may have different questions
• After all the scores come in…we do not report scores—district will handle all the reporting…Principals do not handle it!!
• Data is not always accurate, so let Marlo know if there is any issue…District will handle the one big upload.
• All we have to do is check the list schedule the test, let them know When we are finished—you can test anytime before April…
• Not part of any gateway, no one is looking at it. Only reason we are doing it is because of federal dollars.
•  It is a really hard test—indicates teachers are not teaching 21st century skills…but it is an eye opener to what we are not doing in schools.

Betty Weycker

 

2006 bond construction plan: (plan was developed in 2004)…

 

• Reagan
• Parkland
• Sherwood Forest
• Rural Hall
• Sedge Garden
• Glenn
• Downtown Elem

 

Plan is ....is, if they finish this summer, then Walkertown HS/MS and other schools coming on…

 

As of today, 2012 plan is to start doing all the classrooms in the district.

 

LCD Monitors are less expensive and less man power to install then the promethium and smartboard systems

 

Issue dealing with teachers who don’t want to leave their classrooms, some will take place after-school. Some issues with construction and nasty conditions behind boards that they take down.

 

Kevin—Technical side issues

 

Chris Corbin

 

Trend micro came up for contract last summer, and they looked at it.—wanted an all inclusive package for scanning malware, etc. Will still have the little blue bubble—"core protection model" now when you hover your mouse over it. Will do real time and manual scans. Still use malwarebytes as a backup.

 

Other benefit, laptops will do pattern/definition updates at home!! Yeah!!

 

 If you ever go into the running processes you will see “BESClient UI.exe”

 

And "BES console"

 

Don’t close out of those processes, still have the regular office scan pccntmon

 

At some point, Teacher laptops will need to come in to be updated to this new version.

 

They now have four office scan servers…

 

May get an e-mail from Chris asking teachers to bring in laptops, or may get an e-mail from Chris asking you to re-image a machine because of difficulty uninstalling and reinstalling the new client

 

New “core protection model” is built in to all current images.

 

AICP utility has been updated:

 

• Ticker box at the bottom has updates on it, cleaner interface without the tabs. 
• Images have been watered down somewhat, so may have to use AICP a little more…
• Check box AICP will be coming so you can install several items at one sweep.

 

T61 new WFU laptops

 

Inter-video playing the sound not the video, solution USE VLC instead…

 

Mobi workspace problem—writing a 95 MB file to teachers H drive, the fix for that is a a registry script fix that now writes “workspace” gallery now to the local C drive

 

It is now set to go to inter-write folder/workspace content, file does not get built until you run the gallery…When teacher builds the gallery, they have to re-build it…registry key is now there that will point to the gallery on the C drive

 

Dell mini—jumping around fix is on the webportal…

 

question:  Exam view with CPS? Chris will look into –Exam view is very weird about their licensing—they are locked down.

 

Profile sweep is coming up –the 13th through the 17th: Use the utility to check your computer. For all class room machines.

 

Anything with an "I" will get swept…

 

Buddy Martin:

 

Many tickets lately about missing machines…need to make sure compu-trace agent is on your machines—especially laptops

 

Go to AICP utility—( CTM web utility) To do a test call (password) is password to test a call…

 

180 day moratorium on missing computers…

 

Kevin: Just a few minutes on ASSIST…

 

• Process improvement committee update:
• Now e-mails have more information on them—
• ticket number at the end…
• speed improvements
• simplified categories
• will be moving data to our data center…to see if it improves speed.
• Email subject line has ticket number now,
• Service project has employee name, etc.
• There will be much more detail in the sub category..
• Christmas Break –Assist will be down for a few days (around the 29th)  while they update the new categories, etc.

 

Brenda Bourne:/Human Resources Page of our website: —

 

Emplyee User id number is the ten digit number that your principal should have provided you  for use with the on-line evaluation process, (data managers also have this under teacher list (not the six digit payroll number)

 

• First default password is 123456
• Refer password problems to Brenda Bourne (MS/HS) or James Lucas (elem)
• This is for help with teachers who need help with this site…
• All schools are using this…to evaluate teachers…

 

Every observation can now be seen by the state admins and superintendents. Peer observations can be done on here too.

 

If you go to DPI’s site,  go to:

• departments,
• professional development,
• on-line evaluation system:

 

http://www.ncpublicschools.org/profdev/training/online-evaluation/

 Common Question:—tried to print, will not print—under FAQ—there are suggestions:

 

Here are the FAQ links:

http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/profdev/training/online-evaluation/faq.pdf

http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/profdev/training/online-evaluation/faq2.pdf

Now signed in…Peggy D. asked about doing a peer evaluation…

 

Betty—teachers and admins are going to come to you with questions—a check box is their electronic signature—remind them they don’t have to print it…

 

Jackie Pierson—they are re-writing our job descriptions once they do that--Media Coordinator or Tech Facilitator will have to use this instrument. (if you are career status then you just use your PDP) Otherwise you could have to use this depending which year you are on your cycle.

 

Marlo Gaddis: School Wires

 

Working on "centricity 2" update:

 

Two Pod-casts from In-touch—weekly off the instructional technology page

 

"Instructional technology unplugged":

 

http://www.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/22351032313571730/podcasts/browse.asp?a=399&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&c=86939&22351032313571730Nav=
&NodeID=4407

On intouch blog: Be checking it out for the latest:

 

http://wsfcsintouch.blogspot.com/

Upgrade taking place—mostly on December 29th:

 

As of December 14th at 4:00 will not be able to use Site Manager on School Wires—

 

The upgrade rocks....!!

• They are completely re-building the platform
•  Now Site Manager, will automatically direct them to the pages that they can edit.
•  Site Manager: Will require more training…
• Passport rights: we will now have the ability to unlock your own teacher accounts!!
•  Users: look under “more” and you can “emulate” user…without having to know their user name and password
• New version can create your own groups so that roles can be customized for secured pages-- A protected page for example that only a certain group can see.
• Webmasters will be scheduling for January training
• Hierarchy will now be drag and drop!!
• New page types for now "APPS"
• More than one calendar per section will now be possible, can even have more than one calendar per page
• APPS are drag and drop…
• Can change existing page types without starting all over
• A team can make a calendar that can be shared…Can now have a separate calendar that only a group in your school can see…
• We have a sandbox site, and they will create accounts for webmasters for the month of December.

AGAIN, Dec 14th after 5:00—No SITE MANAGER…

 

CL there are strawbridge CD’s down stairs

 

MTAC: password matrix—will retrieve it and update it and get it out to you…

 

TAM Upgrade—NCWISE first major upgrade ever—we don’t have much information. Program director for NCWISE is no longer there.:

 

Betty is worried about the impact, there is a link on Technologywebpage:

Dept of technology/ncwise link to the docs that they currently have on the upgrade…

 

http://www.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/22351032313574277/blank/browse.asp?a=383&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&c=87717&22351032313574277Nav=
&NodeID=4528

Stipends are coming ($1000 is still in effect)

 

Betty has no idea for Theme monies for next year—not had their first meeting yet.

 

Mail box scrooge! Please remind teachers not to send personal greeting e-mails !!

 

Everyone understands that there will be no inotes e-mail on an IPAD—flash issue :(

 

So people that get one for Christmas, no i-notes—flash required pages will not show on IPADS

 

Next meeting...January 27th

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add Lucy to my tech buddy friends…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Technology Facilitator's Meeting, October 28, 2010

New person--Dianne Phillips—Clemmons MS

Betty Weycker:  "Remember the individual child…"

Bill Park—WinstonNet—Connect your community Grant—a partnership with WS/FCS

• 1750 families have computers in their home thanks to this Grant
• CYC:  “Connect Your Community”
•       Bill Park:  is not a tech person…Cathy Davidson is project supervisor
• They have roughly a million dollar grant
• Free computer training starting November 29^th
• call for more information (336) 703-4138
• He is at 475 Corporate Square Drive  --34512
• He is wcpark@wsfcs.k12.nc.us

Kevin Sherrill:

Carla Miller:  “End of Life Survey”—One more day to do that—working computers and monitors that you no longer use.  No laptops

• Surplus:  About 70% finished—should be done by tomorrow…
• If you have something else that needs to be added, put it on the spreadsheet and let Carla know (especially TV’s)

• Courier Service:  How process is going with the Courier Service:  Carla is looking at the process.  If an item is not there when they go to pick it up, then they will close the ticket.

Nook/Kobo:  (electronic readers), schools have wanted to buy.  They are looking at them--Nook Barnes and Noble, and Kobo from Borders.

• They felt like the Nook was a better built machine. 
•  It is School based decision. 
• Technology is not supporting them at this point for repair, some can connect to the WI-FI.

Classroom Solution: 

• Title 1 budget and purchasing has picked up on that. 
• Make sure you put in an assist ticket to do a survey for the rooms you want done. 
•  Be aware that pricing is changing all the time. 
• They need to work with maintenance. 
• Order through Assist ticket when ready to buy. 

Assist: 

• What you do with your teachers is up to you..But they encourage you to use it with your teachers.
• Requester:  anyone who creates a ticket…May simplify the categories in the next couple of weeks
• Make sure the ticket information from teachers is up-to-date, and complete before assigning to the service desk.Remember there are only FOUR people on the service desk. 
• Link to software clearning house: http://www.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/22351032313577150/blank/browse.asp?a=383&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&c=60922&22351032313577150Nav=|&NodeID=171
• Before you write a Grant for software, it needs to be approved first.  For example, Just recently, having a problem getting a program to work--the software did not go through the software approval process. 
• GET a trial copy to Sherry to test it first.
• Better to look at the tickets to find comments--look for the flags
• Make sure when you use comments you do NOT check INTERNAL ONLY…otherwise it just stays on the ticket, and does not get corresponded.
• Do not reply to e-mail for comment notification e-mails--instead Log back into assist and edit comments.
• Reports section of assist:  share with your principal…if the number of days the ticket was open is wrong, report that to Kevin.
• ONCE you OPEN a ticket, make sure you ASSIGN IT…Service desk is not looking at the Master Queue list
• Unapproved software list is still on the technology page, Software Approvals... 
• Marlo sends e-mail to instructional services first and often have to wait :( —The more information you can give about the software, the better—how are you using it ?  where did you get the software, etc.?
• Kevin spent a fair amount of time on the flow chat showing the assist ticket flow process.
• Comments:  go back to whoever submitted the ticket.  Anyway to extend the time…of a closed ticket??
•  It is five days, and school wires won’t extend it.  You can reference the old ticket number (especially an issue with hardware repairs)
• Remember, you can only “assign to the service desk” or yourself or another tech facilitator in your school..
• Can set up e-mail rules to control the flow of your notification.  (Jim will put instructions for doing this on the web-portal)
• By queue, you can see what tickets are waiting to be assigned.
• Auto-assigned categories: Data Management, media services

Compu-trace:  https://cc.absolute.com/  Guest Speaker-- "ROYCE"

• Log-in with your e-mail address and password
• Part of every new purchase and on every computer
• Every machine come with  a Bios agent,  and an application agent communicates with compu-trace.
• Asset tracking Page:  has a call history, is most popular…
• Computrace is not just a theft recovery tool. Excellent inventory tracking. 
• Alerts tab:  set them so you can be alert and be notified if anything unusual happens.  You can get a malware notification.  Or notification that their drive is full, etc..
• "Device freeze" can be locked down at the OS level,  user messaging can be used to correspond to the user.

Jackie Pierson:  Media Services:

• LSTA(Library Science/technology) Grant—five schools got this grant…it is a “print” grant.  Public libraries gets technology $10,000, and a matching $2500    
  

• Mt Tabor,
• N. Forsyth
• Sedge garden
• Sherwood Forest
• SouthEast Middle
• MTAC committee should be meeting at your school....MTAC  decided this grant
• Inside Destiny—There are 65 "e-ready" classic books already.
• The ones inside destiny—are through adobe reader, 1 reader at a time.  Huckleberry Finn for example…The little @ sign indicates it is in “e” format.

Principals are very "in-tune" with the e-books  

Marlo Gaddis:

Update, a corruption took place on Learning Village Update. 

• No data was lost, have had to re-build the framework…
• will not be upgraded since they are just trying to get it back to the way it was. 
• There will be a new hosted version that should facilitate upgrading in the future.
• Career start teachers have been calling…so it has been being used—hopefully will be in the TBT tomorrow.

On-Line staff development—on-line courses ending for October.  May want to remind teachers.

Staff Development:  they are down one instructional technologist, demand for training is outstanding.  If you schedule open labs, make sure you have a list of teachers who will attend. 

NCEEF:  Teacher evaluation on-line.  Marlo has been getting Tickets about log-ins.  DOT does not have anything to do with that internally at this time.  First check with principals—they re being trained.  Don’t think user names and passwords have been sent yet.

TEACHSCAPE:  company we use for classroom walk-through—Marlo is “pulling numbers” tomorrow for this quarter.

• http://www.teachscape.com/html/ts/nps/index.html
• PLC model and using this tool--"Teachscape Reflect":
• Could be used as a reflective tool for teachers to use and help one another. 
• There are linking the NC evaluation instrument with this device..you can tape your lesson and tag the different pieces of evidence.
• Can also take still photos—evidence in the classroom—activity sheet vs. a worksheet, classroom environment, etc..
• Cost: ~$4800 for the camera…the video is only viewable on the website. 
• National Boards should work with this product.
• There is an OPT out policy for video—parents would have to say they don’t want there children to be filmed…
• Go to here to find the resources that Marlo is sharing from her conference
• http://wsfcs.pbworks.com/
• "Teacher works academy resources"
• Look under the conferences folder on the right.
• Talked to lots of important people in education circles.

 Betty Weycker:  “Race to the Top”—"NC education cloud". 

• Federal Initiative to give schools money—what will be technology’s role? 
• From Governor Purdue…MCNC is one of the groups who is involved with this…Program Director—Phil Emer (used to be a director of MCNC)
• Friday Institute:  center near NCSTATE.  MCNC is a partner with e-rate
• One of the major things coming with all of this is:  on-line assessments…on a regular basis—and we have to be prepared to implement.  Learning Management systems—like success maker or compass.  Now, the state might mandate it. 
• The “CLOUD”—off-site management for all of this—they will provide, but we have to be able to access it.  Huge thing for Betty is the infrastructure to support it.
• Cloud—hosted services…
• We already have the band-width in place, other districts don't
• State can own some of these resources and our job to use them and give information back
• Every child will have to be tested…on-line
• Other devices?  IPADS?  Whatever the devices are remains to be seen…IPADS don’t have flash (major draw back of them)
• Dell and other are out there trying to satisfy the needs for the "Race to the Top"…
• No one has any real answers right now as to what will be the best devices for online assessments
• State will update our e-mail system (though the Microsoft e-mail—MS Live)
• Voice over Ip phones/State will take care of some of these resources.
• Cloud enabled LEA (servers will be hosted throughout the state)
• Jackie Pierson—We may see  a new form of Learn 360/Discovery Streaming soon as part of Race to the Top
• Betty will post this on the web portal and we should read it…
• Some schools will be dramatically more affected than others. 

Another technology piece is coming along…2006 school bonds

Reagan, Parkland, Sherwood forest, Rural Hall, Sedge Garden, Glenn, Downtown—all these schools will get complete classroom solutions. 

Reagan had 20 and now 60 additional will be done soon.

 General Reminders:

• Make sure teachers are checking the box to "Post to Parent Assist"
• MTAC will be discussing a better (hopefully on-line solution) for the Purple Acceptable Use Policy Forms that students must sign.
• Alert Now--Message retrieval link can be put back on home pages
• "E-Docs" is coming...where teachers can retrieve their pay stubs on-line.
• Employees will log in using their Employee ID number (found on your pay stub, or ask Media person to look up on Destiny or through the district website)
• Can Find the website under Employees--resources--administration--wsfcs administration resources--employee user ID look up:http://intranet.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/Public.nsf/InternetMenu?OpenForm
• e-docs will be alive starting next wednesday nov 3
• Next Meeting is December 2nd

Edmodo --Social Learning in the Classroom

In a recent  discussion with a teacher the question was raised:   "Why can't we have a platform like Facebook for teachers?" to be able to interact with students? My Friend, Jennifer Lagarde highly recommends this educational version of Facebook:  http://www.edmodo.com/home/   She says her teachers love it.  I signed up for a generic tjmswsnc account with my "usual" password, if anyone at school wants to try it before signing up yourself

What is edmodo video:
http://www.edmodo.com/?language=en&auto_selected_lang=true#

Guide to edmodo:
http://www.edmodo.com/guide/

Edmodo blog:
http://blog.edmodo.com/

Here are some testimonies from teachers with ideas:

edmodo in L/Arts:
http://projects.minot.k12.nd.us/groups/chris/weblog/6dae5/

http://usgovteducatorsblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/edmodo-new-tool-for-connecting-in.html

http://blog.edmodo.com/2010/02/02/teachers-corner-robert-millers-edmodo-experience/

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2009/01/edmodo-microblogging-for-students.html

http://www.pbs.org/teachers/mediainfusion/2010/07/edmodo-a-great-and-interesting-new-opportunity.html

http://www.appappeal.com/app/edmodo/

Check out how another school is using social networking:
http://www.northjersey.com/news/111909_New_Milford_teachers_using_Twitter_social_media_sites_to_engage_students.html


School Policies on Social Networking with Students:

http://tjmstechtips.blogspot.com/search/label/Facebook