School District 60: Peace River North

A planned shutdown of Legacy mail will occur this weekend, starting at 4pm on Friday, November 20th. It will be re-enabled on Monday, November 23rd around 8am.

This is in order to test other legacy systems with our legacy SMTP server to make sure that there are no hidden dependencies.

Nov 10 Staff Meeting 2009

PDF from the notebook file for the November 10th Staff meeting. Please remind yourself of workflow homework for next meeting.

Ruckus Wireless that is. The new district wireless system components have arrived. After successful implementation at the SBO since July we’ll be moving to replace most if not all of the seven year old Apple base stations in our schools with Ruckus Wireless devices. More to come.

Some versions of IE seem to hang with the new mail app. If you see this there are two options that seem to quickly provide a solution or a work around

1. Use Firefox (solution)
2. Click on the Load Basic HTML link at the bottom of the loading progress page (see image below)
   

Please use the commenting tool to add any other items for the November Staff Meeting.

• Asset Based vs Deficit Based Thinking (from leadership collaboration moodle – Asset_Based_Thinking)
• WWP Roll-Out Analysis (verbal feedback, and comments http://www.prn.bc.ca/ts/?p=689)
• Communication (including cell phone etiquette)
• Procedures (identifying areas where flow charts will be beneficial, assignment to staff for flow charts)
• Department Moodle
• 4 Days
• H1N1
• Others? Please add to Comments

Technology and the Future of Learning in SD 60

What is currently working well with the integration of technology in our schools?

What are our dreams/wishes for the future of technology in our district?

What is important for us to be thinking about, and why, as we develop a long-range plan for technology use in schools over the next 3 – 5 years?

I’ve been using the #techitup hash tag so people can follow my and others thought’s on the Tech it up International conference on twitter. Have a look

http://twitter.com/search?q=%23techitup

I’ve been doing some twittering on the Techitup conference but wanted to switch back to the blog… You can see previous microblogging @jbellsd60 on twitter.

Bridges distributes edtech and assistive tech across Canada – looking at today how their tech and new tech (smartboards) integrate.

• Bridges conference this year is looking at RTI.
• As we move forward with technology we cannot leave students behind. Kids with special needs or socio-economically disadvantaged must not be left behind.
• We cannot reach the mind that we don’t engage!
• Extensively look at UDL
• UDL: framework that considers the diverse learning styles of all students prior to setting goals and designing curriculum and assessment materials
• UDL: essential for some, beneficial for all
• Google: CAST – http://www.google.ca/search?q=CAST&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
• CAST believes that “barriers to learning are not in fact, inherent in the capacities of learners, but instead arise in learners interactions with inflexible educational goals, materials, methods, and assessments”
• students have multiple means of representations, engagement, and expression
• Smartboards support auditory, visual, and kinesthetic. Symbols for receptive and expressive communication modeling
• multiple examples are simple with digital technology
• smart notebook can capture the file as well as audio recorded
• -note that the mov file is large for smartboard recordings. It could be converted with versions of imovie to a smaller size, or a m4v file.
• little research of kids on IEP and the use of smartboards
• Robert Marzano looked at the Promethean board (kind of interactive white board: IWB) and found a gain of 17 percentile points
• -most successful scenario was experienced teachers using the smartboards for a two year period of time with training
• Smartboards are opening the door to technology in classrooms where there has been little use of technology before.
• Boardmaker cards combined with smartboard technology for students point to graphic symbols and having them speak their word (language aided stimulation)
• smartboards become the new “bib” for organizing the boardmaker cards
• Smart ideas – concept mapping software – amazing – possible replacement for inspirations. As long as we own a copy for school we have a site license. -need to check and see if own a copy means we have a smartboard… this will be done next year in all schools.
• Looked at Classroom Suite – great for smartboard as there is a repository on the companies website of pre-created resources. We are already using this in multiple schools.
• Boardmaker plus also have voice support now
• Clicker5 integrates reading and writing, smartboard helps model it

Update: the issues have been resolved. If you are still having connection issues please restart your computer. If problems persist please call the helpdesk 250-263-6442

Monday 8:34am – currently experiencing connection issues. Several districts services will be unavailable until further notice.

This draft policy is being written to provide some clear guidelines regarding what technology will be assigned as an End of Life (EoL) asset and no longer supported after the date attached to the specific hardware, OS, or software below. An exponential increase in the demands on Technology Services makes it impossible to support everything. This will also help in planning for technology as locations with EoL devices can prioritize spending based on the policy.

End of Life assets can remain in the district however there will be no priority or funds allocated to their servicing.

As computer technology changes rapidly, the specifications of this policy are to be reviewed yearly by TS management and the SD60 Technology Committee.

Operating Systems (OS) that will no longer be supported

• Mac OS 9 or older (May 2010)
• Windows 2000 or older (May 2010)

Hardware Systems that will no longer be supported

• PC – Pentium III and older [Pentium IV, and newer will continue to be supported] (May 2010)
• Mac – Some G4s, G3 computers and older (powerbook G4, ibook G3, rainbow imacs) [emacs, G4 iBooks will continue to be supported for at least one more year as they have been assigned "Vintage" status by Apple as of October 2009] (May 2010)
• Thin Clients (September 2010)

Hardware Devices that will no longer be supported

• Inkjet printers (except drafting plotters) (already in effect)
• CRT monitors (already in effect)

Software that will no longer be supported

• Any software that requires an EoL OS listed above (as per date listed on OS above)
• Email Clients (eudora, thunderbird, outlook, entourage, mail etc) (December 2009)
• Report Writer (September 2011)
• Success Maker (EoL date TBA hardware dependant works on G4s or PC, server dependant that we will not upgrade)
• Microsoft Office unless needed for job functions (replace with open office for new hardware)

As always your comments are appreciated on our draft policies.

This policy is set to be reviewed and possibly finalized on December 1st, 2009.

Don’t be content in your life just to do no wrong. Be prepared everyday to try and do some good.

-Sir Nicholas Winton

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SGJrHWhLKo

Occasionally I get the chance to work with our great inclusion and LA Teachers on the odd technology project here and there. I much prefer working on something with them than my usual roll of telling them that we have to pay for software we want to put on computers.

I was doing a video for Dr. K today of the PISP team helping with a student and their inclusion into the school community. They were providing her with an adapted iPod to make it easier for her to use and play some music they had on her SetBC machine. Even had a Wii to show kids that they could play together. On the iPod, I thought of our Spectrum server with the podcast capture and suggested that we have some of her tag students, who do the “Lame Joke of the Day” in Mrs. Gunn’s class, do some recordings for her. The recordings get put on an internal server and iTunes on the SetBC computer syncs with them and the iPod.

I’ve setup an account in spectrum, setup the computer and will revisit with Mrs. Blair and some of Mrs. Gunn’s students in the future.

I was explaining that on the scale of difficulty this is on the easy end of things. No really, it is! Looking forward to helping out on this some more.

Not sure what your password is or what they are used for? Here’s a quick tree to help.

Click on the image for a larger version

Really enjoyed doing a Smartboard session with Central today. I saw lots of lights turning on with regards to technology and education. I’m sure they’ll make good use of the gift as well.

Erin Evans, thanks Erin, sent a link to a site I hadn’t been to in quite a while. Karl Fisch creates the Did you Know / Shift happens series that most of us have seen on Youtube. Here is Did you Know 4.0.

Printing is an ongoing challenge for technology services staff. There has become an expectation that everyone should have a printer on their desk. This needs to change.

Keep in mind that a laser printer can cost as little as $100-200 and up into the $1000s for some of the larger networked printer. The toner cartridges range in prices from $60 to $200 a piece. Paper and power costs should figure in there as well.

I’m one of the privileged to have one on my desk, but today I asked my staff to take it to a school that needs to replace a broken one. I can easily walk down the hall or upstairs to get my very rare, piece of paper that I print.

Research shows 100% of trees prefer digital delivery. (Thanks for that one Chad)

Student accounts for NPSS, Dr K, and BB are done. Working on elementary accounts.

In an effort to reduce our waste stream the following policy has been created.

All arms of the Technology Services department will follow these guidelines when purchasing food for sessions.

1. Any containers/materials supplied by a caterer to deliver food should be preferably reusable or at least recyclable (no Styrofoam, no non-organic waste, no plastic utensils)
2. We are to use reusable plates, dishes and utensils
3. Participants of the session will be asked to help clear the dishes to either the SBO or SSS dishwasher and help clean any reusable containers from the caterers
4. Plastic containers or paper bags are to be cleaned by session participants and recycled

Caterers are to be informed of this policy. If they cannot meet our policy on certain items we will not purchase those items from them (nb: usually soup in styrofoam containers). If they will not or cannot meet our policy we will discontinue use of that caterer.

I just want to give you an update on the WWP 09-10 roll-out and what Technology Services will be doing and what is expected of the schools. We’ve made some changes to how we are doing the roll out which will hopefully have a cleaner roll-out than we did last year. I fully expect that there will be challenges with batteries but we’ve discussed how to get any problems dealt with at the sites during the roll-out day there.

• A google doc was shared with administrators to sign up for their date.
• We will do the extract from BCeSIS on Monday the 14th. Schools do not need to get us the info, they just need to have it updated in BCeSIS
• Any changes after the 14th must be work-ordered as you would normally for a new student. If there are large divisional changes please email me and we will extract again but please WO for one or two
• We will print and have contract files delivered to the schools and inserted into the laptops in the cart at least one day before roll-out. We will do a divisional list of who has what laptop as well.
• Carts will be plugged in and checked for cleanliness
• Cart will be unlocked (key stops removed) on the day of roll-out
• There will be a sign on each cart where the technician will sign off on cleanliness of the laptops and carts etc.
• If you are dissatisfied with the cleanliness of laptops and carts please email Rick Phillips
• A technician will be on site during roll-out to assist with any problems (batteries etc), possibly during evening roll-outs as well (working on that)
• A new line with checkbox appears on the contract regarding payment of the $67 rental charge that parents need to check if they are paying for it. Please do not refer to this as a fee. It is optional.
• One significant change: Schools will be asked to compile an adapter/backpack spreadsheet by division of which kids will be getting an adapter after contracts are signed (and I suggest you wait for payment before adding them to the list). This spreadsheet will be sent to Sharon Irving. We will then use this spreadsheet to deliver the correct number of adapters. We will also be using this spreadsheet for control/accounting purposes
• Adapters will be delivered as soon as possible after we get the spreadsheet.
• Students that pay the rental charge after the spreadsheet has been sent will receive an adapter through the regular work order process. No need for one work order per child please! If you have ten kids who’ve paid late, add them in a WO with their names and student number and ask for ten adapters.
• Since adapters will not be assigned on the same day as the roll-out students will not likely be taking them home right away.

If you have questions please let me know.

Please note that technology services does not do the mounting of projectors and smartboard, Facilities > Labourer and Grounds does the mounting.

If you have a projector to be mounted the following work orders need to be done by the school.

1. Work order for mounts to Facilities > Labourer and Grounds

2. Work order for ceiling plug Facilities > Electrical

3. Work order for installation after 1 and 2 have been completed Tech Services > Onsite

We will install the projector and run any necessary cabling. Facilities will check with Tech Services on the placement of the mount before doing the mounting.

Concerned about technology safety? Check out the Technology and Safety moodle page and watch the district web page or your school’s webpage for announcements about parent technology nights.

We will be providing an elluminate link to administrators for several leadership meetings this year to reduce travel expenses and help maximize time in schools. The link will be sent prior to meetings via email.