Fred Harlan | April 4, 2012
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BYOD: a dead end or a perfect adaptation?

Reflecting on the pros and cons of bring your own device (BYOD) programs in public k12 schools, I wonder if this is the next stage in our evolutionary ascent into 21st century education or a diversion doomed for extinction, that is, popular today but soon to be superseded by another strategy.  What makes BYOD, at least in public k12, the next sensible step on the one hand, and on the other hand what might make it an unsustainable dead end?  BYOD has been the practice for years in higher education, but how will it play out in my district and districts like mine?  What got us here and what will it take to make BYOD a success?

In the early years of education technology, the classroom lab was the focus of our energy and efforts. Schools with ample lab space, power and data ports, were the envy of all others.  Classrooms outfitted with desktop computers and big CRT screens seemed, at the time, to be the perfect blend of technology and education.  Who could have predicted that these adaptations would soon come under pressure from a new vision of technology in education?  Indeed, it wasn’t long before the arrival of affordable laptops made the classroom lab look more 20th century than 21st. Wireless networks and laptops on mobile carts made every classroom a lab, accessible to all students and exempt from many infrastructure deficiencies.  But, in time we discovered that mobile carts, like labs, had their own limitations and visionaries sought better solutions for the computing demands of k12 education.  This led to the emergence of one to one programs that put laptops in the hands of every student throughout the school day.  While celebrated in many locations, school provided one to one is expensive and therefore not a universal model.  Perhaps, to overcome the high cost of one to one programs, or possibly inspired by higher education, at some point the BYOD model was suggested as a reasonable solution for one to one computing in public k12.

I believe there are certain steps and prerequisites for a successful BYOD program in public k12. The first step is wide acceptance by the faculty, administration, students and community for the program. The curriculum should be designed to make use of student devices throughout the school day and the faculty should instruct by actively engaging student in the use of their devices.  Community support for the program is essential as is safe and easy access to the internet for all students from home. If only some students have this privilege then what is to be done for those who don’t? Indeed, in the interest of fairness, is it even reasonable to pursue BYOD if it rewards only some of our students? After all, one of the advantages of BYOD is the idea that students can work in an educationally rich online environment from home.  If we offer a BYOD opportunity to the community, we might expect that some families for various reasons will choose not to participate. Any BYOD initiative must include a school supplied option.  Before launching a BYOD it would be wise to establish both guidelines for what is an acceptable device as well as what is acceptable behavior with the device at school. We must be mindful of functional requirements as well as equitability as we identify appropriate devices for the classroom. Network security and network capacity should be reviewed before a program is launched.  You must have the means to identify devices and control access to the internet from within your district. Without network access control, content filtering will be compromised.  Virus protection is another area demanding attention. Ensuring that student owned devices are protected with up to date anti-virus software and definitions is a matter of importance and must be supported by policy and procedure. Classroom and device support, re-charging stations, data backup and recovery as well as strategies for replacement of lost devices are just a few other areas that should be carefully considered when planning a BYOD program. If BYOD is to be the next stage in our ascent into 21st century education, then it must adapt and survive the challenges of a demanding and diverse public k12 environment.

Category: Bring Your Own Device |
Jim Panopoulos | March 8, 2012
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IT infrastructure is a must for delivering technology in the classroom

What does it mean?
These days everyone is talking about technology in the classroom. The meaning of the term varies significantly as it applies to so many areas.

A “one-size-fits-all” solution rarely exists…

I consider Technology in the classroom the vehicle by which teachers can transform their instruction time to something more than spoken words.
They can reach out to all types of intelligence and satisfy their need to learn in their preferred style.
That vehicle must be loaded with the following items both for the infrastructure and the users;

- Hardware,
- Software,
- Student Information Systems,
- Various other interfaces capable of collecting, analyzing and sharing data,
- Professional staff to keep everything running,
- And most of all, technology savvy teachers to deliver the most important part…
Teach for learning in the 21st century!

What many schools have:
In many schools, the network grew amorphously over the years by patching and extending as needed to get through the technology challenges of the day. An initial assessment will show that many bottlenecks and issues are due to the inability of the network to handle the growth of technology demand. In some cases the technology is already purchased, but the users cannot reach it, so they do not use it.
Look in your closets, or pop some tiles in the ceiling and if you see a rat’s nest like in these photos, it is time to roll up your sleeves and make some changes.

 

 

 

 

What needs to be done:

Since IT has now become the so-called 3rd utility in every organization, it is imperative that every school has an appropriate infrastructure in place.

If you are not familiar with hardware and network designs, bring in a team that is. Begin to work on the design of the infrastructure plans only after you have created a technology roadmap that will be able to carry your school into the future and includes provisions for expansion as needed.

Simple things such as network hardware and equipment closets, air-conditioned spaces, and paths or raceways inside ceilings to allow for easy and inexpensive expansion are must-do items. There is an upfront cost associated with this, but it will be recovered quickly once expansion is needed.

Decide on how much wireless is needed and if your needs can be met by that. Remember that “wireless” is for the clients but you will still need to hardwire the infrastructure.

Once you have a solid IT backbone, with room for expansion in place, you will be able to add all the other pieces that help with instruction.

In order for the users to embrace technology, we must build it with the same reliability and uptime guarantees and by following the same standards and processes used successfully by the business world already.
This is not always an easy task considering that everything is changing so fast and since we using the analogy of a vehicle to deliver all this, here is my favorite quote.   

“Can you think of any NASCAR team that can change the tires of a racing vehicle at 100 plus miles an hour”? J

Yet those of us in the IT Business manage to do it every day…

Continue by investing in internal infrastructure…

Everyone is talking about the cloud as the future way to deliver everything. Microsoft, Google and others have been offering services for free to educational institutions with storage space, access levels and granularity that costs corporations a small fortune to obtain.

Well, this applies to the software and applications accessed through a web browser; however, you will need to be able to get there first. While the cloud infrastructure will provide for services, a sustainable IT infrastructure at the local level is vital to delivering all that will be available.

Category: K-12 Technology Infrastrucutre Ecosystem |
Nancy Caramanico | February 29, 2012
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15 Ways to Support Student Work in the Cloud

 

Below are five ways in which student learning is supported by cloud computing.

  1. Student Access – Students today should have anytime anywhere access to school work. With cloud access, students can work at their own pace. Teachers often report teacher that students will send in assignments and responds to discussion prompts at all hours of the day and night at times most convenient to them.
  2. Student Collaboration - Easy collaboration among students is supported. Students can collaborate with others on documents and creative projects. They don’t have to wait for face-to-face time and school network connections.
  3. Teacher/Student Communication – Ease of communication is enhanced via cloud applications and school sponsored learning management systems. Example students are often more vocal in online spaces
  4. Parent access - Parent support of their children is made easier when at home or out of school access to student grades and work is made easier.
  5. Mobile Devices – From Smartphones to Tablets to Ultrabooks devices supporting cloud access are becoming commonplace. Many devices are being released without media drives and usb drives. Cloud access is and will continue to be a ‘go to’ place of the near future.

5 Top Apps for Classroom Work in the Cloud

The applications below offer quick and easy access anytime and anywhere via the cloud.

  1. Evernote – http://www.evernote.com/evernote/ – Capture and annote ideas, images and more. Tag and search easily for fast retrieval. Online access across devices.
  2. Google Apps – http://www.google.com/apps/edu/students/index.html – Real-time collaboration and sharing. Full productivity applications such as Word Processing, Presentations, Forms, and Spreadsheets
  3. Dropbox – https://www.dropbox.com – Store and share files easily. Retrieve from any device, any location.
  4. Microsoft Office Web Apps – Online access to Microsoft Office applications. Shareable and accessible. http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/web-apps/
  5. Pixlr – http://pixlr.com/ Online image editor. Upload and edit images. Easy share across devices and platforms.

5 Research Studies on Cloud Computing in Education

The following research studies look closely at the benefits and needs for cloud computing in education.

  1. The Horizon Report 2012 http://www.nmc.org/publications/horizon-report-2012-higher-ed-edition
  2. Pew Internet and American Life Project http://pewinternet.org/topics/Cloud-Computing.aspx
  3. CloudBook – Full list of College and University Based Cloud Computing Studies http://www.cloudbook.net/directories/research-clouds/cloud-computing-research.php
  4. Speak Up Survey 2011 – Tomorrow.org – Reports http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup/speakup_reports.html
  5. National Science Foundation Report on Support for Cloud Computing http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2012/nsf12040/nsf12040.pdf

Creativity is thinking up new things.
Innovation is doing new things.

Theodore Levitt

 

Category: Cloud Computing and Virtualization |
Jana Hoggle | February 22, 2012
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Cloud Computing in K-12

So what are the benefits for K-12 education?   How can you afford to provide computer access to everyone?  How do you replace outdated computers in the face of the severe budget cuts that technology and education have faced over the past few years?  And, how do you support the technology you have with limited support staff?  Consider cloud computing.

Cloud?  Isn’t that something in the sky that produces rain, snow, and sleet, especially this time of year?  Not if you are looking for network options that give you and your students anytime/anywhere access to everything from homework assignments to music to applications.  The Cloud can really be thought of as simply the Internet storage bin.  Users click on applications, documents, etc. and they use them; never knowing that these applications are not really stored on their computer….most users don’t know where they are coming from….they just know that they click on them, and they work!  These networks can be public (think iTunes and Google Docs) or private (within your own network).  Cloud computer is quite simply, software as a service (SaaS), and eliminates the need to load individual applications on individual machines.  This cuts down on IT issues, saving time and money.  It also allows schools to use “virtual” machines rather than full desktop or laptop models, again saving money.  But, it is not without its pitfalls and detractors.  Many question the security of the model, especially with regard to FERPA and HIPPA; we are dealing with students after all….  This is another reason that schools are most often opting for a private cloud, rather than a public one.

So….there are still issues that need to be resolved, but cloud computing is definitely on the rise and worth consideration in all K-12 environments.  It’s a cost saver, but also a way to share resources (think productivity software, digital textbooks) across a school system or between school systems in an affordable way.

Category: Cloud Computing and Virtualization |
Fred Harlan | February 16, 2012
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Learning Virtualization through Failure and Success

In the Ritenour School District, we have a history of making good use of our technology.  For example, years ago our ratio of students to computers was high. We needed more computers for students but budgets were tight.  We developed a program of re-using computers and shifting older models to areas of less intense computing.  When tools for desktop virtualization became available, we sought them out as a means of improving our student to computer ratios.  What we discovered, however, was that our older models did not do well running virtual machines due mostly to hardware shortfalls ranging from insufficient speed to limited audio support.  We could convert one desktop to serve two or three students but only with reduced functionality.  But virtual desktops were soon replaced when we moved away from classroom labs in favor of more accessible, laptop computing.  We expanded our fleet of mobile computer carts and made laptops available to students as needed.  While the widespread availability of laptops improved instruction and equipped every classrooms with 21st century resources these devices also added to our server requirements.  More computers meant that we needed to support more software applications for learning.  The aggressive effort to buy laptops left our server farm somewhat under-resourced.  We faced a need for server hardware without the budget to buy and support additional units. Once again we turned to virtualization as a strategy to help us improve our position.  As before with our desktops, however, many of our servers were old and underpowered.  We had to be selective about the servers and software we chose to use.  We reviewed our options and found an open source software product that had been vetted by a district partner.  Wanting to avoid the mistakes we made before by running virtual machines on older desktops, we elected to purchase new servers for our virtualization effort.  Taking advantage of the new hardware, we virtualized a variety of machines including instructional and back office applications.  We created tiered landscapes that provided multiple servers on single hardware platforms.  The flexibility and backup redundancy of the model made it our most secure and complete in-house solution.  While we had success with virtualization on the server level, the prospect of expanding on this success is tempered now by the growing availability of hosted server applications.  The appeal of hosted services is significant because it allows us to conserve our limited resources and spare ourselves server set up and support.  Today we have a mix of solutions from dedicated servers, to virtual machines to cloud based hosted applications. Having experience and success with all three server strategies is key to our K12 operation today.

Category: Cloud Computing and Virtualization |
William Fritz | February 7, 2012
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The Cloud – Will It Bring Rain for Technicians?

The life cycle of the “break fix” technician in K-12 may be coming to an end sooner than later.  Virtualization, cloud computing, personal devices and BYOD are all contributing to a shortened shelf life for technicians.  As IT directors implement these cost-effective solutions, the anywhere, anytime, any pace future of education is now a reality. The classroom of tomorrow will include students with personal devices using cloud services.  The result: “break fix” technicians role must change or they will evaporate.

 

 

 

 

 

 
K-12 IT directors will need to retrofit the “break fix” ticket-based technician into a “digital classroom facilitator” that supports innovative instructional strategies that require technology as their infrastructure.
The trend to have devices that have less movable parts, mobile, and cloud-based all speak to the future needs of classroom technology support.  Classrooms are becoming a digital forest of devices from smart phones to tablets to interactive learning solutions.  Technicians will need to become “digital classroom facilitators” that listen, problem-solve, communicate and provide direction for teachers on how they best integrate digital devices for learning.  Gone are the days of a technician coming to a classroom to rarely interact with the teacher and fix a hard drive.
Rather, the focus will become supporting digital classrooms, robust data highways, managing wireless traffic and providing a QoS that supports learning 24/7/365.  The magnitude of new classroom technologies and mobile devices will shape the future for technicians roles in the K-12 environment.
The challenge for IT leadership will be to turn the “tech-jock” technician into an advocate for the teacher.  Cloud services, virtualization and mobile technologies is the engine for 21st century teaching and learning.  Jobs are changing and nothing is sacred or based on the past.  Future success will require curriculum & instruction personnel and technology personnel to merge.  The “digital classroom facilitator” must happen or schools will get caught in the rain.

Category: Cloud Computing and Virtualization |
Gary Brantley | January 25, 2012
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K-12 Education Technology Support and Customer Service

Technology support is the core of our job responsibility and function.  Today my focus will be the customer service side of technical support.  As an IT department we live and die based on how we are perceived by the customers we support.  It is very important that we provide service to clients as efficiently and seamlessly as possible.  Since this is an educational blog we will concentrate on best practices for providing technology support within education.

UNDERSTAND YOUR ENVIRONMENT

The support starts at the top of the organization. Each department needs to work interdependent of each other.  When you work that way each department has a basic understanding of the value of each functional area. You must understand the areas around you to provide the proper support. Most CIO’s make the mistake of trying to support the district without having an understanding of the districts needs. We may all have the same issues as school districts but they all differ in their own way.

TEAMWORK

This may seem simple but why do we have so much trouble working as a unit? When I say teamwork I am not just referring to the internal technical staff. You must work as a team both internally and externally. When a service ticket is logged you need the cooperation of the user to start the process and communication on the issue. The user has a responsibility to report the issue the correct way. This is easier said than done.  Finding ways to show the customer that we are all working on the same team to accomplish one goal can be a task. How many times have we heard “I’m not logging a ticket” or “ Do I really have to log this ticket – can’t you just fix it?” Educating the user on why this is important and making sure they understand that why the process cannot be broken is very important to the success of the support you are providing.

ATTITUDE

Provide support with a great attitude. Fix the issue with the intent of doing the right thing for the customer and the entire team will benefit.  Don’t minimize the affect a positive attitude can have on a user. It can change the environment. We are not just techs sent out to act as robots with tunnel vision. What you say, how you carry yourself and how you respond matters.

I have a saying that’s goes NO EXCUSES JUST SOLUTIONS.

Category: Technology Support- Best Practices |
John Burns | January 19, 2012
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Campus Helpdesk

Prior to our District becoming a 1:1 district our helpdesk was centralized.  All incidents were reported to one number and or email location.  Campus technicians were sent to the field to resolve incidents based on workloads defined in the incident holding queue.

Our 1:1 transition was a three year process before all four campuses were engaged.  During this time we adjusted the helpdesk support role and brought the helpdesk to the campuses.  We built helpdesk facilities in our libraries. The campus helpdesk physical design consisted of a service window, inventory area, parts area and bench/office area.

The concepts of support changed from the technician going into the field to resolve incidents to the students and staff bringing their issues (laptops) to the campus helpdesk.  The technician resolves the majority of the incidents (even hardware repairs) during the initial  triage and resolve time period when the user brings the laptop to the service window.  If the incident cannot be resolved within the 10 minute time frame the system will be taken, the user will be provided a loaner system and sent on their way.  Over 90 percent of all incidents initiating at the campus helpdesk are resolve within the 10 minute repair time.  Over 95 percent of all incidents are repaired within the same school day that the incident was initiated.

This process requires a few prerequisite before it can be successful;

  1. A high energy and motivated technical team, who are well skilled with the types of hardware on hand and knowledgeable with the system’s software images.
  2. An inventory of spare parts.  We discovered once we went from shared laptop carts to a 1:1 laptop environment that missing keys and damage caused from malicious intent quickly dissipated.  The hardware repairs became more related to accidental and negligent causes.  Broken screens, cracked chassis and missing adapters are now the norm for reported hardware type incidents.
  3. Ensure that the technical staff are available for the end-users . Identify your high peak service times for the helpdesk. For our campuses these times usually occur;

-        30 minutes before the school day begins up to the starting bell

-        lunch bells

-        Immediately at end of day dismissal.

Our technicians are scheduled to be at the service windows during these times.  During the non-peak times the technicians can service incidents that were not resolve at the window as well as incidents in the field such as satellite locations, printers, desktop systems, A/V equipment and interactive whiteboards.  We currently have 1.5 technician positions for each campus.

The success of your 1:1 depends on the level of support that is committed to the program.  These simple three steps (best practices) are what helped our District to quickly transition to a 1:1 student to laptop District.

Category: Technology Support- Best Practices |
Nancy Caramanico | January 11, 2012
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Education Technology Support and Staff Relationships

Quality Tech Support is essential  in all sectors.  It plays an ever increasingly important role in education. When incorporated well in schools, it can really make learning click.

As all tech support people know, there are days when it seems though everything might break or refuse to work as planned. Email crashes, the network is down, software glitches arise and presentation equipment fails. Hopefully they happen rarely if ever. Luckily there are some established IT support strategies to keep tech on target.

Along with smart strategies for keeping everything running smoothly, good communication and collaboration with administrators, teachers and curriculum leaders are tools every IT person should aim for. What do people want When it Comes to Tech Support? For this, I reached out to some technology and learning connections on twitter. This is what the results said:

- To feel heard
- To feel supported
- To feel that resolutions are at hand
- To feel that technology will work effectively when needed – Less occurrences requiring support

Relationships matter. Below are some strategies which highlight the importance of communication and collaboration in providing tech support for schools.
What Techs Can Do

Communicate - Let faculty and staff know what to expect when changes are occuring in IT structures. Explain issues is clear and simple terms. Tell them what to expect in easy to understand terms. Communications at regular intervals with eblasts or email can provide a valuable connection between teachers and IT staff.
Listen - Survey Staff. Regularly assess needs.  Set up an efficient ticketing and reporting system. When someone tells you as they pass you in the hallway, it is easy to forget. Make it easy for people to report issues via online forms, email and more. Share that information often. There are excellent tools for IT reporting which provide good documentation of common issues and issues resolved.
Collaborate - Find out about curricular initiatives and ways in which teachers can use technology to support them. A good partnership between the IT staff and the academic staff can make a very positive difference. Talk one to one with staff. Be accessible and visible. Visit classrooms.
Reach Out -Work with or form Technology focus groups, Student Tech Teams, Home and School Technology Teams

Many schools have collaborative sites for this purpose.
Chris Nilsson, Technology Director at Lamar CISD in Texas has found a multifaceted approach to be a key to success. At their 27,000 student district serving over 28 buildings, a proactive stance is taken when it comes to IT support. At Lamar, they have created a Technology integration support site called Interact Cafe where teachers can go for support on a full range of educational technology topics.

The site is user friendly and full of valuable resources. It has tutorials, webinars, links to software and app downloads, tech tool ‘cheat sheet’s and more. In addition to standard tech support, they believe in providing a ‘self-serve’ cafe style approach to tech support. Through the Interact Cafe teachers can find what they need when they need it.

When it come to Tech support in schools, relationships matter. Listen,communicate, collaborate and reach out. Schools benefit from the shared vision of all in the school. That shared knowledge and vision can be the most powerful support of your students as they grow and learn in this 21st Century.

Related Posts:
Tech Support Index – Assessment tool for schools - ISTE
10 Resources for Assessing and Surveying School Technology - TechConnects
Thank a School Tech Today - TechConnects

Category: Technology Support- Best Practices |
Jana Hoggle | January 4, 2012
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Data Disaster – Do You Have a Plan?

Much was made of disaster recovery after the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005, but the tornadoes that struck Alabama and many other states in April of 2011 have once again brought this topic the forefront.  What would you do if a natural disaster destroyed one of your schools or your central office?  Is your data protected?  Would you be able to recover your student data, archived records, or any other databases that your schools currently depend upon for day to day operation?  Where would you start?  How would you communicate?  And maybe it’s not a natural disaster that causes you to lose your data or not be able to maintain day to day functionality….what about user error or vandalism?  CoSN (Consortium for School Networking) provides an excellent Disaster Recovery Checklist on their site at www.CoSN.org as well as a leadership initiative on IT Crisis Preparedness.  I highly recommend their tools (and becoming a member of CoSN).  But my concentration is on communication after the fact…do you have a plan for that?

During the recent weather outbreak in Alabama, email and Facebook became huge communication tools, largely because these tools were available on cell phones.  The only way to get information to parents, employees, and other stakeholders was to use the Social Networking tools to which many of us already subscribe.  We have crisis caller software, but many of the “land lines” were down and it would be many weeks before they were completely repaired.  So we turned to Facebook, email, and Twitter to communicate.  We used these tools to check on the safety of loved ones, to put out information regarding school closings, to dispel rumors, and to let students know where to go when school resumed if their school had been destroyed.

The sites need to be set up now, before the crisis occurs, to get stakeholders in the habit of looking there for information and the tools need to be readily available on cellular phones; hence the use of Facebook and Twitter.  It doesn’t take long to get the process in place, and it was literally a life safer for many school districts in Alabama.    So….does your district allow Social Networking?  If not, this may be just the argument you’ve been looking for to change policy.

Category: Bringing Data Driven Insight to Education Technology |
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