Technology Tangles and Triumphs October, 2003 MSBA Fall Conference

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Technology Tangles and TriumphsOctober,
2003MSBA Fall Conference
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• Using the Right Tools for the Job
• Jeff Miller
• President
• Holden R-III
• Board of Education
• Julie Brunner
• Director of Technology
• Holden R-III

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You need the right tools to do the job.
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Sometimes our attempts to use the tools of
technology have not had the results we expected.
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• Lightning
• Bad Backups
• No on knows
• how to do
• whatever it is
• we need to do

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• Inadequate Electrical Circuits
• Too Hot Too Cold
• Who stole the air conditioner?

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Privacy

• Are the IEPs, student records and health records
  stored in a way that protects the confidential
  information?

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• Is all the software you are using licensed?
• Can you prove it?

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• Can the software programs you are using
  communicate with each other?
• Is someone paid to repeatedly key in the same
  lists of students, social security numbers,
  birthdates, etc., or can these be exported and
  imported between programs?

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
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• How much variation is there in your district
  between the most advanced uses of technology in
  the classroom and the classrooms with the least
  application of technology? Is everyone ok with
  it?
• How are you dealing with equity issues?
• What is the impact of any inequities?

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Can you bring everyone along or only the leaders?
Equitable Access?
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Holden.k12.mo.us
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Sometimes we hit the nail right on the head!
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Triumphs!!!

• Internships through CMSU and the Vo-Tech school
• Nick is unloading one of 90 donated computers
  that he refurbished and attached to the network.

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Work as a team learn together, help each
other, and encourage each other.
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Professional Development

• Early dismissal of students allows time for
  professional development.
• Technology training infused into many areas
  mentor/mentees, summer institute, new staff
  orientation, study groups, tEXERCISE e-mail
  training, website guides, one-on-one training,
  building-level experts, just-in-time training,
  and assistance in the classroom.
• Two eMINTS teachers are getting very high level
  professional development and will become leaders
  in the district.

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Reach out and try something new. Sometimes it
will work! Use the manuals, help files, study
groups, journals, internet searches, coworkers,
and STUDENTS to find solutions.
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Phone System Upgrade

• Voice over IP Phones acquired through e-rate
  funding.
• Sprint and Cisco are working with the school
  district to implement an upgraded network that
  will support a unified phone system throughout
  the district with voice mail, an auto-attendant,
  and metro phone line service.
• Total cost is very competitive.

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WWW Resources

• Website provides information for community,
  staff, students, and potential employees.
• Excellent variety of resources.
• Check out holden.k12.mo.us!

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• Astaro ASL Firewall provides edge security and
  internal ip numbers to reduce risk from hackers.
• Astaro prevents e-mail infected with viruses from
  entering the district
• Astaro drastically reduces unsolicited Spam
  e-mail which generates traffic, wastes time and
  depletes storage space
• The Astaro updates itself nightly via the web for
  consistently current software
• Can be used to filter content also

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Wireless Laptop Labs

• Wireless laptop labs provide excellent technology
  access for students and teachers without the
  expense of a dedicated room.
• Currently we have 5 wireless laptop labs with two
  more to be deployed this winter for the eMINTS
  classrooms.
• Teachers and students like using the laptops in
  their own classroom where they usually have their
  classes.
• You still need to put cabling into new buildings.

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eMINTS evaluation results from 2002emints.more.ne
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MAP Achievement 3rd Grade Communication Arts
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MAP Achievement 3rd Grade Science
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MAP Achievement 4th Grade Mathematics
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MAP Achievement 4th Grade Social Studies
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PolyCom ITV

• Students and members of the public can take
  college classes from our high school.
• Greater variety of classes available.
• Professional development easier to get
• No travel expenses for experts!

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Handhelds

• Handhelds are the next wave of technology we
  expect to deploy.
• Handhelds costing less than 200 per Palm M130
  will allow each student to use a great variety of
  educational tools.

Photo courtesy of Tony Vincent, Planet Fifth
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Grants

• In the past, we have been very successful with
  grant funded projects.
• This year weve received eMINTS funding and
  funding for two School Age Care projects.
• We continually search for additional funding
  opportunities that fit our mission.

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Community Support

• PTO involvement
• Successful bond issue
• Volunteers
• Adult education
• Pictured Student using LeapPad handheld
  computer purchased through grant money from Leap
  and community donations

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Surprising Successes

• Poster maker made dozens of visual aids to
  provide information for voters prior to the bond
  election

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Everything is Negotiable

• Scholastic software for AR
• Tech support by the server
• Competitive Upgrades

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Networking people and wires

• MOREnet offers resources to help us all stay
  connected

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Focus on outcomes Cultivate dreams and vision

• A vision without action is a daydream.
• Action without vision is a nightmare.
• ----Japanese Proverb

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Start small. Let your project grow as you learn.
The important thing is to START! I will weigh
about 200 pounds in 5 months. I just eat a
little every day! Just do a little bit every day
using technology and you will be surprised!
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Beware of some problems on the horizon.
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TCO Total Cost of Ownership

• How much does it really cost?
• 2000 per year per workstation?
• 500 per year per workstation?
• Click Here to discover your costs.
• http//www.iaete.org/tco/start.cfm

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Dont allow budget cuts now to cause overwhelming
expenses later.

• Develop sustainable resources.
• Invest in training so you can use what you have.
• Keep antivirus software updated.
• Maintain all layers of security (firewall,
  patches, password security, physical security,
  etc.).
• License your software or use open-source
  software.
• Develop realistic replacement schedules it
  really wont last forever.
• Sometimes you have to get rid of things because
  they are just too expensive to continue to
  support (old dot-matrix printers and slow, old
  servers and computers)

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Calculating Impact of Staff Reductions

• How many total hours per week are staff currently
  working to support technology?___
• How many computers, servers, printers, switches,
  hubs, phones, firewalls, projections systems,
  handhelds, and other devices do they support?____
• How many software programs do they support?___ A
  district likely has 50-100 software programs that
  the tech staff supports.
• How many people do they train?____
• What other services do they provide?
  (grant-writing, wiring, telephone systems,
  planning, e-rate, other) ___

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What will happen if you cut staff?

• If you reduce staff or working hours by 10, then
  plan to reduce each of these items by 10.
• If you reduce tech staff by 50, then plan to
  reduce each of these items by 50.
• What services are you willing to do without?
  Printing? Internet? E-Mail? Security? Specific
  software programs?
• Do the remaining staff have the skills of the
  staff that were released?
• Will there be increased costs for outsourcing?
• Will additional support staff be needed to keep
  records or do whatever the software and equipment
  was doing?
• Will typewriters or other equipment be needed?
• If you have to hire people in the future, will
  they cost you more or less than the ones you have
  now?
• Will the replacement staff need expensive
  training?

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What else can be done?

• Is the district already doing everything possible
  to reduce operating costs in the technology
  department?
• These could include implementing desktop
  security, imaging, in-house repairs, use of
  warranties, competitive bidding, use of
  volunteers or interns, use of handhelds,
  standardized workstations, networked storage,
  reliable switched network, e-rate utilization,
  shared resources with neighboring districts or
  universities, training of experts among faculty
  and support staff, routine cleaning and
  maintenance of equipment, accurate inventories,
  current network documentation, efficient use of
  MOREnet resources, and monitoring to assure that
  resources are being efficiently used throughout
  the district.

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Can you tell how good a job your tech staff is
doing just by looking at them?

• "Never confuse movement with action."
• -- Ernest Hemingway

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The Invisible Tech Staff

• If your tech staff is always highly visible,
  repairing things all day long and interrupting
  other services for updates and installations,
  they need to investigate new ways to provide
  services. Perhaps they are understaffed or not
  involved in the decision-making processes where
  their input is needed. Perhaps they need
  additional training, flexible work schedules,
  supplies, equipment, or different policies.
• The best tech staff is nearly invisible, working
  behind the scenes and keeping things running
  through preventive maintenance, centrally
  administered networks, training, appropriate
  policies, transparent security, and scheduled
  maintenance that rarely interrupts the flow of
  educational activities.
• You might not see them, but dont
  ever forget they are there!

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SKWEEEEEEL! If a problem wasnt fixed the first
time, or even the second time, we encourage users
to keep squealing about it. We want to get
EVERYTHING fixed! We use an online help request
system.
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• "The important thing is not to stop questioning."
  
• -- Albert Einstein

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Heres a question that should never be asked

• Do I look fat?
• Photo by
• Bill Candy

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Some bad tech questions you probably shouldnt
ask.

• Isnt there already a computer available in that
  building? Why do they need another one?
• What happened to those computers we bought in
  1998 when I was on the Board the first time?
• Dont we already have ____ (a lab, etc) at the
  other school?
• Do you know for sure that this is going to work?
• Youre not going to mess this up like you did
  last time, are you?
• You can download that free, cant you?
• In laymans terms like 10 words or less can
  you just explain how that works?

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Questions that might provide interesting answers
for superintendents and board members to ask
technology directors when new projects are
proposed ----this is on the handout!

• What need has prompted this project or purchase?
• How will the success of the project be measured?
• Does this project or purchase reduce or increase
  the gap between the technology-enhanced
  classrooms in the district and those with less
  technology?
• How will this project provide equal access for
  all students at a particular grade level or in a
  particular building?
• How does this project support the curriculum?
• What is the total cost of ownership?
• What training or professional development plans
  are in place to provide for the maximum
  utilization of this investment?
• Does this project support the district or
  national technology standards?
• How many people in the district will be familiar
  with this project and able to provide the
  necessary technical support?

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• Is there a cost associated with outside technical
  support?
• What other solutions were considered?
• How will this impact network security?
• How were staff members involved in the selection
  or planning process?
• Does this replace an existing product or service?
• Is this compatible with operating systems
  currently in use?
• Will we be able to import and export data from
  the software to reduce keying in records?
• What experiences have other districts had with
  this or related products?

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• Does the current technology plan for the district
  include this project?
• What is the cost per student per year?
• How long is this purchase expected to last, and
  when it needs to be replaced or updated, how will
  that be funded?
• Is there enough electricity to provide power for
  the project?
• Is there an annual fee?
• If it is a free service
• Is there advertising? Bias?
• Who pays for it?
• What evidence is there that the service will be
  sustained?

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• For more information,
• Contact jbrunner_at_holden.k12.mo.us
• or click the resources link at
• Holden.k12.mo.us