Round 2

Continued...
I hope you enjoyed Round 1 and took some time to do a
bit of reflecting. For another perspective on the benefits of
reflection, take a listen to John Maxwell and his take on
reflection turning experience into insight. Enjoy round 2!

Communication Systems
Usually the answer you hear when someone poses the
question how can our organization be better, is
communication needs to be improved. It is important to remember that communication is a two way street. You can't force someone to listen to your communication, but you should do your best to provide communication in a number of ways
that reaches your community.

The GPS Marketing and Communication team is a small 

but powerful group that has put in place a number of tools 

that allow the district, departments, and schools to 

communicate with stakeholders on a large scale. Besides 

a newly implemented website that is constructed to be the 

one source of truth for the parents and community, it also 

includes a messaging system that disseminates information 

via e-mail and text to parents and guardians. Each school also has tools to distribute site information through online newsletters and teachers can directly communicate 

via e-mail with parents and guardians through the district 

student information system. Each school has the ability to 

use these tools as they choose and decide what works best 

for their community.  From an IT perspective, the biggest challenge with any communication system is parent and guardian support. It is challenging to assist these groups on devices not owned by the district. The schools and Technology Services do their best to assist so that these communications reach them. Our help desk staff is also great at assisting with most issues.

Data Governance

Data governance is a very relevant topic at this time with protecting
user data from unauthorized access, proper data agreements with
third party resources, and educating users on the importance of
protecting their information from non trusted sources.

User data for any organization should be protected using best practice methods and continually reviewed for any needed adjustments. Districts should not hesitate to work with outside consultants for assistance in maintaining these best practices and configuration setups. Staying connected with cybersecurity organizations for the latest information on know vulnerabilities, updating all systems, and educating end users is critical for staying protected from threats. 

Data Access

The GPS Accountability and Assessment department works closely with all GPS schools in assisting them on how to best use collected data to guide instruction and improvement. District and state-level assessment information is reviewed in the department, presented at the Cabinet and school leadership level and used as a tool in discussion around increasing and shaping possible strategies for student improvement. Our Technology Services Information Systems team has built an internal database that assessment data can be imported along with other student demographic information. We have recently begun using a data analytics tools to build visualizations based on the needs of stakeholders. This allows for years of data to be looked at in a visually pleasing format and easy studying of trends based on different areas of selection. 

Ethics and Policies

One very notable piece of federal legislation passed in 2000 by Congress 

is the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA). “CIPA imposes certain 

requirements on schools or libraries that receive discounts for Internet 

access or internal connections through the E-rate program – a program 

that makes certain communications services and products more 

affordable for eligible schools and libraries. In early 2001, the FCC issued 

rules implementing CIPA and provided updates to those rules in 2011.” 

GPS takes part in the E-rate program and provides content filtering to 

protect our students as best we can. 

The GPS Technology Services team feels we have an obligation to provide a Digital 

Citizenship curriculum to all students in GPS. We have partnered with 

Common Sense Media to provide an extensive curriculum for our teachers 

to use with our students K-12 and it is an expectation that this is done each 

year. Technology Services has also partnered this school year with the 

GPS K-12 Prevention Coordinator, who oversees the district 

social workers and counselors who assist our schools with the digital 

citizenship program. We feel as a district that the social and emotional 

well-being of our students is a priority and aspects of technology including
social media can often play a part in that area. 

Promising Technology Ahead

I always find the what's the next big thing question difficult to answer, so I
did appreciate this heading.

AZ Computer Science Standards-this will provide the roadmap needed for actual implementation in K-12 schools. The challenge, although not insurmountable, is teacher understanding and development and how computational thinking can be used across the curriculum. 

Learning models-It still seems there are struggles with different learning models due to the structure of the school funding system. GPS Global Academy is being creative with a couple of unique blended learning models and the outcomes are promising. The structure of bell schedules and traditional practices are still somewhat of a barrier in my opinion.

Artificial intelligence-AI and machine learning have crept into most 

aspects of our lives when it comes to determining our next purchase 

or what political flavor society falls into. It remains to be seen how 

this technology will benefit the K-12 learning environment so 

we can catch areas of needed remediation or enrichment for our 

students. This topic will also continue to bring into the spotlight the
ethical questions behind the technology.

Next Round...
Each one of the topics from round 1 and 2 could be stand alone discussions that would easily fill a page. It was a good exercise to put these thoughts down on paper, think a bit deeper about them, and find celebrations and areas that could use improvement. With the intention not to sound like a broken record, I will state again, without taking the time to give serious thought to our daily decisions and practice, improving them will be difficult and the same results will be achieved. Thanks for reading!

Round 1

Reflection

If there is one constant over the years that I have found most valuable for growth and improvement is reflection. Without taking the time to give serious thought to our daily decisions and practice, improving them will be difficult and the same results will be achieved.

Over the years I have been asked to answer questions around technology for peers working on their higher education degrees. The questions are usually similar enough that It is enjoyable to look back and see how my answers have changed and also create a blog post out of it, cause why not. I am going to split this one up as it was quite lengthy, enjoy!

Leadership and Vision

The biggest hurdle to developing a shared vision for technology use in today’s K-12 landscape is the divide between the Teaching and Learning and Information Technology departments. Historically the goals of these two areas have not been communicated to one another and the communication breakdown will lead to a lack of understanding of what is important for planning a meaningful and effective path for technology integration and a safe online learning environment for users. 
In Gilbert Public Schools we have an organizational chart that

allows for all-district departments to be represented at the Cabinet-level

including the Teaching and Learning and Information Technology

departments. Having the Executive Directors and Assistant Superintendents at the table allows for each area to be represented, communicate their needs and understand the importance of the IT side to ensure a safe network, protect student and staff data, and provide support to meet strategic plan goals.

Gilbert Public Schools has created a strategic operating plan that has technology embedded to achieve the ultimate goal of, success for all students. Each area of focus, safe and supportive schools, family and community engagement, employee excellence, and financial and operational efficiency all have goals and action items in place that are measured to monitor progress and allow for modification when needed.

Technology is embedded in each of these areas but is only a small piece of supporting our student’s success. Ultimately, it is the relationship between teachers and students and the support provided by leadership that will allow us to measure the true success of the plan.  

Team Building and Staffing The same philosophy that applies at the district level for cross-functional departments is necessary within an Informational Technology team structure. The rapid rate of change that takes place with technology is difficult to communicate at times and does lead to issues with bringing awareness to end-users. In the GPS Technology Services department, there are 5 internal teams to include: IT Customer Care Specialists, Information Systems, Network and Telecommunications, Systems Administration, and Instructional Technology. Each leader of these areas plus a Project Specialist make up the Technology services leadership team. The Executive Director of Technology meets weekly in a formal meeting with the team and daily on an informal basis. This team is responsible for working closely with one another to ensure Technology Services is working collaboratively to support GPS. One example of this would be the leadership team working with one another to coordinate occasional cross-functional team meetings. They create an agenda around issues happening with end-users, ways to address them and share other problems or successes happening in the field. 

GPS Technology Services has also established a userXperience team that meets regularly to discuss and make decisions on existing and future implementations, device functions and features, updates, and other variables as it relates to the end-users in GPS. This group has representation from all Technology Services departments and is important to our end user’s success with implementations and integrations that impact the daily function of staff and students. We have been able to make changes and roll back changes based on the feedback they bring to the table representing each area of the department. 

      Instructional Focus and Professional Development

Bringing awareness to all staff members around emerging technologies and potential issues to protect the network and data is on-going. I agree with the philosophy of leading from the middle and that everyone is a leader regardless of their position. We encourage all Technology Services staff to share ideas, emerging technologies they see and support to everyone around them. Our Instructional Technology team works closely with site Principals to present at staff meetings, meet one on one with teachers, attend grade-level meetings, share a weekly newsletter and any other form of communication that leads to awareness. 

Another example from the department level is our yearly awareness campaign around Computer Science Week. For the last three years, the Technology Services department has provided support around CS by providing professional development activities, meet-ups, video campaigns, and support for our teachers to bring CS into their classrooms. 

There is not a one size fits all approach with learning and the same applies to the technology that can support the educational outcomes our teachers want for our students. 

Round 2

Thanks for taking the time to read a bit on what started as assisting a friend with their doctorate assignment to gaining a little glimpse of how we do things in Technology Services. There is not any secret sauce being served up here, just a good group of individuals working together for students. See you soon for Round 2. 

Computer Science For AZ?

It's Been Awhile
I have to say that this has been the longest absence of blog posts that I have had since I began blogging in 2010. I am currently in my second year at Gilbert Public Schools and my last post was the same month I began my new position, so I have been a bit busy making the transition. However, no more excuses, it is time to get back to sharing, collaborating, and growing on the Interweb.

CS for All
If you have been following Computer Science (CS) for the last couple of years, you are most likely familiar with the various CS initiatives at the federal and state levels. President Obama brought attention on the federal level when he addressed the need for better CS education in his 2016 State of Union Address and followed with his initiative calling for $4 billion in funding and $100 million to districts for teacher training, materials and partnerships. We all know now that $4 billion was not committed too, however, the attention brought to the topic and movement from smaller initiatives have continued to gain momentum and CS initiatives are growing across the country. The current administration under President Trump, in September 2017, issued a memorandum directing the Department of Education to spend $200 million in grants to supporting STEM programs, including CS. Ivanka Trump, who is an adviser to the President, has also been active in supporting STEM education and more specifically for girls. In September, Ivanka, Hadi Partovi (Code.org), and Brad Smith (Microsoft President), visited an elementary school in Virginia to discuss women in STEM fields, Hour of Code, and support for CS in schools with students. This type of awareness and support will need to continue from multiple levels to move CS for all and STEM related education in the right direction.

Why CS
I often hear the question, why is CS important for our students, not all students are going to become coders. True, not all students will be interested in coding, but CS is more than coding and the computational thinking process applies to more than CS. Computational thinking is about the process of solving a problem and potentially using technology for the outcome. The process involves collecting and processing data, looking for patterns, creating the steps to solve the problem and testing the solution for accuracy and efficiency. These are skills that all students can use in a variety of disciplines.

If we take a look at the data around open computer science jobs in the United States, from an economic and innovative perspective, we are in danger of falling behind the curve. According to the Conference Board's Help Wanted Online service, there are around 500,000 CS openings across multiple industries and states. With CS career opportunities being the second highest paid starting salaries according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, where is the disconnect?

The State of CS
Code.org is a non-profit organization that has been a leader in the vision that every student in every school should have the opportunity to learn computer science. The Hour of Code was launched by Code.org in 2013 and today millions of students in over 180 countries participate in the event during Computer Science Education Week yearly. Code.org also tracks CS policy and implementation across the United States which provides valuable information in a central location for stakeholder access. A deeper dive into the statistics reveals that only 10 states have currently adopted CS standards and in 34 states CS can count towards high school graduation math or science requirements. If we take a look at the current job openings and percentage of graduates in STEM fields with computer science, we will have a lack of workforce to meet the demand and this affects innovation in our country.

CS for AZ
Arizona is seeing momentum towards CS for all in the K-12 school setting and for good reason. There are currently 9,677 open computing jobs in AZ and with only 546 computer science graduates in 2015, the numbers speak for themselves. Of all AZ schools in 2015-16, only 10% offered AP computer science courses and this amounted to the least number of AP tests taken in any other STEM subject area. Of the 438 AP tests that were taken by students, only 23% were female and 68 were underrepresented minorities. Not only are these two demographics underrepresented, but we are missing their perspective, which is something we need to change.

CS for AZ, a non-profit organization, is working with a large group of stakeholders to bring CS to all students in AZ. The organization has brought together a diverse group of educators, AZ government, business leaders, college-level educators and students, working together to provide information and support for CS standards in the state. The positive movement towards their goal can be seen, the Arizona Department of Education has recently opened the call to collect public feedback that will help guide the development of K-12 Computer Science Standards. The working groups that will be formed to develop these standards will represent K-12 educators, higher education, parents, and industry representatives in a collaborative process to ensure the standards represent a diverse population.

Skills
If we want to provide a relevant education for our students we should be supporting them with the skills and exposure necessary to be able to leave the K-12 setting prepared to pursue whatever path they choose. Computer Science skills are not limited to coding but can be used to reinforce such areas as problem-solving, data collection, testing, and analysis, in engaging ways that can apply to a variety of disciplines. Working together we can provide the opportunities for our students to have the skills to solve today's problems and tomorrow's challenges, in whatever capacity they choose.

The ISTE Blues

Data Overload

Like most of us returning from ISTE, you are probably experiencing the emotional roller coaster ride that accompanies the flight or drive home. The data overload from the content filled sessions, keynotes, poster and playground spaces, and endless conversations can be overwhelming. It is possible to keep the "ISTE's Over Blues" from setting in, but do not put it off for later, jump into your content while it's fresh and take charge! 

From the Middle

It doesn't matter what your role is in your organization, you have just spent four days gathering content that you need to share. Take the lead from the middle approach and decide how you can share what you have learned with your peers, administration, technology staff and any others that could benefit from what you have learned. This could also be an opportunity to use a new medium to share information with a presentation platform, blog site, or creative new app that you experienced at the conference. With the pace at which new technologies and classroom practices evolve, technology, curriculum, and professional development teams will appreciate the benefit of the information you provide. 

Stay in Touch

I have said a number of times that the best place to make connections at ISTE is standing in line waiting to purchase that delightful ice coffee or refreshing bottle of water. I do suggest we change the phrase "standing in line" to the "PLN line", because we ultimately exchange email addresses, Twitter and Instagram handles and district names for future collaboration, with educators from around the globe. Now that you have these new contacts, don't hesitate to reach out and continue the conversations and sharing of ideas that you started while waiting in that PLN line.

The power of social media can assist, so take advantage of the new account you just created in those power sessions and use the #ISTE2016 hashtag to share with your new friends. 

Bring ISTE Home

Coming together with 15,000 like minded educators is something magical that ISTE has

managed to create for many years. What many ISTE members may not be aware of is the ISTE affiliate groups that exist in virtually every state in our country, as wells as international affiliates in Australia, Canada, Europe, India, The Philippines, and the United Kingdom. These affiliate groups are all a bit different and have a variety of benefits and professional development opportunities that happen year around. Joining a local affiliate is another way to continue to grow your PLN, attend events in your state and become involved with advocacy movements that can directly affect your classrooms and students. To find an affiliate in your area, check out the affiliate directory and continue making connections!

Small World

CC BY-SA 3.0

Staying relevant in a world continually growing smaller is not an easy task and each new generation of students brings a fresh mindset that as educators we must be able to connect with. Attending events like ISTE, connecting with others through social media, and remaining outside of the four walls of our classrooms, cubicles and offices, will allow us to continue growing and remain the most important part of the classroom. See you in San Antonio! 

Move Over Flair

Time...

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Probably the most common issue we hear about in life has to do with not having enough time for, and fill in the blank. Often the counter to that statement is we will make time for what is important, which is true to an extent, but doesn't change the fact that in our professional lives we still must prioritize. What has been a struggle for a number of years now from a technology integration perspective, is how we provide solid professional development to our teaching staff that is relevant, timely, and doesn't require the traditional hour before or after school that teachers may not have time for. 

Short Meaningful PD

I like to use the average length of a YouTube video to provoke discussion on just how long someone will stay with you when providing PD. Depending on what day you check, the average length of the top five most popular YouTube videos vary from 2.5 to 4.5 minutes long. When I checked #popularonyoutube when writing this post, the longest video was 5.31 and the shortest was 31 seconds. I would imagine that some may say if the content is good, it doesn't matter how much time it takes to view and to some extent that may be true. However in the hustle and bustle of the K-12 setting, moving at the pace of 140 characters at a time seems to make more sense if we want to reach a larger audience. At AJUSD we have made the conscience effort to change the way we are providing PD to our teaching staff that provides short, meaningful bursts of sharing content while staying as close to the 15 minute window as possible. Bethany Ligon, AJUSD's Technology Integration Specialist, has taken this approach with our collaboration coach tips and tools videos recently and we are monitoring feedback on video length to see what is most effective for our staff. 

Badge Up

Another area that takes time and attention is growing our professional learning networks and sharing what our teachers and administrators are doing on their campus. Social media has obviously been a game changer in this area and blending this with the traditional walking by a classroom and seeing evidence of the great things happening, has led us into the badge game. It is difficult for just one district TIS, to get around to every classroom and see what is happening. With a quick Google Site and Forms, teachers and administrators can apply for a badge, share their artifacts, display their accomplishment, and share with others how they are integrating technology in their classrooms. Bethany summed up nicely what she enjoys most about implementing this program:

The best part for me, is that teachers are able to request training on exactly what they want. It's not a one size fits all professional development setting anymore. But it's me meeting with one teacher or a small team of teachers who want to grow their instructional toolbox in a specific area or with a particular tech tool/app. And because I now have documentation on which teacher is proficient on each tool, I can use them as a resource as needed. Another "best part" for me is the teacher's reaction when I walk into their rooms on a Thursday afternoon to hand them their badge. Yesterday, a teacher literally jumped up and down and clapped her hands because she was so excited and then her little first graders started cheering for her. That totally made my day.

Find A Way
Time doesn't have to be a monster that keeps us from growing and sharing on a professional level. If we look around and see what others are doing, share what we are doing, and be willing to try new things, great things will happen. In the words of Ian Malcolm, life finds a way. 

Blast From the Past

Spring Cleaning

Recently I spent some time going through my office filing cabinet. When you take on a task like cleaning out old hanging file folders, or any place with "old stuff", it is best to build in a little nostalgia time. I was surprised however to find the folder consuming all my time was labeled tech agendas. As I started going back through the years, it turned into a great moment to reflect on where we were and how far we have come as a tech team. The successes and failures, the innovative ideas and the not so innovative ideas that didn't work out, but provided direction for the future, all very valuable information. I haven't saved a paper agenda in quite some time now and won't be starting again, but this is one Spring cleaning effort that turned into a great opportunity to reflect on the journey over the years. If we are to continue innovating and moving forward it is important not to forget the past, happy cleaning!  

Full STEM Ahead

New Kid in Town

Courtesy Tech Crunch

The tech industry has been involved with the medical industry for years, however recently there have been a few big announcements that may highlight the future of tech disruption in medical breakthroughs. Google and Johnson & Johnson have announced they will work together to build a robotic surgery assistance platform. Apple is also recently in the news with the release of their research kit, which will basically turn the iPhone into a diagnostic tool with it's data collecting capabilities. Stanford and other universities are already planning to take advantage of the technology for studying the affects of chemotherapy and heart disease patients, and have developed apps to work with the kit. Collaboration between the pharmaceutical companies and the tech industry is important in my opinion as I feel it will be outside industries that will truly push medical breakthroughs and change peoples lives.

Support It
One thing we do know is that it will take scientists, engineers, programmers, and innovators to keep these collaborations happening and progress moving forward. The United States has always been a global leader in this area, however many are worried we do not have the interest from students or teachers necessary to continue being a global leader and focus on STEM is needed. The US Department of Education has provided data to show the increase in STEM related jobs by 2020 and said that "Only 16 percent of American high school seniors are proficient in mathematics and interested in a STEM career." These numbers explain the push by the President and the Committee on STEM Education for creating the 5-Year Strategic Plan that guides efforts in improving STEM education. Along with the federal initiative there are many other organizations around the United States dedicated to bringing awareness to the importance of STEM education, a quick search will return valuable STEM resources in your state.

Old News
You may be thinking that STEM is old news, high schools are full of STEM programs and science and math classes are being taught at all levels. The debate is not one for me to dig into here, but exposure to STEM and critical thinking skills are more important now than ever due to the vast amounts of information we have at our fingertips. Providing our students with opportunities and exposure to these skills will help with any path they will travel and should be a priority. 

If you are involved with a particular STEM related program or organization please share in the comment section. Thanks!

25 Pound Backpack

My Back!
Have you picked up one of your kiddos backpacks lately and immediately thought, oh my gosh that seems heavy?  I often compare my backpack that contains a laptop, iPad, and miscellaneous cables to theirs that are full of books, binders, and pencils, and there is no comparison. I literally weighed one of them recently and it weighed 25 pounds, which I thought was crazy heavy. After digging into the backpack, I found the culprits to be a math book and a social studies book. The good news is the school provides two sets of books and the students do not have to transport them back and forth on a daily basis, however it leads us back to the conversation about textbooks and where we are at with them as an educational community.

Timing
I have to be honest, I started this post a few weeks back and it has been sitting quietly waiting to be finished. When I read the recent Center for Digital Education article covering the FCC Commissioner's discussion in San Francisco, the timing seemed appropriate. Jessica Rosenworcel addressed an audience of tech industry professionals, updating them on the recent FCC initiatives, encouraging "digital disruption within the teaching and textbook industry." Rosenworcel pointed out a few things that I feel are worth sharing here.

• “In the rest of the world, we have an infinite array of digital tools to change our civic and commercial lives. Yet somehow we’ve put up some barriers at the school doors, It’s time we started inviting them in and wrestling with them and doing some good things”
• "As a market estimated at $17 billion and with price increases in the last decade at 800 percent, the textbook industry’s services burden educators and students alike — average school districts only able to afford textbook purchases every seven to 10 years"
• “I just think it’s crazy if we keep on doing what we’ve done before because the world and the job opportunities that are out there look remarkably different"

These statements have all been said before in a number of ways by others looking to lighten up backpacks and promote change in a system that has been relatively unchanged for a number of years. I applaud anyone who takes the initiative to start these conversations as a way to reflect on the education we are providing our students. We must provide a relevant experience and not allow a $17 billion industry to give us what we have always had because that is what we have always done. Industry will provide what the educational community wants, so the conversation is important to have at the school, district, and community level. Listen to our teachers and students and allow their ideas, thoughts and needs, drive the industry to develop the disruption that will keep our classrooms moving forward.

Snob
I want to make it clear that I am not a book snob by any means and would never advocate for throwing all classroom texts in a big bonfire. Going to the extreme in any direction is what has kept technology a conversation piece, big shiny object, instead of just an everyday part of our classroom environment. But, providing our students with something other than the same basic textbooks like we have always done, is a conversation that is very necessary for today's classroom.   

Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto

Want One

http://insideevs.com/

Every time I see a Tesla driving down the road, I want one. They look great, go fast, are environmentally friendly (don't worry I am not giving up my gas lawn mower just yet :-), and the technology in these cars is cutting edge. I occasionally construct my order online and arrive at checkout, which is where I am brought back down to earth, then go outside and sit in my Prius. Some of the things I find interesting with this company is the process that is used to construct their vehicles and the importance of man and machine working together to make it happen.

 Image: CNET / CBS Interactive

Boring?

I recently came across a Tech Republic article, which after reading I found the title to be a bit silly, but it caught my attention because of a podcast I listened to recently about robot automation. Basically the podcast was stating there are not enough skilled workers who can actually work on the robots to keep them running, and a few big companies were starting programs to train their people for these skilled positions. The "boring" reference in the article title was pointing out how the introduction of bots could increase the "drudgery" of the 9-5 job in some cases. The example was centered around the Amazon Kiva bots that are used in some of their US fulfillment centers, which Amazon recently has been discussing with the holiday season upon us. You can read the article for yourself and determine the message that the writer has intended, but for myself I tend to reflect on the discussion that has been going on for years about the ever changing careers that technology influences.

Skilled Workforce
We have been hearing and reading about the shortage of skilled workers for some time now and how the 21st Century Learner is going to need different skills for the modern workplace. With automation and jobs that require a different skill set, it is important we don't lose focus on the solid foundation needed for our students to be able to leave the K-12 and higher education system ready for the ever changing workplace, on the job training and new careers. The question remains are we preparing them for such a world? I came across this very interesting article about Toyota and the Bluegrass Community Technical College, who have partnered to create the AMT program. A statement that caught my attention was from Dennis Dio Parker, an assistant manager at Toyota, "Parker says high schools and colleges in the U.S. are failing to turn out graduates with the mix of technical expertise, problem-solving ability and communication skills that companies like Toyota needs." Technical fields may not be for every student, but shouldn't all students have the ability to communicate and problem solve? If our students simply master the 4 c's, they will be prepared to adapt to any situation including technologies influence on the world and careers.  

Jobs will continually change and become more technical. Some jobs may be eliminated, while new ones will take their place, creating different skill requirements. Gilbert Passin VP of Manufacturing for Tesla made a comment in Tesla Motors Part 2, "Robots are extremely good at repeatability and accuracy of motion, humans are more intelligent than robots therefore we need to use them where there is a lot of value for that intelligence." The future only has to be boring if that is the way we view it.   

School's Out For Summer

Willie Style

Who can forget when the Fresh Prince was throwin down "summer, summer, summertime, time to sit back and

unwind?" I am showing my age with that bit of information, that song was the first single on his Homebase album, released in May of 1991, nice play record studio. As educators we all know that summertime doesn't afford much time to unwind, although we try to sneak in a little time for "cool shootin some b-ball outside the school," the downtime is used in different way. Teachers are busy searching for new resources, building their PLN's, and planning for the upcoming school year, which is a full time job. Tech staff is using this time to upgrade hardware, implement new software, and refresh thousands of devices before the new school year arrives. Frantic as it may seem however, this may be the time to seek out new ways to collect resources, build your PLN, upgrade devices, and take a deep breath before the new school year arrives.

Your Not Alone
If you are a student, teacher, administrator, or techie, there are thousands of your same kind out there working on similar projects looking to collaborate with others. So how about taking a little time this summer to connect with others, gather some great resources, and build your PLN by following other educators on Twitter. Twitter is arguably one of the best places online to gather educational ideas and resources. Follow people like Free For Teachers @rmbyrne, hashtag #chromebooks, or if iPads interest you, guru @tonyvincent! The great thing is, you don't have to work hard to find great educators to follow, here is a list of educators that will get you started by content area/title, you can even add yourself after you create your Twitter account http://goo.gl/k8U1Yc. If you would like to take it a step further and participate in a Twitter chat, follow this link for times and hashtags http://goo.gl/9h74lg (thank you @MrsKim_Reynolds for sharing). 

                                           Change It Up

Summertime is also a chance to reflect on the traditional things that we seem to do when this time of year rolls around. Speaking from the technology side of the house, the first thought that comes to mind is re-imaging of devices. Spring always seems like the time when new images are being built for deployment, so the second the students and teachers are out the door, massive re-imaging starts taking place. Often we can't avoid this type of scenario, we will be doing our fair share of imaging this summer, but maybe there is a better way. Use this time to reflect on the processes and see how you can eliminate some of the lengthy projects that seem to take up most of those summer days that you could be focusing on other areas.

Another idea that is always refreshing during the summer months is the start of the day. When school is in session, start times are critical for providing good customer support. Summer can allow flexibility for your tech staff to start the day off in a different way. Use this time to have brief 15-30 minute sit downs to share how their summer projects are rolling along, collaborate on any issues that may be happening and enjoy a nice ice coffee or smoothie to start the day! 

   

A Different View

Decisions
With Microsoft Office 365 Personal adds running lately, articles concerning the mining of student data, and the forever debate on which cloud suite to choose, I began reflecting on my district's office suite timeline. Maybe we have traveled a different road than others, but the decisions along the way I feel have been well thought out, even if the timing was not always perfect. Since 1998 we have run on four different platforms of office suites roughly:

Microsoft Office/Exchange: 1998-2000

Sun's Star Office/E-mail: 2000-2002

Open Office/Open Webmail: 2002-2005

Microsoft Office/Exchange: 2005-2009

Google Apps: 2009-Present

This is quick overview of our journey and why I enjoy the ever changing landscape of technology.

Duck and Cover

If you think switching to something other than a Microsoft product now is tough, try doing it back in 2000, we switched top down to Star Office then, departments and all! You would have thought the world was ending, but it really wasn't that tragic when everyone became comfortable and discovered they could still do their job. In those five years we switched email to Open webmail because the Star email went away when Sun pushed star office to the Open office format. Again, a few were upset, but then they realized they could access their e-mail from anywhere with a Internet connection and things were a little better than before. When we went from a distributive server model to a data center and made the move from Linux based servers to a Server 2003 platform, we decided to give the Microsoft horse a ride again. It was ok, and I do love me some Outlook, but the back end maintenance with Exchange was present and the web version of Outlook was not well received. As far as the departments go, they were happy and I do agree that they use Office products unlike most teachers for their jobs (no offense to any teachers who are power users with the Microsoft Office suite). For the ease of our departments daily functions, we will always run Office products for them, but they all have Google apps and Gmail is the districts e-mail client (sidebar, our departments are using Google Apps to collaborate in ways they never have been able to previously).  

To the Cloud

© 2004 Michael Jastremski

When we made the most recent move to Google apps, there were many reasons why and we did look to Office 365, but it was not ready for release and we felt the road map was not there at that time. We have pushed to do everything in the cloud for a number of years and apps fits nice. Teachers were given directions on how to setup their folders for migration to Gmail and that happened without much fuss on our side and that was their biggest concern was losing email, all students k-12 and staff use Gmail. We let teachers know that we would never be upgrading Office and did a survey if they wanted it to remain on their teacher laptops. All departments are running Office and theirs will be the only ones that we will upgrade. Google apps has done more for student/ teacher, student/student collaboration than any other program I have seen in many years. The communication and endless options are what makes cloud based apps a modern day joy....always changing.

Change
For many, all the changing we have done over the years may seem a bit much, but I think it has done a few things for us. One, it has helped staff realize that change is not such a bad thing. In a profession that is usually slow to change, it has helped create a culture that looks at change as something positive that keeps us relevant with the world and our students. Two, it keeps our tech staff always moving forward, innovating, and leading from the middle, which can be very powerful. I don't believe there is a one size fits all, so take the time to decide what fits for you and your district and don't look back.

Tech in Sochi

Up and Down

I have always enjoyed watching the Olympics, both summer and winter versions. Each of the seasons contain many events that I find exciting and some that are well, just plain boring to me. At times I think that the X Games should just change their name to the Olympics and we would be better off, but that is just an opinion, so please don't take offense. One aspect of the games that I do find interesting is the technology advancements in equipment and apparel that the athletes use to give them that ever so slight advantage when paired with their amazing athletic ability. Let us also not overlook the technology that runs the entire event, including the opening and closing ceremonies.

The 5th Ring
By now the 5th ring of the Olympic symbol is famous, being stubborn and refusing to open was all part of it's mischevious plan to seperate itself from the other four rings at the opening ceremonies in Sochi. We all know that somewhere in Russia, someone was blaming that dang technology for not working properly and ruing the lesson, I mean show. All IT people around the world were probably cringing when they saw that ring thinking about itself and not the countless tech folks who put hours into programming, setup, and testing to make that one moment go off without a fuss. We all know it's part of the game and the amount of technology at Sochi is quite staggering when you take a closer look.

Courtesy of CNET News. Adiba explained that the technology infrastructure is composed of 400 servers, 1,000 security network devices, and 5,600 computers that are responsible for things such as providing real-time Olympics information to 9,500 accredited broadcasters and members of the media. As well, it is delivering competition results to a global audience in less than a second; processing and activating accreditation badges for 200,000 "members of the Olympic Family;" and collecting and processing data for all of the more than 5,500 athletes taking part in the games.   

My favorite tech stat from the opening ceremony is the 2.64 million lumens that were created by the 132 projectors working together to illuminate the stadium floor. I am not sure however if that tops the security perimeter setup around the games to scan texts, emails, cell calls and facially recoginize anyone attending, but that is a post for another day.

Other Technology
There are many other forms of technology worth noting that many wouldn't directly relate to someone sitting behind a laptop punching keys for hours. Matt McFarland pulled together seven examples in his Washing Post article and I wanted to highlight a few. 

1. New speed skating suit created by a collaboration between the apparel company Under Armour and Lockheed Martin. Who would have thought a defense company and sports clothing maker could come together to make a speed skating suit? Even if the US skaters are calling the suit in question after a poor start, large amount of technology here.
2. An ultra lightweight zipper on the jackets of freestyle skiers, that get this, is waterproof. I tease, but the zipper is bonded directly to the fabric, very cool if you ever have sewn a zipper back on.
3. Raising money through cryptocurrency. This form of exchange still confuses me, but this is how the Jamaican bobsled team and an Indian luger made it to Sochi.

Bring It Home
I did not take the time to research exactly how many people it takes just to make sure the technology at Sochi runs smoothly. After reflecting a bit on such a number, it really doesn't matter, because at some point technology plays a role in just about every aspect of our daily lives, including the Olympics. From social media to security, fancy zippers to 132 projectors, technology is embedded in our environment. Our students of today will be planning the Olympics of tomorrow and I just bet they won't be pushing a pencil to make things happen. Just remember to keep that 5th ring in check so all the IT folks around the world don't have to hold their breath in the future.