What The... TECH!

Tomorrow is our district's last day of school. Did I just say that? Tomorrow is our LAST day of school for the 2009-2010 school year. I am excited for the last day, and excited for the upcoming district technology summer projects. Rather than jump into a blog on the details of that, I'd like to jump into what to expect out of whatthe-tech for the summer:

* An upgrade. Mitch (who "runs" the site with me) is working on an upgrade that will add a list of new features, resolve some issues we've had, and hopefully make it even easier for you to be involved and post your own content.

* More blogs, pages, and whatever else from me. I plan on posting my summer experiences. ...Why not post your summer tech projects too? Rolling out Windows 7 with some new imaging software? Tell us about it. Implemented a new wireless network? Tell us about it.

* A break. It's summer. The site will be slower content-wise than "normal." After all, you and I don't just sit in front of a computer all day, every day... some times we go outside, spend time with family and friends, and take in some sun.

After a week of constant work on this along with some regrouping, I have the High School all inventoried and organized, and I'm on my way at the Middle School. I still haven't figured out how I'm going to inventory and organize at the Elementary School, but that's OK, we'll figure it out.

Here's what IS working at the High/Middle School:

1. I walk into a classroom, tell the teacher I'm there to inventory and organize and perform a few computer updates.

2. I untangle all the cords and organize them off the floor and on top of a desk using zip ties and a shoebox plastic container w/ a lid. I cut out corners of the lid so that the wires can go in and out. When finished, I try to have nothing touching the floor.

3. I inventory anything that I need to (I.E. projector, SmartBoard, SchoolPad).

4. I perform any updates that I need to to the computer (I.E. We recently installed new wireless ap's, so I need to update the machines to connect to them)

5. I write down a set of instructions for the custodians to use now when breaking down the room for the summer (I.E. which cable to unplug, how to unplug, etc.) I'm giving these instructions to them before summer kicks in and the crazy cleaning begins.

6. I talk to the teacher and listen to the possible requests for the classroom, and I make a list of anything that there's a need for, to be potentially completed over the summer.

And it seems to be working. My original plan needed some help, and I still need to get a game plan for the Elementary School, but we're on our way to cleaner, better organized, and better inventoried district technology.

(in case you failed to read the first post)

Welcome to What The... TECH! If you're new here, check out the "Getting Started" guide. It'll give you a basic overview of the site, and tell you how to update your profile (Be sure to upload an image!). If you want to introduce yourself, click Introduce Yourself on the homepage.

Now for the good stuff...

To join "Groups," click on "Groups" and "All Site Groups" and pick through the groups you want to join. When you find a group you'd like to be part of, click "Request Membership." The Group Owner will get an email and approve your membership. If there's a Group that you want to join, but that doesn't exist, CREATE IT. Click "create a new group" and become an owner!

To create "Pages," you can either click under "Tools," "Pages," and create your own pages OR you can click on a group that you belong to, click on "group's pages" and "New page." Enter a page title, content, enter tags (Tags are for searching later, enter a comma after each tag), and choose permissions. Permissions are important. Under "access," If you want others to view it, choose from the list of permissions, and choose the "group name" if you want your group to view it. Under "write access," if you want others to edit the page, choose from the list of permissions, and choose the "group name" if you want your group to write to it.

If there's a page you want to edit, click on the page and (as long as you have "write access" to it) click on "edit page." You could also just comment to the page.

To create a "blog," you can click under "Tools," "Blogs," and create your own blog posts. Enter a blog title, content, enter tags (Tags are for searching later, enter a comma after each tag), and choose permissions. Permissions are important. Under "access," If you want others to view it, choose from the list of permissions.

Earlier I posted about getting ready to reinventory and reorganize the district's technology. I had a plan, a purpose, and I was ready to go.

I was going to go to each classroom - and inventory all the tech items, and organize all the cabling.

Inventory is easy, organization is not.

Original Plan:

"Organize everything. I've tried this out in a couple rooms already, and it seems to work and look nice - I purchased a bunch of shoebox plastic containers like these (6 Qt. Shoebox Storage Tote by Sterilite). I'm cutting on the lid of each container (usually just two holes) so that I can have cabling run into and out of it. On each lid, I'm also putting a label that says "This container should only be opened by the Technology Department" along with a picture of our mascot. I'm going to each room (since I'm already inventorying) and untangling each and every cable, using zip ties when needed, and putting everything I can inside the shoebox. The shoebox will sit next to the technology equipment and, in theory, will only be opened by the Tech Dept when there's an issue. Also, in theory, when the rooms are cleaned, everything can be moved out easier than before because everything is organized. I'm also trying to get everything off the floor."

Reality:

I "tried this out" in Middle and High School classrooms, that weren't heavy on SmartBoards and multimedia equipment. It does work OK in those classrooms, however, the Elementary is another story. Our Middle and High School classrooms are actual teacher desks and actual student tables and workstations. This makes it easier to organize and hide cabling. At the Elementary, every classroom has a different desk and every classroom has different "desks" for the student computers. They aren't computer desks, some of them are really little tables. Even after I organize, it doesn't look organized.

At this point, I'm regrouping. At the Middle School and High School, we are going to continue on as planned. At the Elementary, I've identified the problem as the desks, but I don't have a solution. I'd like to set up each classroom with this... http://www.mopo.ca/uploaded_images/multi-monitor-700816.jpg

Anyone a Novell fan? A Novell Group has been created.

To join the Novell Group or ANY Group:
1. go to whatthe-tech.com and "register."
2. Once registered, you can click on "help" to view the getting
started guide, http://www.whatthe-tech.com/pg/pages/view/68/ It just
tells you the different parts of the site, how to edit your profile,
that kind of thing.
3. Once logged in, click on Groups, All Site Groups, pick the group you want to join, and
"Request Membership." I'll get an email to confirm you into the group
(so that you can create and edit), and then you're set. You can add
pages to the group, use the forum, and upload files.

Welcome to What The... TECH! If you're new here, check out the "Getting Started" guide. It'll give you a basic overview of the site, and tell you how to update your profile (Be sure to upload an image!). If you want to introduce yourself, click Introduce Yourself on the homepage.

Now for the good stuff...

To join "Groups," click on "Groups" and "All Site Groups" and pick through the groups you want to join. When you find a group you'd like to be part of, click "Request Membership." The Group Owner will get an email and approve your membership. If there's a Group that you want to join, but that doesn't exist, CREATE IT. Click "create a new group" and become an owner!

To create "Pages," you can either click under "Tools," "Pages," and create your own pages OR you can click on a group that you belong to, click on "group's pages" and "New page." Enter a page title, content, enter tags (Tags are for searching later, enter a comma after each tag), and choose permissions. Permissions are important. Under "access," If you want others to view it, choose from the list of permissions, and choose the "group name" if you want your group to view it. Under "write access," if you want others to edit the page, choose from the list of permissions, and choose the "group name" if you want your group to write to it.

If there's a page you want to edit, click on the page and (as long as you have "write access" to it) click on "edit page." You could also just comment to the page.

To create a "blog," you can click under "Tools," "Blogs," and create your own blog posts. Enter a blog title, content, enter tags (Tags are for searching later, enter a comma after each tag), and choose permissions. Permissions are important. Under "access," If you want others to view it, choose from the list of permissions.

There's also bookmarks and files to check out.

Alright - sorry guys, there is currently a delay in the sending of the verification email on new accounts. It's being worked on by the hosting company to get it resolved and sped up. We never noticed it before because, well, there's never been too many to register before. :)

You should be getting the email soon, and we're looking for a way to change the way verification works too.

In the meanwhile, anyone who registered from Friday to Today (as of 2PM) "should" be able to log into whatthe-tech.com now. We bypassed the verification email for the time being. You can log in with the password you picked.

Joining the "technic group" requires activation too, so we're working on a way around that while the email problem gets figured out. Go ahead and join the technic group, and we'll get you activated. I'm excited for everyone to check this out, so please don't get discouraged on this hold up. :) Dang tech problems...

You can also go directly here to view the technic group without logging in...
http://www.whatthe-tech.com/pg/groups/1327/technic/

Anyone from the Technic list...? We've been discussing a possible Technic group here, so I created one.

How it can work:
1. go to whatthe-tech.com and "register."
2. Once registered, you can click on "help" to view the getting
started guide, http://www.whatthe-tech.com/pg/pages/view/68/ It just
tells you the different parts of the site, how to edit your profile,
that kind of thing.
3. Once logged in, click on Groups, All Site Groups, Technic, and
"Request Membership." I'll get an email to confirm you into the group
(so that you can create and edit), and then you're set. You can add
pages to the group, use the forum, and upload files. If you don't
create an account or join the group, that can be OK too, you can just
view the content.

There are other ways we could set this up (or change permissions), so
let me know if something isn't working out well.

I'm planning summer and lining up all the potential technology projects for the upcoming school year. As I'm planning, I'm hitting some crossroads... "We could train on this topic... or we could train on this topic..." "We could give the elementary teachers desktops... or we could give the elementary teachers laptops..." Decisions, decisions, decisions.

So I'm thinking I need some additional input. I always meet with each building principal and discuss these ideas, but I also like to hear from the folks that will actually be impacted... the teachers.

Last year and again this year I offered an online survey for the teachers to take. I haven't told them how much this impacts the decisions for the following year, but I have told them that it has an impact. Ultimately, its impact is actually a big splash and weighs heavily on what direction the Technology Program will take the following year. My reasoning behind not stressing on the survey too much - I want some honest, quick answers.

For example - Last year I asked the questions like "Would you utilize a teacher webpage that you update and control in your classroom?" and "What would you like to be able to do with a teacher webpage?" I asked this because I was on the fence of whether or not we should require teachers to have a webpage. The majority said "yes" to utilizing a teacher webpage, and then the training we provided was built around the answers I got from "what would you like to be able to do."

Another example - The Elementary teacher computers are up for rotation, so I've asked "Elementary Teachers - Would you prefer a desktop or a laptop as your teacher computer?" Right now they are split 50/50, which to me indicates that I have a choice to make and that no preference exists. At the Middle and High School levels, nearly every teacher wanted a laptop.

Another example - We have laptop carts at the High School. Last year we had several requests for additional laptops on those carts, so we added more. This year I've asked "High School Teachers - Do you utilize the laptop carts? Do you need more laptops on the carts?" and I'm still getting a request for more laptops.

My favorite question is "What improvements and/or additions would you like to see in the district's Technology Program?" This is where I really want honesty. This is where I really want quick complaints and fast truth. I don't require names on the surveys, so this is a chance for everyone to speak what's on their mind. And I've allowed these answers to help shape the Tech Dept.

For our surveys, we use SelectSurvey ASP Advanced from http://www.classapps.com/SelectSurveyOverview.asp ... We purchased the "SelectSurveyASP Advanced (Our Legacy Classic ASP Product)" for less than $300, and it was money well spent. It even came with 1 year support and upgrades included with that price.

These links have captured some of my attention, thought I'd share:

This Is Apple's Next iPhone - Iphone 4 - Gizmodo

Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy