Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Newsletter 10/19/16 : Network update (including info on expanded wireless), Election Central Resource, Copyright and Intellectual Properties

Network Update (Error Reporting)

Please use the error reporting form if you are having issues. It actually sends emails to Ed, Don, and myself. I saw an email sent asking to gather issues. While this seems like a good concept and is done with the best intentions, it actually delays getting information to us which ultimately has you waiting. Ed and Don are always very responsive so please use these forms. Go to the district website under "staff" and click "technology reporting". 


If you use the reporting forms, it sends each of us an email right away and you will see that each form is building specific. It also gathers information we need to resolve your issue quickly. This is very helpful if we are already in your building because we get an immediate notification and your problem can be solved immediately.  It also populates to a spreadsheet. We often get backlogged with error reports but it makes sure that we do not miss any issues on the list. Your concerns are important. We can't help if they aren't reported.

We are in the process of fixing any final issues with the network and preparing for next week, when the expanded wireless will start to be activated. The current date of this looks to be a week from Friday. I will update you with any changes. Wiring needs to be finished and the middle school and high school. This will put devices in every other classroom and also in common areas. For those of you that notice wifi drops in certain areas because they don't have a dedicated wireless device, this will improve that issue.

EX: The high school cafeteria does not have a current wireless device in that large common area. While it is able to pull from the library and a device in another hallway, connectivity is diminished. Arrays will be added to this area to improve this longstanding problem. 

EX: There is a hallway where 4 classrooms are currently connecting to a single access point. When all 4 classes are working, staff has regularly reported connectivity slow downs and drops in connectivity. Arrays will be put in every other classroom on this area which will double connectivity and take the strain off a single device. With these now going in classrooms, there will also be less interference cutting through multiple walls and corners which also causes connectivity issues. 

Election Central Resource


If you have not checked out this resource, it is very helpful with this very interesting election year. There are links and resources that are valuable to a wide variety of grade levels. It was shared at the recent Ideastream meeting and I wanted to make sure you were aware of it.

Copyright and Intellectual Properties



Also at Ideastream was a great presentation on Copyright and Intellectual Properties. The internet has provided unprecedented accessibility to information for teachers and students. A common assumption is that we are allowed to automatically use everything because it has an educational purpose. This isn't always the case. 

This presentation shares resources useful for teachers and also has ideas that can be used with students. If you need access to more, please let me know.