Monday, November 26, 2012
Blevins
I spent the day at Blevin school district today. We worked on a couple of things. We reinstalled the operating system on one laptop, worked on a few issues on the server, and installed new time clock software. After we installed the new time clock software, we created a group policy to push out the shortcut to the desktop. That works great for Windows 7 machines, but windows XP machines are not as easy. So, we decided to just hit every single room and verify that the shortcut copied or we created shortcuts for the xp users.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Thursday, November 15
Today, I spent today working on several issues in the morning. One, a users icons moved around on the desktop so we set them back to write. Another user needed help with some backup software. Bakup software failed, but I realized that the problem is the flash drive. The flash drive will only format ass fat 32. Because her back up is larger than four gigs, That 32 will not support her back up using that software. I will find another solution.
Most of the day was spent in the area technology Cordinator meeting. We discussed various things such as erate, common core state standards and the IT technology readiness survey, various applications for monitoring desktop software, and other useful utilities.
During lunch, we discussed several topics including new distance-learning equipment, and a co-op wide data backup program.
The discussion regarding the co-op ride back up data program continued want to return to the office. A group of us sat around and discussed the feasibility of rolling out off-site backup storage solution for each of the schools in the co-op area. We think now is the time to start looking at rolling out such a program.
I plan to contact one of the local fiber providers, in order to find out what it would take to set up a co-op wide system. The plan is to have storage facilities at the co-op, and provide connectivity to each of the schools so that they can do off-site backups to our facility. Ultimately, the program would expand to include other services provided by the co-op. The number one concern of course is going to be the cost out to the member districts who wish to put dissipate. Jeff Madlock had a great idea. He suggested that once we determine the overall cost the cost will then be divided out by the number Of students in the co-op area. Then, each district would participate based on their student enrollment. We believe this will be the most fair way to approach sharing the cost of data storage services. We will call in one of the vendor providers and have a discussion. Once we have that set up, and we have a better feel for costs, connectivity, and rollouts, we will have a meeting with the superintendents and see how they feel about the project.
It is possible that once this project is rolled out, other schools around the state could also piggyback in based on their student enrollment if they wish. Again, depending on costs, we may also look at providing redundant offsite backup services. This means that the co-op would take the back ups that they receive and send them off-site to a storage facility either in Missouri, Tennessee, or somewhere similar.
After the meeting, I was called into the early childhood office in order to help troubleshoot a data problem on a flash drive. Turns out, the flash drive was fine but the computer into which the drive had been plugged had gone bonkers. That's a technical term!
I got the computer back up and running I believe. In the meantime, I had managed to salvage seven of the 14 corrupted files. As it turned out, four of the files that were corrupted actually existed on another computer. Therefore there were only three documents that were truly unrecoverable. After talking with the user of the bunkered computer, it turns out that those were the three files but that user was working on after the computer had started acting up.
Most of the day was spent in the area technology Cordinator meeting. We discussed various things such as erate, common core state standards and the IT technology readiness survey, various applications for monitoring desktop software, and other useful utilities.
During lunch, we discussed several topics including new distance-learning equipment, and a co-op wide data backup program.
The discussion regarding the co-op ride back up data program continued want to return to the office. A group of us sat around and discussed the feasibility of rolling out off-site backup storage solution for each of the schools in the co-op area. We think now is the time to start looking at rolling out such a program.
I plan to contact one of the local fiber providers, in order to find out what it would take to set up a co-op wide system. The plan is to have storage facilities at the co-op, and provide connectivity to each of the schools so that they can do off-site backups to our facility. Ultimately, the program would expand to include other services provided by the co-op. The number one concern of course is going to be the cost out to the member districts who wish to put dissipate. Jeff Madlock had a great idea. He suggested that once we determine the overall cost the cost will then be divided out by the number Of students in the co-op area. Then, each district would participate based on their student enrollment. We believe this will be the most fair way to approach sharing the cost of data storage services. We will call in one of the vendor providers and have a discussion. Once we have that set up, and we have a better feel for costs, connectivity, and rollouts, we will have a meeting with the superintendents and see how they feel about the project.
It is possible that once this project is rolled out, other schools around the state could also piggyback in based on their student enrollment if they wish. Again, depending on costs, we may also look at providing redundant offsite backup services. This means that the co-op would take the back ups that they receive and send them off-site to a storage facility either in Missouri, Tennessee, or somewhere similar.
After the meeting, I was called into the early childhood office in order to help troubleshoot a data problem on a flash drive. Turns out, the flash drive was fine but the computer into which the drive had been plugged had gone bonkers. That's a technical term!
I got the computer back up and running I believe. In the meantime, I had managed to salvage seven of the 14 corrupted files. As it turned out, four of the files that were corrupted actually existed on another computer. Therefore there were only three documents that were truly unrecoverable. After talking with the user of the bunkered computer, it turns out that those were the three files but that user was working on after the computer had started acting up.
Wednesday, November 14
I took my son and several of his friends up to a college in Conway for their open house day. I was out of the office.
Tuesday at Bradley
On Tuesday, I spent the day at Bradley Schools. I worked with their technology coordinator to get files off of the superintendents old hard drives and install them on his new computer. It took a little bit of work, because the adapter I have requires an IDE drive to be set in master only mode.
We also worked on a couple of computers and knocked out several of the work orders that she had stacked up.
We also worked on a couple of computers and knocked out several of the work orders that she had stacked up.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Monday, November 12
Spent the better part of the day at Blevins troubleshooting network issues. We found one switch that it been plugged back into itself, so that one was good to find.
As we walked around trying to find another loopback, we found other issues to troubleshoot and fix.
For example, one users laptop would not connect wirelessly. Turns out, the Wi-Fi adapter would go to sleep on the computer did but it would not wake up. I set the Wi-Fi card not to go to sleep.
In other cases, users I could not connect needed to have new ends put on their network wires.
In the main server closet, we unplugged and re-plugged the media converters trying to find the second loopback. Unfortunately, we were not able to find it. I think we may have to try again after everyone is off-campus. I am convinced there is still a loop in the system. However, taking the first Loopout really improved network connectivity so we called it a day.
I have moved my visit to the Bradley campus until Tuesday. I will spend the rest of the afternoon, from about 130 until four, working on things at the main building.
As we walked around trying to find another loopback, we found other issues to troubleshoot and fix.
For example, one users laptop would not connect wirelessly. Turns out, the Wi-Fi adapter would go to sleep on the computer did but it would not wake up. I set the Wi-Fi card not to go to sleep.
In other cases, users I could not connect needed to have new ends put on their network wires.
In the main server closet, we unplugged and re-plugged the media converters trying to find the second loopback. Unfortunately, we were not able to find it. I think we may have to try again after everyone is off-campus. I am convinced there is still a loop in the system. However, taking the first Loopout really improved network connectivity so we called it a day.
I have moved my visit to the Bradley campus until Tuesday. I will spend the rest of the afternoon, from about 130 until four, working on things at the main building.
Friday, November 9, 2012
Back in the Swing
I haven't posted here in quite a while. I have been running around, helping schools, working on co-op related items, and generally keeping VERY busy. I am going to start recording here again, though I have been keeping up with my daily visits etc in my co-op calendar.
I appreciate anyone who is still following along, or may start now that this site will pick back up again.
Most recently, I was at Blevins to help set up student logins. There will be some growing pains, I'm sure! But, we were able to get the students set up, put into appropriate groups, and assign permissions.
Just prior to that, I was at Bradley to help set up new computers in their distance learning labs and troubleshoot various issues around the district.
In-house, I have been working on a couple projects that will come to light around Christmas break. I am pretty excited about them!
More to come as I get back into the swing of posting my daily log here again.
I appreciate anyone who is still following along, or may start now that this site will pick back up again.
Most recently, I was at Blevins to help set up student logins. There will be some growing pains, I'm sure! But, we were able to get the students set up, put into appropriate groups, and assign permissions.
Just prior to that, I was at Bradley to help set up new computers in their distance learning labs and troubleshoot various issues around the district.
In-house, I have been working on a couple projects that will come to light around Christmas break. I am pretty excited about them!
More to come as I get back into the swing of posting my daily log here again.
Monday, August 20, 2012
August 20-24, 2012
Monday - Visit Genoa Schools to troubleshoot issues with DL. After all connections were re-seated, system worked fine. Talked with early childhood program there and the local tech to discuss network connectivity. As Trish and I left, the cables for the network connection were arriving via courier. We then went to Texarkana schools to meet with their distance learning facilitator. Everything was fine technically. I met with Technology Clerk and TCC regarding new scheduling implementation. There will be a meeting between the three of us and the Director on Friday to hammer out some details and iron out issues with the program. I went to the Hope ECH to connect interactive whiteboard, test networking, reset printer connections.
Tuesday - Will be at Arch Ford Co-op for statewide tech meeting
Wednesday - Will be in Conway for a statewide grant program meeting
Thursday - Office
Friday - Office
Tuesday - Will be at Arch Ford Co-op for statewide tech meeting
Wednesday - Will be in Conway for a statewide grant program meeting
Thursday - Office
Friday - Office
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
July 30 - Aug 3, 2012
Monday and Tuesday - Tech Coordinatro Boot Camp 1.5 - Teach various aspects of being a tech coordinator for schools. Open forum, but discussion topics included: E-rate, Virtual Field Trips, OSX > AD, Helpdesk, Etherscope, Fish Tape, disaster recovery, system management, remote assistance, ipads/ipods, appletv, reflection, malware removal, and more.
Wednesday - meeting with CESA6 regarding electronic forms processing
Thursday - Office
Friday - Office Closed
Wednesday - meeting with CESA6 regarding electronic forms processing
Thursday - Office
Friday - Office Closed
Thursday, July 26, 2012
New Filter Fun
I thought I would throw this out there for anyone that owns a Fortigate firewall appliance.
I had a Fortigate 300C (stock grill, custom rims) that seemed to be acting flaky but was nothing I could pinpoint. Eventually, the flash disk would disappear from the configuration then re-appear out of the blue. As time went on, the SQL database would corrupt and repairing it wasn't helping. Soon, our web filter would randomly let folks get to certain places and not others (regardless of the actual filter settings). I contacted Fortinet for an exchange. The RMA process went very smoothly. The subsequent unit install, however, did not.
Once the new unit was here (yesterday), I fired it up, used FortiExplorer to find it attached with USB cable and I imported a backup config into the new unit. So far, so good. Well, no I forgot that I had to reboot the new unit at one point because it quit talking to my computer. I am sure that was operator error though. Once the initial setup was complete, I used the old box to connect to Fortigate Support and convert the serial number to the new unit (they have an RMA exchange feature to do this - which, in a way, is a scary thought really). All seemed well. I connected the new unit to our network, swapped cables and let it ride... to nowhere. The license did not transfer. I called tech support and they said it could be two hours before the license transfers. TWO HOURS!? Glad this isn't mission critical or anything.
Today, I fire up my computer and.. nothing. I still can't go anywhere. I get into the unit and several licenses have updated, others have not - web filtering being one. I call tech support. Now they tell me it can be up to 24 hours before the license transfers. Seriously!? She said, "We suggest you keep the old unit in place until the license transfers." Through clenched teeth, I said, "If the other unit was working, I wouldn't have needed the new one in the first place!"
We tried to force the unit to update. Nothing after 20 minutes. And then, it dawned on me: The blocking message said that the license was expired and that pages may not be accessible with the filter enabled. So, I disabled the web filtering, and TAH DAH - instantly updated the license.
I let the Fortinet tech department know that maybe they should consider including one bit of troubleshooting when a customer is doing an RMA transfer: Tell them to disable the web filter until the license transfer is complete.
File this away in case you have to RMA your Fortigate firewall/filter.
Monday, July 23, 2012
July 23-27
Monday - posted ESEA content to our web site, helped presenters with workshops, tested breakers for issue with accessible door mechanism. Working with Fortinet regarding our firewall. Other issues as they arise. Working with Bradley schools regarding a bad desktop they have.
Tuesday - Teaching iPods and iPads in the Classroom
Wednesday - Will be in office.
Thursday - Will be in office.
Friday - Office Closed
Tuesday - Teaching iPods and iPads in the Classroom
Wednesday - Will be in office.
Thursday - Will be in office.
Friday - Office Closed
July 16-20
Monday - Worked in office, taking care of presenters, meeting regarding various building-related issues, etc. Had to move my Genoa visit to Tuesday.
Tuesday - Went to genoa to help them set up their NAS. the NAS itself was already configured, so I ran the iSCSI initiator in Server 2008 to connect the NAS. After a bit of trial and error, I got it going. The short version of the story is this: expand your columns in a display when possible. The end of the volume names was cut off because of the column width. Once I fixed that, I could see which volume to mount. The next lesson was this: DELETE existing files rather than reformatting the NAS drive. UGH. 500GB takes a LONG time to format via NAS.
Wednesday - I taught Podcasting Using a Mac in the morning and then Social Networking for Schools in the afternnon. One of the highlights: one participant created his podcast by simply recording another participant as she did her own project. Brilliantly creative. Though, would have failed a rubric assessment had there been one.
Thursday - Talked with DirecTV about getting service. Still working on that. Had firewall issues. Fortinet is sending RMA (and hopefully a new unit to swap out). Worked with the HVAC guys on a problem unit we have. They will be here on the 25 to adjust the tilt of the unit.
Friday - Offices Closed.
Tuesday - Went to genoa to help them set up their NAS. the NAS itself was already configured, so I ran the iSCSI initiator in Server 2008 to connect the NAS. After a bit of trial and error, I got it going. The short version of the story is this: expand your columns in a display when possible. The end of the volume names was cut off because of the column width. Once I fixed that, I could see which volume to mount. The next lesson was this: DELETE existing files rather than reformatting the NAS drive. UGH. 500GB takes a LONG time to format via NAS.
Wednesday - I taught Podcasting Using a Mac in the morning and then Social Networking for Schools in the afternnon. One of the highlights: one participant created his podcast by simply recording another participant as she did her own project. Brilliantly creative. Though, would have failed a rubric assessment had there been one.
Thursday - Talked with DirecTV about getting service. Still working on that. Had firewall issues. Fortinet is sending RMA (and hopefully a new unit to swap out). Worked with the HVAC guys on a problem unit we have. They will be here on the 25 to adjust the tilt of the unit.
Friday - Offices Closed.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Wednesday Morning
Well, i was supposed to attend a tech meeting in Prescott this morning, but one of the air conditioning units wasn't working. I climbed a ladder and discovered an overflow pan FULL of water! I called our rep and made sure I knew what to do from last time. I was right: get rid of the water, reset the shut off sensors, clean out the drain pipe. The rep also gave us the price for installing a different filter system in the building and I passed the info to the Director.
A quick run to Wal-Mart netted me a wet/dry vac and 5 (five) cases of water for the vending machine. Yes, I had a wet/dry vac and tons of water in the same buggy. The irony was not lost on me. After a bit on ingenuity, I finally got the shop vac to reach the overflow tray. I started sucking water. After short time, the vac quit. I had filled the 5 gallon tank already. Ouch.
I made a mess getting the vac to our disposal grate, so I cleaned that up and headed back up the ladder to suck more water. When the vac quit the second time, I had a better feel for what I needed to do, and made no mess. I emptied the vac, went back for round three. There must have been close to 13 gallons of water in that tray - at least going by the vac's capacity.
I cleared the drain, reset the sensors and immediately the unit fired up. Unfortunately by this time, the meeting (20 miles away) was well underway.
I spent the rest of the morning updating global contacts for our organization.
Let's see what the afternoon holds!
A quick run to Wal-Mart netted me a wet/dry vac and 5 (five) cases of water for the vending machine. Yes, I had a wet/dry vac and tons of water in the same buggy. The irony was not lost on me. After a bit on ingenuity, I finally got the shop vac to reach the overflow tray. I started sucking water. After short time, the vac quit. I had filled the 5 gallon tank already. Ouch.
I made a mess getting the vac to our disposal grate, so I cleaned that up and headed back up the ladder to suck more water. When the vac quit the second time, I had a better feel for what I needed to do, and made no mess. I emptied the vac, went back for round three. There must have been close to 13 gallons of water in that tray - at least going by the vac's capacity.
I cleared the drain, reset the sensors and immediately the unit fired up. Unfortunately by this time, the meeting (20 miles away) was well underway.
I spent the rest of the morning updating global contacts for our organization.
Let's see what the afternoon holds!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
July 9-12, 2012
Monday, I worked on the laptops. In my previous post, I said the Acer problem was fixed last week. My days have run together. The problem was fixed on Monday, July 9. I know that makes little difference in general, but it matters for record-keeping. in any case, I continued installing software on the now-fully functioning laptops.
The cross-shipped desktop was in the mail room, so I planned to install it on Tuesday. Also on Monday, I set up two ultra books and helped various personnel with general troubleshooting issues.
Tuesday, I hooked up the replacement desktop and started installing software. I also began installing Lion on my MacBook. Did I mention I installed Lion on all the computers in the computer lab? I can't remember. Well, I installed Lion on all of the Macs.
I set up our new GT person's laptop and gave it to her. I helped folks with other issues. One problem that came up: shading half of an excel cell. I found a way to use angled text and fills to make it look like a cell was half-filled, but it is an ugly solution. Online searched yielded nothing useful. That's a feature someone might want to implement.
Wednesday, I have a tech meeting at Prescott. Thursday, I plan to be in the office to finish up the lab installs.
The cross-shipped desktop was in the mail room, so I planned to install it on Tuesday. Also on Monday, I set up two ultra books and helped various personnel with general troubleshooting issues.
Tuesday, I hooked up the replacement desktop and started installing software. I also began installing Lion on my MacBook. Did I mention I installed Lion on all the computers in the computer lab? I can't remember. Well, I installed Lion on all of the Macs.
I set up our new GT person's laptop and gave it to her. I helped folks with other issues. One problem that came up: shading half of an excel cell. I found a way to use angled text and fills to make it look like a cell was half-filled, but it is an ugly solution. Online searched yielded nothing useful. That's a feature someone might want to implement.
Wednesday, I have a tech meeting at Prescott. Thursday, I plan to be in the office to finish up the lab installs.
Last Week
Last week was crazy for being a short week. We received our new lab computers, a combination of desktops and laptops. I had help getting the hardware connected and then I also had some help installing the software. On Tuesday, everything was going about as smoothly as could be expected until I hit a snag with the laptops. (Hmm, maybe that snag started Monday, now that I think of it).
We ordered Acer laptops. The RFQ specified that the laptops had to have Win7 Pro. The laptops came with Home Premium and an upgrade to Pro. Not a major issue. Except, it was. The upgrade was for educational volume licensing. Home premium is retail. I called Microsoft and the rep walked me through what to do (install VLPro using the VL License Keys). Okay, extra work, but nothing major. Wrong. The laptop drivers do not support VL Pro7. Or maybe just not Pro. Whatever.
I spent some considerable time trying to find a fix. I got the wireless cards working, but still no video. I went ahead and installed software using the generic VGA drivers. No use wasting too much time. I continued to look for a solution. Nothing.
In any case, I left late Tuesday night with things fine on the desktop side and not-so-fine on the laptop side.
Off Wednesday for the 4th.
Thursday, I returned and fired up the desktops. I also called the sales rep and Acer about the laptops. Since I removed the preinstalled software, I voided warranty support for the software. Yay me. I told the Acer rep i would need approval for the fee he wanted to charge to get things working. Instead, I searched using different terms and came up with people having similar problems on different machines. The fix was to get the VEND_ID from Device Manager and find a comparable card in the vendor's INF file, make a few changes, and try again.
That worked. The systems think they have an "older" version of the video card, but who cares. What matters is that the driver installed (after telling Windows it was okay that it didn't match 'exactly.') and I could move forward. Sort of.
One of the desktops (Lenovo) had booted into "Recovery Mode." I thought this was weird, but rebooted and watched as it did the same thing. I figured I would boot to safe mode, use "last known good config and get things sailing. I was wrong. On the third attempt, the system would not boot up after I had shut it down. I looked at the network card on back, and got a light. I opened the case, unplugged the power, plugged it back in and the CPU fan spun a time or town then stopped. That's normal behavior for a computer that isn't trying to boot. This let me know that things were getting power. Well, at least SOME things. The computer would not come on. I contacted the vendor. Within two days, I had a cross-shipped replacement. Now, THAT is service.
We ordered Acer laptops. The RFQ specified that the laptops had to have Win7 Pro. The laptops came with Home Premium and an upgrade to Pro. Not a major issue. Except, it was. The upgrade was for educational volume licensing. Home premium is retail. I called Microsoft and the rep walked me through what to do (install VLPro using the VL License Keys). Okay, extra work, but nothing major. Wrong. The laptop drivers do not support VL Pro7. Or maybe just not Pro. Whatever.
I spent some considerable time trying to find a fix. I got the wireless cards working, but still no video. I went ahead and installed software using the generic VGA drivers. No use wasting too much time. I continued to look for a solution. Nothing.
In any case, I left late Tuesday night with things fine on the desktop side and not-so-fine on the laptop side.
Off Wednesday for the 4th.
Thursday, I returned and fired up the desktops. I also called the sales rep and Acer about the laptops. Since I removed the preinstalled software, I voided warranty support for the software. Yay me. I told the Acer rep i would need approval for the fee he wanted to charge to get things working. Instead, I searched using different terms and came up with people having similar problems on different machines. The fix was to get the VEND_ID from Device Manager and find a comparable card in the vendor's INF file, make a few changes, and try again.
That worked. The systems think they have an "older" version of the video card, but who cares. What matters is that the driver installed (after telling Windows it was okay that it didn't match 'exactly.') and I could move forward. Sort of.
One of the desktops (Lenovo) had booted into "Recovery Mode." I thought this was weird, but rebooted and watched as it did the same thing. I figured I would boot to safe mode, use "last known good config and get things sailing. I was wrong. On the third attempt, the system would not boot up after I had shut it down. I looked at the network card on back, and got a light. I opened the case, unplugged the power, plugged it back in and the CPU fan spun a time or town then stopped. That's normal behavior for a computer that isn't trying to boot. This let me know that things were getting power. Well, at least SOME things. The computer would not come on. I contacted the vendor. Within two days, I had a cross-shipped replacement. Now, THAT is service.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Back in the swing
My family and I took a vacation recently (visited friends and family in Pittsburgh, PA). Now, I am back to work and moving right along.
On Monday, I was still on vacation.
Tuesday, I played a LOT of catch-up. Some of the things I did: Called local college about their fire system inspection; called heating/air about replacing our current filter system; reviewed quotes for laptops and awarded purchase order; talked with Lindy as she prepares to exit for her retirement; attended a portion of a social networking workshop for administrators; caught up on a lot of email, but still have much to do; worked with bookkeeper regarding end-of-year budget and grant evaluation; began preparations for my video editing workshop on wednesday; ordered Lion in order to upgrade the computers in the lab.
Wednesday - I am teaching a video editing workshop; hope to start the Lion install after the worksop is over.
Thursday - Continue the Lion install; start installing new computers in the distance learning lab; finish director's separation as needed.
Friday - Offices closed.
I received an email about a list of iPad apps for classroom use, and I looked it over. There are some great tools in there, so I thought I would share the site:
http://www.onlinecolleges.net/2012/06/26/48-ipad-apps-that-teachers-love/
Enjoy!
On Monday, I was still on vacation.
Tuesday, I played a LOT of catch-up. Some of the things I did: Called local college about their fire system inspection; called heating/air about replacing our current filter system; reviewed quotes for laptops and awarded purchase order; talked with Lindy as she prepares to exit for her retirement; attended a portion of a social networking workshop for administrators; caught up on a lot of email, but still have much to do; worked with bookkeeper regarding end-of-year budget and grant evaluation; began preparations for my video editing workshop on wednesday; ordered Lion in order to upgrade the computers in the lab.
Wednesday - I am teaching a video editing workshop; hope to start the Lion install after the worksop is over.
Thursday - Continue the Lion install; start installing new computers in the distance learning lab; finish director's separation as needed.
Friday - Offices closed.
I received an email about a list of iPad apps for classroom use, and I looked it over. There are some great tools in there, so I thought I would share the site:
http://www.onlinecolleges.net/2012/06/26/48-ipad-apps-that-teachers-love/
Enjoy!
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Catching my breath!
Wow! I can certainly tell summer has arrived! I have been running all over the place for the last week and a half, not even taking time to make notes here. I have a few moments, so I thought I would catch everyone up.
March 28 - Memorial Day, Office Closed
March 29 - Drove to Bradley to help with moving user home folders. That was not good. For some reason, changes to the active directory are not getting rolled out to the users. I am still trying to figure that one out. I had to change everyone's home folder redirection back to the old server and set their home folders back in the profiles. What's weird is that the profiles connected their home folder and mapped it. But, Windows would never update the group policy to the location for My Documents. I thought I had conflicting policies somewhere, but everything I did checked out. And, *NEW* users would get the redirect. I understand I may have to delete local profiles, and I am not looking forward to that at all.
March 30 - Apple Products Demo - Looked at iTunesU, iBooks, iBooks Author, MDM, Lion, and other Apple offerings. In the afternoon, participants looked at Casper for MDM and talked about tablet rollouts, summer projects, etc.
March 31 - Began updating iMacs in lab to Snow Leopard 6.8 in preparation for Lion/Mtn Lion rollout. Hit major bandwidth snags. Performed other duties as well - helping out with tech in other workshops, etc.
June 1 - Office closed, but I came in to check on iMac update progress. Not good. So, I got a few started instead of doing whole lab.
June 4 - Came back into office early, started updates again. Also changed firewall to allow al traffic to Apple without scanning. That helped immensely and immediately. By day's end, most Macs were well on way to updating. Left it run over night. During the day, I helped get workshops going, found a problem with an AeroHive device and got it back up and going again. Other tech duties kept me running all day long.
June 5 - Tuesday all Macs were updated. One had the "infinite login loop." So, after I helped get workshops started, I concentrated on getting that Mac up and going. None of the tips I found online worked. I left the day trying to reinstall OS X. I copied Windows XP from one Parallels to external drive, which I then transferred to a "spare" machine.
June 6 - Came in to find the reinstall did not fix the issue. Evidently, it just tried to "fix" what was broken and missed. So, I put the "spare" in its place and moved the non-working machine to another location to work on it. In the meantime, I got workshops going then used an external hard drive to make a Time Machine backup. When that was done, I used that backup to restore the errant iMac. That worked perfectly (after some minor reconfiguration to prevent duplicate names, etc, on the network). For the record, the Mac that went bad after the update was the only Mac in the lab that actually required a login. All the other Macs were set to auto login. Also - I have *NOT* restarted the other Macs because we have APSCN training all week in that lab. if ain't broke, I ain't fixing it until I need to!
June 7 - I will help get workshops going and then we have the retirement program for Lindy and Nell. I will take care of other issues as needed during the day, as usual.
June 8 - Our offices are closed on Fridays in the summer.
March 28 - Memorial Day, Office Closed
March 29 - Drove to Bradley to help with moving user home folders. That was not good. For some reason, changes to the active directory are not getting rolled out to the users. I am still trying to figure that one out. I had to change everyone's home folder redirection back to the old server and set their home folders back in the profiles. What's weird is that the profiles connected their home folder and mapped it. But, Windows would never update the group policy to the location for My Documents. I thought I had conflicting policies somewhere, but everything I did checked out. And, *NEW* users would get the redirect. I understand I may have to delete local profiles, and I am not looking forward to that at all.
March 30 - Apple Products Demo - Looked at iTunesU, iBooks, iBooks Author, MDM, Lion, and other Apple offerings. In the afternoon, participants looked at Casper for MDM and talked about tablet rollouts, summer projects, etc.
March 31 - Began updating iMacs in lab to Snow Leopard 6.8 in preparation for Lion/Mtn Lion rollout. Hit major bandwidth snags. Performed other duties as well - helping out with tech in other workshops, etc.
June 1 - Office closed, but I came in to check on iMac update progress. Not good. So, I got a few started instead of doing whole lab.
June 4 - Came back into office early, started updates again. Also changed firewall to allow al traffic to Apple without scanning. That helped immensely and immediately. By day's end, most Macs were well on way to updating. Left it run over night. During the day, I helped get workshops going, found a problem with an AeroHive device and got it back up and going again. Other tech duties kept me running all day long.
June 5 - Tuesday all Macs were updated. One had the "infinite login loop." So, after I helped get workshops started, I concentrated on getting that Mac up and going. None of the tips I found online worked. I left the day trying to reinstall OS X. I copied Windows XP from one Parallels to external drive, which I then transferred to a "spare" machine.
June 6 - Came in to find the reinstall did not fix the issue. Evidently, it just tried to "fix" what was broken and missed. So, I put the "spare" in its place and moved the non-working machine to another location to work on it. In the meantime, I got workshops going then used an external hard drive to make a Time Machine backup. When that was done, I used that backup to restore the errant iMac. That worked perfectly (after some minor reconfiguration to prevent duplicate names, etc, on the network). For the record, the Mac that went bad after the update was the only Mac in the lab that actually required a login. All the other Macs were set to auto login. Also - I have *NOT* restarted the other Macs because we have APSCN training all week in that lab. if ain't broke, I ain't fixing it until I need to!
June 7 - I will help get workshops going and then we have the retirement program for Lindy and Nell. I will take care of other issues as needed during the day, as usual.
June 8 - Our offices are closed on Fridays in the summer.
Monday, May 21, 2012
May 21-25, 2012
Monday - Taught Intro Excel to various staff members. That was an all day training.
Tuesday - Meeting state techs for workday on grant evals.
Wed-Fri - Office
Thursday, I am to meet with Verizon at the co-op.
Tuesday - Meeting state techs for workday on grant evals.
Wed-Fri - Office
Thursday, I am to meet with Verizon at the co-op.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Thursday Quick Note
Had the area tech meeting today. I will post notes later.
I just worked on a Samsung ML-331x Series printer. The printer would print a single page document but not multiple page documents. I looked through the settings and made the following changes: Sleep Mode changed to 120 minutes. Wake-on changed from Button to Printer.
I have no idea why this change fixed it, but it did. During the process, however, I added a new ML-331x attached to the IP of the printer. I write this because I want to be sure I remember should this come up again.
I just worked on a Samsung ML-331x Series printer. The printer would print a single page document but not multiple page documents. I looked through the settings and made the following changes: Sleep Mode changed to 120 minutes. Wake-on changed from Button to Printer.
I have no idea why this change fixed it, but it did. During the process, however, I added a new ML-331x attached to the IP of the printer. I write this because I want to be sure I remember should this come up again.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
May 14-18 2012
Monday office - Crazy Monday.
Had to replace power supply in staff computer.
Had to work on dying server.
Had to work on issues with new firewall.
Helped several districts with tech plan/acceptable use policy.
Got word that SWAEC tech plan is approved.
SWAEC is now on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/swaec/
Copied all users' documents to new server.
Put out request for computers to upgrade 1/3 staff computers.
Phone call with AIR in Chicago re: Intel program
Met with city to determine location of in-ground conduits
Met with rep from Datamax re: area tech meeting
Tuesday -
Set permissions to new home folders.
Helped employees log off/log on for new home folder location.
Worked on Firewall.
Posted new guidelines to target testing site.
Worked on co-op web page.
Shut down shared folders on old server for users who were moved.
Webex call with Fortinet regarding our firewall.
Worked with school to determine needs for ipad/macbook/projector/appletv integration
Wednesday - Will be in office
Thursday - Area tech meeting
Friday - Office
Had to replace power supply in staff computer.
Had to work on dying server.
Had to work on issues with new firewall.
Helped several districts with tech plan/acceptable use policy.
Got word that SWAEC tech plan is approved.
SWAEC is now on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/swaec/
Copied all users' documents to new server.
Put out request for computers to upgrade 1/3 staff computers.
Phone call with AIR in Chicago re: Intel program
Met with city to determine location of in-ground conduits
Met with rep from Datamax re: area tech meeting
Tuesday -
Set permissions to new home folders.
Helped employees log off/log on for new home folder location.
Worked on Firewall.
Posted new guidelines to target testing site.
Worked on co-op web page.
Shut down shared folders on old server for users who were moved.
Webex call with Fortinet regarding our firewall.
Worked with school to determine needs for ipad/macbook/projector/appletv integration
Wednesday - Will be in office
Thursday - Area tech meeting
Friday - Office
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Troubleshooting Networks at Blevins
I drove straight to Blevins this morning. They were having connectivity issues following the storms the other day. Turns out, they had a pair of media converters knocked out. Swapped the devices, and the network came back up, humming along.
Had a separate issue in a classroom. Teacher could not connect. After some sneakernet, we discovered a wire had come loose from the switch.
In yet another classroom, teacher could not connect. Turned out to be a bad end that plugs into a cat5 coupler. Replaced the end and user was back up and running.
Set up an Airport Extreme. After much troubleshooting, it turned out the switch in that room had TWO bad ports - and we just happened to have picked those two while installing/troubleshooting. Figures.
At the office, I worked on creating a new workshop survey. This year, surveys will be online, accessible via desktop, laptop, and mobile devices. We will have QR codes posted for folks to scan and take the survey. We will also provide paper copies of the survey should some folks decide not to do it online.
Helped Phoebe with playing AudioNote files on her computer, then I recorded a podcast for the SWAEC@Technology series. That can be found: http://davidinark.podomatic.com/
Met with the Supt of Blevins to give a summary of what happened there. Also talked with Supt of Fouke regarding new position they are looking to fill. he had asked me to help review applicants, etc.
Had a separate issue in a classroom. Teacher could not connect. After some sneakernet, we discovered a wire had come loose from the switch.
In yet another classroom, teacher could not connect. Turned out to be a bad end that plugs into a cat5 coupler. Replaced the end and user was back up and running.
Set up an Airport Extreme. After much troubleshooting, it turned out the switch in that room had TWO bad ports - and we just happened to have picked those two while installing/troubleshooting. Figures.
At the office, I worked on creating a new workshop survey. This year, surveys will be online, accessible via desktop, laptop, and mobile devices. We will have QR codes posted for folks to scan and take the survey. We will also provide paper copies of the survey should some folks decide not to do it online.
Helped Phoebe with playing AudioNote files on her computer, then I recorded a podcast for the SWAEC@Technology series. That can be found: http://davidinark.podomatic.com/
Met with the Supt of Blevins to give a summary of what happened there. Also talked with Supt of Fouke regarding new position they are looking to fill. he had asked me to help review applicants, etc.
Monday, May 7, 2012
May 7-11, 2012
Monday - Nevada Schools
Tuesday - Friday - Office
On Monday, started the day by taking a portable CIV unit to Nevada Schools. They have a CIV unit, but after the statewide network change, the system is no longer able to make/receive calls on the network. I hooked up the co-op's portable unit and it worked fine.
Trish, the DL Coordinator for the co-op, will contact SKC regarding the issue since there is a service contract.
Later this week, I've got a webinar with Apple about course development through iBooks, etc. I believe that is a statewide endeavor.
Tuesday - Friday - Office
On Monday, started the day by taking a portable CIV unit to Nevada Schools. They have a CIV unit, but after the statewide network change, the system is no longer able to make/receive calls on the network. I hooked up the co-op's portable unit and it worked fine.
Trish, the DL Coordinator for the co-op, will contact SKC regarding the issue since there is a service contract.
Later this week, I've got a webinar with Apple about course development through iBooks, etc. I believe that is a statewide endeavor.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
AIR/Intel
Tuesday:
Arrived at the training facility's hotel. Spent the day getting setup/settled in. Then, AIR/Intel provided a "meet-n-greet" supper where we shared about ourselves and how we see the implementation of Intel training in our areas.
Wednesday:
We will be covering a lot of topics today:
Intel Elements Overview and Investigation
Art of Facilitation
Focus Groups
Arrived at the training facility's hotel. Spent the day getting setup/settled in. Then, AIR/Intel provided a "meet-n-greet" supper where we shared about ourselves and how we see the implementation of Intel training in our areas.
Wednesday:
We will be covering a lot of topics today:
Intel Elements Overview and Investigation
Art of Facilitation
Focus Groups
Monday, April 30, 2012
4/30/2012 - 5/4/2012
Monday - Office
Tuesday - AIR/Intel Training
Wedmesday - AIR/Intel Training
Thursday - AIR/Intel Training
Friday - Office
Tuesday - AIR/Intel Training
Wedmesday - AIR/Intel Training
Thursday - AIR/Intel Training
Friday - Office
Monday, April 23, 2012
4/23/2012
Ran into an issue where a user clicked on a "fake virus" message. Used ComboFix to cure it. had to run ComboFix three times. initially to get rid of rootkit infection, then twice more to clean off the other infections. We'll see if the machine is truly clean. So far, so good.
Met with PPC committee regarding changes to policy as requested/suggested by the board. Those changes were approved. I believe they will go into effect July 1. Otherwise they go into effect immediately.
Met with PPC committee regarding changes to policy as requested/suggested by the board. Those changes were approved. I believe they will go into effect July 1. Otherwise they go into effect immediately.
4/23/2012 - 4/27/2012
Tentative Schedule:
Monday - Office, PPC Committee Meeting
Tuesday - Help Phoebe with Common Core Resource training
Wednesday - Office
Thursday - Office, meet with StormWind regarding online PD
Friday - Office
Monday - Office, PPC Committee Meeting
Tuesday - Help Phoebe with Common Core Resource training
Wednesday - Office
Thursday - Office, meet with StormWind regarding online PD
Friday - Office
4/16/2012-4/20/2012 Update
Monday - Met with heating/air guy about board room. turned out to be low freon in heat pump. Emailed Belinda Kittrell. She said notices will be mailed out today regarding tech plans. Hopefully I will get one. :-)
Tuesday - Answered several phone calls/emails regarding tech plans. Worked on new web filter. Other normal daily tasks, as evident through email.
Wednesday - Attended Prescott Technology Committee Meeting. Received Tech Plan Revision notice in mail. Made changes to tech plan, submitted. System gives a relay error. Known issue, but updates still went through.
Thursday - Held area tech meeting. Notes are as follows:
1. Updates from State Level
---- State is rolling out a new, single sign-on system for the various data sources from one web site. An area tech asked, "Why do have all these different data sources?" Since I did not know the answer, I promised to write Cody Decker and Jim Boardman. I followed up with an email to those individuals.
---- As of last week, the state had only NINE respondents to the IT Readiness Survey for Common Core. I asked that the techs work with their Superintendents to get the information entered. The survey, though optional, will provide critical baseline information as the CCSS assessments are created and rolled out.
---- IDEAS/iTunesU/Sandbox - Arkansas is rolling out iTunesU to the district levels in an effort and attempt to get more local content produced and uploaded. Several techs reported that their teachers were using IDEAS for professional development.
2. Disaster Recovery Testing
---- Discussion regarding DRP testing.
---- Two tests are required per year. They do *NOT* have to be technology-related. I suggest that at least one be tech-related, however.
---- One of the two required tests can be a serious round-table discussion in a "What If..." scenario. Offsite backups can be brought to the co-op for storage and/or for recovery/restoration testing.
---- Some techs asked for information regarding enterprise level cloud-based backup. I will see what I can find out and share it with the group.
3. Tech Plan Updates/Info
---- All the schools reported they had received notification of revisions.
---- Statewide issue regarding submission - system gives a "Relay Error." I suggested techs send email to Belinda, including the LEA and date of submission.
---- Clarification: New signature pages are *NOT* required! As long as ADE has signatures on assurance pages already.
---- Discussion regarding the methods in which revisions are communicated to districts. We would prefer electronic communication (email, ideally).
4. Etherscope Update
---- A new grant to get EVERY co-op in the state an Etherscope is underway.
---- Techs were excited about that prospect.
5. Impero Demo showing updated/new features (approx 30 minutes)
---- New power management features
---- Enhanced remote desktop features
---- BYOD discussion ensued, Impero suggests policies for use of teh software on campus network, then automatic removal once machine leaves campus.
6. Working lunch included demo from Chad Brinkley with eInstruction
---- eInstruction has a new Mobi-based app
---- App works with ANY editable format (word, ppt, pages, google docs, etc)
---- Right now, app only works as a teacher program; working on student-side app
---- Works in conjunction with Mobi classroom clickers/pads.
---- New case holds iPad2, comes with stylus. Rugged. $59
---- Classroom, Building, and Site Licenses available
7. E-rate
---- PIA requests received by some districts
8. Asked if techs would like a PowerShell workshop this summer. Many said yes, so I will arrange that.
9. Group discussion reagrding a variety of topics including, but not limited to:
---- Lightspeed firewall
---- Fortigate firewall
---- Hot Springs Technical Institute
---- Job descriptions, employment openings at various districts
---- Other various topics
Friday - Revised Technology section of the SWAEC annual report. Worked on filtering issues, contacted Fortigate for support. Worked with Blevins tech staff on their tech plan revisions. Other duties and communication as evident via email.
Tuesday - Answered several phone calls/emails regarding tech plans. Worked on new web filter. Other normal daily tasks, as evident through email.
Wednesday - Attended Prescott Technology Committee Meeting. Received Tech Plan Revision notice in mail. Made changes to tech plan, submitted. System gives a relay error. Known issue, but updates still went through.
Thursday - Held area tech meeting. Notes are as follows:
1. Updates from State Level
---- State is rolling out a new, single sign-on system for the various data sources from one web site. An area tech asked, "Why do have all these different data sources?" Since I did not know the answer, I promised to write Cody Decker and Jim Boardman. I followed up with an email to those individuals.
---- As of last week, the state had only NINE respondents to the IT Readiness Survey for Common Core. I asked that the techs work with their Superintendents to get the information entered. The survey, though optional, will provide critical baseline information as the CCSS assessments are created and rolled out.
---- IDEAS/iTunesU/Sandbox - Arkansas is rolling out iTunesU to the district levels in an effort and attempt to get more local content produced and uploaded. Several techs reported that their teachers were using IDEAS for professional development.
2. Disaster Recovery Testing
---- Discussion regarding DRP testing.
---- Two tests are required per year. They do *NOT* have to be technology-related. I suggest that at least one be tech-related, however.
---- One of the two required tests can be a serious round-table discussion in a "What If..." scenario. Offsite backups can be brought to the co-op for storage and/or for recovery/restoration testing.
---- Some techs asked for information regarding enterprise level cloud-based backup. I will see what I can find out and share it with the group.
3. Tech Plan Updates/Info
---- All the schools reported they had received notification of revisions.
---- Statewide issue regarding submission - system gives a "Relay Error." I suggested techs send email to Belinda, including the LEA and date of submission.
---- Clarification: New signature pages are *NOT* required! As long as ADE has signatures on assurance pages already.
---- Discussion regarding the methods in which revisions are communicated to districts. We would prefer electronic communication (email, ideally).
4. Etherscope Update
---- A new grant to get EVERY co-op in the state an Etherscope is underway.
---- Techs were excited about that prospect.
5. Impero Demo showing updated/new features (approx 30 minutes)
---- New power management features
---- Enhanced remote desktop features
---- BYOD discussion ensued, Impero suggests policies for use of teh software on campus network, then automatic removal once machine leaves campus.
6. Working lunch included demo from Chad Brinkley with eInstruction
---- eInstruction has a new Mobi-based app
---- App works with ANY editable format (word, ppt, pages, google docs, etc)
---- Right now, app only works as a teacher program; working on student-side app
---- Works in conjunction with Mobi classroom clickers/pads.
---- New case holds iPad2, comes with stylus. Rugged. $59
---- Classroom, Building, and Site Licenses available
7. E-rate
---- PIA requests received by some districts
8. Asked if techs would like a PowerShell workshop this summer. Many said yes, so I will arrange that.
9. Group discussion reagrding a variety of topics including, but not limited to:
---- Lightspeed firewall
---- Fortigate firewall
---- Hot Springs Technical Institute
---- Job descriptions, employment openings at various districts
---- Other various topics
Friday - Revised Technology section of the SWAEC annual report. Worked on filtering issues, contacted Fortigate for support. Worked with Blevins tech staff on their tech plan revisions. Other duties and communication as evident via email.
Monday, April 16, 2012
4/16/2012 - 4/20/2012
Monday - Office
Tuesday - Office
Wednesday- Office/Prescott Tech Meeting/Office
Thursday - SWAEC Area Tech Meeting
Friday - Office
Monday - Met with heating/air guy about board room. turned out to be low freon in heat pump. Emailed Belinda Kittrell. She said notices will be mailed out today regarding tech plans. Hopefully I will get one. :-)
Tuesday - Office
Wednesday- Office/Prescott Tech Meeting/Office
Thursday - SWAEC Area Tech Meeting
Friday - Office
Monday - Met with heating/air guy about board room. turned out to be low freon in heat pump. Emailed Belinda Kittrell. She said notices will be mailed out today regarding tech plans. Hopefully I will get one. :-)
Monday, April 9, 2012
April 9-13, 2012
Monday - Office
Tuesday - AM Blevins, PM Office
Wednesday - AM - Office, PM - UACCH
Thursday - Little Rock (DIS technology Overview/Meeting)
Friday - Genoa
Monday - Worked on the new internet filtering system, took care of daily tasks.
Tuesday - Wento to Genoa in AM to run Etherscope test. In the faternoon, went to Blevins to do the same.
Thursday - Attended the DIS IT Leadership Meeting in Little Rock. Notes at end of this post.
Friday - Returned the Etherscope to South Central Co-op. Contacted Belinda Kittrell regarding Tech Plan revisions. SWAEC has not received any word on our tech plan. She said she would check on it. I will follow up on Monday.
Notes from IT Leadership Meeting:
April 12, 2012
IT Leadership Meeting
Little Rock
Future of mobility
Microsoft sql and system center
Van Baker - we Re already in the post pc era. Pc will not go away, but
it is no longer the primary device used to interCt with network
resources.
The notion of personal vs professional use has essentially
disappeared. The concept of workdays has changed. People switch
between work and personal life throughout the day.
Mobile device management
.. Acceptable device policy, not just an aup. Need an adp.
.. Let employees know why the policies are set up. Protection from
outside viruses, etc.
.. Set configurations, certificates, etc
.. Register users with appropriate access controls
.. Administer security policies
.. Retire, revoke access, data backup, device wipe or migration
.. Compliance reports, acceptable use, etc
Best to manage the behavior rather than try to manage the technology.
Consumer apps are driving what enterprise apps need to look like and
how they should function. Ease of use.
Context aware applications will come to the forefront based on
location, interests, previous experiences, etc. ... Can you say
minority report?
Applications shrinking to specific tasks with quick turnaround time on
updates and upgrades. Moving away from large comprehensive
applications.
We need to rewrite the web site for mobile users. Small bites, easy to
navigate. Write an app for that using a free tool. Perhaps use the
app dev tool i have now for navigating the coop web site.
Antenna, accelerator for app development
Mdm, good technology, mobile iron, airwatch or airlodge
MICROSOFT
Madison OKane, sql server solution specialist in Arkansas,
madokane@microsoft.com
Restructuring sql 2012 and new licensing for sql
Sql will license by core, not processor. Pay for what you use, pay as
you grow. Cloud optimized flexible to move to cloud if needed.
Sql enterprise for sharepoint. Standard has 16 core limit.
Enterprise is core only, business intelligence version is server/cal,
standard version is licensed either way.
Systemcenter 2012 -
Standard edition and datacenter edition
Friday, March 30, 2012
3/30/2012
Started the day installing and configuring various web packages through the Web Platform Installer on server 2008.
At 9am, took part in a webex with Impero software about the changes made to their remote desktop software.
At 11am, talked with the tech from Bradley regarding an issue they had. A laptop hard drive appears to have crashed.
Just after 11am, I talked with Shelly Dirst regarding iTunesU and TIE modules. We came up with a plan to include more Arkansas iTunesU content in some of the modules. We are also going to develop an iTunesU module that can be sued for training through the TIE professional development modules.
Examined the fire alarm system regarding keys.
I moved a cabinet from my storage closet to the upstairs storage area to free up space in anticipation of servers getting shut down. I shut two servers down and have taken them out of commission. Monday, when our new Fortinet filter gets put in place, I am hoping to shut down another server and take it out of commission. Then, I have two more older servers that I'd like to shut down as well. One should be fairly easy to do - the new 2008 server replaces it. the other, our web server running Sharepoint, will not be as easy. As mentioned above, I am looking at hosted solutions so I can keep our web sites in the cloud and cut down on the number of servers locally that have to be maintained.
At 9am, took part in a webex with Impero software about the changes made to their remote desktop software.
At 11am, talked with the tech from Bradley regarding an issue they had. A laptop hard drive appears to have crashed.
Just after 11am, I talked with Shelly Dirst regarding iTunesU and TIE modules. We came up with a plan to include more Arkansas iTunesU content in some of the modules. We are also going to develop an iTunesU module that can be sued for training through the TIE professional development modules.
Examined the fire alarm system regarding keys.
I moved a cabinet from my storage closet to the upstairs storage area to free up space in anticipation of servers getting shut down. I shut two servers down and have taken them out of commission. Monday, when our new Fortinet filter gets put in place, I am hoping to shut down another server and take it out of commission. Then, I have two more older servers that I'd like to shut down as well. One should be fairly easy to do - the new 2008 server replaces it. the other, our web server running Sharepoint, will not be as easy. As mentioned above, I am looking at hosted solutions so I can keep our web sites in the cloud and cut down on the number of servers locally that have to be maintained.
3/29/2012
In addition to day-to-day operations, I spent part of the day working on a conduit issue for our building. I believe that has been resolved with the help of the city engineeer that actually ran the conduit initially.
I installed WordPress on Server 2008 using the Web Platform Installer. I am looking into a new solution for the co-op web sites, and WordPress ain't it. I also installed Moodle using the WPI, but it is a whole different configuration than the Moodle install I did for our LMS. So, I am tossing that out as well.
Joomla is an option, so we'll see. I am also talking with various hosting companies about moving our web services offsite.
I spent a chunck of the afternoon remorely troubleshooting an issue with a computer at the Texarkana ECH program. Ultimately, I used software to take over the desktop and get the printing issue resolved.
I called the heating and air people about a unit that seems to be flaking out.
I installed WordPress on Server 2008 using the Web Platform Installer. I am looking into a new solution for the co-op web sites, and WordPress ain't it. I also installed Moodle using the WPI, but it is a whole different configuration than the Moodle install I did for our LMS. So, I am tossing that out as well.
Joomla is an option, so we'll see. I am also talking with various hosting companies about moving our web services offsite.
I spent a chunck of the afternoon remorely troubleshooting an issue with a computer at the Texarkana ECH program. Ultimately, I used software to take over the desktop and get the printing issue resolved.
I called the heating and air people about a unit that seems to be flaking out.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
3/28/2012
Drove to Texarkana Schools.
Connected Etherscope to network at main admin building. Started the network scan.
Took part in a conference call regarding TXK's plan to revamp their MAN.
Checked Etherscope, showed techs some of the features/reports.
Went to Arkansas High, scanned the LAN and did a wireless walkthrough. We decided to run three sessions: 1) Jacked in to regular switch port, 2) Jacked into port just inside DMZ, 3) Jacked into a mirrored port on main switch. Saved reports for each test.
Had to run to the ECH at Washington Elem. Worked on her computer. Also ran Etherscope test on that network since I was there.
At office, unboxed Fortinet firewall. Swapped out lamp in computer lab.
Just found out that some of our conduit may have been torn up. Going to check on that. Yoy.
Connected Etherscope to network at main admin building. Started the network scan.
Took part in a conference call regarding TXK's plan to revamp their MAN.
Checked Etherscope, showed techs some of the features/reports.
Went to Arkansas High, scanned the LAN and did a wireless walkthrough. We decided to run three sessions: 1) Jacked in to regular switch port, 2) Jacked into port just inside DMZ, 3) Jacked into a mirrored port on main switch. Saved reports for each test.
Had to run to the ECH at Washington Elem. Worked on her computer. Also ran Etherscope test on that network since I was there.
At office, unboxed Fortinet firewall. Swapped out lamp in computer lab.
Just found out that some of our conduit may have been torn up. Going to check on that. Yoy.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
3/27/2012
Taking sick day.
Update: took phone call to help APSCN workshop. Somehow, machines lost the gui temp settings. Walked the presenter through the process, as the traditional method didn't work.
Update: took phone call to help APSCN workshop. Somehow, machines lost the gui temp settings. Walked the presenter through the process, as the traditional method didn't work.
Monday, March 26, 2012
3/26/12
Worked on multiple issues in addition to normal daily stuff.
Worked much of the day on helping with new state distance learning rollout - fielding calls, emails, connections, etc.
Finished TIE module move to Moodle. I have two modules (Video Editing and Photo Editing) that still need a little tweaking. Those will be done before the April 1 "official release."
Had an issue with blocked content. Our new firewall should be here any day, then I can move forward.
Set up eBay account for the co-op to sell old equipment.
Deleted data from old company cell phones.
Worked much of the day on helping with new state distance learning rollout - fielding calls, emails, connections, etc.
Finished TIE module move to Moodle. I have two modules (Video Editing and Photo Editing) that still need a little tweaking. Those will be done before the April 1 "official release."
Had an issue with blocked content. Our new firewall should be here any day, then I can move forward.
Set up eBay account for the co-op to sell old equipment.
Deleted data from old company cell phones.
March 26, 2012 - March 30, 2012 and catching up
Monday - Office
Tuesday - Texarkana, Etherscope
Wednesday - Texarkana, Etherscope if needed
Thursday - Office
Friday - Office
Last week (March 19-23) was Spring Break. I was out of the office the whole week, though I worked during that time on a couple server issues. I also worked on moving TIE modules from the "old" PDF format to the new Moodle format.
March 5 - Visited with Prescott regarding NETS/ISTE Tech Support Index.
March 6 - Arch Ford Co-op for state section meetings, tech coordinator meeting
March 7-9 - Work on network security and monitoring.
March 12-15 - Continue network security and monitoring, meet with staff.
During that week, I also made two trips to Lafayette ECH to work on computer issues.
Tuesday - Texarkana, Etherscope
Wednesday - Texarkana, Etherscope if needed
Thursday - Office
Friday - Office
Last week (March 19-23) was Spring Break. I was out of the office the whole week, though I worked during that time on a couple server issues. I also worked on moving TIE modules from the "old" PDF format to the new Moodle format.
March 5 - Visited with Prescott regarding NETS/ISTE Tech Support Index.
March 6 - Arch Ford Co-op for state section meetings, tech coordinator meeting
March 7-9 - Work on network security and monitoring.
March 12-15 - Continue network security and monitoring, meet with staff.
During that week, I also made two trips to Lafayette ECH to work on computer issues.
Monday, March 5, 2012
2/29-3/2 2012
Wednesday, worked at the office. Mainly worked on converting TIE modules to Moodle. Answered several phone calls and emails regarding the Tech Plan.
Thursday - Took Etherscope to Lafayette. They had same IPX printer issues everyone else has had. Nothing else jumped out.
Friday - Took Etherscope to Bradley. We had a known streaming issue, but the Etherscope did not seem to pick it up. I am going to need some more traniing in "reading" the device to pick those kinds of things out. While at Bradley, i also helped troubleshoot various computer issues.
Thursday - Took Etherscope to Lafayette. They had same IPX printer issues everyone else has had. Nothing else jumped out.
Friday - Took Etherscope to Bradley. We had a known streaming issue, but the Etherscope did not seem to pick it up. I am going to need some more traniing in "reading" the device to pick those kinds of things out. While at Bradley, i also helped troubleshoot various computer issues.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Monday and Tuesday (2/27 and 2/28)
Monday - took the Etherscope to Fouke. Their network looked pretty good! They had some IPX traffic (printers) that we got under control and our walkthrough of the wireless network found a mobile hotspot and a Nintendo handheld device.
Tuesday - Took the Etherscope to Hope Schools. We found several issues - some duplicate IPs, some IPX traffic (mostly printers), a few others. Spent the day working on those plus some other issues and topics - iPads, New Tech school, new administration, various Mac OS apps, etc.
Tuesday - Took the Etherscope to Hope Schools. We found several issues - some duplicate IPs, some IPX traffic (mostly printers), a few others. Spent the day working on those plus some other issues and topics - iPads, New Tech school, new administration, various Mac OS apps, etc.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Week of 2/27/2012
Still have a lot of catching up to do with posting my past workloads. In the meantime, here is what's on the agenda for this week:
Monday - Fouke Schools
Tuesday - Hope Schools
Wednesday - Office (Record weekly Podcast SWAEC@Technology)
Wednesday - Office (Record weekly Podcast SWAEC@Technology)
Thursday - Lafayette Schools
Friday - Bradley Schools
I will be at various schools over the next couple weeks performing network analysis using the new Etherscopes we received as part of a grant. Should prove to be quite eye-opening!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Tuesday, Feb 21, 2012
Restarted the Firewall. Having issues with ISA Server 2006. Put in a HEAT ticket with DIS. They called and said problem looked to be local.
Went to Hope ECH and ran new network wire. Will install wireless later this week.
Answered phone calls and emails. More troubleshooting on ISA Server. Restart Firewall service.
Spent 20 minutes on phone with woman from Connecticut regarding technology department restructuring. She got my name from AESA contacts during the Colo Springs conference. VERY cool conversation! I hope my thoughts were helpful.
More troubleshooting ISA.
After poking around, I managed to come across a weird situation another admin had whereby the UPS into which the core switch was plugged had errant power flow problems. We have been having a battery issue with one of our UPS units, so I moved the plug from that UPS to another. So far, so good. I'm not holding my breath, though. We'll just have to see. In the meantime, I had already ordered a replacement battery, so that's now on my priority list for Wednesday!
I just hope that was the fix. If not, it looks like the NIC in that server may be going out. That won't be fun.
I swapped a telephone set in early childhood - theirs was showing the worng button programming. usually that is a software issue. In this case, though, the phone itself is.. wonky.
This afternoon, I am heading to Prescott to help with IDEAS logins, etc. Then tonight, I am talking to the Prescott school board about e-rate.
Went to Hope ECH and ran new network wire. Will install wireless later this week.
Answered phone calls and emails. More troubleshooting on ISA Server. Restart Firewall service.
Spent 20 minutes on phone with woman from Connecticut regarding technology department restructuring. She got my name from AESA contacts during the Colo Springs conference. VERY cool conversation! I hope my thoughts were helpful.
More troubleshooting ISA.
After poking around, I managed to come across a weird situation another admin had whereby the UPS into which the core switch was plugged had errant power flow problems. We have been having a battery issue with one of our UPS units, so I moved the plug from that UPS to another. So far, so good. I'm not holding my breath, though. We'll just have to see. In the meantime, I had already ordered a replacement battery, so that's now on my priority list for Wednesday!
I just hope that was the fix. If not, it looks like the NIC in that server may be going out. That won't be fun.
I swapped a telephone set in early childhood - theirs was showing the worng button programming. usually that is a software issue. In this case, though, the phone itself is.. wonky.
This afternoon, I am heading to Prescott to help with IDEAS logins, etc. Then tonight, I am talking to the Prescott school board about e-rate.
Schedule 2/21/2012
I will post "catch-up" entries this week. Man, it has been crazy busy with Tech Grants, Tech Plans, E-Rate, various meetings, etc! Wow!!
Here is my schedule for the week:
Here is my schedule for the week:
Monday - CLOSED
Tuesday - Hope ECH, Office, Prescott Schools
Wednesday - Office
Thursday - Office
Friday - Office
*Note: I will be doing site visits as well, and will update my schedule accordingly.
Thanks!
--David
Monday, February 6, 2012
February 6-10, 2011
Monday - Office
Tuesday - Arch Ford Co-op
Wednesday - Office/Board Meeting
Thursday - Genoa
Friday - Office
Tuesday - Arch Ford Co-op
Wednesday - Office/Board Meeting
Thursday - Genoa
Friday - Office
Monday, January 30, 2012
January 30 - February 3, 2012
Monday - Office
Tuesday - Office
Wednesday - Saturday - TIE Conference - Technology professional development
Monday's notes:
Monday, Monday, Monday...
Man, the advantage to focusing most of my attention on one project is that I got a bunch of it knocked out. Still a long way to go and a short time to do it (oh, I know what you THOUGHT I was gonna say). Converting revamped technology training modules into our new Moodle format. Whew!
Looks like overtime will be calling my name tomorrow evening! At least I should be able to finish things up from the house.
Why "most of my attention?" Spent the day swapping emails and phone calls with Sharon and Cari on various tech issues. CRAZY DAY! Despite it all, I am very glad to be employed! Oh yeah, and Verizon's area-wide blackout didn't help. Haha!
I helped Sharon at Blevins with various Tech Plan questions, E-Rate questions, and a few other technical issues.
I helped Cari with Exchange issues - her server ran out of drive space, so we freed up space and remounted the Exchange Store. We also worked thorough some Active Directory problems as well. We also covered E-Rate bids, RFP's, and other technical issues.
Verizon had a major network issue with their wireless network in our area this morning, so I spent some time on the phone with their support folks.
I am working on the Co-op's Tech Plan and the State Tech Coordinator Grant Proposal as well.
So, what'd YOU do today?!
Tuesday - Office
Wednesday - Saturday - TIE Conference - Technology professional development
Monday's notes:
Monday, Monday, Monday...
Man, the advantage to focusing most of my attention on one project is that I got a bunch of it knocked out. Still a long way to go and a short time to do it (oh, I know what you THOUGHT I was gonna say). Converting revamped technology training modules into our new Moodle format. Whew!
Looks like overtime will be calling my name tomorrow evening! At least I should be able to finish things up from the house.
Why "most of my attention?" Spent the day swapping emails and phone calls with Sharon and Cari on various tech issues. CRAZY DAY! Despite it all, I am very glad to be employed! Oh yeah, and Verizon's area-wide blackout didn't help. Haha!
I helped Sharon at Blevins with various Tech Plan questions, E-Rate questions, and a few other technical issues.
I helped Cari with Exchange issues - her server ran out of drive space, so we freed up space and remounted the Exchange Store. We also worked thorough some Active Directory problems as well. We also covered E-Rate bids, RFP's, and other technical issues.
Verizon had a major network issue with their wireless network in our area this morning, so I spent some time on the phone with their support folks.
I am working on the Co-op's Tech Plan and the State Tech Coordinator Grant Proposal as well.
So, what'd YOU do today?!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Week of January 27 UPDATE
Wednesday - Traveled to Bradley to help troubleshoot several issues and run a cable in one of their labs. We had to install DyKnow monitoring software, which turned out to be much more involved than we had anticipated. In fact, we ended up removing the installation at least once (I think maybe twice) before we got it right. Let me just say that I miss the days when thousand-dollar software came with a PRINTED manual. We had to locate and replace a wire that was causing a video issue in the distance learning lab. We also looked at several other technical issues as well.
Thursday - I drove to Fouke to help troubleshoot network issues. The tech and I looked at their backup configuration and made sure that it was backing up everything it was supposed to be. We went through the Middle School trying to find a possible network loopback, but did not find one. There is something going on, and I let the tech know that the co-op would be getting an Etherscope soon and that I would bring it to troubleshoot as soon as it arrived. in the meantime, I offered suggestions for manually hunting down the problem. The "old school" method is to unplug cables one at a time until things settle down. If EVERYTHING is unplugged before the network settles, then plug things back in one at a time and monitor the situation. It is long, tedious work with a lot of network connections to go through.
They have Xirrus wireless and one array keeps rebooting itself, but does not log the boot loop in its diagnostics. I can only assume that the system is rebooting before the diags can be recorded.
The tech asked me to research the following: 1) Cloud-based backup for Netware, 2) Multi-sheet document scanner for record keeping, 3) Info regarding migration from Groupwise to Google Apps for Education. I will have those to them next week.
Friday - Went to Blevins to help troubleshoot network issues and other problems. They had a lightning strike take out one of their T1s. The telco replaced the line, but the internet connection was no where near up to speed (running about 26k/sec). We had DIS on the line and Warren helped us narrow down a couple issues. One issue surfaced in the form of the video LAN and the Data LAN being on the same physical network. After a LOT of sneakernet, we found the problem (a wire plugged into the wrong place) and fixed that. As for internet connectivity, it turns out the line was not provisioned correctly on the telco end. Aonce both of those were resolved, the district was running at near 3-meg capacity.
Additionally, I had a list of things the techs wanted me to look over, so I did. A MacBook had a CD stuck in the drive and it would not eject. The system was "hosed" and would not boot beyond the spinning grey circle. Holding the EJECT button whole booting did not work. Holding COMMAND-OPTION-F-O never put me in Firmware Mode, so that was no good. I finally took a stiff piece of cardboard and stuck it in the drive. When the system tried to boot, the CD was held in place by the cardboard. The system tried to read the disc 3-4 times. After that, the CD eventually ejected from the system.
I helped set the password expiration period to 90 days (it had been set to 42 days).
I helped set up two printers as DHCP reservations.
I showed the tech how to DENY requests for IP addresses in the DHCP server module. I love that feature of Server 2008 R2! Wahoo! They had a LOT of iPhone, iPod, Android, etc users snagging up IP addresses.
We worked on a couple other issues, then I headed to the office.
At the office, I worked on updating the Operations Guide for the Conference Room - added a cheat sheet for multiple screen scenarios. I posted the 2012-2013 DL Calendar to the ARDL portal, answered phone calls, emails, voicemails, etc.
Thursday - I drove to Fouke to help troubleshoot network issues. The tech and I looked at their backup configuration and made sure that it was backing up everything it was supposed to be. We went through the Middle School trying to find a possible network loopback, but did not find one. There is something going on, and I let the tech know that the co-op would be getting an Etherscope soon and that I would bring it to troubleshoot as soon as it arrived. in the meantime, I offered suggestions for manually hunting down the problem. The "old school" method is to unplug cables one at a time until things settle down. If EVERYTHING is unplugged before the network settles, then plug things back in one at a time and monitor the situation. It is long, tedious work with a lot of network connections to go through.
They have Xirrus wireless and one array keeps rebooting itself, but does not log the boot loop in its diagnostics. I can only assume that the system is rebooting before the diags can be recorded.
The tech asked me to research the following: 1) Cloud-based backup for Netware, 2) Multi-sheet document scanner for record keeping, 3) Info regarding migration from Groupwise to Google Apps for Education. I will have those to them next week.
Friday - Went to Blevins to help troubleshoot network issues and other problems. They had a lightning strike take out one of their T1s. The telco replaced the line, but the internet connection was no where near up to speed (running about 26k/sec). We had DIS on the line and Warren helped us narrow down a couple issues. One issue surfaced in the form of the video LAN and the Data LAN being on the same physical network. After a LOT of sneakernet, we found the problem (a wire plugged into the wrong place) and fixed that. As for internet connectivity, it turns out the line was not provisioned correctly on the telco end. Aonce both of those were resolved, the district was running at near 3-meg capacity.
Additionally, I had a list of things the techs wanted me to look over, so I did. A MacBook had a CD stuck in the drive and it would not eject. The system was "hosed" and would not boot beyond the spinning grey circle. Holding the EJECT button whole booting did not work. Holding COMMAND-OPTION-F-O never put me in Firmware Mode, so that was no good. I finally took a stiff piece of cardboard and stuck it in the drive. When the system tried to boot, the CD was held in place by the cardboard. The system tried to read the disc 3-4 times. After that, the CD eventually ejected from the system.
I helped set the password expiration period to 90 days (it had been set to 42 days).
I helped set up two printers as DHCP reservations.
I showed the tech how to DENY requests for IP addresses in the DHCP server module. I love that feature of Server 2008 R2! Wahoo! They had a LOT of iPhone, iPod, Android, etc users snagging up IP addresses.
We worked on a couple other issues, then I headed to the office.
At the office, I worked on updating the Operations Guide for the Conference Room - added a cheat sheet for multiple screen scenarios. I posted the 2012-2013 DL Calendar to the ARDL portal, answered phone calls, emails, voicemails, etc.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
January 23-27, 2012
Monday - Office
Tuesday - Office
Wednesday - Bradley
Thursday - Genoa (possibly)
Friday - Office
Monday, spent the morning in the office then headed to Fouke to look at a DL problem. Turns out, they do not have a mic mixer for their ceiling mic. Talked to the tech support folks, they will be in touch. From there, headed to Prescott to look at their DL issue (remote control). I thought the problem was related to the plate in the top of the C20, but instead, the issue was much simpler. Inside Tandberg remote battery compartments is a switch. The switch regulates how much power is being used for the IR output. By default, it is set on low. That works well for close-up remote needs and/or incandescent lighting. For fluorescent, though, you need to flip the switch to HIGH power. So, I flipped the switch and it works great. I had forgotten that was even in the battery compartment until yesterday.
Tuesday, heading out to Hope ECH to troubleshoot connectivity and SmartBoards. We'll see what the rest of the day holds...
Problem at Hope ECH is directlt related to a coupler being used between two pieces of network wire. I will most likely run a new line so that we do not have this problem in the future.
The smartBoard problem was a result of screen resolution to the projector. I adjusted the resolution so that the display would show the entire desktop area, filling the projection screen (it had been "squished" due to a much higher resolution). This fixed the SmartBoard problem.
Installed Apple TV on the TV in the Asst Director's office. AppleTV, at the time of this writing, does not have alive weather program. Seriously!? Lame. So, I contact Weather.com to encourage them to work with Apple on getting a channel on the system. No, I am not going to jailbreak the AppleTV. I shouldn't have to, and besides, this is a company installation.
Worked with Prescott via phone regarding their technology survey results.
Worked with UACCH regarding an RUS grant for which we are a partner. They needed a specific invoice and copy of payment for the grant. I ran that over as soon as I had a copy.
Working on other daily tasks as well - email, phone calls, etc.
Tuesday - Office
Wednesday - Bradley
Thursday - Genoa (possibly)
Friday - Office
Monday, spent the morning in the office then headed to Fouke to look at a DL problem. Turns out, they do not have a mic mixer for their ceiling mic. Talked to the tech support folks, they will be in touch. From there, headed to Prescott to look at their DL issue (remote control). I thought the problem was related to the plate in the top of the C20, but instead, the issue was much simpler. Inside Tandberg remote battery compartments is a switch. The switch regulates how much power is being used for the IR output. By default, it is set on low. That works well for close-up remote needs and/or incandescent lighting. For fluorescent, though, you need to flip the switch to HIGH power. So, I flipped the switch and it works great. I had forgotten that was even in the battery compartment until yesterday.
Tuesday, heading out to Hope ECH to troubleshoot connectivity and SmartBoards. We'll see what the rest of the day holds...
Problem at Hope ECH is directlt related to a coupler being used between two pieces of network wire. I will most likely run a new line so that we do not have this problem in the future.
The smartBoard problem was a result of screen resolution to the projector. I adjusted the resolution so that the display would show the entire desktop area, filling the projection screen (it had been "squished" due to a much higher resolution). This fixed the SmartBoard problem.
Installed Apple TV on the TV in the Asst Director's office. AppleTV, at the time of this writing, does not have alive weather program. Seriously!? Lame. So, I contact Weather.com to encourage them to work with Apple on getting a channel on the system. No, I am not going to jailbreak the AppleTV. I shouldn't have to, and besides, this is a company installation.
Worked with Prescott via phone regarding their technology survey results.
Worked with UACCH regarding an RUS grant for which we are a partner. They needed a specific invoice and copy of payment for the grant. I ran that over as soon as I had a copy.
Working on other daily tasks as well - email, phone calls, etc.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
January 16-20, 2012
Monday - CLOSED
Tuesday - AM - Office (Meetings), PM - Bradley
Wednesday - Office (Meetings)
Thursday - Office (TIE projects)
Thursday - Office (TIE projects)
Friday - AM - Office (Conv w/ Debbie Coffman), PM - Moodle (Facilitator Training)
Tuesday - Meet with USAble, TIE Meeting, then Bradley in the afternoon
Wednesday - Work on TIE Projects, E-Rate, etc in AM then travel inservice at 3pm
Thursday - Work on TIE projects, then other projects as time allows
Friday - 9-12 Conversations with Debbie Coffman, then Facilitator Training (Moodle Course) and other projects in afternoon
Friday, January 13, 2012
Definitely Friday the 13th
Started the day by working on iPad 1st generation units. The original plan was to hook up all of them (about 10 units) to a Mac and reset them all then update them all - in one fell swoop. Turns out the 18-port USB hub (yes, powered) does *NOT* charge iPads. I was pretty sure I checked that specifically when I ordered the thing. I will need to revisit that.
So... I get to do one at a time. Why not 3 or 4? Well, the computer would not let me restore more than one at a time. Maybe this is normal, and multi-syncing is just that - syncing, not restoration. I dunno, and it doesn't matter now.
After the 1st Gen iPads were done, I visited with our Early Childhood Coordinator about volume purchasing a particular app. So far, that app is not in the volume buy program. I have contacted the authors to see if they will put it in there. Not sure how that would work, since all purchases are in-app only. Guess we'll see.
The same person also had an issue with her ZAGG Logitech Keyboard for her iPad 2 - it would randomly start repeating characters infinitely - or until you pressed a different key long enough for things to stop repeating.
Turns out, that is a know/common issue with these, as seen on the various forums I visited trying to find a solution. I called ZAGG and since we bought them from CDWG, we had to use an alternate registration method. Here's the kicker: the Logitech Keyboard is *NOT* in their list! I chose what I *thought* was the keyboard - instead, that turned out to be a protective shield. PROBLEM!
Well, we powered off the keyboard, forgot the connection, powered off the iPad 2, and waited for a minute or so. Then, we powered up the iPad 2 and made sure it would work sans any bluetooth keyboard. Yes. Then, powered up the keyboard and established a connection. Worked. Tried to replicate the problem. No go. That's a good thing! The keyboard was no longer acting all wonky and possessed. We'll keep an eye on it for a week, then see where we need to go, if anywhere.
And all of this happened before lunch!
What does the afternoon hold? Who knows - guess we'll find out soon!
So... I get to do one at a time. Why not 3 or 4? Well, the computer would not let me restore more than one at a time. Maybe this is normal, and multi-syncing is just that - syncing, not restoration. I dunno, and it doesn't matter now.
After the 1st Gen iPads were done, I visited with our Early Childhood Coordinator about volume purchasing a particular app. So far, that app is not in the volume buy program. I have contacted the authors to see if they will put it in there. Not sure how that would work, since all purchases are in-app only. Guess we'll see.
The same person also had an issue with her ZAGG Logitech Keyboard for her iPad 2 - it would randomly start repeating characters infinitely - or until you pressed a different key long enough for things to stop repeating.
Turns out, that is a know/common issue with these, as seen on the various forums I visited trying to find a solution. I called ZAGG and since we bought them from CDWG, we had to use an alternate registration method. Here's the kicker: the Logitech Keyboard is *NOT* in their list! I chose what I *thought* was the keyboard - instead, that turned out to be a protective shield. PROBLEM!
Well, we powered off the keyboard, forgot the connection, powered off the iPad 2, and waited for a minute or so. Then, we powered up the iPad 2 and made sure it would work sans any bluetooth keyboard. Yes. Then, powered up the keyboard and established a connection. Worked. Tried to replicate the problem. No go. That's a good thing! The keyboard was no longer acting all wonky and possessed. We'll keep an eye on it for a week, then see where we need to go, if anywhere.
And all of this happened before lunch!
What does the afternoon hold? Who knows - guess we'll find out soon!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Days go by
Tuesday - Traveled to Arch Ford Co-op for the monthly Specialists/Tech meetings and mini training sessions. Bob Cochenour and I did a session on things you can do in Google Mail. I had WAY too many things on the agenda, so we hit about half of those. We may do another session down the road some time.
Wednesday - The techs had a work day to figure out our grant proposals and the state tech plan. The meeting was held back at Arch Ford, but I attended over videoconference and Jana from Camden joined me here rather than drive all the way to Plumerville (2.5 hours+ drive each way).
Thursday - I've been working on my ISA server and looking at which servers can finally be put to rest. So far, I shut down two. I will move some resources from one of the servers and then either shut it down or consolidate resources from other servers onto it. I have spent any time not working on my servers helping Bradley with theirs. They have some weird email issue going on and I have been troubleshooting it remotely. I was supposed to go there today, but with my server acting a little off, I needed to kill two birds from one pond - or something like that.
There appears to be some kind of email spamming/blacklist issue, but they do not actually appear on any public blacklists. It's a mystery.
<hr>
For those interested, here are the rough notes of the Google Mail session:
Google Mail Tips and Tricks
Priority Messaging - Mail Settings > Inbox > Inbox Type (Classic, Important, Priority, etc)
Importance Markers - Mail Settings > Inbox > Show/Hide markers
Chat (Hide the Chat box) - Mail Settings > Chat > Chat: On or Chat: Off
Conversation View - Mail Settings > General > Conversation View: On or Conversation View: Off
Labels - Organize your email, can apply multiple labels to same message
Filters - Apply labels and perform other actions based on content, sender, etc (creating rules)
Use Labels, Filters and Archiving to organize your mail:
Create a label (Ex: Director)
Create a filter (Ex: Label all mail from boss as "Director" - from the previous step)
Skip Inbox (Do not show this message in the Inbox, but apply the label to show in labels list)
Archiving is *NOT* deleting! Archiving just 'hides' the message from your Inbox. Archived messages will still show up in searches and in labels.
Google Labs
Bob demonstrated/discussed several handy Google Labs items for mail:
The following items were *NOT* covered in the session due to time, but were on the agenda:
Advanced mail searching:
Use quotation marks- "meeting agenda" will return mail with those exact words in that exact order
Subject
- subject:Google Calendar *or* subject:"Google Calendar"
-- The first will retrieve subjects with "Google" or "Calendar"
-- the second will retrieve subjects that contain "Google Calendar" together
From (To: works the same way)
- From:<name> or From:<email@address.com> (Can also use quotes!)
-- From:David Henderson (All messages from any "David" or "Henderson"
-- From:"David Henderson" (All messages from David Henderson)
Find UNREAD messages- is:unread
-- Returns all email that has not been read yet!
Labels (Can use quotes!)
- label:<label name> <keyword(s)>
-- label:0_Lindy "pay raise"
-- label:"Disaster Recovery" approval
Filename
- filename:<filename.extension> *OR* filename:<extension>
-- filename:test.doc (all emails with test.doc attached)
-- filename:pdf (all emails with PDF attachments)
Attachments
- has:attachment (can be used with other search terms)
-- from:cooptc has:attachment
Use "AND," "OR," "-"- label:cooptc -has:attachment (all mail from COOPTC without attachments)
- from:"David Henderson" and filename:pdf (all pdfs from David Henderson)
Use "anywhere" to search ALL mail (including spam, trash, inbox, etc)- in:anywhere
-- in:anywhere from:phoebe (Searches all mail, labels, etc for mail from phoebe)
Specify special folders (inbox, trash, etc)- in:inbox
-- in:inbox subject:meeting (finds messages ONLY in the Inbox with "meeting" in subject)
Combine search areas and terms- label:e-rate OR from:becky.smith@somewhere.gov (All E-rate labeled messages plus all mail from becky)
- subject:e-rate from:becky.smith@somewhere.gov OR belinda.jones@somewhere.gov (Subject is E-rate AND the mail is either from Becky or Belinda)
Wednesday - The techs had a work day to figure out our grant proposals and the state tech plan. The meeting was held back at Arch Ford, but I attended over videoconference and Jana from Camden joined me here rather than drive all the way to Plumerville (2.5 hours+ drive each way).
Thursday - I've been working on my ISA server and looking at which servers can finally be put to rest. So far, I shut down two. I will move some resources from one of the servers and then either shut it down or consolidate resources from other servers onto it. I have spent any time not working on my servers helping Bradley with theirs. They have some weird email issue going on and I have been troubleshooting it remotely. I was supposed to go there today, but with my server acting a little off, I needed to kill two birds from one pond - or something like that.
There appears to be some kind of email spamming/blacklist issue, but they do not actually appear on any public blacklists. It's a mystery.
<hr>
For those interested, here are the rough notes of the Google Mail session:
Google Mail Tips and Tricks
Priority Messaging - Mail Settings > Inbox > Inbox Type (Classic, Important, Priority, etc)
Importance Markers - Mail Settings > Inbox > Show/Hide markers
Chat (Hide the Chat box) - Mail Settings > Chat > Chat: On or Chat: Off
Conversation View - Mail Settings > General > Conversation View: On or Conversation View: Off
Labels - Organize your email, can apply multiple labels to same message
Filters - Apply labels and perform other actions based on content, sender, etc (creating rules)
Use Labels, Filters and Archiving to organize your mail:
Create a label (Ex: Director)
Create a filter (Ex: Label all mail from boss as "Director" - from the previous step)
Skip Inbox (Do not show this message in the Inbox, but apply the label to show in labels list)
Archiving is *NOT* deleting! Archiving just 'hides' the message from your Inbox. Archived messages will still show up in searches and in labels.
Google Labs
Bob demonstrated/discussed several handy Google Labs items for mail:
- Auto-Advance (automatically move to next message)
- Background Send
- Default "Reply to All"
- Multiple Inboxes
- Preview Pane
- Right-side Chat
- Other Labs were covered as well, but time limitations kept me from keeping notes!
The following items were *NOT* covered in the session due to time, but were on the agenda:
Advanced mail searching:
Use quotation marks- "meeting agenda" will return mail with those exact words in that exact order
Subject
- subject:Google Calendar *or* subject:"Google Calendar"
-- The first will retrieve subjects with "Google" or "Calendar"
-- the second will retrieve subjects that contain "Google Calendar" together
From (To: works the same way)
- From:<name> or From:<email@address.com> (Can also use quotes!)
-- From:David Henderson (All messages from any "David" or "Henderson"
-- From:"David Henderson" (All messages from David Henderson)
Find UNREAD messages- is:unread
-- Returns all email that has not been read yet!
Labels (Can use quotes!)
- label:<label name> <keyword(s)>
-- label:0_Lindy "pay raise"
-- label:"Disaster Recovery" approval
Filename
- filename:<filename.extension> *OR* filename:<extension>
-- filename:test.doc (all emails with test.doc attached)
-- filename:pdf (all emails with PDF attachments)
Attachments
- has:attachment (can be used with other search terms)
-- from:cooptc has:attachment
Use "AND," "OR," "-"- label:cooptc -has:attachment (all mail from COOPTC without attachments)
- from:"David Henderson" and filename:pdf (all pdfs from David Henderson)
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Monday, January 9, 2012
January 9-13, 2011
Monday - Office
Tuesday - State Tech Meeting
Wednesday - Office/Open
Thursday - Office/Open
Friday - Office
Monday: I spent the morning working on several projects. First, I helped get our bookkepper's office back in order after the floor waxing over the weekend. Yes, I did that last Monday, too. Only this time, we had a different set of rooms to set back to rights because the floor guy didn't realize his key would open all the doors. I started working on our Moodle server to add content (create a course). During that, my Director came in and wanted help with her iPad2 - FaceTime, accounts, etc.
I went back to Moodle to finish creating the course I am working on. We are moving the TIE program modules from word/pdf handouts to a mixed-mode enviroment for in-class/asynchronous professional development. Basically, the courses are taught in a classroom setting and we use Moodle for content delivery and online discussion during the course. The State requires 6 hours of "seat time" for professional development, so this is a way to get the physical requirement taken care of while letting the participants have the freedom to complete many of the tasks at their own pace. During the course of the day (most are 1-day sessions), the facilitator brings the group back together for in-class discussion. This is the first time we are trying this arrangment, and I'm anxious to see how it all plays out this summer.
While working on the Moodle course (we will have dozens uploaded/modified before a February meeting), I met with our Early childhood coordinator about Apple Volume Licensing. We bought some vouchers, and now just have to wait for them to be delivered before we can redeem them. Seriously!? In today's age of full-on electrnic purchasing, why on earth does Apple may you buy phyiscal vouchers to redeem!? Ugh.
After that was done, I returned to the Moodle module. One area of concern raised up as forums and discussions. As it turns out, "Guest Access" is not available for those sections. There are two solutions: 1) Require each user to sign up for access, or 2) do not hold online discussions and make them in-class only. We're not sure which route we're taking yet. The whole state has several statewide Moodle-based rollouts, and requiring participants to register on each of the Moodle servers is a bit much, in my opinion.
Oh, I forgot, I also worked on a user's Google Calendar. The events would show up on her phone, iPad, etc, but not in the online calendar. The problem? It was hidden online. In "My Calendars," the user has de-selected the default calendar. I reselected the box, and everything showed up. Awesome!
Now, lunch break and the rest of the afternoon (for Monday)!
While working on modules for Moodle, I encountered a few .pages files that were created on a Mac. I am using a PC and my MacBook doesn't have Pages on it, so I was a bit stumped as to what to do (short of asking the author to export them as PDF). Instead, here is a solution: change the extension to .ZIP and open the files with Winzip or whatever. Inside there, you will find a folder called "QuickLook." Inside Quicklook, you will find a PDF of the .pages document! Bingo! Copy and paste the content, and you should be good to go.
Tuesday - State Tech Meeting
Wednesday - Office/Open
Thursday - Office/Open
Friday - Office
Monday: I spent the morning working on several projects. First, I helped get our bookkepper's office back in order after the floor waxing over the weekend. Yes, I did that last Monday, too. Only this time, we had a different set of rooms to set back to rights because the floor guy didn't realize his key would open all the doors. I started working on our Moodle server to add content (create a course). During that, my Director came in and wanted help with her iPad2 - FaceTime, accounts, etc.
I went back to Moodle to finish creating the course I am working on. We are moving the TIE program modules from word/pdf handouts to a mixed-mode enviroment for in-class/asynchronous professional development. Basically, the courses are taught in a classroom setting and we use Moodle for content delivery and online discussion during the course. The State requires 6 hours of "seat time" for professional development, so this is a way to get the physical requirement taken care of while letting the participants have the freedom to complete many of the tasks at their own pace. During the course of the day (most are 1-day sessions), the facilitator brings the group back together for in-class discussion. This is the first time we are trying this arrangment, and I'm anxious to see how it all plays out this summer.
While working on the Moodle course (we will have dozens uploaded/modified before a February meeting), I met with our Early childhood coordinator about Apple Volume Licensing. We bought some vouchers, and now just have to wait for them to be delivered before we can redeem them. Seriously!? In today's age of full-on electrnic purchasing, why on earth does Apple may you buy phyiscal vouchers to redeem!? Ugh.
After that was done, I returned to the Moodle module. One area of concern raised up as forums and discussions. As it turns out, "Guest Access" is not available for those sections. There are two solutions: 1) Require each user to sign up for access, or 2) do not hold online discussions and make them in-class only. We're not sure which route we're taking yet. The whole state has several statewide Moodle-based rollouts, and requiring participants to register on each of the Moodle servers is a bit much, in my opinion.
Oh, I forgot, I also worked on a user's Google Calendar. The events would show up on her phone, iPad, etc, but not in the online calendar. The problem? It was hidden online. In "My Calendars," the user has de-selected the default calendar. I reselected the box, and everything showed up. Awesome!
Now, lunch break and the rest of the afternoon (for Monday)!
While working on modules for Moodle, I encountered a few .pages files that were created on a Mac. I am using a PC and my MacBook doesn't have Pages on it, so I was a bit stumped as to what to do (short of asking the author to export them as PDF). Instead, here is a solution: change the extension to .ZIP and open the files with Winzip or whatever. Inside there, you will find a folder called "QuickLook." Inside Quicklook, you will find a PDF of the .pages document! Bingo! Copy and paste the content, and you should be good to go.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Finally Friday!
Whew! What a week back after the holiday!
Today, I talked with the Director about cell phone plans and contacted our rep in response to the conversation. We also discussed several issues related to the bill itself (mainly regarding employees and text messaging - the employees reimburse the co-op for such 'extras'). We also revisited our policy of blocking recurrent cell programs (horoscopes, etc), just to be sure things were not coming through - they are not.
I have a webex at 9:30am to discuss Fortinet for firewalling/filtering/etc.
I am leaving at noon for personal business.
Today, I talked with the Director about cell phone plans and contacted our rep in response to the conversation. We also discussed several issues related to the bill itself (mainly regarding employees and text messaging - the employees reimburse the co-op for such 'extras'). We also revisited our policy of blocking recurrent cell programs (horoscopes, etc), just to be sure things were not coming through - they are not.
I have a webex at 9:30am to discuss Fortinet for firewalling/filtering/etc.
I am leaving at noon for personal business.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
January 5th, 2012
Spending much of the day working on email and phone support. Also working on the grant evaluation for my position. I am presently reworking a TIE module as well. Met with the Director regarding a weird heating/hvac issue and regarding a new pricing plan for our cellular phones. Did some troubleshooting regarding the fax machine in the main office, and helped with various small tech 'fires' in general - iTunes, burning video to DVD.
The 2nd half of the day still awaits!
I had a user with a file that had a WPD extension. Normally, this would be a WordPerfect file that could easily be opened in Microsoft Office or Open Office or a myriad of other programs. Nothing worked. Instead, all we got was jibberish. I even tried zamzar.com to convert it to Word, and that produced garbage.
After searching the net, I found a program called "Wintext!" Wintext will take ANY file and extract any viable text from it. With that program, I was able to pull out the text the user needed.
The file can be had from here:
http://www.softoxi.com/download-wintext.html
The 2nd half of the day still awaits!
I had a user with a file that had a WPD extension. Normally, this would be a WordPerfect file that could easily be opened in Microsoft Office or Open Office or a myriad of other programs. Nothing worked. Instead, all we got was jibberish. I even tried zamzar.com to convert it to Word, and that produced garbage.
After searching the net, I found a program called "Wintext!" Wintext will take ANY file and extract any viable text from it. With that program, I was able to pull out the text the user needed.
The file can be had from here:
http://www.softoxi.com/download-wintext.html
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Wednesday
When I arrived, I started working on building a report for target testing data. The data was sent in Excel, which I imported into Access, created a count query and a report to go with it, then converted the report to pdf for distribution to appropriate personnel.
Drove to Fouke with the Distance Learning Coordinator to look at a couple of tech issues in the DL lab.
We installed a HDMI cable to connect a 2nd TV to the codec. The image appears the same on both monitors. This is not normally what happens. After quite a bit of experimenting, there was no way to get the image to show in-class on one screen and incoming on the other. There must be a setting somewhere I am missing. I will check out a similar system at another campus, take notes and revisit the system at Fouke.
We installed a document camera on the codec. For some reason, when selecting "presentation," the system switches to a dual-screen mode showing the far site and near site but does not switch to the document camera. Using the remote, however, the facilitator can switch to the document camera manually. While not ideal, this will serve to meet the needs until we get the remote/configuration figured out.
Talked briefly with the Technology Coordinator and Ass't TC regarding tech plans, e-rate, A-Plus learning, and connecting Macs into the Active Directory.
Visited with the Supt and other staff before we left campus.
At the office, I worked on grant evaluation procedures, e-rate, and addressed/replied to work-related emails.
Drove to Fouke with the Distance Learning Coordinator to look at a couple of tech issues in the DL lab.
We installed a HDMI cable to connect a 2nd TV to the codec. The image appears the same on both monitors. This is not normally what happens. After quite a bit of experimenting, there was no way to get the image to show in-class on one screen and incoming on the other. There must be a setting somewhere I am missing. I will check out a similar system at another campus, take notes and revisit the system at Fouke.
We installed a document camera on the codec. For some reason, when selecting "presentation," the system switches to a dual-screen mode showing the far site and near site but does not switch to the document camera. Using the remote, however, the facilitator can switch to the document camera manually. While not ideal, this will serve to meet the needs until we get the remote/configuration figured out.
Talked briefly with the Technology Coordinator and Ass't TC regarding tech plans, e-rate, A-Plus learning, and connecting Macs into the Active Directory.
Visited with the Supt and other staff before we left campus.
At the office, I worked on grant evaluation procedures, e-rate, and addressed/replied to work-related emails.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Internet Safety
Started the day by working on the HIPPY digital copier. After the holiday break, the machine would not print over LAN. I could web into it and look at all the settings, etc, but I could not print to it. Not sure what was different today, but I shut it down, waited a few minutes, and rebooted. Before trying to print, I waited for the "Initializing Network" to disappear. When I printed to it, everything worked.
This afternoon, I went to Lafayette Schools to present an hour-long talk on Internet Safety. It went "okay" from my own person feelins about it. I certainly see some areas of improvement, and I was actually surprised that my "condensed" version actually took the entire hour! I really thought I would end up short. Nope. A couple of nice discussions and a lot of info certainly made for a packed hour. As I said, several things need to be tweaked in the preso, though.
For those interested, here are my scattered (and rough) notes:
Internet Safety Topics to cover:
1. Internet safety is a lot like 'real world' safety, a lot of the same rules apply:
--- Be careful when talking to strangers
--- Don't give out your address, phone number, school, real full name
--- Tell an adult if you see something that doesn't seem right or makes you uneasy
--- evaluate a source. don't just assume it is legitimate.
2. Just because the slide is broken, we don't keep kids off the playground. Some kids are going to try out the slide anyway! What do we do with them? Check they are okay, dust them off, scold them/punish them, make sure they understand the lesson learned.
3. CIPA - Child Internet Protection Act - Schools and Libraries take measures to help keep kids away from inappropriate and/or harmful content. Can we block everything? No. Should we block everything? No.
4. COPPA - Children's Online Privacy Protect Act - All kids 13 and under are required to have parental permission before signing up to join sites or enter contests - Facebook, Twitter, Club Penguin, Disney, whatever.5. Supervision - We can't be benchwarmers. Put the computers where we can see them. get up, move around. If a kid closes a window, ask what he's doing. If s/he won't say, open the browser and look at the history. What policies are in place? Which are enforced? Do they need to be evaluated?
5a. Establish computer use guidelines, time restrictions, etc. Use a TIMER if you have to.
6. Listen to the student - If a student reports something has happened or is happening, listen to them. Take them seriously. Check it out, or have authorities check it out. Save/forward copies of inappropriate exchanges/conversations. Most email programs will let you paste a picture
directly. Hit the "Print Screen" button (usually in top right corner) then open email and click EDIT then PASTE.
7. Bookmark student sites for easy access - Emily and the "Bunny Club" - Disney game, but also can be an adult web site!
8. Never respond to threatening email or message. Save it, forward it, report it. Do not respond to it.
9. NEVER meet in person. If a "friend" posts a phone number and asks your child to call, that could be a sign. KNOW your kids friends. Once a child calls a number, the person on the other end has the child's number through caller id!
10. Know your child's passwords, email addresses, logins. check their phone regularly. As a parent, you have the right, especially if child is minor. If they are on facebook, friend them on facebook. If they dont like it, tell 'em "tough." Remember, they need us to help them,
protect them.
11. Blogging/posting status/etc - Post where you WERE, not where you are going. I am bad about this. I have tried posting after-the-fact instead of in-the-moment. Kids should never use full names. If using names, stick to first names only. Check privacy settings - monitor
comments, etc.
12. Child email - ZooBuh, Kidsafemail, Hotmail, Google - monitored email.
13. Once it is online, it is ALWAYS online. Think before you post. Don't post or send a photo of yourself without checking with an adult - parents, family, etc. Don't post pictures of family and friends without permission!
14. NEVER give out your password, credit card, etc unless you are the one to initiate the transaction! You will *NEVER* be asked by your bank,
your ISP, by anyone for this information. Even over the phone, do NOT give out your password. If they say they need it to access your account, tell them to change the password on your account and let you know what they changed it to. They do not need your password to change it, if they are legit.
15. (Added after the preso): Colleges, employers, community will look at your online presence. What you post can affect your future. Be smart about what you post, or be prepared to address/answer for your words, photos, etc.
Resources:
Netsmartz.org
iSafe.org
Kidshealth.org
Safekids.com
Disney Internet Safety
Internet Safety Games
This afternoon, I went to Lafayette Schools to present an hour-long talk on Internet Safety. It went "okay" from my own person feelins about it. I certainly see some areas of improvement, and I was actually surprised that my "condensed" version actually took the entire hour! I really thought I would end up short. Nope. A couple of nice discussions and a lot of info certainly made for a packed hour. As I said, several things need to be tweaked in the preso, though.
For those interested, here are my scattered (and rough) notes:
Internet Safety Topics to cover:
1. Internet safety is a lot like 'real world' safety, a lot of the same rules apply:
--- Be careful when talking to strangers
--- Don't give out your address, phone number, school, real full name
--- Tell an adult if you see something that doesn't seem right or makes you uneasy
--- evaluate a source. don't just assume it is legitimate.
2. Just because the slide is broken, we don't keep kids off the playground. Some kids are going to try out the slide anyway! What do we do with them? Check they are okay, dust them off, scold them/punish them, make sure they understand the lesson learned.
3. CIPA - Child Internet Protection Act - Schools and Libraries take measures to help keep kids away from inappropriate and/or harmful content. Can we block everything? No. Should we block everything? No.
4. COPPA - Children's Online Privacy Protect Act - All kids 13 and under are required to have parental permission before signing up to join sites or enter contests - Facebook, Twitter, Club Penguin, Disney, whatever.5. Supervision - We can't be benchwarmers. Put the computers where we can see them. get up, move around. If a kid closes a window, ask what he's doing. If s/he won't say, open the browser and look at the history. What policies are in place? Which are enforced? Do they need to be evaluated?
5a. Establish computer use guidelines, time restrictions, etc. Use a TIMER if you have to.
6. Listen to the student - If a student reports something has happened or is happening, listen to them. Take them seriously. Check it out, or have authorities check it out. Save/forward copies of inappropriate exchanges/conversations. Most email programs will let you paste a picture
directly. Hit the "Print Screen" button (usually in top right corner) then open email and click EDIT then PASTE.
7. Bookmark student sites for easy access - Emily and the "Bunny Club" - Disney game, but also can be an adult web site!
8. Never respond to threatening email or message. Save it, forward it, report it. Do not respond to it.
9. NEVER meet in person. If a "friend" posts a phone number and asks your child to call, that could be a sign. KNOW your kids friends. Once a child calls a number, the person on the other end has the child's number through caller id!
10. Know your child's passwords, email addresses, logins. check their phone regularly. As a parent, you have the right, especially if child is minor. If they are on facebook, friend them on facebook. If they dont like it, tell 'em "tough." Remember, they need us to help them,
protect them.
11. Blogging/posting status/etc - Post where you WERE, not where you are going. I am bad about this. I have tried posting after-the-fact instead of in-the-moment. Kids should never use full names. If using names, stick to first names only. Check privacy settings - monitor
comments, etc.
12. Child email - ZooBuh, Kidsafemail, Hotmail, Google - monitored email.
13. Once it is online, it is ALWAYS online. Think before you post. Don't post or send a photo of yourself without checking with an adult - parents, family, etc. Don't post pictures of family and friends without permission!
14. NEVER give out your password, credit card, etc unless you are the one to initiate the transaction! You will *NEVER* be asked by your bank,
your ISP, by anyone for this information. Even over the phone, do NOT give out your password. If they say they need it to access your account, tell them to change the password on your account and let you know what they changed it to. They do not need your password to change it, if they are legit.
15. (Added after the preso): Colleges, employers, community will look at your online presence. What you post can affect your future. Be smart about what you post, or be prepared to address/answer for your words, photos, etc.
Resources:
Netsmartz.org
iSafe.org
Kidshealth.org
Safekids.com
Disney Internet Safety
Internet Safety Games
Monday, January 2, 2012
January 2-6, 2012
Welcome to the new year!
Monday - Office. I will spending the day getting back into the swing of things after the holiday break. I helped move furniture back into place since our floors were waxed over the break. I attempted to contact USAC regarding one of my 470's, but they are closed for the New Year holiday. I will try again on Tuesday. I have been catching up on email and phone messages.
Tuesday - Will contact USAC regarding 470. Will work on Tech Plan. Will file 470 for additional bandwidth. Will provide Internet Safety training for Lafayette County Schools on their campus.
Wednesday - Will head to Fouke for troubleshooting/installation in their DL lab.
Thursday - Office.
Friday - Office. I have a conference call with a vendor regarding possible new firewall/routing solution.
Monday - Office. I will spending the day getting back into the swing of things after the holiday break. I helped move furniture back into place since our floors were waxed over the break. I attempted to contact USAC regarding one of my 470's, but they are closed for the New Year holiday. I will try again on Tuesday. I have been catching up on email and phone messages.
Tuesday - Will contact USAC regarding 470. Will work on Tech Plan. Will file 470 for additional bandwidth. Will provide Internet Safety training for Lafayette County Schools on their campus.
Wednesday - Will head to Fouke for troubleshooting/installation in their DL lab.
Thursday - Office.
Friday - Office. I have a conference call with a vendor regarding possible new firewall/routing solution.
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