The Future of Learning Technologies at Cozad High School.

As we will soon turn the corner into 2015, we approach the close of year three in our 1-1 student iPad implementation.  Several issues loom ahead.  Some are strictly technology-management items:

• The iPad 2, while still supported, has been discontinued by Apple.
• Its current replacement, the iPad Air, is a much more capable device.  (You can see the current iPad options here).  The iPad Air sells for the same price we have always paid for the iPad 2.
• With our focus on iPads, our current fleet of teacher and student computers are showing their age and approaching their practical end of life.
• Reasonable alternatives to the iPad as a learning device have become much higher in quality and are more affordable (Chromebooks, in particular).  
• Many (but certainly not all) students carry a personal device which replicates much of the functionality provided by the iPad.

While these are practical and important issues for administrators and technology managers, they should NOT be the driving force behind our future goals and implementation plans.  As always, we need to base our decisions on student learning and outcomes.  While we must live with certain financial realities, within those parameters our goal is always to do what is best for our students and their learning.

This leads us to a necessary conversation.  Where do we go from here?  This conversation must involve high school teachers and students.  As technology managers and administrators, we can imagine several options, but we as managers do not do the teaching or the learning.

For your consideration, we can see several possible strategies for 2015-16:

1. Continue with our current system of 1-1 iPads.  
2. Adopt a different school-provided device (Chromebooks being the only reasonable alternative from a financial standpoint).
3. Maintain the iPad program, but try to provide Chromebooks for certain departments or student checkout.
4. Adopt a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) model and use our financial resources to help students who need it.

There are likely other options which we have simply not imagined, and of course technology changes very rapidly, so there may be alternatives available in the future which we cannot presently foresee. Each of these strategies has inherent advantages and disadvantages.  

We feel our school has done an excellent job in taking the first steps in providing quality 21st century learning opportunities for our students.  However, we will never "arrive" and we must constantly strive to grow and improve.  

In the months ahead, please take the opportunity to engage in meaningful conversation about these issues with your colleagues and fellow students.  Any and all feedback you can provide to us is desired and appreciated!

Updating your iPad to iOS 8

Make sure you have a recent backup of your iPad before you update!

The easiest way to update your iPad is to simply install the update "over the air".  Here are instructions for how to update wirelessly.  You must have 5.1 GB of space available on your iPad, or this will not work.

Here is a video tutorial which shows how to update your iPad via wireless.

To see how much space you have on your iPad, tap Settings > General > About.  On this screen you can see how much storage space is available.

If you don't have 5.1 GB available, you can still update over the air if you delete some things.  To see what each app is using, follow these instructions.

Please do not update wirelessly during the school day!  (after school is fine)

If you can't create enough room, you will need to connect your iPad to a computer which has the latest iTunes installed.  Check the "Update Your Device Using iTunes" of the previous instructions to see how to do this.

You may do this on a school computer in the library, please bring your usb sync cable or ask for one at the desk.

You can also do this at home, if you have a computer with iTunes available.

CMS School Service Projects

CMS Students in Ms. Sprimont's Yearbook class have been working hard to create CMS school-service videos.  These short videos are meant to inform and educate fellow CMS students and parents in all sorts of topics related to school life.

Topics so far include:

• Hallway Danger! Keep it clean!
• Take Care of Your iPad!
• Tips to look sharp and stay within dress code.

This talented group of kids will continue to build our CMS School-service library as the year goes on.  I'm sure they would appreciate any suggestions for topics you might have!

Look for new releases periodically on the school website and via social media and email updates.  You can always check out the Howmakers site where we have videos about all sorts of topics...

https://howmakers.cozadschools.net

Apple Device Updates

Apple has announced many new updates recently, both for mobile devices (iPads and iPhones) and Mac computers.

iOS 8 was released with the new iPhone 6 several weeks ago, and version 8.1 (which should be much more stable) will be released on Monday, October 20.  To read more, check out this post from MacWorld and this one from Engaget.

If you have not yet updated your iPad or iPhone to iOS 8 here are some tips:

• You need 5.8 GB of free space if you are planning to upgrade directly from the cloud (the regular system update method on your device).  If you don't have that much space, it will probably be easier to connect your device to a computer and upgrade via iTunes.  You can get more information on how to update here.
• If this is your school device and you don't have access to a computer with iTunes, you may not be able to update without clearing a lot of music, pictures and apps.  There is nothing wrong with sticking to iOS 7!  
• Most of the school iPads are iPad 2 models with 16 GB of storage.  iOS 8 MAY make your iPad run slower.  I have talked to several students who have upgraded though, and they seem pretty satisfied.  For more information regarding the question of whether you should upgrade or not, check out this article.
• If you haven't already updated your iPad, we recommend you wait until iOS 8.1 is released on Monday.
• If you do update, you cannot easily go back!
• Make sure you have a current backup of your device in iCloud before you upgrade!

If you have a mac computer, the new Yosemite OSX was released yesterday (October 16, 2014).  This is a free update available through the app store or your system update.  Early reviews are positive, but keep in mind it is EARLY!  You may want to wait a few weeks before you apply this update.

Here is an early review, and here is an article to help answer the question of if you want to upgrade right now.

As always, make sure you have your data saved in the cloud or backed up before you make any major system changes on any of your devices.

Have you updated your device(s) yet?  Do you have any advice or stories to share?  Feel free to comment below.

CCS Staff Technology Intro for 2014-15

Responsible Use Agreement (RUA) and Acceptable Use

• As a public school employee, you are not allowed to make use of school resources for personal gain (political, financial, etc).  This includes the use of school-owned devices, networks, or accounts.  
• Please complete RUA form (sent in email to you or use the link here).
• Monitoring - All network activity is recorded.  While we don’t have the resources to actively monitor this activity, we do have the ability to follow the history of any device connected to the school network.  

Social Media Guidelines

• Don’t share secrets.
• Protect your own privacy.
• Be honest.
• Respect copyright laws.
• Be the first person to admit your mistakes.
• Think about the consequences.
• Don’t neglect your day job.
• Remember that quality matters.
• Don’t vent online!

Accounts

Please note that legally the district owns these accounts and all content generated by them!

• first.last@cozadschools.net is your Google domain account.  Use for all Google tools and email.
• first.last is Active Directory account (PC and computer network login).
• used for PowerSchool, PowerTeacher, and eBackpack.
• must log on to a school PC to change password, or request through email or helpdesk.
• You may certainly use personal accounts at school (following responsible use).

BYOD Program

• 7 staff are participating in the 14-15 program.
• We plan to provide this opportunity again next year.
• Click here for details about the program.

Printing Policies and Publication of Use

Not counting paper, printing and copying costs the district over $40,000 per year.

• Printers - $0.0065 per page
• Copiers - BW = $0.01 per page  Color = $0.04 per page
• Scanning = free
• Personal printing/copying rates posted at each copier.

PaperCut client shows the $ amount you have printed/copied for the year based on the above rates.

Monthly report will be sent which includes 10 highest users.

Tips:

• Use eBackpack and Google drive to avoid student printing
• Use email or twitter for student notifications
• Create a class blog or site 
• Use scan to email to send copies to others
• Make "going paperless" a class or personal goal

Student Information and Privacy

• Do not release or expose personally identifiable student information to the public without permission from parents and administrators.

Resources for staff and students

• School website 
• School Facebook page
• Twitter - #CozadMakers #Cozad21
• Tech Cafe Blog - News and updates related to technology at CCS.
• HowMakers website - How-to videos and posts for managing and integrating technology.
• Help Desk - System for submitting technology assistance requests.
• STaR assistants - Paraprofessional workers in libraries can provide student and staff assistance for basic tech and research questions.
• Google search, YouTube, etc.

Cozad Schools Staff Summer Share

Announcing the first annual Cozad Community Schools Summer Share!

Over the summer, many of you attended some really excellent conferences, visited other schools, or perhaps took some interesting classes or even a great vacation.  We'd like to create a chance for everyone to share some of their experiences and what they learned!

If you are interested in sharing or just hearing what other staff have done this summer, please join us at 9 AM on Wednesday, August 6th in the high school library.  Sharing is strictly voluntary and will be very informal.  We will turn over the projector to you for 5 to 15 minutes and you can show us something you learned!

If you'd rather just see what others have to share, that's fine too, we'd love to have you!  The only goal is to get together, have some conversations, and have some fun.  We are a very talented and dedicated staff and we have a lot to offer each other.

If you would like to attend or are willing to share, please complete this very short, voluntary, non-binding form so we can have an idea of what to plan for.

We would especially like to invite those who attended conferences or visited other schools to share what they learned.  If you will be sharing on the Community Learning Day on the 15th, this would be a great time to run your thoughts and ideas past a group of supportive educators.

All staff are welcome!

Great Plains Google Summit 2014

Our final Professional Development conference of the summer is quickly approaching.  We have 17 staff registered to attend the Great Plains Summit featuring Google for Education, held at Lincoln Southwest High School in Lincoln, NE.  The conference dates are Thursday and Friday, July 17-18, 2014.   Those attending the conference are:

Tech Team

Karen Berreckman
Keely Reinert
Kyle Vincent
Marcie Kostrunek
Patty Wolfe
Dave Evertson

English Department

Beth Carver
Logan Morris
Jann Kloepping
Joy Sprimont

High School

Nick Auwerda
Alisa Favinger
Dustin Favinger
Chris Weddel

Administrators

Bill Beckenhauer
Jill Beckenhauer
Cory Spotanski

Travel Information

School transportation will depart from the West parking lot of the high school at 6 PM on Wednesday, July 16.  

School vehicles will depart for Cozad immediately following the last session of the conference on Friday, July 18.  ETA for arrival back in Cozad is between 7 & 8 PM.

Information for Attendees

ALL attendees, please complete this form by Thursday, July 10!

Lodging:
Holiday Inn, Downtown in the Lincoln Haymarket

Meals:
We will plan to eat as a group on Wednesday evening after hotel check-in.  Each attendee will receive a stipend for three evening meals (W, Th, F).  Breakfast and lunch are provided at the conference.


Dress:
Please dress professionally for both conference days.


Conference Schedule & Map
They have not released the final schedule, but they have provided a sneak peek.

Here is the schedule from last year, which will give you a good idea of how it works.

There is a stadium reception at Memorial Stadium with a meal provided for $10 if you are interested.  Details are here, click on "Stadium Reception" and follow the red link if you would like to order tickets.

What to bring:
While the iPad is great for notes, some google apps work best on a computer.  You may want to bring your laptop instead of your iPad, but you don't have to.

Post-conference

We ask that each attendee post a reflection or summary of their conference experience here as a way to share thoughts and resources with others.  Please have this done by Friday, May 2nd.