Teacher Tech Options 2015-16

The CCS Technology department continuously focuses on using technology to advance student learning, and we believe that teacher choice, ownership and autonomy very much serve that mission.  In the spirit of this philosophy, we work to provide as many options for teachers as possible, while remaining fiscally responsible to the district and our patrons.

For 2015-16, we would like to offer the following options and programs for our certified staff.  Please keep in mind that if you have a newer computer (less than three years old), you may not be eligible yet for these options.  Please feel free to send me note if you are not sure.

Teacher Computers:

1. No change  -  If you are satisfied with what you have and really do not want to go through any new changes, you may keep your current computer.
2. BYOD  -  We implemented this program last year.  Details are here.
3. New 13" MacBook Pro  -  It would be similar to this model.
4. New 13" MacBook Air  -  It would be similar to this model.
5. New PC (Windows 7)  -   It would be similar to the macs in price and features.

Teacher iPads:

At this time, we do not plan to replace any teacher iPads.  We should continue to have enough of the current model (iPad 2) for teachers for the next several years, and while we do plan to begin student upgrades next year, we believe the teachers' primary device will continue to be their computer.  However, we do plan to offer (pending board approval) the BYOD program to staff for iPads.  This will work in the same way as the computer BYOD program, with three-year reimbursement plan and a limit of $400.

Please share your thoughts with us...

While we won't take any of your answers as a full commitment, for planning purposes it would be very helpful to us if you would please share your preferences in this short survey.  Most of you have already answered the BYOD iPad program once and we apologize for the redundancy, but we are needing some solid numbers so that we may plan efficiently, and so that we can let the board know if there is demand for the program.  

Thank you so much for your time and all the hard work you provide for our students and our school!

Dave and Patty

NeSA Testing on iPads

As you may be aware, Cozad Community Schools is planning on using iPads for NeSA RSM testing (reading, science, and math) this spring.  This does NOT include the NeSA W (writing) test, which will be done on computers.  This will affect elementary teachers in grades 3-5, middle school English, science and math teachers, and high school English, science and math teachers who teach juniors.

As we approach the testing window, we will meet with the building principals to demonstrate the testing process.  We will then meet with testing staff at each level to demonstrate and have you practice.  It will be important to have your students take a practice test at least one week before testing.  We will provide further details when we meet with you.

You and your students will be receiving the NeSA app through our MDM deployment system.  You and your students need to accept the installation of the app, which is called NE-INSIGHT.  You may want to be checking with your students to see if they have received the app, and if they haven't, they will need to see Mrs. Wolfe or Mr. Evertson.

If you are interested in using Check-for-Learning (C4L), your students will use the same app (NE-INSIGHT) to do this.  C4L and practice tests are available as soon as the app is installed.

Please stay tuned for further updates as we approach the testing window.

The Poor Man's Chromebook

Is it possible and practical to revitalize aging netbooks or laptops, creating a reasonable stand-in for a commercial chromebook, with minimal time and expense?

That is the basic question.

The question stems from the situation we have at our school.  We have a number of basic laptops and netbooks which are showing their age.  For us, the targets of this question are:

• A fleet of 100 Lenovo x-120e laptops purchased in 2011, equipped with the AMD Fusion E-350 1.6 GHz processor and 3 GB of RAM.  These currently run Windows 7 reasonably well, but take a long time to authenticate to the network and obviously don't run bloated software like MS Office very well.  Once up and running, they are relatively capable browsing machines, though they do struggle with streaming video.

• A fleet of 48 Dell Latitude 2100 netbooks with atom processors and 1.5 GB of RAM, purchased in 2009.  Again, seem to be capable browsing machines, but the overhead of network login and Windows loading makes them less and less practical.

In my experiments with Windows, both types of machines actually perform pretty well, even on Windows 7, once you get them logged in and running and if you can avoid a bunch of background tasks like java and windows updates.  They're not great at MS Office or video, but they do pretty well with most Google apps.  I've tried various login methods and stripping all but the essentials out of the image, but boot times are still unacceptably slow, even with local, automatic login.  I think this could be improved if you take the device off of the domain, but then what's the point of using Windows?

The goal is not to try to turn these into newly capable laptops... they are old machines and will never perform as acceptable laptops.  However, we are a GAFE school as well as a 1-1 iPad district.  The iPads work great, but we find ourselves needing a tool which makes the basic Google apps more accessible to our students, particularly those above grade 8.

Obviously we'd love to have a fleet of Chromebooks.  Unfortunately, our budget is dedicated to iPads, and while we may switch to Chromebooks in the future, I currently have these laptops deployed but not being used because of the slowness issues mentioned above.

Here's what I've tried so far:

• Chromium OS - Just couldn't get it to work.  I'm sure there are smarter geeks out there who could find the right build and maybe get things up and running, but I just don't have the desire, energy, or time to do this much trial and error experimenting.

• "Stripped down" Windows.  See above.

• "Lite" linux distros - Including Debian live, Elementary OS, Mint, Linux Lite, Precise, Ubuntu and Zorin.  I can get all of these to install and run.  Each has their little glitches and gotchas, but can be made to work.  Again, time and energy.  Currently, I've sort of settled on Mint and have added the chrome browser, which may not even be necessary because firefox does a decent job with basic google apps.

Some success and I've learned some things, but this is only part of the battle.  If this Mint prototype is practical, then I need to image or replicate, deploy, and manage.  All new experiments.  It's fun, but I don't have the time to reinvent or research all of these processes.

My original thought was to develop a "build" that locked the computer into the chrome browser and functioned as an ersatz Chromebook.  But as I've played with Linux, it occurs to me that it would be much more educational to simply provide a basic, Linux-based computer to students, and make them responsible for dealing with any problems beyond the initial set up.  

This is the sort of thing I get excited about.  Let the student be the admin and learn their way around Linux if they want more value from the device than simply using chrome.  I've even imagined letting students sign up, and then walking them through the install and initial config (about 30 minutes).  Perhaps start a computer club or something based on this.  

So, I see some potential, but of course a group is always smarter than an individual (particularly this individual).  I'd be interested in what the rest of you think or have tried.  Please feel free to leave comments or we can start a discussion on the list-serve.

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.