Technology at Maricopa Unified

A New Direction

2008-10-11T11:25:00.000-07:00

In April 2008, I resigned my position at Maricopa Unified. My decision was largely based on a personal desire to experience something new in my life and focus more time on Training and less on IT.

A New Year

2008-01-08T11:13:00.000-08:00

It is a new year, and the technology department is as busy as ever. We are working on a number of exciting things:

1. Video Conferencing - Amy is busy setting up and conducting events. See her blog for more information.

2. The IN Group is helping us pilot Moodle (an online training tool). We have also been training administrators in the hope that they will find use for Moodle for their site or department.

3. Construction - Construction - Construction - we are now busy with five projects. It is our role to manage all the special systems (intercom, phones, bells, clocks, WAN, LAN, computers, printers, etc.) within the sites - so we are busy with construction meetings and planning.

4. District WAN - we have an RFP posted to upgrade our district wide area network to higher bandwidth.

5. ERate - the tech department manages the ERate process. ERate is a federal grant, which provides funding for telecommunications and Internet.

6. We just recently added three new servers, and are still completing configuration issues.

7. New Staff /Students- we have new staff or students almost everyday, which require ongoing setup.

The Department will provide an update to the board at the January 23rd meeting. A copy of the presentation will be posted on the Tech Website for anyone interested.

Technology Rich Schools

2007-10-22T09:18:00.000-07:00

Amy and I had the opportunity last week to join a group of Arizona Educators in viewing two schools with one-on-one initiatives. The first site we visited was Brichta Elementary, a K-5 school in the Tucson district. While the building is pretty unimpressive - what goes on inside was remarkable. Each classroom is equipment with a projector and some type of smartboard; each teacher has a laptop; K-2 classrooms has 3-5 workstations; 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students all have assigned laptops. These young students are learning to be responsible for and utilize technology as a tool within their work environments. The entire campus is wireless so access to available everywhere. Planning for this technology focus began years before any equipment was purchased. In fact, staff development began a year before the students received their equipment.

The second site we visited was Empire High School in the Vail district (near Tucson). At this 9-12 campus, every student is assigned a laptop. Prior to opening, the administration and teachers decided to divert all textbook funds to laptops. Teachers are responsible to locate their own curriculum from available resources - primarily web resources. Students seemed to have more involvement in their learning and the principal reported very little classroom management issues. In the classrooms we visited, students seems very engaged.

At the end of the day, I really felt both of these sites had much more focus on the change of teaching style from "sage on the stage" to facilitator - rather than the technology itself. The technology was rather "invisible" - merely a tool used by staff and students. The really impressive thing was the way in which staff seemed to be truly preparing students for work and life in the 21st Century.

More ITV at MUSD

2007-10-08T09:01:00.000-07:00

Last week, Amy and John installed our second ITV system. We received this system at no cost to MUSD due to our involvement in video conferencing last year. John was able to secure a dedicated high-speed line at no cost to the district - so we are now set to begin conferencing. Please see Amy's blog for photos and additional information http://learningcommunity.weblog.com/

We also received some nice "press" in the Communicator last week. If you haven't seen the article, please check it out or access online at copa news. I am always proud of the work the tech department handles. Gina

Keeping Connected

2007-09-17T10:37:00.000-07:00

In an effort to stay "connected" with all the staff at the school sites - the tech department has recently implement "Talk to Tech" where one or more staff members come on campus during lunch and just "hang out" in the lounge to answer questions and address needs. Amy is leading this effort - read more about it in her blog

We are also beginning a series of on-site classes on Gradepro and creating classroom webpages. In addition, we are holding a class on ASSET resources this week. It is our hope that teachers will truly find this information useful.

Gina

New School Year Well Underway!

2007-08-25T17:24:00.000-07:00

The 2007/2008 school year is moving forward, and the technology department has been especially busy assisting over 120 new teachers and getting all equipment at our new Santa Cruz campus operational.

To assist staff members, we held two orientation sessions and walked campuses stopped by all classrooms. We are now beginning "Talk to Tech" sessions during lunch time on each campus. This will be a time for staff to informally relate to members of the technology team. This is one component of our goal to maintain open communication between out district level department and the classrooms.

This next week, we will welcome a new member to our team after losing a team member earlier in August. While this does not add additional staff to our department - it will bring us back to four members. It is our sincere goal to add additional staff in the near future so we can maintain the prompt customer service our stakeholders have come to appreciate.

We have established four department goals for 2007/2007:

Goal 1: Increase communication with stakeholders

Add video tutorials and other components to the technology department website
Hold "Tech Talk" sessions periodically at each campus
Implement an online helpdesk support system
Implement a manned "help desk" - if staffing allows

Goal 2: Develop a list of special systems specifications for new construction projects

Goal 3: Develop comprehensive Video Conferencing training

Hold group training sessions prior to large video conferencing events
Work one-on-one with teachers new to video conferencing prior to events

Goal 4: Utilize additional tools/equipment to provide efficient support to users

Utilize VB scripting to map network drives
Implement SPAM filtering system
Utilize Deep Freeze enterprise to protect lab workstations
Evaluate and redistribute server workload to accomodate growth and protect data

New Website

2007-06-06T12:36:00.000-07:00

In May, we launched the new version of the district website. This change came after I spent the last semester learning Dreamweaver through a distance class. So far the reviews have been positive, and we are continuing to update and review the site. We are also working to learn Contribute - so we can assign "editing" roles to users outside of the department. Isn't learning fun!

Our last school will finish the end of this week, but since other sites are already out - we are busy with summer projects. Our biggest "opportunities" this summer will be classroom moves on the main campus, upgrading network equipment, purchasing all equipment and opening the new Santa Cruz campus, updating network accounts to reflect resignations and new hires, reimaging the elementary labs, installation of new software, etc. We will not be bored!

Our department received some good press recently from the Maricopa Monitor in an article entitled "Tech staff keeps MUSD online". Thanks to Gloria for the nice press.

Several months ago, I volunteered to head a committee to review all district policies. I was motivated because I knew this work really needed to happen, and I was personally interested in learning more about district policies. I am so happy to write that after many meetings - the committee has finished their review. Now...all polices must go to the board for 1st and 2nd readings - and adoption. Reading all the policies was not the most exciting information I have ever read - but it was a very worthwhile project.

More about the summer later...

Board Update

2007-04-24T12:49:00.000-07:00

On April 11th, I had the pleasure of updating the school district board on the Technology Department. The presentation is posted online at http://www.musd20.org/edtech/TechDepartment.pdf

We also received some great press - http://www.85239.com/news/detail.cfm?id=6040

In addition to the board update, the tech department has been busy with video conferencing events, support and construction (our three staples!). We recently had a nice write up on a conference held between a kindergarten class and the Philadelphia Museum of Art http://www.85239.com/news/detail.cfm?id=6063

As the end of the year approaches - we are busy planning summer projects. The biggest of which will be the opening of our next Elementary school.

One thing is for sure - we are not bored!! Gina

Then and Now....

2007-03-26T15:38:00.000-07:00

The In Group met again last week to discuss the 21st century learner and how communication has changed with the use of technology. We discussed blogging, video and podcasting. Amy taught the group how to create a podcast using a phone (no other hardware required!). We spent time looking at the use of video within the classroom environment. At our next session, we plan to talk about Games and their use within education.

Congratulations are extended to Amy who was recently awarded Technology Specialist of the Year from AzTea. She received the award at the MEC conference over Spring break.

IN Group

2007-02-23T11:38:00.000-08:00

The IN (Integrate Now) Group met this week and had a great discussion on "Where's the Information - Then and Now" - basically how has access to information changed in recent history. We talked about accessing a variety of information such as contact information, info and/or viewing of television shows, content available on the web - videos, audio and print, interactive sites, how people take classes, and how "experts" can now enter schools via video conferencing.

This was the first of three classes the IN Group is holding around the topic of the Digital Immigrant versus the Digital Native.

For more information on the IN Group - see the IN Website

Starting to see the Light

2007-02-08T10:14:00.000-08:00

I am happy to write that the technology department is starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel! We have finished setup of equipment for both new sites opened recently - Maricopa Elementary and Maricopa Wells - so we can finally get focused on catching up. We are busy planning for our next elementary site - Santa Cruz. However, work isn't too involved yet since we are so early in the construction process.

During February and March, we will be holding four different training classes around the theme of the "digital immigrant" versus the "digital native" and just what it means to be a 21st century learner. One training will be a Tech Academy held on Saturday, February 24th where the keynote speaker will be delivered via video conferencing. The other three classes will be held after school.

We are also gearing up for "Read Across the Planet", which is a national event connecting classrooms together from different states or difference countries. We currently have 21 planned sessions during the month of March. If you are interested in more information, please check out Amy's ITv blog at http://maricopa-itv.blogspot.com/

Upon other plans, we are working on confirming inventory of all workstations in the district. This is a big task - but it really helps us to keep connected with the workstations in use and plan for future replacements/upgrades. We expect to have the inventory completed by the end of February.

During March, Amy and I will attend the MEC (Microcomputers in Education) conference at ASU. We love this conference and always gain valuable information on what is happening in the field of educational technology. This year, we have the opportunity (along with Jack Wallbrecht - CTE Director) to host a poster session around the topic of video conferencing. We look forward to sharing our experiences with others.

In addition to work at MUSD - I continue to work after hours teaching online classes (currently teaching a class on Excel) and right now I am also taking an online class on Dreamweaver. So...I am never bored!

Tech Team - Plus 2

2006-12-19T14:36:00.000-08:00

The tech team (John, Amy, Chris and Gina) have been working hard to get all the equipment setup at the new Maricopa Wells campus. Since this work is so much fun - we decided to share! For a few days, we had 2 additional team members (Don and Christian). Here are some action photos of us at work.

Hi Ho - Hi Ho - Off to Work We Go...

2006-12-07T10:13:00.000-08:00

Work continues to be steady for the tech department! We have almost completed the TLA tech assessment for 5th and 8th grade students. In total, we will test 226 5th graders and 170 8th graders. This assessment is part of the NCLB requirement with regard to assuring that students are technology literate by the end of the 8th grade. (I big thank you to Amy for managing this process).

Progress at Maricopa Wells is slow due to construction delays, however, we are completing some tasks. It is our hope to have all equipment functional and in place prior to the holiday break.

We have just completed a master image for the elementary computer labs, and will begin imaging labs tomorrow. After much hard work - John mastered getting our image onto DVD so we don't consume bandwidth pulling across the network. (Way to go John!)

Chris has been busy getting 10 donated workstations imaged and ready for deployment into the HS Nova Net lab. He plans to move the workstations later today.

Although we are still setting up equipment at MES and Wells, we are busy reviewing plans for our next elementary campus (Santa Cruz at Tortosa) - which is now under construction.

We had a great meeting recently with member of our IN Group - who are now busy creating their own blogs. Once done - they will be linked from our IN Group Home Page

More Work Than Time

2006-11-29T10:15:00.000-08:00

The technology department continues to posess "job security" as evidenced by the workload :). In addition to ongoing support needs, we are busy this week on the following:

Finishing the setup and configuration of all computer at MES - our newest elementary school

We just established network connectivity at Maricopa Wells - our newest middle school. Once all buildings have electricity and are secure, we will complete the setup of network equipment and begin installing phones, computers and printers.

Yesterday marked the first construction meeting for our next elementary site - Santa Cruz at Tortosa. Over the next couple weeks, we will review plans and make any adjustments as construction is underway. This site is expected to be completed by July 31, 2007.

We are eagering awaiting a donation of 10 workstations, which will be setup and configured in the HS Nova Net lab. These workstations are expected this week.

Recently purchased software for the elementary labs has all been received. We are now installing and testing in preparation for deployment. Much of the software has already been installed at Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa. Once finalized, we will install at Pima Butte and MES.

High School Blogging

2006-11-07T14:48:00.000-08:00

Maricopa High School is now using blogging to post daily annoucements. See their site at http://www.maricopahigh.blogspot.com/ It is our hope that other schools and classrooms will also use blogging in the future to keep students, parents and community members informed.

1st Quarter Update

2006-11-03T13:44:00.000-08:00

The Technology Department has been extremely busy this 1st quarter of the school year. Like many others, the growth in Maricopa is creating many new "opportunties". Following is a brief update on the progress of our 06/07 goals:

Goal 1 - Provide training and visibilty to assist new staff members and/or beginning users
In addition to the main orientation session at the beginning of the school year, we have held four additional orientations training classes. We have also held two classes on our electronic gradebook software as well as a class on how to create a classroom website.

Goal 2 - Provide integration opportunities for staff ready to move beyond the basics
We have 12 teachers who have joined our IN Group (Integrate Now). We have had an initial brainstorming meeting, and have a training on lesson plans, blogging and podcasting scheduled for November 15th. For more information on the IN Group - see the Group's website

Video conferences between classrooms start the week of November 6th under the Read Across Arizona project. For more information - see our ITv blog

Goal 3 - Streamline specifications and purchasing of technology equipment
We have a Dell premier page in place, which allows online ordering of equipment at preferred pricing. As we work through the construction process on Santa Cruz Elementary, we will compile a complete list of specifications for future campuses.

Goal 4 - Continue to strive for excellent customer service in the area of support
Support calls have been very high this year, which I believe is a reflection on the number of new staff, opening a new campus, and aging equipment on the main campus. The monsoon season hit us hard, and we had a number of network switches damaged from power outages. Fortunately, all equipment was under warranty - so we were able to replace quickly. We are just finishing placement of all systems in phase 2 of MES and will begin placing equipment in Maricopa Wells Middle School later in November. In total, we will add over 200 workstations before the end of December, bringing our workstation total to about 700.

Goal 5 - Provide increased support for "unmanned" elementary laps.
We are holding ongoing "how to" classes in the elementary labs for the certified staff. Many of these teachers need help learning how to teach students in a computer lab environment. We also are currently adding a variety of software to the elementary labs to give teachers more choices in working with their students. We have completed the Santa Rosa lab and are 1/2 done with Santa Cruz.

Technology at Maricopa Unified

2006-10-27T11:58:00.000-07:00

Our vision for 2006/2007 is "Striving to Make Essential Technology Transparent". We have five department goals this year:

Goal 1: Provide training and visibility to assist new staff and/or beginning users.
Measurable Objectives:
Provide at least ten “orientation” classes for new staff throughout the year
Provide at least two technical training classes for administrators
Provide technology standards to new teachers during orientation

Goal 2: Provide integration opportunities for staff ready to move beyond the basics.
Measurable Objectives:
Form an “IN” (Integrate Now) Club with at least ten members.
Requirements for club membership will include:
-Attend one meeting per month
-Attend a minimum of 3 trainings per year
-Complete a pre/post online assessment
-Review the district technology plan
Conduct at least 25 video conferences during the school year. These may be free class-to-class connections; organized events such as Read Across America or other conferences conducted by service providers.
Develop and maintain an ITv website to share information outside of the school district
Hold a minimum of 15 face-to-face trainings addressing the ISTE Teacher Technology Standards

Follow the progress of the IN Club through the IN Club Website and IN Club Blog Site

Goal 3: Streamline specifications and purchasing of technology equipment
Measurable Objectives:
Work with Dell to develop an MUSD Premier page for discounted online ordering with predefined Maricopa specifications
Work with building principals and business office to identify “specifications” for new school buildings

Goal 4: Continue to strive for excellent customer service in the area of support
Measurable Objectives:
Develop a “tech support” email link to assist users in communicating support needs quickly
Develop a “how to” section on the Technology Department website
Communicate global issues and/or delays in support response time to appropriate staff
Maintain a database of support calls with priority status to assure all calls are addressed

Goal 5: Provide increased support to “unmanned” elementary labs
Measurable Objectives:
Provide technology standards to new staff during orientation
Provide at least ten “open lab” forums for elementary staff
Develop a link of quality K-5 website for use by staff
Provide checklists and example lessons to staff
Purchase (if funding is available) “Deep Freeze” to lock workstation configurations