Attaching Email Messages in OWA

In the new version of OWA, Microsoft has added the feature to attach an email message to a new message that you are composing.  This is especially useful in our district when you want to report a SPAM message to RedCondor.  In order for RedCondor to evaluate the message, it must be attached in this manner.  The good news is that it is a very easy process.

While you are logged in to webmail, right click on the message the you would like to attach.  (For Mac users, hold down ctrl and click on the message.)

Select "Forward as Attachment"

The new message window opens and you should see the message you selected listed in the attached field.

That's it.  If you are forwarding SPAM samples to RedCondor, the email address is spam@redcondor.com

Webmail Changes

As many of you know, we have converted the first two groups of users to the new Exchange 2010 system.  The Pilot Group began using the system during Q3 of 2011 and the Early Adopters began using the system Q1 of 2012.  We are preparing for the final migration of all SVUSD users next month.  The latest change is to the Employee Mail URL on the district webpage.  We have pointed it at the new Exchange 2010 login page.  This new page is able to sign users in to either version of Exchange and get them to their mailbox.  There was a blog post here that talked about the different parts of the login page.

Please feel free to contact the IT Department helpdesk if you have any questions or problems.

Q&A: Automatic Logoff Times

I wanted to take some time to answer a few questions that I have been asked quite a few times lately:

Question:  Why does Outlook Web Access (webmail) log me out after only 15 minutes?

Answer: 
The automatic logoff of Outlook Web Access is determined by the Security setting that you choose when you log in to your account.  If you choose the "Public" (which is the default option), the system will log you out after 15 minutes of inactivity.  If you choose "Private", the system will log you out after 8 hours of inactivity. 

It may also help to explain inactivity.  Inactivity is calculated by the time since the last page was submitted to the server.  Things like typing a new email are done in the browser and are not submitted to the server until you click the send or save button.  So if you are using "Public" security and it is taking you a while to type your email message, click on the save button if you are getting close to the 15 minute logoff.  Saved messages are stored in the Drafts folder.  If you exceed the 15 minutes while typing (using "Public" security) , the system will log you out and the letter will be lost when you try to send it.

For more information take a look at the Exchange Team Blog article: Time Out! for Outlook Web Access

Question: Why does PowerSchool/PowerTeacher/GradeBook log me out after only 1 hour?

Answer:
The automatic logoff of PowerSchool is determined by which site you are logged in to.  If you are the Administrator portion of PowerSchool, the system will log you off after 60 minutes of inactivity.  (This value was changed from 3 hours when we implemented PowerSchool 7 to increase security on the Administrator portion of PowerSchool.)  If you are in the PowerTeacher / Gradebook portion of PowerSchool, the system will log you off after 60 minutes of inactivity.  If you are in the Public portion of PowerSchool (students, guardians, etc.) the system will log you off after 10 minutes of inactivity.

Inactivity in PowerSchool is very similar to Outlook Web:  Inactivity is calculated by the time since the last page was submitted to the server.  Things like typing on a page do not count as activity.   It is not until you submit a page or navigate to another page the logoff time is reset.

Hope that helps clear up some of the confusion.

PowerSchool Public Access Available in Spanish

On Thursday the IT Department began upgrading the Public Access portion of PowerSchool.  New in PowerSchool 7, Pearson is offering over 50 different translations of the parent portal screens.  Over the next few weeks we will be working with the Department of Curriculum and Instruction to identify and implement the native languages of our district families.  On Thursday last week, we implemented the Spanish version of the pages.  Look for new languages to join English and Spanish over the next few weeks.

PowerSchool 7 is live

On Tuesday, August 9, 2011 at 11:30 AM, PowerSchool 7 was deemed stable for SVUSD and made available for staff use.  This version of PowerSchool sports a new user interface, a new version of PowerTeacher, and a total overhaul under the hood.  We also completed the End of Year process which moves the system into the 2011-2012 school year.

Webmail Changes

To prepare for Exchange 2010, I wanted to share some changes have been made to our existing webmail.

The first change is the https:\\ in the address bar. This is because webmail has been encrypted with SSL to ensure the integrity and security of your data as it crosses the internet. It is also mandatory to ensure that Exchange 2003 and 2010 can coexist.

The second and easily the most apparent change is the use of Form Based Authentication. Form Based Authentication is a fancy way of saying you need to log into a web page rather than to the prompt for user and password that we used before.

The new login screen looks like this:

 

The good news is that using the login page is pretty simple.

1. Type your user name in the first field (John Doe would use jdoe)
2. Type your password in the second field

 Optionally you can change the following:

1. Choose a Client (Premium is for Internet Explorer and has more features, Basic is for all other browsers)
2. Choose whether you are on a Public or Private Computer

Then you click the Log On button and it takes you to the regular webmail page.

Please feel free to contact the IT Department if you have any questions or problems.

PowerSchool 7 Has Been Released

On June 17, 2011, Pearson officially released PowerSchool 7, a major revision of the PowerSchool student information system.  After testing the beta for the last few weeks, I am excited about the enhancements that this major upgrade will bring.  The district will be migrating to PowerSchool 7 over the summer and it will be ready for teachers when the 2011-2012 school year begins.  Below you will find the announcement for PowerSchool 7 and a  video about the new version of PowerTeacher.
 
Power School 7



PowerTeacher 2.3