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
Monday, June 20, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Summer 2011
Now that the school year is winding to a close, it is once again time for the IT Department to change gears and start working on the major projects for next school year. We have worked hard during this school year to plan our summer projects, and it is finally time to start implementing them. I wanted to share some of the projects that we have slated for the summer of 2011.
1. Exchange 2010
We will be implementing the newest Microsoft e-mail system. Exchange 2010 will improve all facets of access for teachers and staff. Webmail has been redesigned to work with browsers like FireFox and Safari (even on MacBooks!) E-mail access with a Droid or iPhone will include mail, contacts, and calendar. Active Sync will provide automatic setup of your e-mail client (including Droid and iPhone).
2. PowerSchool 7.0
We will be implementing PowerSchool 7.0, the newest version of our Student Information System. The most compelling feature of PowerSchool 7 is that the Parent Portal will be available in 18 languages to parents. Providing information to our community in their preferred language will help keep parents informed about their child's education. Also look for an updated version of the teacher grade book in PowerSchool 7.
3. Staff and Student Wireless
During Semester 2 of 2011-2012, the IT Department worked with Maintenance and Operations to install a new, state of the art wireless system on our secondary school campuses. The goal was to provide wireless access to all secondary school staff in the classroom. This summer we will be taking that idea and implementing it in our K-5 schools. The next step will be a limited pilot of student wireless access at our secondary schools. We understand how critical access to information is, and would like to test the "Bring your own Device" model. Students would be allowed to bring in their own laptops or other devices for use in class. The pilot will be to ensure that our network is not overwhelmed and that we can ensure responsible use of networked devices by students.
4. Multimedia Carts
During Semester 2 of 2011-2012, a select group of tech coaches and teachers were chosen to pilot a new Multimedia Cart for deployment into the district. The cart that was piloted was a multimedia cart from Bretford that included powered speakers. The cart came loaded with an Epson LCD projector and an Elmo document camera. The feedback from the pilot group was positive and we will be deploying the carts on a larger scale. Over the summer we will be preparing 100 - 150 carts for deployment when teachers return to the district. Tech coaches will be providing the training when carts arrive.
5. Lab and COW Maintenance
Our goal over the summer will be to update every lab and COW in the district. For some sites, this just means installing operating system updates. For others, we will be installing an updated version of the operating system, more ram, and/or a new version of Microsoft Office. We estimate that about 1/3 of our summer will be dedicated to maintenance of student computers.
6. IT Help Desk
Next year we will be providing a help desk to teachers and staff. The help desk will give you access to IT Staff and will be the primary point of contact for your technology issues. A technician will be available to help you via phone or e-mail with technology problems that you are experiencing. We hope this single point of contact for phone and e-mail requests will help streamline the process and alleviate any confusion about who to contact with tech issues.
These are just some of the projects we have planned over the summer. I hope you are as excited as we are about technology for the upcoming school year.
1. Exchange 2010
We will be implementing the newest Microsoft e-mail system. Exchange 2010 will improve all facets of access for teachers and staff. Webmail has been redesigned to work with browsers like FireFox and Safari (even on MacBooks!) E-mail access with a Droid or iPhone will include mail, contacts, and calendar. Active Sync will provide automatic setup of your e-mail client (including Droid and iPhone).
2. PowerSchool 7.0
We will be implementing PowerSchool 7.0, the newest version of our Student Information System. The most compelling feature of PowerSchool 7 is that the Parent Portal will be available in 18 languages to parents. Providing information to our community in their preferred language will help keep parents informed about their child's education. Also look for an updated version of the teacher grade book in PowerSchool 7.
3. Staff and Student Wireless
During Semester 2 of 2011-2012, the IT Department worked with Maintenance and Operations to install a new, state of the art wireless system on our secondary school campuses. The goal was to provide wireless access to all secondary school staff in the classroom. This summer we will be taking that idea and implementing it in our K-5 schools. The next step will be a limited pilot of student wireless access at our secondary schools. We understand how critical access to information is, and would like to test the "Bring your own Device" model. Students would be allowed to bring in their own laptops or other devices for use in class. The pilot will be to ensure that our network is not overwhelmed and that we can ensure responsible use of networked devices by students.
4. Multimedia Carts
During Semester 2 of 2011-2012, a select group of tech coaches and teachers were chosen to pilot a new Multimedia Cart for deployment into the district. The cart that was piloted was a multimedia cart from Bretford that included powered speakers. The cart came loaded with an Epson LCD projector and an Elmo document camera. The feedback from the pilot group was positive and we will be deploying the carts on a larger scale. Over the summer we will be preparing 100 - 150 carts for deployment when teachers return to the district. Tech coaches will be providing the training when carts arrive.
5. Lab and COW Maintenance
Our goal over the summer will be to update every lab and COW in the district. For some sites, this just means installing operating system updates. For others, we will be installing an updated version of the operating system, more ram, and/or a new version of Microsoft Office. We estimate that about 1/3 of our summer will be dedicated to maintenance of student computers.
6. IT Help Desk
Next year we will be providing a help desk to teachers and staff. The help desk will give you access to IT Staff and will be the primary point of contact for your technology issues. A technician will be available to help you via phone or e-mail with technology problems that you are experiencing. We hope this single point of contact for phone and e-mail requests will help streamline the process and alleviate any confusion about who to contact with tech issues.
These are just some of the projects we have planned over the summer. I hope you are as excited as we are about technology for the upcoming school year.
Friday, May 20, 2011
New District Status Page
The IT Department has launched a second blog page. The SVUSD IT Status Page is the place to find information about software/system upgrades, planned outages, and service interruptions.
It can be found at http://svusdstatus.blogspot.com/
or you can click on the "District Status" link to the right.
It can be found at http://svusdstatus.blogspot.com/
or you can click on the "District Status" link to the right.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
User Names Have Been Corrected!
I am glad to announce that all of the names have been corrected in our e-mail system. When you use the display name, first name, or last name search boxes you will get the proper result.
Here is a little background on the issue:
Over the last few weeks, the IT Department has been working to correct all 500+ names for our Windows login and email system. Many of the users in the system had been created incorrectly (a long time before I got here) with first and last names switched or no first and last name at all.
I was alerted to this by district staff and the IT Department set out to fix the problem. It took us a while to make the changes, but we are glad to announce that they are finally done! Please take a look in the address book to confirm that your name appears how you would like it to appear and let me know if you have any changes.
Here is a little background on the issue:
Over the last few weeks, the IT Department has been working to correct all 500+ names for our Windows login and email system. Many of the users in the system had been created incorrectly (a long time before I got here) with first and last names switched or no first and last name at all.
I was alerted to this by district staff and the IT Department set out to fix the problem. It took us a while to make the changes, but we are glad to announce that they are finally done! Please take a look in the address book to confirm that your name appears how you would like it to appear and let me know if you have any changes.
Monday, March 28, 2011
PowerSchool 6.2.2 is here
Over spring break, we will be upgrading to version 6.2.2 of PowerSchool. Along with usual bug fixes that are included in this update, there were a couple of notable new features added to PowerSchool. Below you will find a list of these new features.
New in PowerTeacher 2.2.2
Link to the New PowerTeacher Mobile App
On the PowerTeacher portal, a new App Store link is now available on the main menu. The link takes you directly to the Apple App Store to download the PowerTeacher Mobile application. This image and link are only visible if the teacher account is configured to use PowerTeacher Gradebook, and the district and school have Mobile Services enabled.
Weighted Mean Now Available as Standards Final Grade Calculation
Based on customer feedback, the weighted mean is now available as one of the standards final grade calculation options in PowerTeacher and PowerTeacher Administrator. The weighted mean uses both the total points possible and the assignment weights.
New in PowerSchool Parent and Student Web Portals 6.2.2
Download Export File Containing Student Data
With this release, a new Download icon appears in the navigation bar when the Grades and Attendance tab is selected. Click to download an export file containing student data similar to the printable view data. This data file is intended to help facilitate upload into other products, including Pearson's Alleyoop. Alleyoop is a social guidance network for college-bound teens. Alleyoop helps teens and their parents explore future college and career goals, set short-term grade goals, and get the coaching they need to get ready for success in college and beyond. For more information, see the Alleyoop Web site.
New in PowerTeacher 2.2.2
Link to the New PowerTeacher Mobile App
On the PowerTeacher portal, a new App Store link is now available on the main menu. The link takes you directly to the Apple App Store to download the PowerTeacher Mobile application. This image and link are only visible if the teacher account is configured to use PowerTeacher Gradebook, and the district and school have Mobile Services enabled.
Weighted Mean Now Available as Standards Final Grade Calculation
Based on customer feedback, the weighted mean is now available as one of the standards final grade calculation options in PowerTeacher and PowerTeacher Administrator. The weighted mean uses both the total points possible and the assignment weights.
New in PowerSchool Parent and Student Web Portals 6.2.2
Download Export File Containing Student Data
With this release, a new Download icon appears in the navigation bar when the Grades and Attendance tab is selected. Click to download an export file containing student data similar to the printable view data. This data file is intended to help facilitate upload into other products, including Pearson's Alleyoop. Alleyoop is a social guidance network for college-bound teens. Alleyoop helps teens and their parents explore future college and career goals, set short-term grade goals, and get the coaching they need to get ready for success in college and beyond. For more information, see the Alleyoop Web site.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Exchange Server Retirement
It has become apparent that our email server is just not cutting it these days. It is a few years old and is struggling to keep up with the explosion of email use in the district. In an effort to stabilize our e-mail experience, we have set up a replacement e-mail server on some high end Dell hardware.
This weekend I will be moving all of the district mailboxes to the new server. As a result, e-mail access will be intermittent over the weekend as boxes are transitioned to the new server.
From the end user's perspective, the mail interface will be the same as it is currently, just faster and more reliable! We are using the same version of Exchange (2003 Enterprise SP2) to ensure that the experience is consistent. The only notable change is that the webmail (OWA) address will change. The new address will be http://mail2.sonomavly.k12.ca.us/exchange
This is the first phase of a multi-phase roll out of the new Exchange 2010 e-mail system for the district. The next phase will be the testing and implementation of Exchange 2010. The goal is to have the new version of Exchange 2010 fully tested and deployed during Q1 of 2011.
As always, feel free to contact the IT Department with any questions or comments.
This weekend I will be moving all of the district mailboxes to the new server. As a result, e-mail access will be intermittent over the weekend as boxes are transitioned to the new server.
From the end user's perspective, the mail interface will be the same as it is currently, just faster and more reliable! We are using the same version of Exchange (2003 Enterprise SP2) to ensure that the experience is consistent. The only notable change is that the webmail (OWA) address will change. The new address will be http://mail2.sonomavly.k12.ca.us/exchange
This is the first phase of a multi-phase roll out of the new Exchange 2010 e-mail system for the district. The next phase will be the testing and implementation of Exchange 2010. The goal is to have the new version of Exchange 2010 fully tested and deployed during Q1 of 2011.
As always, feel free to contact the IT Department with any questions or comments.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
The War Against Spam
I feel like far too often when I come in to work and open my Outlook there are messages for male enhancement pills, spam in Russian, or other SPAM in my inbox. I found myself wondering how this happens when we have RedCondor to filter our e-mail.
Yesterday I spent some time working with Red Condor to figure out why we have so much spam reaching our mailboxes and what steps we can take to reduce it. We examined the configuration of RedCondor's filter, how it interfaces with our mail system, and the configuration of our mail server (MS Exchange 2003). The result of our investigations was that there is a need to make changes in each of the following areas:
It was discovered that it is possible to send an e-mail directly to the Exchange server, bypassing the RedCondor filter. This is one of the ways spam enters the district. To correct this issue, on the evening of Friday August 13th, I will be reconfiguring the district's Exchange system to force all incoming e-mail (SMTP) through RedCondor. Unfortunately, this change will have side effects.
The security change will block all other traffic to the Exchange SMTP server. This will cause iPhones, BlackBerries (except district issued BlackBerries), and mail programs that are used off campus to no longer be able to send mail. (FYI: Outlook Web Access will not be affected.) The good news is, with a minor change to the configuration of your iPhone or other affected system, you will be back to sending and receiving e-mail.
If you believe that you will be affected by the changes to our e-mail system, please contact me so we can ensure that you are prepared for next Friday's upgrades.
I am excited to see the impact that these changes will have on our volume of Spam received. I expect that it will greatly reduce the amount of spam that reaches a user's e-mail box. And who doesn't want less Spam?
Yesterday I spent some time working with Red Condor to figure out why we have so much spam reaching our mailboxes and what steps we can take to reduce it. We examined the configuration of RedCondor's filter, how it interfaces with our mail system, and the configuration of our mail server (MS Exchange 2003). The result of our investigations was that there is a need to make changes in each of the following areas:
- RedCondor Filter Settings
- Connection settings between RedCondor and our Exchange server
- Exchange server Settings
It was discovered that it is possible to send an e-mail directly to the Exchange server, bypassing the RedCondor filter. This is one of the ways spam enters the district. To correct this issue, on the evening of Friday August 13th, I will be reconfiguring the district's Exchange system to force all incoming e-mail (SMTP) through RedCondor. Unfortunately, this change will have side effects.
The security change will block all other traffic to the Exchange SMTP server. This will cause iPhones, BlackBerries (except district issued BlackBerries), and mail programs that are used off campus to no longer be able to send mail. (FYI: Outlook Web Access will not be affected.) The good news is, with a minor change to the configuration of your iPhone or other affected system, you will be back to sending and receiving e-mail.
If you believe that you will be affected by the changes to our e-mail system, please contact me so we can ensure that you are prepared for next Friday's upgrades.
I am excited to see the impact that these changes will have on our volume of Spam received. I expect that it will greatly reduce the amount of spam that reaches a user's e-mail box. And who doesn't want less Spam?
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