I.T. Updates Archives

Summer 2015

Summer Projects

Summer is a busy time for IT - an opportunity for us to tackle big projects and perform critical upgrades and maintenance. This year, we are excited to move several initiatives forward, including:

School Site Infrastructure Upgrades - Assessments for comprehensive network/wireless upgrades are underway. Early in the fall, we will officially kick off a three-year project to modernize technology infrastructure at all IUSD schools.
Student Computer Reimaging - During the summer, IUSD Tech Services staff will be reimaging most student computers to improve performance and take full advantage of our new management systems.
Professional Learning - Our EdTech team is offering training and support all summer long. For a complete list of offerings, check out the EdTech site.
Administrative Systems - As a growing District, IUSD faces challenges in efficiently meeting the needs of students and sites. We are taking on several projects to support departments' goals of streamlining processes at the District Office.
Volunteer/Visitor Management - We will be implementing an electronic volunteer and visitor management system to enhance school safety and operations.

Spring 2015

SBAC Testing

SBAC Testing is now underway at several IUSD sites and will continue through early June. Please be aware that your typical PC Services/site technician schedule may fluctuate this Spring to accomodate SBAC Testing Needs. All technology issues should be reported to the Help Desk (http://helpdesk.iusd.org, helpdesk@iusd.org, x5060)

Firewall Replacement

IUSD will be replacing the District firewall on April 3rd. This is essential to the reliability and performance of all web-based services in IUSD. Beginning at 5pm on April 3rd, nearly all IUSD technology services will be unavailable. Services should be restored Saturday morning. Additionally, please expect intermittent outages while the new firewall is being tested and fine-tuned during Spring Recess.

Break the Network Day - February 11, 2015 at 9am

With SBAC rapidly approaching, OCDE has requested participation in “Break the Network Day.” This is an essential opportunity to test our technology, from individual computers, to the County connection under SBAC-like conditions before testing begins. We ask that, if at all possible, you encourage teachers and students at your site to participate in this important test.

We recommend:

Having as many students/teachers on the network on Break the Network Day as your site is able to support with existing technology.
Replicate SBAC testing conditions (e.g., by doing a practice test) in the areas that you will conduct testing.
Inform all staff and students that internet connectivity and technology systems may be negatively impacted on this day. (In other words, this would not be a great time to schedule a critical activity that is dependent on technology access). Even if you do not fully participate at your site, you could be impacted by other schools’ and districts’ participation.

Fall 2014

2014 Year End
As the 2014 comes to a close, we have the opportunity to look back on a tremendous amount of changes. Our department would like to wish everyone a restful break and thank you for your support, patience and willingness to try new tech this year. We are looking forward to a great 2015!

Some highlights from this year:

Google Apps for Education Accounts created this fall for all staff and students.
Continuous Professional Learning opportunities through the Ed Tech Team.
Over 500 staff and 16,000 students using Canvas.
Completion of major infrastructure upgrades, including the construction of a new data center, bandwidth/connectivity upgrades for all schools, and the installation of nearly 1,000 new projectors.
Transition to a new substitute system and electronic time reporting for all employees.
Increased technical support staff and technology mentors for schools.
New Aeries.net gradebook and report cards.
Resolved over 11,000 Help Desk Tickets.

School Opening 2014-15

Thank you all for your support during this incredibly challenging and exciting opening of schools. We know that each of you are managing tremendous changes at your sites. And, this year, technology is at the heart of many of those changes. We recognize the cumulative impact of all of these new systems, including Aesop, Canvas, and Aeries.net.

General Support: During School Opening, we received over 3,500 Help Desk tickets. We appreciate your patience during this busy time. Now, response times should be returning to a more typical 1-2 business days. All requests for assistance should continue to be directed to our Help Desk.
Aeries.Net: Aeries.Net training resources, FAQs, and the latest updates are not available on our Aeries.Net informational website.
Canvas: Over 13,000 students and 70% of IUSD teachers have used Canvas this year to view, particpate in, or create a course website. For more information about Canvas, see the Ed Tech Canvas website.
Aesop: Aesop replaces paper absence slips and timecards for all IUSD employees and substitutes. Training guides, frequently asked questions, and other resources are available at the Time Reporting Project Website.
Bandwidth/Network Upgrades: All sites' bandwidth was upgraded this summer to support the increasing use of technology and online resources in our schools.

View the complete opening of schools update.

Summer 2014

A New I.T. Site

Welcome to the new I.T. Intranet Site. Our site has been completely redesigned to better serve IUSD staff. The new site highlights support resources, high-impact projects, and the school site and District teams that work closely with our Departments. We'd love to hear your feedback and suggestions to continue to improve this site and our services.

Let us know what you think!

Looking Ahead

2013-14 was an amazing year for technology in IUSD. With so many landmark projects underway, our team is incredibly grateful to the IUSD staff and students for your continued support and patience. We were able to complete some foundational infrastructure projects, including a network security overhaul and the construction of the new data center. The launch of SchoolMessenger dramatically enhanced our abilities to communicate with families. We replaced over 650 projectors and over 100 digital copiers. Through the Common Core, we were able to augment site technical and educational technology support throughout the District. We also successfully completed the SBAC pilot test.

We will be able to build on this foundation in 2014-15 with an unprecedented number of new and improved services. This summer, all school sites' bandwidth will be upgraded at least ten-fold. We'll open the new school year with a new Course Management Solution (Canvas), automated absence reporting/substitute system (Aesop), upgraded teacher gradebook (Aeries.net), nutrition services system and dozens of other service improvements. Also this year, we will begin comprehensive infrastructure upgrades at our five high schools, and open two new elementary schools with grade-level 1:1 computing programs. We are so excited for the coming year and look forward to working with each of you on these great programs!