Emmetsburg Schools Technology

First Day Done, a Few More to Go

noreply@blogger.com (Technology Emmetsburg CSD) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 21:23:00 +0000

Well after a first exciting, busy, never stopping day, I feel that I have successfully rolled out our 1:1 here at Emmetsburg. With a lot of help from teachers, administrators and the board we have now currently sent out over 200 machines in our district in grade 9-12. Also added another 120 machines on cards to different grade levels. Although the carts weren't used today our 1:1 program sure was. I looked as if teachers jumped right into this and started working right away with the students. Even though it was a long day for myself, it feels good to see that all my hard work at making sure everything was ready to go has paid off.

Fighting the Facebook Temptation

noreply@blogger.com (Technology Emmetsburg CSD) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 12:41:00 +0000

Something that is always brought up in school is how to keep our students off of Facebook or and social networking sites. And as they grow more and more like they are it keeps getting harder at an I.T. department. With ability to now post them to Facebook from your phones, iPod Touch, iPad's and most any other electronic devices it is really hard to block all of them. So is it now to the point where we should stop blocking and start teaching. Teaching responsibility on when and when not to be on these sites. I'm really, that's what we are suppose to be doing anyway, teaching our student responsibility. So how do we go about doing this? I think it all starts with the teacher working with our students on how and when to be on Facebook. So it might involve walking around the classroom as we teach and just check on what things are going on on their screens. Or get a monitoring software that lets you do that right at your desk like we are looking at. We will be using Intel's Classroom Management software that will come pre-installed on all of our students laptops. But that won't always catch what they are doing but it will do a very good jobs at what programs are running. Then it might be to where we get to just preaching to them that our work must be done and then the last few minutes of class is when we get to use that time to check our accounts, email, Facebook, ect... Maybe our classroom concepts need to start looking like that and maybe our students will start listening a little more during class if they know that they get time to Facebook after the first part of class. Now chatting, that is a whole different post but I need to gather some information and give it some thought on what I think about chatting.

Wireless Systems

noreply@blogger.com (Technology Emmetsburg CSD) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 15:51:00 +0000

A few months back I wrote a blog post on deploying your own wireless and not spending all the extra money for the "Cadillac". Well, I was wrong, we deployed a system that was at the time a very good system to use compared to our old Linksys access points that we had. It consisted of a controller, PoE, Gig connections and all the works, but as we used it more and more with more laptops the slower it got. So we decided to have Xirrus to come in and do a site survey and hoping to find answers. Well, we got them and the change is so extreme. We have now had Xirrus in place for only a few days but the change is so great. One thing I have noticed is our login times have been so much better, quicker that is, extremely quicker. We also did get the management software for it so it is so much easier to manage of coarse. So as we continue to learn what this system all does it get more exciting to me. I really enjoy learning more about networking since I didn't get to do a lot of it before since it was all set up when I came to the school here in Emmetsburg. So when our engineer got here and started talking numbers and network mask and things like that, I started getting confused. Muhammad, our Xirrus engineer explained everything so well to me and made me feel a little smarter on the networking side. So Tuesday night when he arrived we spent about 4 or 5 hours going through our network, deciding how we are going to setup our wireless infrastructure. After the night was of course we got to get a few hours of sleep, came in the next morning and we were ready to go. So we did our training as we waited for our arrays to arrive and then, they came. We were quite excited and ready for them as we were waiting for an hour or so and once the got here, it was work time. We starting un-boxing them and getting the software loaded on the server. So as soon as I got done installing the software, the other guys had them ready to go and labeled. So came the time to starting hanging and configuring them. Things went very smooth at the deployment and the rest is history. So if your looking for a great wireless system to consider in your district, look at Xirrus. From what I found, they are fast in more ways then one.

1:1 Projects

noreply@blogger.com (Technology Emmetsburg CSD) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 14:01:00 +0000

We are coming closer and closer to the end of the year, which means we are starting to plan for the next year. And with that, we are planning our 1:1 program with students laptops. And coming into this with very little knowledge, there are a lot of questions that need answered. So last night I sat down and started thinking of things that need to be covered. So I started looking for answers. As we work more and more with Bytespeed Computers, we both learn more on this topic. And since we are going to be the first school to go 1:1 computers with Bytespeed we both have a lot of things to figure out. But since we are working with Intel now we at least have someone with a little better knowing of all this.
But I still ask myself, is this the best thing for our students or is it just going to look like a big computer lab in our school. Well I don't think it will, I trust that our teachers will use these pieces of equipment to their full ability. We are looking into getting my professional development for our teachers as the year comes to a close. And now that our staff is feeling more secure about using these machines, we will make sure that we are getting whatever we can to our teachers to make this lives easier. I really want to get a program going here that over schools want to come see and I know with the staff we have here, we can, we will make it successful. I want to become the school of Windows and have schools look at us like they do Newell-Fonda and Apple.

Being an Educator

noreply@blogger.com (Technology Emmetsburg CSD) — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:57:00 +0000

Even though I'm not in the classroom teaching our students I still feel important to making our students a success. And this video really gives you the inspiration that you need. I know that our teachers sometimes feel over whelmed as I do a lot but when we need a kick up, we need to watch this video. It is so great.

The Social Media Revolution

noreply@blogger.com (Technology Emmetsburg CSD) — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:55:00 +0000

I watched this video this morning and it really make a big impression on how much social media has really changed how everything and everyone communicate, buy, and rate items. This video really sums up what social media has done the world.

noreply@blogger.com (Technology Emmetsburg CSD) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 14:16:00 +0000

I watched this video this morning and it just blew my mind away:

This school is so amazing how it all came together to put this video together. I just couldn't believe how this school could put this all together with their students.

Why are we still teaching?

noreply@blogger.com (Technology Emmetsburg CSD) — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 13:02:00 +0000

I'm sure I might catch a bad time about this post but I was asked this question by someone a few weeks ago. I have been pondering in my head of how to actually write this correctly so I don't sound like I'm against education, cause I'm not, it's my job. But I had a community member ask me why we are still teaching our students when they can find everything they will ever need to know on the internet. And in a way they are correct, but if we don't teach our kids how to spell or write, what good is Google. Because if when I do Googling I sometimes don't know to phrase the question I'm asking. So what happens when a student need to do some Googling? Who do they ask for help, a teacher. I mean yes it is a great tool but without the correct education of how to spell, write and read, what does doing some searching help. Yes, you can find all sorts of things on Google and YouTube on how to do certain math equations and doing some science projects. And I'm sure they even make a book, "Reading for Dummies". It seems like they have a "Dummies" book for everything. But if they can't read, then the book is useless. Right? That is my answer to why we are still teaching our kids. Although teaching is a lot different than how the teaching was when this person was in school. If fact teaching isn't just teaching anymore, it is more of a learning experience for teachers. Teachers how to be taught how to change their skills as technology changes. So for those of you who ever thought teaching was a easy job because you get three months off, you're wrong. I see why they get them months off, cause I would like them off sometimes. Anyway, that is why we are still teaching students in school and not on Google.

Facebook Safety

noreply@blogger.com (Technology Emmetsburg CSD) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 14:09:00 +0000

Most people don’t think about identity theft when they’re updating their social networking profile because they don’t store financial data on such sites. But letting your guard down on such sites as LinkedIn, MySpace, Twitter and Facebook could be costly for you and your friends, Mr. Krehel said.

Facebook’s privacy breach last week serves as a reminder of the potential dangers of social networking. Canada’s Privacy Commissioner expressed “major concerns” after Facebook’s application makers leaked the personal information of tens of millions of users to Web trackers and advertisers.

One common Facebook scam is for a criminal to track a victim’s online behaviour, hack into his social networking account while he’s on vacation, then use the victim’s profile to tell his friends he has been robbed and needs a money transfer.

“It happens quite often, more than you’d think,” Mr. Krehel said. Hackers sell stolen Facebook passwords online for as little as 25 cents each.

Sharing images and videos online can also make you vulnerable, Mr. Krehel said. BlackBerrys, iPhones and many high-end digital cameras are GPS-enabled and can record so-called metadata on image and video files, which can reveal when and where the files were captured, leading thieves straight to your home. While some websites will automatically strip out this information, you need to be very careful when sharing photos and clips online.

Mr. Krehel identifies several steps to protect your identity online:

Avoid quizzes and apps: They’re fun and they’re free, but they share your personal information with marketers, tracking companies and who knows what else.

Use “strong” passwords: Passwords should include numbers, letters and symbols and should be changed regularly. Use different passwords for your social websites, personal life and financial life, so that if one of them is breached, the rest are still secure. If you can’t remember all your passwords, use a secure program for their storage, such as Password Safe.

Keep a close circle of friends: Don’t accept friend requests from strangers in a misguided attempt to pad your social network numbers. Once these people befriend you, they can post malicious links on your page, compromise your computer’s security and spread viruses to all your friends. They can also gain access to your whole mailbox, including e-mails from financial institutions.

Surf at home: If you’re using a public computer, don’t expect any privacy. You don’t know how many viruses are on the computer, who’s controlling it or who could be copying your information.

Beware of links and images: Hackers often use pictures of celebrities to lure their victims; clicking on such links allows hackers to install malicious codes on your computer. A recent study found that organized criminals create approximately 8,000 malicious websites every day.

Secure your mobile device: If you use social site plug-ins on your cellphone, turn on some basic security features and add a password. If you lose your phone, your online identity is not left open to whoever happens to find it. If your phone has a camera, consider turning off the metadata or geotag function. Check your phone’s manual for instructions.

Rolling your own wireless solution.

noreply@blogger.com (Technology Emmetsburg CSD) — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 22:43:00 +0000

This school year is a lot of testing and getting prepared for our next school, when we plan on rolling out a 1:1 programs with our students. Meaning that each student in grades either 7-12 or 9-12 will have their own laptop. So this year we are working the bugs out and one of them is our wireless internet. Now a lot of people told me to have a company come in, do a site survey and have them tell us where to place the access points. So I did, I had Xirrus come in and they did a site survey, made me a price of cost to do our campus and when I seen it, I about jumped out of my skin. It was very expensive but yet they are very good. But I just couldn't justify spending that kind of money it and then hoping that it does work. Instead we decided to do our own and taking the time to figure it all out. And with this job, that is what it takes, is time and patience. So since we had already place HP Procurve products, we decided to go with HP for our wireless. And not knowing what we were getting into, we bought, set up access points up and seen what they could do. Well they worked very well for the first year and still do work well but with all the technology and internet request we have from teachers, we decided to up our a.p. placement and bought new and better. And with a lot of help from our buddies at CDWG and my sales representative Erik Steffen we got this all figured out. With him and his team of networking specialist they figured out about what we need with our blue-prints of our schools. They did a RF configuration with determining where and how to place them by the thickness of our walls and all the other things that get in the way. So we went with what they told us and decided to go ahead with their ideas. So today I finished placing 8 a.p's around our High School and they testing them. Noticing that it seems to be working flawlessly. So by myself running the cable, hanging the access points, installing the controller and configuring, I know how and what I got. I mean it would have been nice to have a company come in, install everything, verify and go but I didn't see justifying that kind of extra money into a project I can do myself. So if your school or company is looking for a new and cheaper way to do wireless, look at HP Procurve and talk to Erik at CDWG.

Google Calendar

noreply@blogger.com (Technology Emmetsburg CSD) — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 19:52:00 +0000

Some of you might know what Google Calendar is but others are asking, "What is this thing?". Well it is a great tool for anyone and everyone who has a lot of appointments, games, events and anything else you need a calendar for. Google Calendar is free service offered by Google and comes with Gmail. I use it a lot for everything, from any events that I have. From football games to birthdays. I have about 10 different calendars in 1 and it makes it so much easier to manage. Here is a video on using Google Calendar.

Filtering or Not? Good Question isn't it?

noreply@blogger.com (Technology Emmetsburg CSD) — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:33:00 +0000

Filter or Not?

After reading this article about a Wisconsin school district, I see things a little different after reading his reviews of why should we filter. I still think that filtering during school is very well needed but when they go home and off of school property, let watch what they want. But if it is on school property I don't believe they should be able to for the fact that when they go to a site and get spam on a pc, the students or staff don't have to fix it. The technology manager does. To me we still need to keep filters but the Technology Director of this Wisconsin school thinks different. Whats your thoughts?

Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (Technology Emmetsburg CSD) — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 19:47:00 +0000

Do you remember when you have to walk down the hall to chat with a co-worker about some project or even what the plans were for the weekend? Then email came along and you could email them, taking a few minutes for it to get to them, then Twitter came around. It has been around for a few years now but is really starting to replace email since it is so much quicker to get from one person to the next. More and more companies are starting to use Twitter to replace their emails for that reason. Here at the Emmetsburg School District our High School teachers have been required to setup an account to follow our High School Principal Jay Jurrens. He is using Twitter for that purpose, to get the word out much quicker than email. If you would like to follow him on Twitter, he I.D. is ehawkprincipal. He will be sending out message via Twitter to keep parents, students and staff up-to-date on things going on around the school. You can also sign up for Twitter by going to twitter.com. If your into following technology like myself you can follow me online by following my I.D. of mmueller2680. I try my best to keep the best tweets related to technology out there to be re-tweeted so my followers can see them also. Twitter has become a great big tool in my day for all the things I can find on it. You should give it a try, it could be very useful to you even.

Getting Ready for the New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Technology Emmetsburg CSD) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 23:38:00 +0000

Welcome back to school, or at least on Wednesday. We will soon be starting school and with that a lot of new technology in Emmetsburg. This year we were able to purchase a full scale of laptops and desktops to equip our whole staff. Also with that we got a new computer lab in our High School that will be used for our CAD Program, a few online learning classes and accounting. With the new computers will be moving to Windows 7 and Office 2010 on almost every computer in our district with then allows us to move our older machines to West Elementary giving more computer and technology use to our students there. And now with that we should have at least two to four computers in each classroom down there for students to use. Also with the two COW's(Computers on Wheels) down there moving to Windows 7 and Office 2010 we are allowing the younger generation to experience the latest technology. Also we have planned on starting keyboarding at a younger age, in fact I believe we are looking at starting all the way down to 2nd grade with keyboarding skills. So by the time our students reach Middle School they have had some learning skills and maybe tools at typing to be a efficient typer.

At the middle school we have brought in a new lab also, not new to the district but to the Middle School, since we replaced the lab at the High School. Which bring the students up to Windows XP and Office 2003. Still not the latest but very close to what they will encounter at a work environment. Also they will have access to our three COW's at the library that does have Windows 7 and Office 2010 so there they do have the access to the latest items. Also in the Middle School we have teachers who have gotten new tablets, which are like notebooks but without paper. These items will allow our teachers to move around their room and still use their computer and projector to show the kids examples. I haven't gotten a chance to use these but I have heard a lot of good things about them so I don't know all the capabilities. Also we got new document cameras for a few of our teachers which is very exciting for them. Again we have really tried getting the newest and latest technology for our staff and students.

Now at the High School we haven't gotten as much but still have gotten some great tools. We did end up with a new computer lab for various programs and classes here at Emmetsburg High. With these new machines we will be able to do more with less time. Also our staff did get new computers here too so everyone at the High School with be with Windows 7 and Office 2010.

This summer has been full of new items, computers to cameras and software. We have gotten so much new software that I don't have enough time and usage to post anything good or bad about it. But we are looking at some online courses, new special education programs and so on. Hopefully I will know more about the programs on my next post and give you an update on them and my likes and dislikes.

Also I would like to thank my assistant this summer for all his hard work. He has been really great to have on board and hopes to have him more time from now on.

Long Time No Post

noreply@blogger.com (Technology Emmetsburg CSD) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 12:32:00 +0000

I know that it has been a long time since I have last posted something but with the end of the year finally here and gone, we now have some time to go start going through machines, cleaning them up, out and getting them ready for the 10-11 school year. So with that I thought I would put a post up on something that I do for those of you wondering how to keep your computer running smooth. First and important, I use a vacuum to clean out all the dust out of the computer, desktops mostly because laptops are so hard to clean up without taking the whole thing apart. But in a desktop machine I will take the case side off and clean out everything I can with a vacuum. Making sure that I unplug the power cord to keep from any shock happening. After that I will turn it on, go to the Internet Explore, and delete all the cookies, history, ect. That will help a bit with anything infecting our computers. I also run a program, Malware Anti-bytes and run a full scan to check files deep inside the computer to find such things as spyware, malware, adaware and ect. Make sure that our scanners are up to date is the most important thing to check. After that I will have our virus scanner run, here at the school we use a district wide scanner that is for education so it isn't out there for the public to use, but you could use something like AVG Free Edition(search Google for it), it is a great scanner. Also making sure to keep it up to date is the best thing to do. From there we will run Windows Update and Microsoft Update. With your computer being up to date is also very important. With them 4 simple steps you can make sure to keep your computer running smooth.

Also with knowing what websites to watch for and keep away from will help a lot. I can't name them all because I don't have that much time.

The IPad, not just for Kids?

noreply@blogger.com (Technology Emmetsburg CSD) — Fri, 07 May 2010 20:19:00 +0000

This is pretty funny. Just think -if a cat can use it, what can a beautiful mind do?

What Makes Finnish Kids So Smart?

noreply@blogger.com (Technology Emmetsburg CSD) — Fri, 07 May 2010 20:12:00 +0000

What Makes Finnish Kids So Smart?

When are they going to need this?

noreply@blogger.com (Technology Emmetsburg CSD) — Fri, 07 May 2010 12:39:00 +0000

For those students who are always asking your teachers, "Why are we going to need this?" Read this article, it may help you understand when you will need it.

Facebook for sale? I think not...

noreply@blogger.com (Technology Emmetsburg CSD) — Thu, 06 May 2010 15:00:00 +0000

Looks like someone is trying to buy Facebook from the CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. But from the article, Mark isn't wasting no time saying no to VIACOM's CEO, Michael Wolf. Read the article below and find out more information.

Facebook for Sale

Copy Machines that hold secrets?

noreply@blogger.com (Technology Emmetsburg CSD) — Tue, 04 May 2010 18:23:00 +0000

Watch CBS News Videos Online

21 Things for the 21 Century Educator

noreply@blogger.com (Technology Emmetsburg CSD) — Tue, 04 May 2010 17:50:00 +0000

21 Things for the 21 Century Educator

Principal wants to block Facebook...Completely

noreply@blogger.com (Technology Emmetsburg CSD) — Tue, 04 May 2010 14:48:00 +0000

Here is a video on a principal on New Jersey who is trying to ban Facebook and other social networking sites from his Middle School students. Watch the video below and let me know what you think.

Homework or not?

noreply@blogger.com (Technology Emmetsburg CSD) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 20:44:00 +0000

I read an article today about a teacher debating weather or not to grade his students homeowrk. And as his thoughts were that giving them homework was like giving them a test to do at home since it is going to be graded. He is thinking that grading homework might be old fashioned and needs to be looked at as just practice, not grades. My here is the article, http://101studiostreet.com/wordpress/?p=583 go ahead and read it, comment on this blog or his on what your thoughts are.

Homework done in the classroom, while lesson done at home?

noreply@blogger.com (Technology Emmetsburg CSD) — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 14:55:00 +0000

Here is something for some teachers to think about. A high school math teacher will explain his thoughts in this article.

http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2010/04/transparent-algebra-homework.html

Should we really be blocking social media?

noreply@blogger.com (Technology Emmetsburg CSD) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 20:39:00 +0000

http://mashable.com/2010/04/13/social-media-ban-backfire/

This article discusses the unintended negative consequences of restrictive internet filtering policies in education, government and business. Here's the main point from the first two paragraphs:
"Humans have a natural proclivity to want what they cannot have. Our insatiable appetite for sharing information, combined with the nearly limitless ways to access the web have thus far frustrated the most sophisticated attempts to block access to social media services.
From the Great Firewall of China to the public schools of Britain, IT security experts are finding that restricting Internet access can have the unintended consequences of civic backlash, poor worker productivity, and students unprepared for cyber threats."
And here's his point regarding content filtering in schools:
"My own university bans the Internet in some large lecture halls. Yet, when I wander in back of the room before lecture, I see students hunched over cell phones, the signature blue and white colors of Facebook, and an inordinate number of students camped out near the perimeter of the hall, where a weak wi-fi signal permeates the room.
Meanwhile, some schools in Britain have chosen to “lock down” their systems, allowing access to only verified websites. However, a report from their government’s department of education found that “this approach had disadvantages in the schools visited. As well as taking up time and detracting from learning, it did not encourage the pupils to take responsibility for their actions.”
Additionally, children were less likely to understand proper Internet safety when outside of school. By contrast, in those schools that took a more educative approach to e-safety, teachers could use incidents of phishing, cyber-bullying, and inappropriate material as a way to discuss how such encounters should be dealt with in the future. Indeed, in at least one high school where cell phone use was part of the curriculum, the principal noted that inappropriate use of technology is exceedingly rare."
In other words, blocking access to social media sites may ultimately prove more distracting — and potentially more dangerous — to students."