Choosing a School Information System- A Webinar and Discussion
Category: Instructional Technology
Blackbird – A review
I’m always interested in websites that teach coding. I like the idea of learning new skills and testing oneself. Blackbird is one of those sites. The goal here is to teach people JavaScript which is pretty cool because JavaScript runs in browser making a bit easier for people to play around in it.
This website is geared for middle school students and up and unlike block programming (like the super popular Scratch) this has students working with actual code, but it does it with a lot of hand holding which I like. Just to be clear I am no programmer. I have dabbled here and there with mostly Python but with this review I was learning right along everyone else. Let’s see if it is worth using.
Continue reading “Blackbird – A review”Are Students Working or Sleeping?
Record All Online Meetings with Apple OS X
This video will show you how to record all audio, video, etc while in online meetings on your Apple OS X machine.
Private Recording | Good Audio | Totally Free
Blackbaud & Google Assignments W/ Drive
Blackbaud & Google Assignments W/ Drive
This video explains how to use the Google Assignments Integration within Blackbaud’s OnSuite LMS.
The iPad is a Person in Your HIFLEX/HYBRID Classroom
ITBabble Virtual Learning Solution Webinar
I’ve developed a very flexible solution with iPads and some ergonomic tools/devices.
The main goal was to have tech that was useful all the time, not just during quarantine, and tech that didn’t strain the network with video standards that can’t be handled by personal home networks. The investment would be useful for 3-7 years, or the duration of the equipment lifecycle. The tablet form factor I chose was the iPad, but this could be done with Android or Chromebook tablets.
This model eliminates document cameras, allows for hand writing on paper or real whiteboards, allows for digital whiteboards, and you can ergonomically adjust things so people feel like they are sitting next to someone.
Teachers can freely move around the room to demonstrate labs and other experiences that are eliminated in most virtual scenarios.
You can even do choir, band, and art.
If teachers/hosts have laptops, this allows for two cameras in every space. Students can flip between the iPad and the host device.
The conferencing software doesn’t matter. You can use anything for your video conferencing.
If people need to work from home they just take the iPad, and literally replicate their teaching environment.
This idea can be summed up in a single simple statement: The iPad is a Person in your Classroom.
If you would like to know more, please complete the form below.
Microsoft Teams for OS X Send Your Audio and Sound to your Audience with Soundflower
By Tony DePrato | Follow Me on LinkedIn
This video explains how to set up your Apple hardware to stream audio from Youtube and other sources to your Teams Meeting.
Get Soundflower: https://github.com/mattingalls/Soundflower/releases/tag/2.0b2
Microsoft Teams Doing Attendance with Automatic Data
The Support Puzzle
By Tony DePrato | Follow Me on LinkedIn
I was recently in a conversation with a large group of people who provide IT Support. Many do not work in education, which is why I like the group. One of the members was recently asked in an interview to rank the following support requests in terms of importance.
1) A teacher has standardized testing starting in 30 minutes however she is unable to access the testing site.
2) The principal (aka your immediate supervisor) can’t open a spreadsheet that she needs to have ready for a presentation later that same day.
3) A teacher is unable to start a lecture because her PowerPoint won’t open. Students are waiting in the classroom.
This scenario truly exemplifies the difference between EdTech and CorpTech. In EdTech the order of importance should be, 1-3-2. In CorpTech it could easily be 1-2-3, or, even 2-1-3. Anyone who has worked with a demanding boss in a Hire-At-Will employment environment would understand why.
In a school, unless the school is on the bad side of accreditation standards, the answer would be 3-2-1.
Here is why.
Teaching and Learning
Most people look at the options and see time and urgency. And although the right answer can be derived from time and urgency, that metric will not always apply. A universal metric is to always focus on Teaching and Learning (TL).
This means that all processes at the school, IT included, need to be on mission and that mission is to support Teaching and Learning. In order to do that, students and teachers come first, and everything else later.
The business of the school is education, education happens within the TL dynamic.
Most school administrators will not even interrupt classes unless there is a real emergency. School administrators will inconvenience themselves to reduce the impact on teachers and students.
In organizations with a head of school or superintendent, those offices may have their own separate support for the technology to further reduce any impact to TL.
The Eisenhower Matrix
I am a big fan of using time management and decision management frameworks. My favorite is The Eisenhower Matrix. I have written about it here if for those who are not familiar with it.
I use the layout above for decision making and project planning. I also use Agile and Scrum when executing the actual pieces of projects. I need these tools to prevent reacting emotionally to problems.
In the scenario above this is how I would categorize each of the three support problems.
DO, Do it Now: 1) A teacher has standardized testing starting in 30 minutes however she is unable to access the testing site.
The reasoning here is that standardized tests have controls that the school must follow. This is a tricky scenario because unless you have implemented IT procedures for standardized testing you would not realize that the pre-testing is completed well in advance. That means the school has already scheduled and guaranteed a test window. The test either has to occur or be canceled and rescheduled. I would write a guide on test implementation, and they vary greatly. For older children, there is a high risk if these test fail.
DECIDE: 3) A teacher is unable to start a lecture because her PowerPoint won’t open. Students are waiting in the classroom.
As a school administrator, I would, of course, ask IT to go help the teacher immediately. In this case, you really need to know the schedule before deciding when to go. If classes are 70-80 minutes every other day, you would want someone in there immediately. If classes are 35-40 minutes daily, you would want to send someone at the end of the class.
The technology has made achieving the lesson goals impossible if the lesson is short. However, the lesson occurs so often that the impact on TL is low. In fact, taking more time in the end when the students are transitioning will allow someone to look at prevention instead of just adding a quick solution that only deals with the symptom.
Most schools have requirements that teachers should be able to run their lessons in the event of an IT failure. This should not happen every day, but it can happen, and teachers are required to work through the issue. If a teacher follows protocol going into the class 5-10 minutes after class has begun, could interrupt their backup plan.
This is why it is a DECIDE. It varies based-on campus and culture.
Delegate: 2) The principal (aka your immediate supervisor) can’t open a spreadsheet that she needs to have ready for a presentation later that same day.
Anyone can do this job as soon as the others are in progress. If there is one IT support person, they will do this last. It is not time-sensitive. Most principals would angry if a teacher or class of students were put in lower priority.
If there is a team, the leader could assign someone to this with a reasonable timeframe.
If you are in EdTech IT Support, make sure you are connected to the culture of your school. Understanding the policies and procedures outside of IT is key to understanding how to support Teaching and Learning.
Technology in the Classroom 