Introduction

Welcome to the January Tech Report!  There was no report in December, so I have a few things to address affecting both students and staff in this report.

Important iPad Information

Updates

I have stated previously it was okay for staff and students to update their iPads to the latest iOS.  There should not be any issue with testing apps at this point.  Unless you see otherwise, you should be updated to iOS 12.  In my last check I noticed a number of students still running iOS 11.4.1 or earlier.  This limits our servers ability to communicate with your iPad and your iPad may not work with state testing.

Screen Protectors

At the beginning of the school year we purchased enough screen protectors for every single iPad.  As a result, the number of damaged iPads has decreased significantly this year as can be seen through the low amount of insurance claims.  Students are REQUIRED to have a screen protector on their iPads.  If the screen protector becomes damaged to the point where it is no longer effective at protecting the device, the student will need to replace it.  This can be done by purchasing a new screen protector ($10) through our online order form.

We have been seeing several students taking their screen protectors off due to damage and not replacing them.  Several of these specific iPads have then ended up being damaged from drops.  The screen protector works when it is used.  Please ensure you have a screen protector on your iPad at all times.

iPad Chargers

Students were all given a brand new charger when they received their iPads for the first time.  Any damage or loss of charger is the responsibility of the student to replace.  We do sell Apple Certified chargers through our online order form for $6 for tail and $6 for the charging block.  If replacing on your own, you MUST purchase and use an Apple Certified charger.  The charger will have the logo stating it is made for iPhone or iPad.  

Additionally, it is important the charging block be either 10w or 12w in order to charge the device properly.

Students using none Apple Certified chargers are breaking the insurance policy.  Any damage resulting from this will not be covered under Insurance and student will be charged for all repairs or replacement of device.

Changes to App Distribution

Over the past couple of years Apple has been moving away from the Volume Purchasing Program(VPP) and towards Apple School Manager or Apple Business Manager for large scale App Purchasing.  Previously I would purchase licenses for apps on the VPP store, sync to our Mobile Device Management server, and assign the app to users.  With Apple moving away from the VPP store, I have made the switch to School Manager entirely for App distribution.

How will this affect end users?

Simply put, you should experience very little in regard to this change.  All of these changes take place on the back end of things and only affect the way I manage and distribute apps.

The biggest issue with this switch has been with regard to already assigned licenses.  Because we already have a huge number of assigned licenses using the legacy VPP store, these license must be unassigned before they can be redistributed.  For example, let’s say John Smith is a user in our domain and he has a license for pages assigned to him.  John breaks his iPad and must have it replaced.  Our server will notice John already has a license assigned to him and will not automatically give him the necessary license for pages on his new device before I completely wipe it off the old device.  This extra step doesn’t really impact much, but in order to get all old licenses back, I must have them deleted off every device.  I plan to do that this summer unless you are notified otherwise.  Then everything will be fully transferred to the new app store program.

Additionally, I am looking into setting up a self-service for Apps so students can download specific apps as needed.  This would speed up the configuration process and provide a little more freedom to students.

Sharp Boards

Right before winter break we received 15 Sharp Boards around the building in different classrooms.  These boards contain a 70 inch screen with 10 point touch and many cool interactive features to be used in the classroom.  The boards come equipped with a PC with an intel core i7 processor as well as a very powerful soundbar.  There are conferencing tools allowing teachers and students to interact through the board and through their iPads.

Teachers will receive ongoing training throughout the year on this new technology so it can be fully utilized.

New Phones

We replaced a few classroom phones in the building that have had some issues.  Over time we will slowly replace phones as the needs arise.  Staff experiencing issues with their phones need to fill out support tickets so we can deal with them as they arise.

Important Mac Information

Mac Updates

Staff, I have noticed many of your running OSX two versions old.  I recommend all staff run at least Mac OS High Sierra.  Typically I ask everyone to wait at least a month before updating to the newest operating system so a majority of the bugs can be worked out.  OS Mojave has been out for a couple months now and despite a few issues with drivers, most of the bugs have been worked out.  Keeping your Mac up to date by at least downloading the security updates is important to the healthy of your laptop.

Mac Self- Service

Just as I mentioned above with a Self-Service for iPad apps, I am working on updating one for MacBooks.  This would allow you to download an app directly from the Self Service application in your launchpad.  The apps will be those with the ability to enhance classroom learning or those requested by staff members.

PowerSchool Registration

This year we are making the switch from a paper based registration process to PowerSchool Registration.  With this switch, the registration process will become more efficient and can be handled quickly through the web.  Parents will be able to upload all forms and pay technology fees during this process.

Upcoming Testing

Statewide Readiness testing for the iLearn is taking place on Wednesday, January 23 at 8:15am for middle school students.

ISTEP for 10th grade will start the end of February.  NWEA will also begin end of February and run through March.

Please ensure your iPads are fully charged on these days.

Support Ticket Breakdown

November was a very high month for support tickets with a number coming due to the installation of new pod printers.  We also had a number of printer support tickets in December.  Besides that, the biggest number of tickets was due to Powerschool password resets or login information requests.

Lost/Missing iPads

November and December both had 8 iPads go missing throughout the months.  All were recovered.

Insurance Claims

Insurance claims were low again in November and December.

Additional Information

• Please remember to choose a topic for your support tickets and not just select other.  I use these to categorize and assign.
• Remember to fill out support tickets for all your tech support requests.
• If you have a broken iPad, please ensure you make deductible payment or you will not receive a new iPad.