Introduction Increasing technology utilization Maximize usage of new tools Questions Getting the Most from Your Technology Dollars Home

IntroductionIncreasing technology utilizationMaximize usage of new toolsQuestions

Getting the Most from Your Technology Dollars

Home

Miami University Bachelor of Science in Systems Analysis

Programmer for Dayton Power & Light Systems Analyst for NCR Corporation USAF

Computer Maintenance Officer Network Administrator Pilot (T-37, MH-53, C-141)

United Airlines Technology Coordinator (2003)

National Trail Local School District

My Background

Why should we increase Technology utilization?

We can’t expect our staff to spend their limited time learning about new instructional opportunities if they aren’t already utilizing what is available.

We need to achieve staff “buy in” Particularly among tech-shy individuals Again, if the staff doesn’t use what they have,

additional spending may be of little value!

How do we increase Technology utilization? Reliability must be the most important emphasis.

It is, without question, the most important factor in getting (and keeping) your staff using technology.

If a teacher feels that technology will not be available when a class starts, he/she will simply not use it.

If a teacher has been “bitten” more than once trying to use technology, they will stop trying!

Teachers have too many things on their plate to have to worry about whether they can even accomplish a class.

No one likes looking “foolish” in front of a group.

How do we increase Reliability?

Reliability is Our Responsibility No one can be responsible for keeping things

running other than us. No non-tech staff No vendors No support contractors

We need to strive for … Same day response whenever possible. 24 hour maximum response.

How do we increase Reliability? Handling Problems and Tracking Results

Paper Hard to manage even in a one building district

Phone Requires a staff Does not allow for collecting of relevant information.

Online System Lets you request custom information Allows Central Collection Point Easy to Setup and Maintain

Use Maintain Don’t Reinvent the Wheel, Use Mine!

Download from Technology Coordinator Links Customize to your hearts content!


Create a Self-Help Climate Help Staff Help Themselves

Tech Tuesdays Online Questions and Answers Instructional Self-Help Videos

Example Windows Media Encoder

Free download from Microsoft Resource intensive See Jeff Wassom’s Class Tuesday


Upgrade plan We swap out (or fully test) each PC at least

every other year Not new (we have almost no new)

Fully test memory Fully test hard drive Newly imaged PC

All appropriate software All Updates Clean of spy ware and the like!

This pays you back big!


One IT Person per building No way $$$ Weekly scheduled visits that staff can plan on.

Train “Local” staff members Not for micro-managers! Every district has “non-IT” staff that can be trained to

help in the local buildings. Provide Incentives

$$$ (hourly is cheaper than a fulltime employee) Entice with Permanent Class Tools Provide an additional Plan Period

Provide additional Training Train During Weekly visits.


Some things to help at zero cost… Students

Student Help desks A+ certification classes to train students You can’t do it alone

(at least I can’t) If you aren’t using them, consider it!

Go to IT 4 Free! Lots of tools that will help you at no cost

How do we increase Technology utilization? # 2 Create the “Need to Use”

The more your staff uses technology on a daily basis, the more comfortable they will become.

Get your staff “online” Grading software that is reliable Online Attendance that serves a purpose Network Drive Space! Network laser printers

Create the “Need to Use”

Network Drivespace for all! Get all your faculty, staff, and students used to network

and shared drives. Meets required standards for students Very minimal work to setup Gives staff secure (and backed up) storage location Gives students mobility between locations

Can your students move to any class and any PC anywhere in your district and find their coursework?

Give faculty authority (and training) to create class shares

Allowing them to create locations to share projects, data…


How to Setup Accounts easily? Accounts.zip Example on Server

Mapping Drives Scripting in Active Directory Automap all your resources Script Examples How to incorporate in your AD


Network Laser Printers Large “Industrial” ones with duplexers

$100 per 15000 sheets Replaces copies, saves teachers time

Can save thousands over InkJets Each Hallway needs one We have saved over 20K/yearly in our small

district Auto-script printers


Do You Moodle? Catches fire throughout the district Free and relatively easy to Setup What can you do? How to get started?

Maximize usage of new tools

To share or not to share? Many people feel that more classrooms will

be able to use tools if they are available to everyone.

I thought that too! I was wrong!

Tracked Usage over 2 years on signout LCD projectors available through the library.


LCD Projectors were rarely used unless a teacher kept it, then the library got it back.

I decided to mount projectors in the rooms where teachers signed them out the most.

10 times more usage (based on lamp hours) than when they were be signed out.


NTLS Technology Committee felt our first objective was to give teachers the way to display technology. LCD Projectors became our primary goal. Who gets them?

Staff Survey LCD or TV connected to PC

LCD Projectors are actually not that much more expensive than VGA capable TVs.




Surveys made it possible to prioritize who would get projectors. If you didn’t turn it in, you weren’t considered Technology Committee (1/4 of the staff is on the

committee) decided the ordering Took the “heat” off of me. I did have teachers later get upset because they

“would have filled out the survey if they thought they would get a projector.”


Permanently Mounted LCDs Carts will be underutilized!

Teachers do not want to rearrange their rooms Teachers want the tools in their room

Purchased 30 over last 2 years Mostly with e-rate refunds

Moved all TVs to non-LCD rooms Mounted LCDs ourselves

Some school estimates have been $1100/LCD


Projector Epson S4 1800

Lumens ($615) Mount and Cable

($100)


Additional Components for “LCD” Rooms Dual-Video Card <$25

TV CardsTV Cards <$25<$25 Connect VCRsConnect VCRs

and Cable and Cable through it.through it.


ItemNTLS Purchase Site Model Catalog Number Price Contact

LCD Projector CDW Epson S-4 973327 $615.00 Adam Stemple 1-866-339-5677

LCD Mount CDWUNIV PROJECTOR MOUNT 661229 $90.00 Adam Stemple 1-866-339-5678

DVD Player TigerDirect Lite-On L12-1102 $19.88 Rich 1-866-310-2925

TV Card TigerDirect Sabrent TV Tuner M501-1202 $19.99 Rich 1-866-310-2926

25' Video Cable TigerDirect

Cables To Go 25-Foot Premium Shielded HD15 Male/Female VGA Extension Monitor Cable C184-09457 $19.99 Rich 1-866-310-2927

Video Card Various Matrox G45 ~$20 www.pricewatch.com




To share or not to share?


Nice Mobile Cart with PC, Projector, Smartboard, Stand ~ 4000-5000

For the same money you could put in 3 permanent LCDs and 1 Mobile Board All 3 teachers are very happy to have LCDs But the smartboart still stayed in 2 classroom

No one wants to share? For the same money you could do 2 rooms

with permanent Smartboards and LCDs Which is still more usage than a cart system


I am trying to steer you away from any thought of sharing. You get more when you think permanent Your tools will get used more on a daily basis.

Permanent tools take the students attention off of the tool and back on the lesson.

Mobile tools tend to make students focus attention on the tool and not the lesson.

There are other options out there.


What did teachers need after the LCD Projector?

Some Options (in order of cost) Remote Presentation Mice <$40 Airliners ~$300 Mimios ~$500 Smartboards ~$1500 ($2000 with stand)

(There are others of course, we just tried Smart)

Tools for the Classroom

Remote Presentation Mice Meet the minimum flexibility requirements Some teachers get all they want from one! $39 for the IOGear Phaser Small Expense for teacher mobility


Smart Airliner Currently $279 Very Flexible Classroom mobility Can use multiple (7) units Bluetooth wireless connection Very Portable! Negative - Takes some getting used to

Some teachers won’t take the time.

Mimio Tool $479 Very Flexible Classroom mobility USB connection Very Portable! Needs a dry erase board Partial Negative – Software isn’t as good

Why partial…


Smartboards ~$1500 (Expensive Shipping) Not Very Flexible

Wireless Connection option ($199) USB connection In the way if is portable, not portable if it is

permanent Undoubtedly the best! (in my opinion)



There are other tools out there that are more specific for classes Digital Microscopes Digital Cameras Scanners These are great examples of what can be

shared well.

Getting the most usage of your Technology Dollars

Get Technology Used through reliability. Create an atmosphere that makes your staff

want to use your existing technology. Spend your dollars to get the technology you

purchase used every day. Portability is a novelty to students and

teachers. Don’t make your expenditures a novelty. Make teaching tools permanent that need to

be permanent.

Questions

Contact Information Brian Pool [email protected] National Trail Local School District 937-437-3333 x 1235

Don’t hesitate to call!

Documents

Introduction Increasing technology utilization Maximize usage of new tools Questions Getting the Most from Your Technology Dollars Home