Introduction
Welcome to another school year and the first Tech Report of the 2022-2023 school year! We are one month into the new year and so far things have gone really smooth from a tech standpoint. iPads were rolled out day one and parents were able to come in and pay for iPad insurance through the iPad kiosks set up in the main office or online. There are always hiccups the first few days of school as new staff and new students adjust to procedures and acclimate to HAST, but one month in I can positively reflect on iPad rollout.
There are a couple changes that have taken place at HAST since my last Tech Report. We have several new teachers, a new Dean of Discipline, and Dr. Egan announced his pending retirement at the end of this school year. I wish to congratulate him on his retirement! This school year also marks a return to normalcy for all of us as we return to in person learning 5 days a week. The last couple school years have been tough and have caused many of us to change the way we teach and learn. It has also caused us to make better use of the technology we have and to discern when to give kids a break from the technology. Additionally, Mr. Kman took over as PowerSchool Administrator in April. Mr. Kman attended PowerSchool University this summer and has been a great asset to the school with his knowledge and efficiency. With all that being said, let’s dive into the report for September!
Cybersecurity
This year we continue with our Cybersecurity Training provided by Infosec. Veteran staff will have a new set of training videos this year while new staff will complete the training veteran staff completed last year. Please make sure you stay on top of the training. All it takes is one person opening the wrong email to put all of us at risk.
Two phishing simulation emails were already sent out at the beginning of the year and the phishing rate was way too high at 38%. Additionally, only 38% reported the emails through phish notify. Please see your emails as I sent out a video explaining how to identify a phishing scam email as well as directions on how to set up and use phish notify. This is something that is very important to providing a safe and secure workplace.
PowerSchool/My School Bucks
As I have been saying for the past year, we purchased an online payment system called My School Bucks. With the transition that took place in the Business Department last fall, fees and information in PowerSchool was not up to date. The Business Department spent many months reconciling payments and ensuring the fee informations and what parents owed was up to date and working. Once that information was inputted and correct, My School Bucks was set up and synced with PowerSchool. Parents can login and create their My School Bucks account, it should be single sign on. If not, Mr. Kman or the Business office can assist. Parents should not make any payments in My School Bucks yet as we have an additional plugin that must be synced with My School Bucks before we can start using it fully. Parents should be able to start making payments on My School Bucks by October. Soon after that, we will start rolling out the store front as well for purchasing chargers and screen protectors within My School Bucks. For more information, please contact Debbie Czmiel, HAST Business Manager.
Securly/Securly Parent Portal
This year marks our second school year using the Securly Safety Console. Not only does it serve as a web filter, but it also serves as a 24/7 monitoring tool of email, google drive and web. Dr. Egan and Mr. W will receive alerts of students in danger of self harm or harming others based upon searches, emails, or documents. They will continue to contact parents when these instances occur. After the first quarter I will be rolling out Securly Parent. This will allow parents to see reports on what their children are doing on their iPad. It will also assist with safety concerns and alerts and hopefully provide another line of defense against self harm or harm of others. There is an app parents will be able to download as well as weekly email reports. Additionally, parents have the ability to turn off Internet to the student device using the app. I piloted this app with a couple parents last school year and they were very happy with its functions.
NWEA
NWEA tests take place in September and run until the end of the month. Students in all grades with the exception of 12th, will take the NWEA tests. It is very important staff educate themselves on proctoring as well as common issues that arise during testing. With the schedule I sent out a troubleshooting guide. Students should make sure their iPads are fully charged.
Tech Issues
Issue #1 – iPad Updates
One of the biggest issues I have seen so far this school year is student iPads not being up to date. There wasn’t a single iPad that should have been running iOS 14 at the end of the school year. Part of iPad Collection was ensuring all iPads were updated with one exception (iOS 14.8.1 which had an issue updating). This was one of my biggest concerns with collecting iPads after finals last year and a big reason why I may not allow collection to take place on the last day again this year. When iPads are not up to date and especially when they are running a very old iOS, such as 14, many of the apps will not work correctly. Safari will not have the most secure version. Apple Classroom will not work with student iPads. As I look currently, there are students still running iOS 13.6! These students will not be able to complete state testing on their iPads being so out of date. This issue will need to be rectified as soon as possible.
Issue #2 – TV Broken
This year when turning on the TVs after being off all summer, I realized one of the ones in the main hallway was not working. The TV no longer functions and will need to be replaced. This is something I am hoping we can take care of before the end of the school year as the TVs are nice to have in the front when people walk in so they can see what is going on at HAST.
Issue #3 – Staff Devices not Communicating with MDM
Over the summer our Mobile Device Management Server needed a certificate update. This certificate allows devices to communicate safely with the server. Staff who did not use their iPads or laptops during the time of this certificate change did not receive the updated MDM profile. This caused some devices not to be able to communicate with the MDM server. This was noticed when some teachers attempted to utilize Apple Classroom and did not receive updated rosters. For laptops the solution is easy: delete the existing MDM profile and install the new one. For iPads, this required a wipe of the iPad and reconfiguration. The certificate should not expire again until 2032.
Issue #4 – Intermittent Stalled Internet
I have received a few reports from teachers regarding intermittent Internet issues. In every case teachers lose connection despite showing full bars on their Wi-Fi. They will be stalled going to a web page and must turn the wifi off then back on again before it will work. Sometimes a restart is needed. This has happened randomly. Some students have experienced issues with Google apps and IXL in much the same way. The issue is not the network and not the Internet, but rather related to Securly and the web filter. While Securly has been a great program for our school, there are occasional hiccups. In every case reported to me so far, it has been a few students experiencing the issue while others are able to browse or use IXL without issue. So far I have filed a ticket with Securly and have made some adjustments to our firewall rules in hopes this helps with the issue. I am waiting on additional recommendations from Securly support. If you experience stalling of Internet on student devices, you can do the following:
- Ensure device is logged into Google. Google is how Securly verifies the student is a valid user and how it can track them. Go to google.com and see if the student is logged in. If not, log him or her in and it should work.
- Check the iPadOS version to make sure the student is running the latest available update. Running an old version can cause other issues with apps such as Google and IXL. This would make it a separate issue from Securly.
- Turn the wifi off then back on.
- Restart the iPad. The Securly Profile connects to Securly servers and is constantly updating. Sometimes a restart is needed to ensure the most up to date information is being passed on to the device.
If I get more information or another fix, I will pass it along. Again, this is not something that is always happening. There are many factors that could be affecting IXL performance and some of them involve iPadOS version and app version. In every case, however, there were no network errors.
I have recently made some firewall changes I hope will assist with these Securly issues. I will have more information on the next report.
Issue #5 – Printer Maintenance
I have had several reports of Printers not functioning correctly or running slowly. Just like your computer, a printer needs to be shut down from time to time. I am going to start conducting a monthly restart on all the printers. This should help your printers to work optimally and extend the life on them.
Issue #6 – NWEA Testing
A late addition to the Tech Report is an issue with NWEA testing. The first day of testing was filled with many issues. Students were greeted with a white screen in the NWEA testing app upon trying to login to the test. After trying the normal troubleshooting tips (ie. close out app, restart iPad, log into Google), the issue persisted. I advised Middle School teachers to have kids test on the website instead of the app. This resolved the testing issues. Any issue beyond that was user error and testing went smoothly for the second test of the day. I advise all teachers to utilize the website I sent out via email for testing from now on.
Support Ticket Breakdown
Lost/Stolen iPads
Broken iPads
Coming Soon…
Soon the Tech Store will be moving to My School Bucks once all is set and ready to go. Once this happens, an announcement will be made. I will still receive notifications of payment for items within the store. iPad deductibles will be paid by invoice and no longer through the tech store. They will also be paid in My School Bucks. Until this transition happens, you can continue to use the jotform for the Technology Store.
Over Fall Break, I am planning to install a new core switch and some components. The hope is this will improve our wifi in the building and give me more network management options. This installation is pending the availability of network engineers.
Reminders
- Please remember to fill out support tickets for support issues.
- Take care of your devices.
- Please make sure your devices are charged and clear any background apps before testing.
- Visit HAST Tech Store for chargers, screen protectors, and to pay iPad deductible online.