Important Notes
Welcome to the November Tech Report. I have a number of things to share with you for this month!
iOS 11 and ISTEP
Over the last two months I have shared with you numerous updates regarding iOS 11. First and foremost, iOS 11 contained many bugs and issues when first released. Some of these issues included shorter battery life as well as preventing users from using the tesnav app (required for ISTEP).
With the most recent update to 11.1, Apple has fixed a majority of the bugs. Pearson has also indicated iOS 11.1 will be compatible with ISTEP testing. This is very good news on both fronts as iOS 11 provides many new features that can be utilized by both students and teachers in the classroom.
Students currently running iOS 11, should update to the latest release of iOS 11.1. I have sent commands for updates to all of these devices; however, a good majority have yet to update. Please update as soon as possible.
Students currently running iOS 10, should remain on iOS 10 for the time being. While Pearson has indicated ISTEP will run on iOS 11.1, we have not gotten official word as of this posting. Please remain on iOS 10 for the time being and I will provide further updates as I get them.
PowerSchool Password Resets
Over the last several months, Mr. Dupras has received a large number of PowerSchool Password Reset requests. This is fine; however, these issues are typically not handled correctly.
Students should check with their teachers FIRST before requesting a password reset. Teachers have access to 99% of the passwords through a google sheet.
If the teacher does not have the password or it does not work, then you will need to fill out a support ticket. Mr. Dupras and I get hundreds of emails a day. If you send emails regarding PowerSchool, it will get lost in his inbox. Filling out a support ticket prevents it from getting lost.
Support Ticket Options
It is nice to see a majority of people following the correct procedures for eliciting Tech Support. Thank you for this. Unfortunately, we have also noticed people not using the drop down to determine the type of support they are requesting. For example, we have a number of people using “Other” to describe their issue with an app, their laptop, or wifi. We have several options and the only time “Other” should be used is when none of those other options match up.
Using the correct option for your support ticket helps us to organize them at the end of the month when I look at reports. If we have a bunch of “Other” support tickets, I typically have to go through them and make sure they cannot fit into another category before I can do reports.
Support Ticket Breakdown
Overall, we had a busy month with 80 support tickets. As always, PowerSchool had the most support tickets with 26. After that, we had a number of support tickets involving students need specific apps (10), and teachers having issues with wifi connectivity on iPads (12). 10 out of the 12 tickets for wifi were resolved by following the procedures I have outlined previously for staff members: 1. Connect to HAST Wireless. 2. Wait a few minutes and attempt to connect to HAST Wireless2. The other two devices needed to be wiped to get rid of all old configurations.
More than likely, October will be the busiest month until next spring as we enter some of the slower months.
Missing iPads October
Missing iPads stayed consistent this month with a total of 7. All were recovered. Please remember when procedures are followed, iPads are found.
Insurance Claims October
Insurance claims were low for the second straight month. We only had one iPad break in 8th grade this month, still a huge improvement from last year. We have had a few screen protectors break with drops; however, all iPad screens were in tact! We are investigating getting screen protectors for all students or providing them at a reduced rate.
Additional Notes
- Please remember to fill out a support ticket when needing support. We receive too many emails a day to sort through support emails. Support tickets go into a spreadsheet for us making it easier to stay organized. Do not send students down to our office!
- If you have a broken iPad, please pay your deductible to receive a replacement. You will need your device to take NWEA and/or ISTEP, as well as to complete your school work.
- MDM server was updated this past month. This was the first major release update in the last two years and provides much better communication with devices.
- Please remember your internet searches are monitored through our web filter. While we do not sit and watch the web filter all day, reports let us know any suspicious searches and any inappropriate websites accessed. This works no matter where your iPad is connected.