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Issue 9 - 2016 │T1 │W3

news.T4L – 2016: Welcome back!

We hope the break was kind to everyone and we’re all back and ready for great new ICT developments and opportunities that will appear this year.  Of course, this newsletter is back, published three times each term, with each issue full of the latest news, practical tips, useful links and stories about your peer schools and the great things that are happening across NSW.

New Citrix Receiver client News item

Any new computers introduced to your school that need to be able to access OASIS, EBS4 or SAP GUI will need to get the latest approved Citrix client installed.  Citrix Receiver v14.3 is now available for eT4L Schools for easy deployment to eT4L desktops, laptops and tablets using the Universal Desktop Manager (UDM) tool.  For the small number of schools not yet migrated to eT4L services, the installation of Citrix Receiver must be performed manually. The installer is available at ITD’s FTP share.  Full instructions are available in this Fact Sheet and installation guide.

Software Catalogue update News item

Based on user feedback and internal review, the DoE Software Catalogue for eT4L schools is undergoing a significant upgrade with many enhancements:

  • The software request process has been simplified and for site administrators, the approval and new software contribution process streamlined
  • A new Devices section listing models that have been qualified against the eT4L imaging process
  • A new Currently Available section quickly displays all titles already added to your site’s UDM
  • The Search facility has been greatly enhanced and can now search for freeware or by vendor
  • Site administrators get a better management console showing pending actions and details of all titles associated to the school
  • A new Feedback form and FAQ section

The new Software Catalogue will appear at the same address from the start of Week 5 this term.

Your profile photo in Webmail Tip item

Did you know you can add your own profile photo to your DoE Outlook Webmail account? Once you have your profile photo prepared as a small jpg file, do this:

  1. Open your WebMail in Internet Explorer 11
  2. Click the gear icon (top-right, beside your name) and choose Options
  3. On the Account page, click Edit information
  4. Click the Change button, browse to your jpg file, then select your photo
  5. Click Save.

Make sure the photo you choose for your profile is appropriate for work as it represents you.

BYOD @ Bundanoon PS  Peer item

There have been plenty more schools producing their own ClassMovie to demonstrate their information and communications technologies journey. Bundanoon Public School's film highlights the school's journey with BYOD and collaborative technologies and shows how, in a short space of time, they were able to transform learning and engagement for both staff and students.  Click the image below to watch their ClassMovie.

Click to watch this video

40 maps explain the Internet  Link item

The internet delivers information to us no matter where we are. It’s a complex system of cables, servers, towers, and other infrastructure, built over decades, that lets us to stay in touch with our friends and family so effortlessly. Here are 40 maps to help you better understand the internet — where it came from, how it works, and how it's used all around the world. It’s a great talking point for the classroom!

Google Apps for Edu blog Link item

More schools continue to discover the many benefits of Google Apps for Education in the classroom.  A good way to discover all the latest developments and what other schools are doing with it is to regularly visit the official Google for Education blog.  You can even share your school’s journey and have it highlighted on the blog. Keep an eye on DoE’s official Learning Tools page for ongoing support in 2016.

My Essentials shortcuts Tip item

The DoE Staff Portal (Insight) allows users to add their own custom shortcuts (URLs) to the Essentials panel at the top. It’s a very handy way to make all your favourite sites easily available, no matter where you logon. Some users are even able to share custom shortcuts that they have created with other users to save them manually having to create the same shortcuts. Here’s a simple one-page step-by-step guide that you can share with staff to make Insight work better for you.

Monitors on HP desktop PCs Tip item

We’ve put together this handy guide to help avoid confusion when it comes to connecting one or two monitors to the new HP Desktop PCs. The left side explains how to best connect existing VGA monitors to both the Base and Advanced models, while the right side details the ports and cables provided with new HP LED monitors (both 21” and 24”) and makes recommendations for which to use.

Thumbnail of infographic

Office 365 ProPlus upgrade News item

All HP ProCurve switches in schools are covered by a lifetime warranty. If a switch in your school is faulty, please contact the ICT Service Desk who will direct your incident to the appropriate local support team for investigation. Once the investigation is complete and a switch fault is confirmed, the support team will request a replacement on your behalf. This will be shipped direct to the school on the next business day. Your local support team can assist you with re-installation and setup if required and a HP representative will contact you shortly afterward to arrange collection of the faulty switch.

HP Switch warranty support Tip item

Following the story in last week’s Technology News for Schools, teachers have been trying to access Google Forms in their Google Apps for Education (GAFE) in the DoE Portal.  While you could assume it’s one of the apps in the list when you first open GAFE, it’s actually not there.  Here’s how you get to Google Forms – feel free to share these new skills:

  • Open the Google Apps console from DoE portal (you’ll find it under My Learning Tools)
  • Click on Drive
  • Click the New button at the top-left, then More, then select Google Forms.

Exciting T4L News changes! News item

We are looking forward to releasing a brand new online look for news.T4L in the coming months.  No more PDFs. Announcement coming soon.

CM12 for primary schools News item

In the previous issue of T4L News we announced the upgrade of Configuration Manager on all eT4L servers in primary schools to CM12.  This process is now complete and progressively as school eT4L desktops, laptops and tablets are logging on, the CM12 agent is being updated. It is important that any device that has been F12-built is connected to the school network either wired or wirelessly so all agents get updated to ensure better device management. This is especially important for any eT4L laptops taken home by staff.  The CM12 Fact Sheet fully explains the process.

OSX El Capitan in eT4L schools News item

In the week 6, term 4 issue of this newsletter, we provided a new user guide for eT4L schools to follow to build Apple Mac desktops and laptops with OSX.  Two versions were available, Yosemite and Mavericks.  With the delivery of the newest models of iMac and MacBook via the T4L rollout, we have been progressively updating eT4L Servers to remove the OSX Mavericks build and add the OSX El Capitan build.  The latter is required for all new Macs.  Schools that ordered Apple Macs in the T4L rollout have already been completed, with other schools updated before the end of this term.

Hardware warranty lookup Tip item

As part of our contract negotiations with computer suppliers, generous warranty provisions are included in the purchase price.  But as computers are sporadically added to the school’s fleet, it’s often difficult to identify which are still covered by vendor warranty and which have expired.  Before logging service desk calls for hardware faults, it’s wise to check the current warranty status of the affected computer.  Click the logo below to link to each contracted vendor’s warranty checker.  You will need the computer’s model and serial number.

Check HP warranty statusCheck Lenovo warranty statusCheck Apple warranty status

More T4L news in Week 6

Information Technology Directorate publishes T4L news for schools three times every term. Remember to share each issue with your staff!

NSW DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION - INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DIRECTORATE