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Issue 02 - 2015 │T2 │W9

2015 T4L Rollout notifications   News item

The T4L Hardware Rollout has been delivering computers and mobile devices to schools since 2005.  We will commence the next T4L rollout early in Term 3. Emailed notifications of each school’s allocation and the ordering process will be sent out at that time.  Please be aware that P5, P6 and other small schools receive their allocations every two years and their next rollout is due in 2016. As in previous years, there will be a tight window for placing your orders.  If you need advice from your local field services support team on what to order, please log an ICT Service Desk call.  

Reports of network slowness News item

The performance of services and applications running across the DEC Wide Area Network (WAN) is influenced by a wide variety of factors.  The past twelve months have seen a dramatic increase in the number of endpoint devices connecting from schools. The success of the DER program where WiFi was provided throughout all high schools has inspired the proliferation of WiFi access points in primary schools. This has enabled a huge growth in mobile devices, both school-purchased and through BYOD programs.  Being mostly unmanaged, these mobile devices are driving the increased demand on individual WAN links to schools, proxy services and DEC’s Internet gateway, thereby affecting performance at all sites.  Investigations and monitoring are ongoing with appropriate capacity enhancements being made where possible.  Because of the nature of these impacts, not all sites are affected at the same time, but all sites are being affected from time to time – regardless of whether they are migrated eT4L sites or not.  To further explain some of the impacts that are affecting DEC WAN and services’ performance, an information pack has been produced.

New Aruba WiFi Bundles News item

Two new models of Aruba Wireless Access Point (WAP) bundles are included as options in this year’s T4L rollout.  The widely-used Instant 105s from previous years are about to be discontinued.  The new bundles include the Aruba Instant 115 and 205 models. The former has three antennas while the latter supports the new faster 802.11ac standard.  Both of these WAPs can be added to existing Aruba Instant 105 wireless networks as long as the latest firmware has been applied to the Instant 105 WAPs. Log a service desk call to request this update to be applied prior to adding these new models to your wireless network.  For high schools with DER controller-based wireless networks, these models of WAP are NOT compatible.  Please log a service desk call to obtain further advice if you wish to extend the existing DER WiFi at school.

Looking forward to Oliver? Peer item

After a couple of months of using it, “The students at Banks PS are loving Oliver!”, according to Julie Grazotis, Teacher Librarian at an Oliver Lighthouse School. “There has been a notable increase in our borrowing as students use the circulation terminal to process and return their loans. A number of students have submitted Book reviews while all students have quickly customised their Orbit interface.” - As for the back office, Julie says: “The new Z cataloguing is life changing, as is the ability to simply transfer a loan from one borrower to the next with no window or screen changes. Each day a new discovery is made that enables me to perform my daily tasks seamlessly. Today I customised my Home search page by adding a carousel of PRC titles and a picture of my library.”

OneNote for Teachers: guides Link item

Following the launch of Office 365 for all staff and students in NSW DEC, Microsoft has produced a new support site for students, teachers and administrators. This site contains a wealth of interactive guides, specifically focusing on OneNote.  With OneNote, users can create digital notebooks for “taking amazing notes, working with colleagues and peers, staying organised and delivering curriculum.”  The guides cover the basics and highlight scenarios. If you’ve never used OneNote, the guides are a great starting point for getting into the online Office 365 products.

OneNote Class Notebook Creator graphic

Adobe Education Exchange Link item

Teachers can unleash the creativity at your school using DEC’s Adobe Enterprise licence that gives access to much of Adobe’s suite of industry-standard software packages including Photoshop, Premiere, Illustrator and After Effects. Adobe now offers teachers access to free, on-demand training. The Adobe Education Exchange is “your online hub to help ignite creativity in your classroom through instructional resources, professional development, and peer-to-peer collaboration.”

DEC Contract for Laser Printers News item

DEC Procurement Solutions recently announced that the new contract supplier for laser printers and smaller multi-function devices to NSW DEC schools is Lexmark - replacing Hewlett Packard.  If your school is looking to buy new colour or mono laser printers, the full range is shown by searching for Lexmark at the department’s online catalogue.

New Windows Tablets models News item

Now that Windows 8.1 Tablets are supported via eT4L and can be managed using UDM, Windows Tablets have become a viable option for schools.  The 2015 T4L Rollout includes two models – the Lenovo Tablet 10 with an Intel Atom processor and the HP Pro X2 612 G1 with an Intel Core i5 processor.

Lenovo Tablet 10 photo

Power outages and eT4L Tip item

Losing power at your school can be caused by so many different situations.  It might be scheduled when electricians need to work on the distribution board or it might be unexpected due to a blackout or when a power circuit trips.  Once the power comes back on however, your school’s eT4L Server does not power back on automatically. As a result, users might start their PCs to find they can’t logon, or they don’t have access to their shares.  If you encountered a power outage, you can save time before logging a service desk call by pressing the power button on the front of the eT4L Server to power it up again.  Ten minutes later, users should be able to logon normally.

Requesting an eT4L shutdown Tip item

If you know that power to your school will need to be turned off for an extended period because an electrician or the power company has informed you, it’s best to log a service desk call to request that the school’s eT4L Server be remotely shutdown. Please provide sufficient notice for such requests. When power has been restored, simply turn the server back on again. NEVER simply power-off the server.

Restoring deleted files on eT4L Tip item

From time to time, users are faced with “disastrous” situations such as losing documents and data files.  You may have thought you didn’t need that folder anymore, so you deleted it. Or someone else deleted your files from a shared folder. Did you know that there are self-service options for restoring deleted files and even retrieving older versions of documents from eT4L staff home folders and faculty shares?  ITD has produced a guide that explains the options available.

Got a green screen at school? Link item

Using chroma key when making videos is one of the easiest and most motivating activities you can do with your class.  You can use Adobe Premiere Elements, Apple iMovie and even a variety of easy to use iPad apps to produce videos that look like they are shot anywhere on Earth – or the universe!  Just make your own green screen and get shooting.  Here’s a Pinterest board full of great ideas to help with getting started.

Photo of students in front of a green screen

A parent’s guide to Instagram Link item

Although it’s blocked in schools, it’s widely accepted that if a student has their own smartphone, they are probably on Instagram. With the camera on their phone, students can be snapping photos and instantly uploading them to their Instagram feed. But what are the risks? Who can see their photos? How can kids stay safe when using Instagram?  ConnectSafely.org has produced a great parent’s guide to Instagram.  You may wish to share this in your school newsletters.

The Internet in real time Peer item

We all know that the Internet is a massive place and it’s expanding all the time.  But how quickly is it growing? What’s happening at the most popular websites right now? This site provides a great visualisation and discussion starter for your classroom. 

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

NSW DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION - INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DIRECTORATE