Abbotsleigh's Adventures with Windows 8

Megan Townes

AbbotsleighAdventures with Windows 8

Abbotsleigh’s Adventure into Windows 8Megan Townes and Warwick NobleELH SchoolTech 2014

Who are we?

Megan Townes Warwick Noble

Lead IT IntegratorEnglish Teachertownesm@abbotsleigh.nsw.edu.au

@townesy77

IT Directornoblew@abbotsleigh.nsw.edu.au

@warwicknoble APOLOGIES

TANGENTS

Where are we?

Established in 1885, Abbotsleigh is a Pre Kindergarten to Year 12 Anglican day and boarding school for girls located in Wahroonga on Sydney’s North Shore.

Who are you?

Classroom Teacher

Executive Teacher

Principal

Primary Teacher

Secondary Teacher

Tertiary Teacher

Technology Coordinator

IT Manager

Has Windows 8 at their school in some capacity

Intends to roll out Windows 8 at their school in the next 12 months

Has used Windows 8 either professionally or personally

Why are you here?

This session will explore our planning, deployment and training strategies, logistics and technical requirements, as well as explore a range of Windows apps relevant to the classroom.

What would you like to hear about most?

Planning strategies

Deployment strategies

Training strategies

Technical and logistical requirements

Why Windows 8 at Abbotsleigh?

• All staff and majority of students have been allocated touch screen laptops over the last two years

• Desire to make touch a more compelling enhancement of the way laptops were being used

• Additionally, tablets were being trialled in iOS and Win 8

• IOS devices are not widely used and we have not facilitated BYOD

• Dual SOEs in the short term with plan to upgrade all devices in 2014

• Deliberate decision to bundle Win8, Office 2013 and SharePoint 2013

Why Windows 8 at all?

Windows 8 Project Phases

Play – Early 2013• Feasibility

play• IT service

staff• IT

Integrators

Pilot – 2013 Term 4• 20 staff• 3 teacher ‘guinea pigs’

with high IT tolerance• Desktop application

testing• General usability• OneNote issues list• Weekly meetings• Investigated imaging

methodology – changed from Altiris to SCCM

• Investigated InTune vs SCCM

Implementation – Dec 2013 through 2014• Win 8.1 deployment

through 2014• Staff choice when to

upgrade• Mandatory upgrade or

new deployment for Years 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11

• Difficult to time reimage Years 8 and 11

• Desktops ongoing

Enhancement – 2014 and beyond• Windows 8 tablets

for project work• Improved group

policies and registry tweaks

• Volume purchasing

• Office 365 hybrid services

Windows 8 Training

Strategy briefing to all staff

Heads up sessions

End of year fun activities

Holiday upgrades/training

Term upgrade sessions

Win 8 Pop-up Help Desks

Integrator Workshops

Apptivities for learning

Featured apps - Intranet

Subtle and not so subtle coercion

The Challenge

Training

Just in Case You Missed it the First Time

Windows 8 Apps

http://bit.ly/w8bloomsapps

My Personal Favourites

Issues with Windows 8

Apps – Win 8 small collection compared to iOS but building every day

Staff comfort levels if committed to personal iOS apps

Live accounts – Manual processes

Volume Licensing – no clear solution at this point

App management

Dual SOE’s especially with desktops

Some software required tweaking and waiting on updates

Scheduling and timing of upgrades was time consuming

New staff individual induction takes significantly longer time

Some staff have had difficulty with desktop and Windows 8 Start menu

Live Accounts and Age Limits

Students 13 or older have personal Live accounts, students under 13 we pre setup laptops with Live accounts

Spreadsheets are created with groups and default passwords for quick reference and cut and paste and distributed amongst technicians. 30 students per technician per year group

Naming convention on live account names smithj2020abb@outlook.com

Second alternate address smithj2020.live@abbotsleigh.nsw.edu.au created as per requirements for Live confirmation processes all go to one mailbox

Validation process is sent to an IT account “Live Accounts”

The accounts are created and bound as part of the setup process along with other tasks in setting up the laptops

Silly complications like “bank” in names

Evaluation

Upgraded and deployed over 800 devices in two months

Voluntary staff upgrades 120 since December

Extremely successful upgrades and deployments processes Very smooth induction with students, best to date

Speed improvements have been significant

Student touch usage noticeably increased, not necessarily in tablet mode

Split screen feature regarded as highly valuable and productive

Desktops will require careful planning as Modern UI with mouse is less intuitive – likely boot to desktop

Office 2013 bundled improved overall “freshness” but added to training requirements

Questions…

Thank you! Get in touch for more information

Megan Townes Warwick Noble

Lead IT IntegratorEnglish Teachertownesm@abbotsleigh.nsw.edu.au

@townesy77

IT Directornoblew@abbotsleigh.nsw.edu.au

@warwicknoble