CETPA Databus Fall 2009

THEME FOR THIS ISSUE: Network Traffic

Taming the Internet Through Traffic Control

The Demand of Network Bandwidth

Making No-Cost Student Laptops a Reality

Fall 2009VOlUME 2009 • ISSUE 4

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http://www.cyberschool.com

Fall 2009 • DataBus 5

Supporting California’s Educational Technology Community Fall 2009 Volume 2009 • Issue 4

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ENT

Sa r t i c l e s

President’s Message .................................................................................6By Russ Brawn

Best Practices ..........................................................................................8By Phil Scrivano

Taming the Internet Through Traffic Control .......................................10By Eric Wallers

Caution: Network Traffic Ahead ...........................................................14By Kevin Fuller

The Demands of Network Bandwidth ......................... 16By Jeff Enz

Essential Infrastructure to Support 21st-Century Literacy ..................................... 18By Tim Landeck

Making No-Cost Student Laptops a Reality ................. 20By Rick Otto

Value Without the Price ................................................ 22By Steve Thornton

My CTAP: Your Source for Educational Technology Support ..................................................... 24By Burt Lo

The Change Writers Project ..................................................................26By Gail Desler

E-rate Update ........................................................................................28By Fred Brakeman

Just Wearing Tweed Won’t Make You a Star .........................................32By Mark Heydon

Legislative Update .................................................................................34By Dr. Jeffrey Frost

Member Profile .....................................................................................36A Chat with Jim Klein

Resource Guide and Ad Index ...............................................................38

PublisherCaliforniaEducationalTechnologyProfessionalsAssociation

Managing EditorWade [email protected]

Advertising ManagerCici TrinoAssociationOutsourceServicesTel:(916)990-9999Fax:(916)[email protected]

EditorLisa Kopochinski(916) 481-0265Fax: (916) [email protected]

Layout and DesignLori Mattas

Printing and MailingCopeland Printing

DatabusistheofficialpublicationoftheCaliforniaEducationalTechnologyProfessionalsAssociation(CETPA).DatabusispublishedfourtimesayearasaservicetoourmembersandinformationtechnologymanagersforCalifornia’sK-12schoolsystem.

TheCETPAandtheDatabusassumenoresponsibilityforthestatementsoropinionsappearinginarticlesunderanauthor’sname.Theservicesofanattorneyoraccountantshouldbesoughtinlegalandtaxmatters.

AllrightstothematerialsandeditorialcontentofDatabusarereserved.Allcopyrightsandtrademarksarepropertyoftheirrespectiveowners.ReproductionoruseinwholeorpartwithoutthepermissionbyCETPAisprohibited.

california Educational Technology Professionals association

mailto:[email protected]



Board of directors

pRESIDENT’S MESSagEBy Russ Brawn, CETpA president

Howoftenhaveweworkedfromaconcepttoitsrealization,readytoenjoythebenefitsthattheproject’scompletionwas intended to accrue, only to be facedwith further

demandfromourclients,aswellasourownrealizationthatthesurfacehasjustbeenscratched?

Inmyexperience—asislikelyinthemajorityofourcom-munity of educational technology professionals—this is theprevalentoutcome.Somuchsothatitistheruleratherthantheexceptionthatwhateverouraccomplishments,wefindwehavemoretodo.Andthisisagoodthing.

Thisismylastpresident’smessageforDataBus,anditseemsthatthefirstonewaswrittensomethinglikeaweekago.Timechargeson.Thethoughts,dreams,plansandaspirationsheldas I began this tenure as CETPA president are fresh in mymind.Somearecompleted,othersareunderway,anda fewstillrelevantitemswillbefinishedsubsequenttomyterm.Ineachcase,noneareatanend.Emanatingfromall thatwasachievedinpartorinwholeisopportunitytocorrect,hone,expand,leverage,modifyand/orperfectwhatisalreadydonetothecontinuedbettermentofCETPA,ourmembershipandourclients.

Themostobviousconcentrationofeffortsand(somestillpending)achievementsoftheCETPAboardanditsmember-shipcenteraround:• Meetingthechallengeofconductingthe2009conferenceinatimeofuncertaintyandconstrainedfiscalresources.Ourmembersexpressedconcern,providedcounselandexpressedtheirresolvetofindwaystoparticipateinpersonforexchangeofexperiencesandideas.Theboardwillcapturesomecontentforpost-conference sharing,hasnegotiated the lowesthotelratesinyears,offersone-dayregistrationsandhasbroadenedthescopeanddepthoftheconferencesothatitmaybedeemed“missioncritical”topractitionersresponsibleforbothadmin-

istrativefunctionsandsupportofteachingandlearning.• CETPAisansweringthecalltoworkshouldertoshoulderwithGlenThomas,

theCaliforniaSecretaryforEducation,insupportofourgovernor’sinitiativetoprovidefreetextbooksinadigitalformatwithinCaliforniaschools.TheAugust11CETPADigitalTextbookSymposiumwasthefirststepinastill-emergingsequenceofeventsdesignedtofirmlyestablishaDigitalLearningImperative.Thatinauguraleventandthe“OneClassroomatEveryHighSchool”Initia-tivebuildtowardanin-depthOneDayDigitalLearningSymposiumontheopeningdayoftheCETPAconference.

• ThelaunchofahighlyinteractiveandenablingWebsiteworthyofourCETPAcommunity’spenchantandwonttoshareknowledge,ideasandartifactsviamultiple means. Wikis, blogs, news items, resource library and directoryinformationaresomefeaturesaddingtothelistserv,softcopylibraryofData-Busissues.Improvedaccommodationoftheconferenceregistrationprocessprovidesamuchimproveduserexperience.

Perhapslessobvious,butsignificant,areevolutionarystepsinCETPA’sconceptualizationandstructuringof:

• Increasedfocusuponteachingandlearningsothatstudentsandinstructorsadoptandadapttonew21st-centuryskillstotransformintoenvironmentsthatengagetoday’sstudents.

• Relationshipswithinstitutionsaswellasotherorganizationscrucialtosuc-cesses of our students, schools, districts and county offices of education.AmongtheseareACSA,CCSESA, theCDE,CETC,CLRN,CoSN,CUE,FCMATandtheOSE.

Achievement and Opportunity

continued on page 12

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Value akin to gold is found in colleagues sharing of successes

and failures, and in moments

of discovery that are made

possible through the presentation and exchange of

ideas, services and products.

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6 DataBus • Fall 2009

PRESIdENT

L. Russ Brawn, Chief Operations OfficerFCMAT/CSIS770 L Street, Suite 1120Sacramento, CA 95814

PRESIdENT ElEcT

Dr. Kelly Calhoun, Chief Technology OfficerSanta Clara County Office of Education 1290 Ridder park DriveSan Jose, CA 95131

PaST PRESIdENT

Warren Williams, Assistant Superintedent, RetiredGrossmont Union High School District1100 Murray DriveEl Cajon, CA 92020

TREaSURER

Terrell Tucker, Director Information & Technology Servicespanama-Buena Vista Union School District4200 Ashe RoadBakersfield, CA 93313

SEcRETaRY

Gregory W. Lindner, Technology Services DirectorElk Grove Unified School District9510 Elk Grove-Florin RoadElk Grove, CA 95624

EXEcUTIVE dIREcTOR

Andrea Bennett915 L Street #C424Sacramento, CA 95814

dIREcTOR OF PUBlIcaTIONS

Wade Williams, Director of Network ServicesStanislaus County Office of Education1100 H StreetModesto, CA 95354

dIREcTORS aT laRgE

Stephen Carr, Executive Director Technology ServicesVentura County Office of Education5189 Verdugo WayCamarillo, CA 93012

Sandra Ching, Director of Information Servicesplacentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District1301 Orangethorpe Avenueplacentia, CA 92870

Todd Finnell, Chief Executive Officer, CA K-12 High Speed NetworkImperial County Office of Education1398 Sperber RoadEl Centro, CA 92243

Dr. Carl Fong, Information Technology Executive DirectorOrange County Department of Education200 Kalmus DriveCosta Mesa, CA 92626

Oswaldo A. Galarza, Director, Technology ServicesSan Juan Unified School District3738 Walnut Ave.Carmichael, CA 95608

Tim Goree, Director of Technology ServicesNorris School District6940 Calloway DriveBakersfield, CA 93312

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BEST PRacTIcESBy phil Scrivano

Finding the Balance

By Phil Scrivano

Managingnetworktrafficispartartandpartscience.Theartisfindingthebalancebetweenahighlysecurednetworkthatisvirtuallyuselesstotheclassroomteacherandanetworkthatisopentovirusesandotherissuesthatmakeitunreliable.At

eachextremeyourprofessionalismiscalledintoquestionbyadministration,teachersandstudents.Tosupporttheirclaims,eachofthesegroupswillquicklyrecallanynetworkdowntimeinthelastyearincludingthetimeofdayandhowlongthenetworkwasdown.

Atthesametimeithasneverbeenmoreexcitingtobeinvolvedineducationtechnology.RecentlyIgaveupmytrustedBlackBerryandstartedusinganiPhone.AfterjustafewdayswiththeiPhone,IdiscoveredthesameexcitementwiththepossibilitiesinthecurriculumasIhadwhenIfirststartedteachingandwasgivenanAppleIIewithLegoWriter.Thedifferenceisnowit’stheITdepartmentthatmustbereadytodelivercontenttodevicesbothsecurelyandreliably—inadditiontoalltheotherfunctionsofthedepartment.Itisnotmuchofareachtofigureoutthatifwedonotadaptoureducationtechnologyalongwithstudentsandteachers,thesenewdeviceswillbeusedtobypassournetworks,policiesandfilters.

AsanITprofessional,therearesomebasicareasofconcernwhenitcomestothenetwork.Someofthemainissuesthatseemtocauseinstabilityareusershavinglocaladministrativerights,open-networkshares,lackofWindowsupdates,andliberalfilteringrulesforcertaingroups.EachoftheseissuesindividuallycomeaboutforgoodreasonssuchashavinglegacyWindows98operatingsystemsandteacherdemandsforresourcesandITbeingoverruledwhenconcernswereexpressed.Evenmorebasicisconductinganauditonceayeartoseewhichofyourstudentshavenetworkadminprivileges.

Ifyouareexperiencingthesetypesofissues,itisbesttostartcalculatingthecoststosupportavirus-infectednetworkversusfixingtheissuesandpossiblybecomingstricterwithnetworkadministration.Workingwithvirusesandinstabilityrequirescostlyhumanresourceswhichintoday’seconomyarehardtoallocate.Upgradingoperatingsystems,managingcentralstoresforupdates,andcontrollingnetworkresourcesaregenerallyone-timeexpensesandrequiremuchfewerresourcesovertheschoolyear.

ResourcesthattakeplacebeyondthenetworkcontrolofITalwaysaregoingtobearisk.Thequestionbecomeswithalltheresponsibilitiesofkeepingabusinessandstudentinfor-mationsystemworkingwhileaddressingeducationsoftwareandInternetcontentfilteringpolicies,whywouldareasonable-mindedITprofessionalthinkaboutopeningupsocialnetworkingsitessuchasFacebookandGoogleapplications?Tworesponsesareworthyofconsideration.Thefirstistheimportantroleofnetwork-trafficmonitoringtoseeanddealwithconcernsandabusesbyusers.Nomatterhowmuchtechnologysecuritywedevelopanddeploytherewillalwaysbeahumanelementwewillnotbeabletocontrol.Networkreportingandaccountabilityaremoreimportanttodaythaneverbeforefornootherreasonthanthegrowingcomplexityoftechnologyandthecommonknowledgebaseofourusers.

ThesecondansweristoclearlystatetovendorswhatwillbeneededinorderfortheITprofessionaltobecomfortabledeployingany“latestandgreatest”technology.Asanexample,schoolboardsarestartingtoaddressissuessuchasstudentssendingtextmessagesinordertocheatontests.Icanseecurrenttechnologythatroutes911callsfromacampustoadistrictpolicedepartmentalsobeingusedtodeploypoliciesthatbringnetworktrafficthroughthedistrictfilterandrestricttextmessagesduringtestingtimes.

Networktraffic isat thecoreofwhatweareresponsiblefor.Theclassroomwithaphonelineanda56kmodemconnectedtotheInternetforGophersearchesisancienthis-tory.ControllingallthetrafficfromtheschooldistricttotheInternetmaysomedaysoonseemtobeasoldasthemodem.Fortoday,wemustmakeitworkandkeepourchildrensafefromcontentthathasnoplaceinschoolcurriculum.Thisistrulyanartinleadership,practiceanddevelopment.n

Phil Scrivano is Vice President of Customer Services for Lightspeed Systems. He can

be reached at (661) 716-7600 or [email protected].

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education, the most

important thing is to

be able to show

a cost savings

in a short period

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Finding the Balance

C Innovation, Inc. develops Zangle, a student information system that helps K-12 school

districts to quickly and efficiently manage all aspects of student data. Zangle covers all

aspects of student management including enrollment, scheduling, attendance, mark

reporting, transcripts, behavior, health, and virtually all other student related data. Our

staff consists of a team of educators and technologists who share a passion for creating

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Zangle is built with Microsoft technologies and is proven, stable, and fast. Zangle has

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Phone: 800.230.2533 • Web: www.zangle.com • Email: [email protected]

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A snetworkprofessionals,wearehandedanet-workwithamazingcapabilities,designedtohandlethesupportofeducatingtheyouth

ofourcommunities.Thenthewildbeastgetsaholdofit.SomerefertothewildbeastastheInternet;somecallthemusers.

Eitherway,thewonderfulnetworkthatwehadisnowcloggedwith“stuff”andmuchofitisunwantedorunintendedcausingthenet-worktonotperformthewayweknowitcanandallwehearfromtheusersis,“Thenetworkisslow.”OneofthewaystotamethewildbeastistouseWeb-filteringproducts.Inthisarticle,IwilllookathowWebfilteringwillimprovenetworktrafficoverWANlinks,whatsomeofthestrengthsandweaknessesofWebfilteringareandwhatfutureissueswewillbefacing.

AsoneofthenetworkengineersfortheStanislausCountyOfficeofEducation,Ihavebeenmanagingthenetwork for10years.Wenotonlysupportourownoffice and all the connected programs, but we alsosupportabout20schooldistrictswithInternetaccessandothervarioustechnicalissues.Ihavemorethan30 years of experience in the computer industryincluding the Department of Defense and privateadultcomputereducation.IworkedfortheHughsonUnifiedSchoolDistrictbeforemovingtothecountylevel.IhaveusedWebsenseforWebfilteringandamcurrentlyusing8e6.

How does Web filtering improve traffic over a WAN link?

WeknowthatourWANlinksareoftentheweaklinksbecausetheyarethesmallestandmostexpensivelinks.Withlimitedbandwidth,theyareoftenthechokepointsandthebiggestcausefor“thenetworkisslow”comments.

Bycontrollingwhatcontentpassesthroughthesecriticallinks,wecanreservethebandwidthforwhatwewantandblockwhatwedon’twant.Decidingwhatwewantandwhatshouldbeblockedisahugedebatethatgoesfarbeyondthescopeofthisarticle.SufficeittosaythatwhenwecomparetheneedforthebusinessofficetousetheWANlinkforwhattheyneed,whichincludespayroll,ortheneedforstudents

Taming the Internet through Traffic Control

By Eric Wallers


towatchthelatestMetallicavideo,weallknowthatMetallicaisgoingtoloseout.

Three general categories that are bigbandwidth hogs are video streaming,Internetmusicorradioandinternetgames.Whenyou thinkofall thedata thatgoeswithaclearmovingvideo,andthenthinkof pushing that down a T-1 line or DSLlink,youcanquicklyseethatsomecontrolneedstobeexercised.Forexample,whenamajorworldeventoccurred,wehadsomuchvideostreamingoccurringatourmainsitethatevenourlocalnetworkresourceswereexcruciatingly slow.Lastmonthour totalpagecountforvideostreamingtoppedoutatover500,000pages.Bypreventingband-width-hoggingapplications fromcloggingupthenetwork, theapplications thatyoudowantwillbeabletorunbetterbecausethebandwidthwillbeavailable.

Another benefit of Web filtering isbeingabletoreducetheimpactofharmfulapplications like spyware, malware andadware.Thesenotonlyuseupbandwidth,but workstation RAM, processing timeandextramanhourstocleanthemup.Webfilteringcanblockmanyoftheseunwantedprograms,preventingmuchlossofproduc-tivity.OurcurrentWebfilterhasblockedmore than 60,000 spyware hits this yearandalmostasmanymalwareandviruses.Notonlydoesthisreducebandwidthwasteon the WAN links, but it has preventednumerous computers from being infectedandboggeddownwiththeunwantedpro-grams.Ourtechniciansnoticedadramaticdecrease inhelpdeskcallswhenwewerefirst able to block the “yuckware.” Withfewer spyware issues, technicians can getto the remaining issuesmorequicklyandthestaffdoesnotsuffertheworkstationtheassociatedslowness.

Last,butnotleast,areWebpagesthatarejustplaintimewasters.Facebook,MySpaceandTwitter, tonameafew,consumelotsof timeandpullpeople away fromdoingtheirjobsandstudentsfromtheirstudies.Don’tgetmewrong,thesesiteshaveause-fulplace,butaremoreoftenmisusedatthewrongtimeandplace.Thisalsoconsumesbandwidth as well as e-mail resources.I’mnot a socialWeb site kindof person.Iprefere-mail,butwhenIhadtocreateaFacebook account, I was amazed at howmany e-mails it generates and how muchtimepeoplespendupdatingminuteinforma-tion.IfFacebookoroneoftheothersocialWeb sites are left open on your desktop,there is a constant stream of backgroundcommunicationkeepingeveryoneuptodateonwhetherJanefinishedlunchandisnowwatchingtelevision.Multiplythatbyafewhundredusersandstudentsandonceagainour WAN links are getting choked withunnecessarydata.ByusingaWebfiltertoblockthesesitesorlimitingthemtospecifictimes(beforework,lunch,afterwork,etc.)

we can free up the bandwidth for moreimportanttraffic.

Strengths and WeaknessesWeb filters are not the answer to all

issues.Ihaven’tevenmentionedSPAMfil-tering,whichisasimilarbutseparateissue.TherearethingstheWebfiltersdowellandtherearethingstheydopoorly.

Web filters are good at blocking themajorityofharmful content.Without thedebate of what harmful content is, theyblockthemajorityofadultsites,gangsitesaswellasallthesitesthatIhavepreviouslymentioned.Ifyoujustwanttoblockevery-one fromgetting toageneral categoryofWebsites,thenWebfilteringfitstheneed.Themorespecializedorindividualizedyourrequirementsget,themorelikelyyouwillexperienceproblems.

Theproblemsaregenerallycategorizedas false positives or false negatives. Sitesthat should be blocked aren’t, and sitesthat should not be blocked are. We hearmore about the false negatives than thefalsepositives.

OnebigweaknessWebfiltershaveistheamountofnewsitescreateddaily.Accord-ingtodomaintools.com,InternetStatistics,morethan125,000domainswerecreatedinthelast24hours.That’s30,000morethanthestatsshowedyesterday!Withthismanychanges, it is impossible for a Web filtertohaveallthepagescategorized.WehaveusedbothWebsenseand8e6Webfiltersandbothhavemethods to senduncategorizedcontenttobecategorized.Youwouldthinkthatafterawhile,accesstouncategorizedcontent would drop to a relatively smallamount.Whatwehaveexperiencedisthatevenafterafewyears,wearestillfindingabout 40 percent of our traffic is uncat-egorized.Thenatureofeducationseemstodrawstaffandstudentstonewuncatego-rizedcontent.

Webfiltersstrivetofitthefilteringneedsof their customers and some of the flex-ibilities are a two-edged sword. Keywordfilteringisagreatexampleofthis.IfyouusekeywordfilteringtoblockmajorgroupsofWebpages,youwillincreaseyournumberoffalsepositives.Ihadthekeyword“sex”blockingsitesuntilmydivisionadministra-tor, who has a seaworthy boat, couldn’tgettosextants.Blocktheword“proxy”toreducethenumberofkidsgoingtoproxyWebsites tocircumvent theWeb filteringandyouquicklydiscoverhowmanypagesusethewordproxyintheirprogramming.Somebelievethatweshoulddoawaywithkeywordblockingbecauseofthefalseposi-tives,whereasothersbelievethatthebenefitoutweighsthenegatives.

Imentionedusingkeywordblockingtoreduce the access to proxies that bypasstheWebfilter.Proxiesareanotherpointofweaknessbecausetherearesomanypop-

pingupandchangingnames,IPaddresses,andsuchthatthecategorizingagentscan-not keepup.Oneproxyprocess allows astudenttosetupaproxygeneratorontheircomputerathomeandthentheycanuseitfromschoolsinceitisnotcategorized.Assoonasitgetsblocked,theyjustre-runtheprogramathomeandtheyhavecreatedanewonefortomorrow.Often,labteacherswillnotevenbotherreportingthestudent’saccesstoproxiesbecausetheydon’tfeelitwoulddoanygood,andtoacertaindegreetheyareright.

We can attempt to block proxies andother traffic based on protocols, but thisgetsintoatrafficchokepoint.Ittakessomeserious processing power to break aparteveryIPpacketandanalyzewhatprotocolitisusing,thenevaluatewhetheritshouldbeblockedornotwithoutinducingsomeofthelatencythatwearetryingtoprevent.Smallerdistricts might be able to get away withevaluating protocols without the latency,butlargerdistrictsandcountyofficesfindit more challenging. Not all Web filtersdo theprotocolblockingandsomemightincludetheprotocolblockingattheexpenseofqualityinotherareas.Blockingbypat-ternsworksfairlywell,butonceagainweareincreasingtheamountoffalsepositives.

IthinkyoucanseethatWebfiltersarenottheperfectanswer,buttheycoverthemajorityofissuesthattheyshouldwithoutintroducingtoomanyproblems.

Future ConcernsAswelookintothefuture,thefirstissue

thatisalreadypoppingupisthechangeofusingAdobeFlashfromcutegamesand“elfbowling”(forthoseofyouwhorememberthatgoingaround)toincorporatingit intobusinessWebpagesforamoreactivecontent.Webfiltersthatdopatternblockingcannotdistinguishbetweenaflashgameandflashbusinesscontent.InAugust,theflashvideocategorywasmytopcategorybymorethanonemillionpages.Forthefuture,Webfiltersaregoingtoneedtodecipherwhattheflashcontentisratherthanjustoutrightblockit.

Proxiesaregettingbetteratcircumvent-ingWebfilterswithcontinuouslychangingIPaddressesanddomainnameswhichkeepsthemaheadofthecategorizing.Proxiesareaparticularchallengebecauseonceastudentofstaffmembergainsaccesstotheproxyserver,theyhavecompletelybypassedyourWebfilterandallthedamagethatyouhavebeentryingtopreventnowcomescrashingthroughunrestricted.

Legalissuesaresomethingthatnetworkadministratorswillhavetokeepontopof.Thereisatugofwarbetweentheprivacyadvocatesandfreedomofspeechadvocateson the sideof no filtering and the familyfocusedandchildprotectiongroupsonthesideofstrictfiltering.Regardlessofwhere



• AnewCorporateAffiliateProgrambywhichCETPAanditsmembershipcan benefit even further from thesupport long extended by the K12technologiesvendorcommunity.

• Recognit ion of and increasedmonetaryawardsforstudentaccom-plishment via CETPA’s “StudentBridge to the Future” scholarshipprogram.

• Enriching leadership resources toK12throughtheChiefTechnologyOfficerMentorprogram.

• Giving voice to significant trendssuchas theGreen initiativewithinK12technology.

• Refining our organization’s defini-tionsandusesofvariousmembers,tobepresentedasrevisionstobylaws.

Personally satisfying is the recognition,by any number of those reading this, ofthesignificanceofourcommunityachieve-mentinthiseverfleetingyear.Thankshavebeen expressed to me personally or giventothewholeoftheCETPAboard.Increas-ingly,thatgratitudeforprogressmadehasextendedbeyondthatsmallgroup,recogniz-ingtheimportanceoftheextendedCETPAfamily and its close collaborators. Thatwasandhaslongbeentheplan—toweavetogetherthetalents,foresightandsometimesless laudable traits of individuals into agenerallycohesivewholethatmovesthingsforward.Byplan,webenefitbothfromtheinherited stature of the organization andfromtheharnessedenergiesoftheday-to-daydevelopingfuture.AsIsometimesamthefocalpointofpresentgroupaccomplish-ment,theembodimentofthecontinuingpastexcellenceofCETPAisintheformofPastPresidentWarrenWilliams,andtheinitiativeandmoxieofourfutureisreflectedbyyourpresidentforCETPA’s50thyearintheformofDr.KellyCalhoun.TheloomofExecutiveDirectorAndreaBennettyieldsacomplexweave of innovation, stability, structureandspontaneity fromboard,memberandpartnering organizations’ proficiencies.Thathighlytexturedandresilientfabricistheveryessenceofourorganizationandiswhatprovidespattern fromwhichweareabletofashionquestionsandfindanswersfurtheringourcapacitytomeetopportunityaswetendtotheneedsofothers.

Respectfully, I give my thanks andconveythatof theCETPAboardforyourunmatched, bordering on legendary will-ingness to share without condition yourperspective,proficiencyandprowess.Iamhonoredtobewitnesstoyourachievementsin projects past and to your embrace ofopportunitypresentandfuture.n

President’s Messagecontinued from page 6

yourpersonalviewsrest,thelegalboxingmatchwillbeamajorconcern.Webfiltersareatoolthatneedstobewieldedcarefullywith clear policies and procedures witheveryonesigningoffintherightplace.

Web filtersaremuch likewater filters.Toomuchfilteringandyoutakeoutsomeofthegoodstuff;toolittlefilteringandyoulettoomuchoftheharmfulstuffgetthrough.Eitherway,theyarejustafilter.Therewillneverbeasubstituteforpersonalresponsi-bilityandclosesupervisionofthestudents.

WebfiltersareusefultoolsforreducingtheamountofbandwidthwastingWebappli-cations, reducing malware and harmfulprogramsandlimitingthebandwidthandtimewastingprogramsthatusersaredrawnto.ByusingaWebfiltertocontrolthetraf-ficoveryournetwork,youtakeabigsteptowardtamingthewildbeast.n

Eric Wallers is a Network Engineer for the Stanislaus County Office of Education. He can be reached at [email protected].

Taming the Internetcontinued from page 11



http://www.xitsolutions.com

http://www.advtoolware.com

Onmywayintoworkthismorning,whilestuckinfreewaytraffic,Ihadanepiphany.ThehighwaywhereIammovingatasnail’spaceisadirectrepresentationofthedigitalsuper-

highwayImanagedasanITdirectorforalocalschooldistrict.Nomatterhowmanylanesgetaddedtoeitherhighway,userswillfigureoutawaytocongestit.

ButwithdirectfiberlinksconnectingschoolsitesbecomingmorecommonindistrictsacrosstheUnitedStates,dowereallyneedtoworryaboutnetworktraffic?Nowadays,itisn’tunheardofthatasingleschooldistrictcanhavemultiple10-Giglinksthroughoutitsnetwork.Withthismuchbandwidth,aren’twefinallyabletorelaxandbeassuredthatwewillneverrunout?

Ofcourse,Irememberatime,nottoolongago,thatmycol-leaguesandI thoughtapoint-to-pointT1connectionwouldbe“more thanenoughbandwidth” tocarry theneedsof students,teachersandadministrators.Sowhat’schanged?Whatisdrivingthisneedforlargerpipes?Curriculum,videodistribution,IP-basedvideosurveillance,peer-to-peernetworking,ubiquitouscomputing,Web2.0?Itcouldbeanyoneofthesetechnologies,buttherealanswerisalloftheaboveandmore.

We know that no matter how much bandwidth we provide,students,facultyandstaffwillfindawaytouseitallanddemandmore. With this knowledge, we need to then prepare ourselvesandournetworkstomanagethetrafficonournewlyexpandeddigitalhighways.

Hereareafewoftheconcernsthatweneedtoaddressasweconstructour“congestion-free”highways:• BottlenecksonWAN:Whatcausesthem?Bottleneckscanbe

causedbyhavinginadequatebandwidthtoyourInternetserviceprovider.Itiscriticaltoevaluatetheresourcesrequiredbycur-riculumandadministrativestaff.Determinewhatresourcesarerequired,howmuchbandwidththeyrequire,howoftenthey’reused,andtheamountpeopleusingthem.

• CentralizationofNetworkResources:Centralizingcommonlyusedresourceswillimprovetheefficiencyofthem.Centralizingyourserverswillallowyourtechnicalsupportstafftomanagethemmoreeffectively,andinatimelymanner.Reducingthenumberofserversonyournetworkwillreducemaintenancetime,andreducetheamountofbandwidththeservicesrequire.Thetimefreedupbycentralizingserversandothernetworkresourceswillallowyourtechnicianstointeractmorecloselywiththeendusers,byprovidingaquickerresponsetimewithdesktopsupport,andthemanyotherperipheralsteachersareusingintheclassroom.

• Optimization:Isitnecessary?Again,it’simportanttokeepinmindthat,atonepoint,weallthoughtourT1lineswouldbe“morethanenoughbandwidth”tocarrytheneedsofstudents,teachersandadministration.ItwouldbeanunderstatementtosaythataT1linebetweenyourremotelocationsarenolongersufficient.Believeitornot,therewillcomeatimewhenyourgigabitWAN linksareno longer sufficient for thedemandsimposed on your network. Many of you are familiar withbandwidthmanagementappliances(i.e.Packetshapers,Internetcachingservers,etc.)mostcommonlyusedforthrottlingservicesoverT1lines,frame-relay,orothertypesofcircuits.Soonwe’llbefacedwiththechallengeofoptimizingour10GbElinks.

• DeterminingWANtraffic/Prioritization:Uponyourevaluationofwhat isrunningacrossyourWAN,you’llneedtobuildalistofprioritiesbetweenvoice,video,curriculumrelatedapps,administrativeapps,etc.

• Coordination between departments discussing priority:Although discussing the priority of WAN traffic betweendepartmentscanbea sensitive subject, it isvital todo so. Ibelieve it comesdown to safetyand curriculum.Yourvoiceservices need to be functional and reliable at all times as amatterofsafety.Providingreliableaccesstoyourstudentinfor-

By Kevin Fuller

Caution: Network Traffic

Ahead


mationsystemisavitalcomponentwhenitcomesto thesafetyofyourstudents.Your curriculum related apps need toavailableandfunctionalattimesduringthehoursofinstruction.OurjobisnotsimplysupportingIT,it’ssupportingthecurriculumandtheeducatorsweentrustwith our children. Our job is to “helpteachers teach”!The timeallocated foreach subject matter is already short. Ifteachers arenot able to access applica-tionsthataretiedtolessonplans,we’reonlytakingtimeawayfromlearning.

• Curriculum—drivingWANtraffic:Cur-riculumshouldbethefirstpriorityasidefromsafety.Listentothestakeholdersinthe curriculum department as they areusuallyprettyclearonwhattheirneedsare.I’velearnedovertheyearsthatifITis conscious in supporting curriculum,curriculumwillsupportITreturn.Cur-riculumhasaccesstofundingandspecialgrantprogramsthatITwouldn’tordinar-ilyhaveaccessto.Workingcloselywithcurriculum is vital to successof the ITdepartment.It’salwaysabettersalewhencurriculumdrivesthetechnicaldecision,asopposedtocomingpurelyfromIT.

• What technologies will be using theWAN? Voice, video distribution, videosurveillance and other security-relatedsystems,curriculumapplications,admin-istrativeapplications,etc.

• Studentengagement:Manystudentssaythat“schoolisboring.”HavingaccesstocomputersandtheInternethelpsengagethosewhootherwisewouldn’tbe.Manywould rather access information usinga technical resource. Technical/onlineresourceshavebecomethe“conventionalway”of researching information. Stu-dentswilltypicallyhavemoreinteractionwith computers/Internet at home thantheydoatschool.Theyhaveacommonandconstantdesiretointeract.Ifthetech-nologyismadeavailable,theyarelikelytouseit!Theircreativityisoftenenhanced,which furthers their engagement, andstimulates their thought process. Thisultimatelyraisesthemtobebetter“learn-ers for life.” Having convenient andintuitiveaccesstotechnicalresourcesisakeycomponenttothesuccessoftoday’slearners.Asopposedto“whatdoweneedtoblockaccessto,”let’sfocuson“whatweneedtoensuretheyhaveaccessto!”Whilewemay never be able to build a

congestion-proofnetwork,Ibelievethatwiththe proper design and management tools,wecanbuildanetworkthatwillbeabletoserviceallofourend-usersataspeedthatwouldmakeeventheAutobahnjealous.n

Kevin Fuller is an Account Manager with Spectrum Communications. He can be reached at [email protected].

Scott Buxbaum, assistant superintendent of business services for South Bay Union School District (SBUSD), knew it was time

for a technology upgrade. His district of 8,000 students on 13 campuses spanning Imperial Beach, San Ysidro and southeastern San Diego had been relying for years on an MS-DOS–based legacy software system. The system’s usefulness was sunsetting as a number of issues emerged.

“It was really outdated. We didn’t have position control between human resources (HR) and our business and financial office,” Buxbaum noted as an example of the lack of departmental coordination with the legacy software, which resulted in HR occasionally hiring staff without a funded vacancy in the position inventory—a potential budgetary issue.

Second, not all of the 1,000-member faculty and staff had access inside or outside the district. “You had to be here internally on the network to access the system,” said Janet Wraight, director of information and technology services at SBUSD.

Another factor was weighing heavily in their decision-making process: SBUSD has experienced extensive budget cuts due to the state’s massive budget deficit. This meant the new system would have to process a higher workload performed by fewer people.

It was time to make a change.Buxbaum and Wraight assembled a team

of representatives from IT, human resources, purchasing and the fiscal office to determine the type of technology that could meet the district’s current and future needs. The team started by evaluating a system that offered position control, but determined it lacked the capability to grow with the district’s needs. What finally captured their interest was Infinite Visions®, K-12’s leading financial and Human Resources Management ERP system from Windsor Management Group, which offers a modern solution including user-friendly integrated workflow, efficient reporting, and the ability to grow with the district. The team conducted customer site visits at California and Arizona districts–a move that ultimately made the difference in their decision to select Infinite Visions.

Improving EfficiencySouth Bay Union’s Infinite Visions ERP system

and iVisions Web Portal recently went live and the team is enthusiastic about its efficiency. Position Control and automated workflow are increasing

interdepartmental efficiencies. Users who previously had to manually create spreadsheets can import and export data into EXCEL with Infinite Visions’ powerful SmartGirds tool. In addition, the entire staff has access through the web portal, and “power users” (HR, Finance, and Purchasing and Payables staff) can access the enterprise functions. The district hopes to further cut costs by using the platform to transition to a paperless workflow.

The assistant superintendent and the IT director say their experience can help other, similar-sized districts considering upgrading to a modern ERP solution. In addition to encouraging site visits, a team approach, establishing criteria and assuring that the system is user-friendly, they also emphasize the importance of choosing a vendor that offers customization to the district’s needs and, most important, reliable services and support.

“It’s nice to have a system where it’s all together,” Buxbaum said. “We’ll have it grow with us.”

About the AuthorGary Smith is Vice President of Sales &

Marketing for Windsor Management Group, a leading provider of financial and human resource management solutions for K-12 school districts. WMG is the creator of Infinite Visions® enterprise suite used by more than 750 school districts. For more information, please call (888) 654-3293, or visit www.infinitevisions.com.

In the first row, from left to right: Kim Phifer, Assistant Superintendent Human Resources & Organizational Development; Arlene Mitchell, Director, Fiscal Services; Janet Wraight, Director, Information and Technology Services

The second row from left to right: Scott Buxbaum, Assistant Superintendent, Business Services; Carol Mulhern, Information Systems Analyst; Jon Hansen, Director, Purchasing/Supplies Department

Best Practices Spotlight: Technology and Business Teams Unite to Overcome District’s Performance ChallengesWritten by: Gary Smith, Windsor Management GroupExclusively for DataBus

ADVERTORIAL



http://www.infinitevisions.com

By Jeff Enz

Astronomic. That’s the word for how thedemands for network bandwidth havechangedinthelasteightyears.AsIrevisit

where it all started, I can’t help but rememberwhenIthoughtthata56kdial-upconnectionwasblazingfast.Usingthatconnection,IjustknewIcoulddownloadthatmusicfileinanhour.

Italsodoesn’tseemlikeitwasthatlongagothatthehighereducationnetworkinCaliforniawasexpandedtoincludeK-12.HereatImperialCountyOfficeofEducation,aDS3connectiontoCalRENwasinstalledandIdidn’tseehowwewouldeverusethatmuchbandwidth.However,itwasn’tverylongbeforeourtrafficwascallingforanOC3circuit,whichwasinstalledintimetomeettheneed.NowwehaveaGigabitconnection.

AssomeonewhoisinvolvedwiththeK12HSNcircuits,Ihaveseenthissameprocessoccuroverandoveragainatmanycountiesthroughoutthestate. There are now approximately 68 gigabitcircuits connecting our nodes sites to the Cal-REN Network with more on the way. GrowthhasoccurredsoquicklyintheheavilypopulatedareasofSouthernCaliforniathat10Gigabitcon-nectionsarebeingordered.

TheneedforgreatercircuitcapacityisfurtherillustratedinthefactthatmeteredISPusagefrom2005to2008increased92percent.Overthissameperiod,CENICworkedhardtoestablishpeeringrelationshipswithotherservicenetworkstogrowthe“onnetwork”trafficandminimizetheoff-network(paid-for)ISP.Thesepeeringrelationshipsdiverta significantvolumeofbandwidthusagefrom the commodity internet. CENIC reportsthatin2005,60percentofoveralltrafficwastothecommodityISPand40percentwastopeer-ingpartners.In2008,around40percentoftheoveralltrafficiscommodityISPand60percentistopeeringpartners.So,evenwiththeshiftof20percentofthetrafficgoingfromcommodityISPtopeeringpartners,themeteredISPhasstillgrownby92percent.

TheinaugurationofPresidentBarackObamabroughttolightapossiblechangeinhowpeoplegettheirnewsandhowtheyviewhistoricevents.

Millionsofpeople flocked—not to their televi-sions,buttotheircomputers—tostreamthevideoofthishistoricevent.CNN.comreportedthattheygeneratedmorethan136millionpageviews,morethan21.3millionlivevideostreams,andatthepeak, theywere serving1.3million concurrentlivestreams.

Theeducationalcommunityisalsodoingtheirparttofuelthegrowth.Weareseeinganincreaseduseofthevideo-conferencingservices,notonlyformeetingpurposes,butalsotoactuallydeliverinstruction.Therearemanydistrictsusingvideoconferencingtoprovidecourseofferingstoschoolsitesandevenotherdistrictsthatdonothavethemaster teachers on staff who excel in specificcourseofferings.Weareseeingcollaborationstarttooccurbetweeneducationalentitiesforthingssuchasback-up/disasterrecoveryandsharingofcommonservices.Ialsobelievethatwearebegin-ningtoseeanewgenerationofteachers.Theyhavegrownupusingtechnologyandaremoreopenandenthusiasticaboutusingitintheirlessonplans.

Inthistimeofshrinkingbudgets,theK12HSNisworkingtogetherwithCENICtofindcreativewaystomeetthegrowingbandwidthneedsoftheK-12community.Over the last fewyears therehave been numerous network redesigns. Thesehave provided greater bandwidth to the nodesitesandreducedcircuitcosts.Notwillingtoletan opportunity go untapped, CENIC recentlysubmittedagrantapplicationrequestingstimu-lusfundstobringfiberinfrastructureintomanynorthernCaliforniaruralcounties.Wearealwayslookingforwaysto improveservicetoschools,districtsandcountyofficesofeducation.Ifyouare aware of opportunities in your areas thatmightaddressconnectivityneedsusinginnovativeapproaches—casesofinvestingnowtosavefutureongoing costs—please contact us to investigatethepossibilities.n

Jeff Enz is the Network Operations Manager for CA K-12 High Speed Network. He can be reached at [email protected].

The Demands of Network Bandwidth



http://www.bicsi.org

By Tim Landeck

“Ifwesucceedinactuallygettingalltheteachersto truly implement all the educational technologytoolsthatweareencouragingthemtouse,thenyouknowwewillbeinaloadoftrouble!”statedDanWeiser,atechnologycoordinatorresponsibleforstaffdevelopmentinhisschooldistrict.Weiser’sintentionsaregoodashemakeseffortstosupporttheintegra-tionoftechnologyintheclassroom,buthealsoseesthelimitationsofthedistrictinfrastructureandthepotentialforacatastrophicnetworkcollapseif, infact,allteachersweretoimplementalltheresource-intensiveapplicationsandactivitiesthatteachersarebeingtrainedtouse.

Supporting 21st-century literacy includes mak-ingsurethatalltheessentialconditionsarecoveredbeforetheimplementationof21st-centurytools.Itiscommonlyunderstoodthatifthetechnologyisnotreliable,thenpeoplewillnotuseit.Soforexample,ifyouareabouttorolloutanewpodcastingserverandyouhavenotaccountedforthenecessaryadditionalbandwidth,thefirstimpressionthatyouruserswillhave is that thenewsystemis flawed—whichwillhinderthepresentandfutureuseofthisandotherexcellent21st-centurytools.

So how does the technology leader prepare fortheincreaseduseofresource-intensiveapplicationsasthecurriculumfocusesonmoreWeb2.0applica-tions?Thereisnotasimpleanswertothisquestionand frequently the solutionwill involveadditionalresources, including fundingandpersonnel.How-ever,approachingthechallengewiththefollowingfourguidingprincipleswillhelp.

Thetechnologyinfrastructureofaschooldistrictis there for one basic purpose: to support studentlearning. The district network administrator isresponsibleforthesecureandreliableoperationofthedistrict’sserversandnetwork,andthereforemustbe careful about the applications and user rightsthat are permittedon thenetwork.However, thiscaneasilycreatethe“noadmin”wherenothingisimplementedandnoresourcesareprovidedtoeduca-torsbecausethenetworkadministratorcanonlysay“no”totheever-expandingrequestsforlesssecureandmoreresource-intensiveapplications.Themostsecureserverisonethatislockedbehindadoorand

turnedoff,butofcoursethiswouldeliminateuseraccessandthepurposeoftheserverinthefirstplace.Witheverystepinthedirectionofincreasingend-useraccess,theresourcebecomeslesssecure.Acarefulbalancebetweenusabilityandsecurityisrequiredtosuccessfullymanagea21st-centurynetwork.

Planforgrowthandthenbuildevenbigger!Itisimpossible toknowexactlywhat technology toolswillbeusedfiveyearsfromnow,sowhenplanningforthisunclearfuture,itisimportanttoanticipatetheinevitableincreasedneedforbandwidth,RAM,processorspeedandharddiskspace.Buildyourinfra-structureasrobustlyasispracticalforyourbudgetwhile simultaneously preparing for being under-resourcedasnewandinnovativetoolsareneeded.

Don’tpurchasethebleedingedgeoftechnology,butdon’timplementthebareminimumeither.Thelatestandgreatest technologies comewitha steeppricetag,soitismorepracticaltofocusontoolsthathaveaprovenrecordandmaybemorecosteffective.Itisalsoimportanttonotpurchasetheleastexpen-sive,end-of-lifesolutionsbecausethiswillultimatelyincreaseyourtotalcostofownership.

Work with curriculum and staff developmentpersonnel toensure thatnew toolswillbeable tobesupportedbytheinfrastructurebeforeitisrolledout. Communication is critical to the functioningofanyorganization, yetoftenwe see the technol-ogydepartmentnotconsultedpriortothedistrict’simplementationofanewtechnology-intensivetool.Keepingthepathsofcommunicationopenandactivewill help to prevent inappropriate purchases anddisappointedteachers.

Therearemanyintricaciestopreparingtheinfra-structureforthe21st-centurylearner,butusingtheaboveguidingprincipleswillhelpthewholeorgani-zationsupportthiscriticalinitiative.n

Tim Landeck is Director of Technology Services of the Pajaro Valley Unified School District in Watson-ville, CA., a national conference presenter, a regular columnist for OnCUE, and a consultant with various school districts nationwide. He can be reached at [email protected]. This article first appeared in the Fall 2008 issue of OnCUE, Volume 30, No. 4.

Essential Infrastructure to Support 21st Century Literacy

CUE VIEW



http://www.edupoint.com

Bynow, it’sawellknownfact thateventheyoungeststudentsbenefitfromgettingtheirsmallhandsonacomputeraspartoftheir

instruction.Theonlyrealquestionthatremainsisthehardesttoanswer:Howcanpublicschooldistrictsaffordtopurchaseenoughcomputerstomeettheneedsofalloftheirstudents?

IrecentlyviewedaWebsiteforanelectronicsretaileranddiscoveredamini-laptopthatcostsjustabout$240.Thisisaphenomenalpriceifyouwanttobuyalaptopforpersonaluse,butitstilladdsuptoadauntingtotaldollaramountwhenyouthinkaboutpurchasingenoughofthemtodoleouttoallofthestudentsinyourdistrict.However,thisWebsitegavemeanidea:Ithinkwecouldbringthispricedowntozeroandplacetheselaptopsinthehandsofthestudentswhotrulyneedthem.

Auctioning Empty SpaceEven thoughmini-laptops (akanetbooks) are

smallerthanregularlaptops,there’sstillalotofemptyspaceontheirplasticcase.WhatiftheStateofCaliforniaweretosellorauctionthespaceonthebackofthelaptop’slid,aroundthekeyboardandonthebottom?

For just $50 per laptop, a company such asSafeway, could purchase—or acquire throughdonation—theopenareatotherightofthekey-board and place their logo there. This additioncouldeasilybedonebyacomputermanufacturer,

similartotheIntelorAMDstickersoftenaffixedtonewcomputers.Or for$75aunit,perhapsacompanylikeChevroncouldsecuretheflashingoftheirlogoandWebsiteaddressoneachscreenduringcomputerstartup.Wecouldraisefurtherfunds by allowing organizations to pay to havetheirURLs included in thedefault linksofeachlaptop’sWebbrowser.

Thisconceptofintegratingcompanysponsor-ship intoaneducationally-baseddeliveryvehicleis not new. Since 1990, Channel One has beentransmittingdailynewsviasatellitetoclassroomsacross the nation, and two of their 12 minutesofprogrammingare sponsored segments,whichenablesthecontenttobedeliveredtoschoolsfreeofcharge.Ifweextendthisideatosellingvarioussponsorshipsonsmalllaptops,weshouldbeabletopurchaseenoughunitstoprovidecomputerstothose students who don’t already have a laptopathome.

Answering the Governor’s Call to ActionIfallstudentshadaccesstoacomputer,thenwe

couldmovemuchmorecosteffectivelytoincor-poratingdigitalbooks,digitalfilesandadditionaldigital resources into thedailycurriculum.ThiscouldalsohelpschooldistrictsacrossCaliforniameetGovernorSchwarzenegger’scalltomakethestatethefirstinthenationtoofferschoolsfree,open-sourcedigitaltextbooksforhighschoolstu-

Making No-Cost Student Laptops

a Reality

By Rick Otto


dents.Furthermore,whenallstudentscanusetheirowncomputers,theirteachersarenowfullyenabledtoutilizefreeonlinetoolslikeGoogleDocs,whichallowsusers tocreatedocumentsandsharethemovertheInternet,and Microsoft’s Live@edu communicationandcollaborationservice.

Forthistoreallywork—andtobenefitthegreatestnumberofstudents—thisendeavorshouldbepursuedat thestate level, ratherthan locally through individualschooldis-tricts.Considerthereturnoninvestmentandtheeconomiesofscalethatneedtobeinplacefororganizationstobeinterestedininvestingin advertising on mini-laptops. Computercompanies would need the same wide-rangingincentivestowanttoparticipateinaprogramlikethis.Ideally,thecomputerven-dorwouldsecurethemini-laptopadvertisersviatheirestablishedcorporate,nonprofitorgovernmentagencyconnections.

Win Win Win WinIf we can interest companies and non-

profitorganizationsinpayingto“logo-ize”mini-laptops for students across the state,andifwecanconvincecomputercompaniestohelpwiththiseffort,wecreateawin-win-win-winsituationforeveryone.

First, students win by having access totoolsthattheymaynormallynotbeabletoaccess.

Second,computercompanieswinbypro-vidingaproductthatdramaticallyshortensthe time and reduces the cost involved inthesalesprocess.Ideally,theadvertisingto“logo-ize”mini-laptopsforstudentswouldcoverthecostsforthevendor,whichprovidesthemtotheschooldistrictsforfree.Acom-putercompanywouldonlyneedtofindthefinancialsponsorstopurchaseanopen“forrent”locationonthemini-laptop,insteadoffindingadistrictthatactuallyhasthefundingtopurchasethelaptopsoutright.

Third,localschooldistrictsandthestatewinbyremovingalargeexpenditure(studentcomputersandpotentiallyrecurringtextbookcosts)fromthesystem.

And,fourth,theorganizations(businesses,foundations, nonprofits and governmentagencies)thatreservealocationonthecom-putersbenefitfromlowcostadvertisingandgoodwillamongtheirtargetaudiencewithinthelocalcommunity.

It’snosecretthatthestateofCaliforniaisinfinancialcrisis.Tomeetthechallengesweallface—aseducators,asemployeeswhoworkinthestate,andasparentsofschool-agechildren—weneedtogetcreative.Ifwecanjointogetherandapplynewideas,suchasthistoourstate’seducationalsystem,wemayhelpCaliforniabecomeaneducationalleaderinthisenvironmentofgreatturmoil.AndI thinkthatwecanbringaboutgreatpositivechangeinthelivesofourstudents.n

Rick Otto most recently served as the Director of Information Technology for the Sequoia Union High School District (SUHSD) in San Mateo County. SUHSD serves stu-dents from eight feeder school districts. Previously, he was a manager at Hewlett-Packard where he held management responsibility for the successful delivery of IT Services and Support to Hewlett-Packard employees in HP’s Western U.S. sites and of IT Consulting and Support Services to Hewlett-Packard Executives, including the office of the CEO. This article was first published in OnCUE, Fall, 2009, Volume 31. Number 3. Addi-tional editing of this article for DataBuswas provided by Leslie O’Neill. Rick can be reached at [email protected].


http://www.cpsiltd.com


T oughtimes!We’vealwayslookedforwaystostretchtheITbucktoreturnallpossiblevaluetotheclass-roombutweneverworriedaboutmoneyliketoday.

Gonefornowaresufficientfundsforequipmentrefreshes,expensivesoftwarelicenserenewals,additionalsupportfromconsultants, fully-staffedoperations,anda thirsttopilot thenewest technologies in thequest forbetterlearningoutcomesforourkids.

Today’smindsetmustbeonewherecreativesolutionsarethemarkoftheday.Lossofservicetothecustomer—whetherthefoodservicesdepartment,thepersonneloffice,thesuperintendentorthevenerableteacherwhosepressureforstudentsuccessremains—isnotanoption.Noristheloss ofmomentum that canhappenwhenour existingtechnologyinitiativesarethreatenedbyalossoffunds.

WeareanurbanK-8districtofnearly9,000students,eightelementaryandthreemiddleschools.Wedon’thavetheaffluencetosupportaprivatefoundationandwearen’tpoorenoughtoqualifyformostavailablepublicgrants(e.g. EETT Competitive, E-rate internal connections,etc.)Inoursearchforcreativesolutionsthatwillhelpusweatherthecurrenteconomiccrisis,we’veturnedtofreesolutionsthatprovidevaluewithouttheprice.

Followingareafewoftheresourceswe’vefoundtohelpusstaythecourse.

GLpI (Gestion Libre de parc Informatique: Literally, “free management of your IT”)

AfreeWeb-basedITandhelpdeskmanagementsolu-tion.Asimpleformallowsanyusertosubmitahelpdeskticket.Theticketisauto-assignedtotheappropriatetechandwhocanthensolveorescalatetheticketuntilresolu-tionoccurs.Automaticallyinformstheuserasresolutionprogressesandtracksbothpublicnotesfortheuserandprivatetechnicalnotesamongtechs.HasanintegratedKB(knowledgebase)systemthatweusetomaintainapublicFAQforusersandaprivatestoreoftechnicalproceduresforthetechs.(www.glpi-project.org)

RealVNC (Free Edition) VNC(VirtualNetworkComputing)isafreedesktop-

sharing system that can be used for remote desktopsupport across the network. Developed by OlivettiResearchLaboratory in theUK, it isnowopensourcewith many derivatives available. Simple installation ofboth the server and vieweron allworkstations allowsourtechstoprovideremoteassistancefromanywheretoanywhereinthenetwork.Wehavefounditinvaluableinprovidingphone-basedinstructionandtroubleshooting.(www.realvnc.com/products/free/4.1)

iTALC (Intelligent Teaching And Learning with Computers)

iTALC is a free computer lab-management systembuilt on VNC. Teacher sees a thumbnail view of allstudentcomputers,cantakeoverindividualcomputers,lock out all computers to direct student attention andpushherscreentoallcomputersatonce.Thissummerwewillconvertallourcomputerlabsfromcommercial

labmanagementsoftwaretoiTALCtosaveonlicensingfees.(italc.sourceforge.net)

Edubuntu (Free Ubuntu LINUX Distribution for Education)

Ubuntu is an open-source, Linux-based operatingsystem for laptops, desktops and servers. It includes aWebbrowser,presentation,documentand spreadsheetsoftware, instant messaging and more. Edubuntu is aspecialdistributionofUbuntuthatincludeseducationalapplications,tools,contentandthemes.We’vehadsuccessloadingEdubuntuonolderclassroomcomputersthatwewouldhaveotherwiseobsoleted.(edubuntu.org)

Moodle (Free Web-based Course Management System)

Moodleisavirtuallearningenvironmentthatteach-ers use to create a dynamic online Web site for theirstudents.Itcanbeusedtoconductfullyonlinecoursesbutourteachershavefounditusefulforblendedlearningintheirregularprogram.Whileyoucanhostandmain-tainMoodleonyourownservers,liferecentlygotmuchsimplerwiththeinclusionofMoodleontheCalaxysitementionedbelow.(moodle.org)

More Free Resources:CutePDF: A free PDF file creator that works from any

printabledocument.(www.CutePDF.com)Paint.net:Aterrificfreeimageandphotoeditingapplica-

tion.(www.getpaint.net)7Zip:AfreefilearchivercompatiblewithPKZipandWin-

zipwithahighcompressionrationearlytwoto10percenthigherthansimilararchivers.(www.7zip.org)

YuuGuu:Afreescreensharingandwebconferencingappli-cation.(www.yuuguu.com)

OpenOffice.org: The venerable free alternative to com-merciallyavailableofficeapplicationsuites.(www.openoffice.org)

Calaxy:AtonoffreeresourcesandtoolsforCaliforniaeducatorsavailablethroughtheCAK12HighSpeedNetwork.(www.calaxy.org)

SchoolForge:Arepositoryforopensourcesolutionsforeducators.(www.schoolforge.net)

Textbook Adoption Software: Check with your textbookreps.Manydistrictsunderutilizethecurriculumsup-portsoftwarematerialsincludedwiththeirtextbookadoptions.Youmaybesurprisedatwhat’savailable.

Lossofserviceisnotanoption!Inthesetighttimes,getcreativeandseewhatyoucandoforyourdistrictwiththemanyFREEsolutionsoutthere.n

Steve Thornton, CCTO is with the Menifee Union School District. As Director of Technology, he is responsible for all aspects of district technology including technology-enriched curriculum development, administrative, student, and assessment systems, technology infrastructure, security, ret-rofitting, new facilities planning, policies, and procedures. He can be reached at [email protected].


Value Without The Price

By Steve Thornton

http://www.glpi-project.org

http://www.realvnc.com/products/free/4.1

http://www.CutePDF.com

http://www.getpaint.net

http://www.7zip.org

http://www.yuuguu.com

http://www.openoffice.org

http://www.openoffice.org

http://www.calaxy.org

http://www.schoolforge.net


http://www.ivsct.net

By Burt Lo

The California Technology Assistance Project(CTAP) is a statewide educational technologyassistance program provided by the California

Department of Education. CTAP has traditionallyoffereditsservicesonaregionalbasis.Now,inaddi-tion to offering assistance through county offices ofeducation, CTAP is consolidating many resources atthe new state K-12 Educational Technology Portal,MyCTAP(www.myctap.org).ThisWebsiteprovidesavarietyofprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitesforteachers, quality instructional resources, technologyplanningresourcesforstakeholders,linkstotheCTAPregionalWebsitesandtheCTAPSETSprojects.AsapartofMyCTAP,theCTAPcommunitywasstartedasanonlinenetworkfordiscussingandsharingresourcesand ideasabouteffective teachingand learningwithtechnology.

OneofCTAP’smissionsistoprovideprofessionaldevelopmentandsupportforusingelectronicresourcesinteachingandlearning.ThroughtheMyCTAPWebsite,teachersandadministratorscanparticipateinfree,liveonlineworkshops.Allthatisrequiredtoparticipateintheseworkshopsisahigh-speedInternetconnectionand a computer. The workshops last two hours andareheldafterschoolhours.Manyofthecoursesoffercertificatesverifyingprofessionaldevelopmenthours.

Ifyouarelookingforawaytooffertechnologypro-fessionaldevelopmentduringtheseleanbudgettimes,thereareafewdifferentwaystotakeadvantageofthisprofessionaldevelopmentopportunity.Oneoption istobringagroupofteacherstoacomputerlabormul-timediacenterandprojectaCTAPlivesession.Inthissetting,teacherswillhavethebenefitofalivefacilitatoraswellasthesupportoftheircolleagues.

Many of the workshops are recorded and madeavailable inanarchivedformat.Thisprovidesteach-erswithachancetoviewaworkshopatalatertimeiftheirscheduledidnotpermitthemtoattendlive.Inaddition,teacherswhodidattendaliveworkshopareabletoviewselectedsectionsoftherecordedworkshopstohelpthemreviewandclarifytheirunderstandingoftheworkshopmaterials.

For teachers who are looking for just-in-timetraining,MyCTAPalsohas anumberof technologytutorials.ThesetutorialsprovidenarratedscreencaststhatdemonstratehowtousesoftwaresuchasInspira-tionandExcel.Thevideoscreencastsareindexedandaregenerallyonetotwominuteslong.Thisisaperfectprofessionaldevelopmentresourcefortheteacherwhoneedssomeassistancetofinishatechnology-enhancedlesson.

In addition to workshops and video tutorials,MyCTAP contains many printable technology quick

guides. These guides to popular software titles suchasPowerPoint,OSXTiger,andPhotoshopElementsareveryhandyforstafftokeepneartheircomputers.Theguidesofferquickrefreshersforlocatingspecificfeatureswithinaprogram’smenus.

With one location for resources to support K-12educational technology, MyCTAP features materialsdeveloped by all of the CTAP regions. Some of themostpopularresourcesaretheCyberSafetymaterialsthat teachers, administrators and parents can use toinform students about staying safeonline.MyCTAPalso links to electronic learning resources and freeWeb information links that have been selected fortheirqualitybytrainedlibrarymediateachers.AccesstocustomizedprofessionaldevelopmentandresourcesfromeachCTAPregionalofficeisalsoavailablethroughMyCTAP.

InadditiontoCTAP-createdresources,theMyCTAPCommunitysectionprovidesaplaceforeducatorstodevelopaPersonalLearningCommunityandengageinonlinediscussions,resourcesharingandmore.Withasocialnetworkingapproach,theMyCTAPCommu-nityinviteseducatorstocreatetheirownprofileandjoinonlinegroupstostayinformedabouteducationaltechnology topics of interest. MyCTAP Communitymembersareencouragedtosharedocuments,imagesandevenvideosthatarebestpracticesandexamplesofeffectiveimplementationoftechnologyintheclassroom.

An additional component of the MyCTAP is theOnlineTechnologyPlanBuilder.ThisresourceprovidesschooldistrictsandCTAPstaffwithanonlinetoolforcollaboratingonthewritingorrevisingofatechnologyplan. This tool is currently being implemented withseveraldistrictsthatarerevisingtheirtechnologyplans.MoredetailsabouttheOnlineTechnologyPlanBuilderwillbesharedattheannualCETPAconferenceandinfutureDataBusarticles.

MyCTAP is pleased to offer a wide collection ofresourcestosupporttheeffectiveintegrationoftechnol-ogyintoteachingandlearningbyCaliforniaeducators.Pleasebookmarkwww.myctap.orgoradd it toyourRSSReader.TheMyCTAPcollectionofinstructionalresourcesandassistanceforteachersusingtechnologyintheirclassroomcontinuestogroweveryday.CTAPlooksforwardtoseeingyousooninanonlineworkshoporintheMyCTAPCommunity.n

Burt Lo is a Professional Development Coordinator with CTAP Region 6, a project administered by the Stanislaus County Office of Education. He is also a member of the CUE Conference Planning Committee and a board member with the Central California CUE Affiliate. He can be reached at [email protected].

MyCTAP

Your Source for Educational Technology Support



http://www.westernblue.com

By Gail Desler

Giventhepressurestoraisestudenttestscores,tomeetyearlyAYPgoals,andtocoveradauntinglistofcontentstandards,howcanteachersweavethe

teachingoftoleranceandtheethicaluseoftheInternetintothecurriculum?

Butatthesametime,theyarejoiningparentgroupsand legislators across the nation in examining somealarmingstatistics:“Studieshavefoundthatnearlyone-thirdofallstudentsarebulliedatleastonceamonthandthatoneoutofevery10highschooldrop-outsleftschool because of repeated bullying.” (Safe SchoolsImprovementAct).

Asschooladministratorsscrambletofindfundingand training programs to combat growing issues ofintolerance,espciallycyberbullying,agroupofteach-ersinvolvedintheElkGroveUnifiedSchoolDistrict’sEETTgrantareusingwritingandtechnologyasastrat-egyforreversingthebullyingtrend.Thefourth-gradeteamatPrairieElementarySchoolturnedtotheInternetasatoolforpromotingtoleranceandresiliencyintheiryoung students. Using district-adopted curriculumalreadyinplace,theyhavetakenthemessuchtheOpenCourtReadingProgram’sSurvivalbeyondthetextbookandaccompanyingworksheets.AsstudentsreadaboutAnneFrankintheirtextbook,forinstance,theymadeconnectionsfrom“thenandthere”to“hereandnow”bywatchingHeroesintheHallway,theonlinevideoproducedbytheSpiritDesk,andbegandiscussingthemanywaysonecantakeastandagainst intolerance.TheyinvitedMarielleTsukamoto,aneducator,com-munityactivistandformerchildinterneeattheJeromeinternmentcampinArkansas,tocomeshareherstoryandherperspectiveonhowpeoplemaintainhopeforabetterworlddespitegreatchallenges.Duringhervisit,she introducedwordsandconcepts suchas survival,tolerance,resiliencyandconstitutionalrights.

The students soon took ownership of the abovewords,integratingthemintotheirreadingandwriting—first via pencil and paper, accompanied by artwork,whichwas thendisplayedonbulletinboardsaroundtheirclassrooms.Buttheideas,wordsandimagesonthewalls begged for a larger audience.The teachersbroughtoutthestapleremoversandbeganexploringWeb2.0toolstotransformthesepiecesof “off-the-wallswriting”intomoreinteractivecompositions.AndtheChangeWritersprojectwasborn!

LesleyMckillopcreatedaclassroomblog initiallytoteacherherstudentsaboutInternetsafety.Theblogsoonevolvedintodeeperconversations,suchaswaysto

beanupstander(asopposedtoabystander).ThankstotheenhancedbandwidthsupportedbytheSacramentoEducationCableConsortium’sBESTNetandCaliforniaK12HighSpeedNetwork, the studentswereable tomove from asynchronous conversations via bloggingto an interactive videoconference that allowed themtoconnectinrealtimeforaChangeWritersmeet-up.

LutriciaHardaway,ElisabethGoossens,andHalieFerrierusedVoiceThreadtotaketheirstudents’writ-ing—and theirvoices—toanaudience thatextendedbeyondtheconfinesoftheschoolsiteandsurround-ingcommunity.Hardaway’sstudentswerethefirsttoexploreVoiceThread,takingtheirexuberanceovertheelectionofournation’sfirstAfrican-AmericanpresidenttoanationalaudiencebypostingBarackObamaRocks.Goossens’youngwriterswentpublicwiththeirmessageoftolerancethroughtheirPoemsinTwoVoices.Fer-rier’sstudentssteppedbackintimeandassumedtherole of children, who like Marielle Tsukamoto, hadovernight lost their rights as citizens and were nowconfinedtoagovernmentcamp.Withinweeksofthestudents’uploadingtheirLettersfromtheInternmentCamps,theprojectbegantotakeonalifeofitsown,withMarielleandother internees respondingon theVoiceThread,thusmerginghistoricalfictionwithauto-biographicalincident—agenrewhichthehumanvoicemakesevenmorecompelling.VoiceThreaddevelopersSteveMuthandBenPappelrefertotheLettersprojectasastandout,deservingofnationalrecognition.

“As Change Writers, our students realized veryquicklytheopportunitiestechnology-enhancedwritingprovidesforconnectingtoanauthenticaudience—andformakingadifference,”saidMcKillop.“Asforourfourth-gradeteam,theChangeWritersprojectisjustthebeginningofourjourneyintonewwaysofteach-ingwriting.”

AddsGoossens:“Writingisattheheartofourproj-ects, but the technology takeswriting tonew levels,engaging,connectingandempoweringourstudentsinwaysnotpossiblewhenlimitedtopaperandpencil.”

Note:TheChangeWritersproject stems fromtheEETT partnership between the EGUSD TechnologyServices, theArea3WritingProject, theSacramentoEducationalCableConsortium,andtheCaliforniak12HighSpeedNetwork.n

Gail Desler is with Technology Services for the Elk Grove USD and can be reached at (916) 686-7710, ext. 2055.

The Change Writers Project



http://www.ist.com

Forthoseofusthathavebeeninvolvedwitheducationformoreyearsthanwecaretoadmit,wecanremember16mm

projectors,intercomsonlyintheclassroom(notelephones),andnew-fangledtoolssuchas televisions and Mac 64s. Years afterbusinessesstarted“networking”computersintheworkplace,schoolsstarteddoingthesame.Thatdidn’tmeanrunningcomputerwiretotheclassroomsthough,justtocom-puterlabs,remember.Wetookthekidstothecomputers,notthecomputerstothekids.At best, classroomshad stand-alone com-putersandweusedfloppydiscstotransmitinformationfromtheclassroomtotheofficeor fromclassroom to classroom.Manyofour“technologydirectors”atthetimewereteachersthathadbeenelevatedbecausetheyweretheonesthatweren’tafraidtotouchacomputer.Ah,thegoodolddays!

Advanceforward20yearstotoday.Gov-ernor Schwarzenegger recently announcedhis digital textbook initiative. Districtsare required to have standardized studentinformation systems; teachers are takingattendance intheclassroomandtransmit-ting the data electronically to the districtoffice;manyteachersareaccessingteachingprogramsviabrowserbasedprogramsoffoftheInternetorthedistrict’sIntranet;videoconferencing is becoming a reality in the

classroom;wirelessnetworksabound;andall of this is happening in the classroom,oftentimesoffofT1(1.54Mbps)telephonelines between school sites to the districtoffice.

Aswehavemoreteachersembracetech-nology and integrate Web-based teachingprograms into their lesson plans, schooladministrators are going to be faced withsignificantly increasing their data connec-tionsfromtheirschoolsitestothedistrictoffice and their data connection to theirInternetserviceprovider.ThegoodnewsisE-rateandtheCaliforniaTeleconnectFund(CTF)canhelpreducethecostofthesedatacircuits.Formanyofourdistrictsandlibrar-ies,E-rateandCTFwillfund95percentofthecostofthesedatacircuits.Evenforourmostaffluentschools,E-rateandCTFwillpay70percent!

Beforeyoustarttheprocessofreceivingbids fromserviceproviders forhigh-speeddatacircuits,herearesometips:

Start firstwith a visit to yourbusinessofficetofindoutwhatprocessyouwillneedtofollowtoreceivebidsfornewdatacircuits.Since many of these projects will involvelong-termcontracts,thetotalcostofthesecontractsmaybehundredsofthousandsandpossiblymillionsofdollars.Giventhecost,your business office and/or attorney may

By Fred Brakeman

E-raTE UPDaTE

Using E-rate To Fund High Speed Data Networks

Continued on page 3028 DataBus • Fall 2009

http://www.sungardps.com

requirethatyouputoutaformalbid,runnewspaperads,etc.

Sincemanyserviceproviderswillwrapup the cost of the installation into theirmonthlycostof theservice,youmayfindthatincreasingthelengthofthemulti-yearcontracttosomethingmorethanthreeyearswill significantly reduce the monthly costofthedatacircuits.Youmaywanttocheckwithyourbusinessofficetoseeiftheywillallow a five-year contract or somethingevenlonger.

BeforeyouputoutyourbidorRFP/RFQ,decidewhattypesandspeedofdatacircuitsyou will need. What are your minimumrequirementsincludingdataspeeds,techni-calrequirements,servicelevelagreements,billingrequirements,growthandanyotherfunctions or features you determine thatmustbeincludedwiththeserviceprovider’sbidresponse?Youmaywanttoalsoconsiderifyouwillonlyreceivequotesfortraditional“wired” service providers or will acceptotherservicessuchaswirelessmicrowaveornewadvancedservicesthattelecomcompa-niesarenowoffering.Moreoptionsmeanmoreandlowerbids.

Willthedistrictbesupplyingthecontractfortheserviceprovidertosignorwillthedistrictbesigningacontractthattheservice

providerwillbesupplying?Ifthedistrictissupplyingthecontract, it issuggestedyousupplyacopyofthecontractwiththebid.Ifyouaregoingtosigntheserviceprovider’scontract, require that the serviceprovidersupply a copy of the contract with theirbidandmakesureyourbusinessofficeandattorney approve the contract before it issigned. It is suggested you also include agrowthclauseinthecontractsoadditionalschoolsorbandwidthcanbeaddedastheneedarisessonewbidsarenotrequiredinthefuture.

SincenotallserviceproviderswillofferE-rate and/or CTF discounts, include aplace in their bid response: (1) indicatingtheywillbesupplyingbothE-rateandCTFdiscounts;(2)howmuchthosediscountswillbeeachmonth;and(3)havethemdescribehowandwhenthediscountswillbeappliedtoyourmonthlybills.Someserviceprovid-ers require thedistrict topay eachbill infulleachmonthevenwhenE-rateorCTFdiscountshavenotyetbeenappliedtothebillandotherswillonlybillthedistrictthe“net” cost of the service after E-rate andCTFdiscounts.ThisisanimportantpointasmanydistrictsinCaliforniahavefoundout the hard way the financial hardshipsthatarisewhendiscountsdon’tstartflow-

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ing formanymonthsafter the servicehasbeeninstalledandbillssent.Establishtheevaluationcriteriabeforethebidsgooutandmakesuretheserviceprovidersknowwhattheevaluationcriteriaare.PerE-raterules,pricemustbe thehighestweighted factor,but you can include any other evaluationcriteriathatmeetyourspecificneedssuchasiftheywillbeofferingbothE-rateandCTFdiscounts,technicalqualificationsandhowtheywillbillforservices,etc.

If a bid or RFP/RFQ is going to besupplied, make sure you prepare the biddocumentspriortofilingyourE-rateform470andhavethemreadythedaytheForm470isfiled.Ifyouintendtowriteabid,makesureform470identifiesthatabidwaswrit-tenandhowserviceproviderscanaccessthebid.Supplythebiddocumentstoallserviceproviderswhorequestcopiesofthebid.Keepthebidopenat28daysafterform470hasbeenpostedandbidsmadeavailabletotheservice providers. To prepare for a futureE-rateaudit,keepallcommunicationswithallbiddersduringthe28-daybiddingperiod,notjustthelowbidder.Thecontractmustbesignedanddatedbyallpartiespriortofilingform471.Theform471filingwindowwillprobablystartaboutDecember1,2009andendapproximatelyFebruary15,2010.

Since these new data circuits may takemonthstoinstallafterE-ratefundstheproj-ect,whichmaybemonthsafterthestartofthefiscalyear,wesuggestyoualsocontinuetorequestE-ratefundingforyourolddatacircuitsaswell.Afterthenewdatacircuitsareinstalled,canceltheolddatacircuits.

Lastitem.Checkwithyourservicepro-vider who will be supplying the newdatacircuits to see if theyhaveanypaperworkrequirementstheyneedyoutodoinordertoget theE-rateandCTFdiscountsflow-ing.Mostofthemajorcompaniesdohavepaperwork requirements that the districtmustcomplete:nopaperworkandnoE-rate/CTFdiscountseventhoughyouhavegonethrough all of the above processes andreceived notification that E-rate and CTFhavefundedtheproject.n

Fred Brakeman is President of Infin-ity Communications & Consulting, Inc, a full-service consulting firm including E-rate/CTF and Microsoft Ed Tech K-12 consulting, technology design services, and low-voltage construction management and inspection services serving approximately 15 percent of all the school districts and county offices of education in California. Infinity Communications & Consulting is located in Bakersfield, CA. He can be reached at [email protected], office phone (661) 716-1840, or via mail at P.O. Box 6069, Bakersfield, California 93386. Please visit www.infinitycomm.com.

E-Rate Updatecontinued from page 28


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There seems to be more than just ofsmidgenofanimositybetweenthetechsideandtheacademicsideofourhouse.

Withoutputting too fine an edgeon it, itseemsthat thetech-sidesees theacademicside as arrogant, privileged, technicallystubbornandwhollylackinginappreciationfortechnologyandwhattechnologistsdo.

Andforreasonsinexplicabletousonthetechside,technologyisthefirsttogofromtheclassroomintimesoffinancialpanic—suchasnow.

First goes teacher interest. Then goesteacherequipment.

Thenbackcometeacherbooksandpaperand the, “If the 20th century was goodenoughformymother,it’sgoodenoughforme,”sortofcomplaints.Afterthat,thingsjustgetgrouchy.

Noshyadjective-slingersthemselves,theacademicsidelooksonthetech-sideasintru-siveandoverbearingwith its jargon-ladeninability to either communicate withoutshowingoffortoseewithanykindofpeda-gogicalvision.Thetechside,totheacademicside,seemsignoranttolearning,afumblingandinsecureteamofsneaker-wearingwan-nabeswhoseonlyclaimtonecessityisaccesscontrol.“No,youcan’tthat’srestrictedyoudon’t have those privileges.” Usually saidjustlikethat,butwithoutpausesforbreath.

Mostofall—andthisisabsolutelyunfor-givabletotheacademicmind—thetechside

hasanunfathomabledisregardformortality.“So,whyareyoualive?”Thisisapretty

brutal question, and, of course, teachersaren’t openly asking this. They probablyaren’tevenconsciousofthequestion.Butit’sthere,lurkinglikethegrimreaperoveralltheirdiscussionswiththetechside.“What’syoureternaleducationalreward?”theyask.“What’sthelegacypay-offinwire-pulling?Isanyonegoingtorememberyouafteryou’regone?Willanyonecare?”

Or,toputitsimply:“Ifwhatyoudohasno relation to solving the eternal humanquestionofhowtoliveforever,whyareyouwastingourair?”

It’safairquestion.Teachersliveinaworldofheroicsalvation,thoughthey’llnevertellyouthat.It’sakindoftalismantheykeepforwardingofftheirowndeath.Teachakidandthatkidwillteachanotherandanotherandprettysoonthewholeworld’seducated.With any luck and a layer-four tailwind,theirteachingDNAwillspreadacrosstheuniverseandearthwillbesaved.

That’s pretty presumptuous on theirpart, but it’s the way teachers think. Ifteachers don’t subconsciously believe theycansave theworldsinglehandedly, they’reinthewrongprofessionandshouldreturnto professional bowling. It’s a heroismthing, a fixation. They’ve all got it. Theyseriouslythinktheycanchangetheworld.Andthattheirworkwillleadto(theirown)

By Mark Heydon

Just Wearing Tweed Won’t Make You a Star

“We will either find a way, or make one.”

—Hannibal


immortality.Andright there is thenub.Right there

is the separation between them and us,between the academic and the tech. Wethink in termsof systemsandcompletionandflow.Theythinkintermsofcognitiveinsightandpedagogicsalvation.It’sallicecreamandpickles.Yinandyang.CETPAandCUE.Inaway,therelationshipbetweenusisataleoftolerance,notrespect.Theytolerateus,butthatdoesnotleaddirectlytorespect.Intheirterms,wemayhavemadelifeeasierforthem,butwehavenotmadetheignoranceofourstudentsunavoidable.

So,whatdowesaybacktothem?Weknowthatanynanny-nanny-nu-nuanswerlike “Well, try doing what you’re doingwithoutus”isn’tgoingtogetusanywhere.Remember,we’vegot,say,30or40yearsdoingwhatwe’redoing.They’vegotacoupleofmillennium.Andsayingwe’reineduca-tion for thesamereasontheyarewillgetusonlyaconfusedstare.They’vegotkids.We’ve got wires. Those are two differentbeastsintheirmind.

Truth is, most of us who are into thistechgigjustlikethingsthatrunsmoothly,effectively,andthatcontributetothewholeoftheenterprise.Welikeachallenge,sure,the sort that lets us trace patterns, solvepuzzles, and discover solutions. We loveitwhenthingsgocompletelyawryandwejumpin,figureafix,and—withasetofbril-liant,off-the-cuff,flying-by-the-seatofourconsolesandofferingjusttherightinsightfultweaks—wegetitallupandrunningagainwithoutthelossofaLED.Ofcourse,ifwecandoallthiswhilesayingthingslike“…ifthecapacityandaverageflowareknown,itispossibletocomputethemeanpacketdelayonthatlinefromqueuingtheory…”Sweet.Talklikethatisjustputtingthecherryonthewhippedcream.

Buthowdowefitinamongourteach-ingbrethren?WeknowthatjustwearingBirkenstocks and tweed won’t make us astar.There’sgottobesomethingelsethatwillmakethecredentialedrespectthecer-tificated.

So,wecomeback to thatmost centralof central questions:Can’twe all give upour territorialityandrealize thatwehaveacommongoal—ifnotground—andthatcommongoal is theeducationofourstu-dents?

No.Thereisnocommongoalandthereason

is simple. It is thecentralphenomenonofthe 21st century: Students don’t need theteachers.Andtheycertainlydon’tneedus.

Imagination,curiosityandlearningareproductsofstudents,notoftheteacherandnotofus,andthewhizzingoftheirimagi-nationstowardsinfinityisfarbeyondanyofourpoorpowerstocontrol.Thisisn’ttosaytheydon’tneedaplaceandthegizmos

todoallthat,aplacetoattaindiscipline,knowledge,criticalthinking,andawholelotmoreskillsoftheIdealPerson,butitistosaythatthecenterofgravityoflearningisshifting,fromobligatorytestingandmanda-toryattendancetoadesiretocommunicateandparticipate.Insteadofeachsideoftheeducationalhouselookingateachotherandshouting,weshouldbeassertingourselvesasliberators.Changeissoeasyandquickandglobal,bothofus,techieandacademiciealike,shouldbeaskinghowwefitin.

Legacythis:CringewhenyouspeakofCIPA.Offerpasswordswithtraining.Callto account anyonewho suggests that youshouldtestbecauseyoucantest,notthatyouneedtotest.Deleteasmuchasyouretain.Trustnoone.Trusteveryone.Letthekidsfly.Liveforever.Andwe’llallgetalong.n

Mark Heydon, CCTO, is the Technology Coordinator for the Shoreline USD and can be reached at (707) 878-2286 or [email protected].


http://www.sehi.com



Afterweeksoftryingtobridgethenaggingbudgetgap,theLegislaturehasfinallyapprovedandtheGovernorhassignedacomplicatedseriesofcuts,

deferrals, accounting gimmicks and borrowing in anefforttonarrowthe$26-billionshortfall.Thefinalpack-ageapprovedbybothhousesdoesincludealleducationproposalsthatwillreduceordeferanadditional$5.7billionfromCaliforniaK-14schoolsthroughtheendofthe2009-10fiscalyear.

Specific Budget SolutionsThis budget agreement culminates a series of cuts

to Proposition 98 of approximately $20 billion overtwo years. Between the 2008-09 and 2009-10 fiscalyears,atotalof$20.6billionhasbeenreducedfromthestatutorilyrequiredbudgetlevelsforschooldistrictsandcommunitycollegebudgets.Thisincludestheelimina-tionofCOLAs,categoricalprogramcutsandfundingdeferralsintofuturefiscalyears.

Critical Issues from the 2009-10 BudgetBecauseoftheseverebudgetcutsimplementedinthis

budget,therewereseveralimportantpolicyissuesthatwereimplementedasawaytograntgreaterflexibilityforschooldistrictstobetterhandletheshortfalls.Theseinclude:

Instructional materials flexibility: Inabigwin forschool districts, the final agreement includes a three-yearextensionofthecurrentsuspensionofinstructionalmaterials purchase requirements (through 2012-13).Additionally, language was included to prohibit theStateBoardofEducationfromapprovinganytextbookadoptions during that same time period. The budgetlanguageissilentontheissueofcorrectiveactiondis-trictaccesstothepurchasedelayandissilentonwhat

happensattheendofthe2012-13suspensionperiod.Thereisnolanguagespecificallyexemptingcorrectiveactiondistrictsfromthisdelay,soitcanbeassumedthatcorrectiveactiondistrictsarerelievedof thepurchaserequirementsduringthiswindowperiod.Additionally,withthreeyearstogountiltheendofthesuspensionwindow,thereisstilltimetohavethelegislatureaddresswhatpurchaserequirementswillorwillnotbeinplaceafter2012-13.

CAHSEE: Thefinaldealrejectstheearlierlegisla-tiveproposaltorepealCAHSEEasarequirementforhighschoolgraduationandlimititsadministrationtoonlyonceperyear.ButthefinalagreementdoesincludelanguageexemptingspecialeducationstudentsfromtherequirementtopasstheexamuntiltheStateBoardofEducationhasapprovedanexemptionprocess.

Flexibility:Noadditionallocalflexibilityisprovidedinthisbudgetagreement,beyondtheloweringofdistrictreserve requirements and the extended instructionalmaterialspurchasesuspension.However,therewillstillbeanefforttotrytoaddresstheissueofadditionalCSRflexibility and/or penalty relief in separate legislationoncethebudgetisresolved.

Corrective Action Districts and Flexibility: ClarifiesthatschooldistrictsincorrectiveactionareentitledtotheflexibilityaffordedontheTierIIIcategoricalprogramsestablishedinSB3x4inFebruary.

What Happens Now?Nowthatthe2009-10budgethasbeenpassed,and

alreadyamendedtoreflectacontinueddownturnintheeconomy,arewelikelytoseeadditionalcutsinthisfiscalyearandthenext?

Further Cuts Are Likely: WhiletheJulybudgetagree-mentsolvesmanyoftheimmediatecashflowproblems,

By Jeff Frost, CETPA Legislative Advocate

California State Budget Crisis: Where Do We Go From Here?


it alone will not fully balance a budgetthatisbesetwithanaggingshortfall.Staterevenues continue to drop. It is very pos-sible that another round ofmid-year cutscouldbemadein2009-10.ThereisasmallamountofroomwithintheProposition98guaranteeandstillremainabovethefederalmaintenance of effort level. Additionally,federal ARRA funding will diminish in2010-11andthe$12billioninannualtaxesimposed in April 2009, will end in April2011—midwaythroughthenextfiscalyear.Districts need to remain cautious aboutspendingandrealize that2010-11willbeanotherdifficultyear.

Permanent Budget Correction: Ananalysisof the current economic environ-mentofCaliforniaindicatesthatthelossofbothstate-level revenuedropand job losswillremainthrough2011-12.California’sunemploymentratehit12.9percentinthethirdquarterof2009.Thatrateisprojectedtoincreaseto14.4percentinthefirstquar-terof2010andremainat13.0percentinto2011.Additionally,jobgrowthinCaliforniabottomedoutinthethirdquarterof2009andourjobgrowthisprojectedtoremainstagnantinto2011.Inshort,theseeconomicforecasts indicate that thecurrent levelofstate revenue is likely to remain flat forseveralyearstocome.TheAugustrevenueforecast from the Department of Financeshowstheonlybitofgoodnewsinrecentmonths.Augustrevenuesactuallyexceededthe projection for the first time in over ayear. School districts will need to realizethatasthestate’srevenuesstopdropping,theywillmorethanlikelyremainflatandnot grow significantly for the next twoyears.Whengrowthdoesoccur,itislikelytogrowataverymodestrateoverthenextseveralyears.

Proposition 98 Maintenance Factor:Oneofthemostimportantaspectsoftherecentbudget agreement is the inclusion of anagreementtorepaypastfundsowedtotheProposition98account.Thesefunds,knownasthe“MaintenanceFactor”willberepaidtoK-14schoolsoveraperiodofyearsandtotal$11.2billion.

Use of Restoration Funds: NowthattheMaintenanceFactorfundsarerequiredtoberepaid,thequestionishowthesefundswill be allocated in future years? Willthese fundsbeused to restore categoricalprogrammaticreductionsorwillthesenewfunds become bargainable locally? Thedebate on establishing priorities will beenormous.

On-Going Categorical Flexibility: Thelegislation establishing the categoricalflexibility options, SB 3x 4, grants dis-tricts “maximum flexibility” for all TierIII programs through the 2011-12 fiscalyear. Presumably, this statute would thensunsetandallofthestatutoryrequirementsfor these programs would be re-imposed.However,thereisstrongsupportfromman-

agementgroupsandRepublicanmembersofthelegislature.Itisnotclearhowstronglytheseforceswillworktoextendtheflexibil-ityprovisionsbeyond2012.Giventhatthestate’sbudgetrequiresatwo-thirdsvotetopass,thereisstrongleverageforextendingtheseprovisionsifthisremainsapriorityforRepublicanmembers.

Dr. Jeffrey W. Frost is CETPA’s Leg-islative Consultant. The addition of his services is part of CETPA board initiatives intended to improve the delivery of critical information related to California technol-ogy initiatives to the CETPA membership. Dr. Frost has a wide-ranging background in academia, legislative advocacy, and public policy development and more than 20 years of experience lobbying the California State Legislature on behalf of school districts and education associations.


http://www.lightspeedsystems.com

dataBus: What is your title and responsibilities at the Saugus Union School district? How long have you been there?

JK:Ihavebeenthedirectorofinformationservicesandtechnologyfornearly14yearsatSUSD,whereIoverseeallthingstechnologyrelatedwithintheschooldistrict.IamalsothechairoftheCoSNK12OpenTechnologiesInitiative,anadvisorypanelistfortheCoSN/MacArthurWeb2.0andParticipatoryCultureinSchoolsproject,andatechnologyimplementationteammemberfortheCDEBrokersofExpertiseproject,amongotheraffiliations.

dataBus: How long have you been in the computer industry?

JK:22years.

dataBus: What do you like most about this industry?

JK:Thebestthingaboutthetechnologyindustryistheendlessopportunityforcreativityandinnovation.Thepaceofchangeandpotentiallastingimpactoftechnology,especiallyineducation,createsacontinuouslychalleng-ingandrewardingenvironmentthatissecondtonone.

dataBus: When did you join cETPa and why? JK:Ihonestlydon’tremember;itwasanumberof

yearsago,buttheprimaryreasonwastodiscoverandconnectwithvisionaryleadersineducationtechnologythroughoutthestate,andtoparticipateintheconver-sationabout the futureof educationand technology.

dataBus: What is cETPa’s greatest strength? JK:CETPA’s greatest strength is andalways shall

be its membership and the communities of practicethey create.The learning andmentoringopportuni-ties that are facilitated through various meetingsandother events provide excellent opportunities formembers from even the smallest, most rural schooldistricttolearnandgrowasstatetechnologyleaders.

dataBus: Where does cETPa need to grow? JK: CETPA does a great job con-

necting its members and facilitatingmeetings,buthasyet to step into themuch-needed role of consolidatingresources andproviding leadership inkeyareasthataffectthemoderntech-nologyleader.CETPAneedstoactivelyengageitsmembershipbycollectinganddisseminatingbestpractices, examplepolicies,toolsandresourcesnecessarytobea successful21st-centuryeduca-

tiontechnologyleader.Thelistserveisagreatresource,butwhenthesamequestiongetsaskedadozentimes,itstimeforleaderswithinCETPAtoorganize,collectand provide information, resources, and discussionaroundthetopicinaconsistentandpersistentway.Inaddition,CETPAcouldandshouldbemuchmoreactiveand engaged in legislative advocacy in Sacramento.

dataBus: What is the greatest challenge this industry faces and how can it be overcome?

JK:Thegreatestchallengetoeducationtechnologiststodayisthefreeflowofinformationandtheriseofpar-ticipatoryculture.Whilethe20th-centuryeducationalparadigm revolved around information scarcity—Ihaveitandyoudon’t,thereforeIwilldictatehowandwhenyouwillreceiveit—the21stcenturyhasevolvedto state-of-information abundance and continuousavailability,causingadramaticshiftintheverynatureof intelligence. Success in life is no longermeasuredmerelyby“whatIknow”butby“whatIcandowithwhat I don’t know.”Unfortunately,many technolo-gistsarestillweddedtothe20th-centuryapproachtotechnologyand informationaccess.Thosewhoviewtechnologyandcontentassomethingtolimitandcon-trolwillfindtechnology“management”anincreasinglyfutile exercise.Thosewhoadapt and strive to createenvironmentswheretechnology-enabledcreativity,inno-vation,andparticipationthrivewillseesuccessunlikeanyeducationalprogramor initiativeeverattempted.

dataBus: How is the current economy affecting your district?

JK:Historically, resource constraintshave alwaysdriveninnovation,andthiscrisisisnodifferent.Whilewearesadlysufferinglossesinstaffandresourcesacrossthedistrict,wearealsopulling together to seeknewefficienciesandsupportstructuresaswecontinuethedrivetowardexcellenceineducation.Technologywillplayakeyroleinthosenewefficiencies,sowewillcer-tainlyhaveourworkcutoutforusinthecomingyear.

dataBus: Where do you live and what do you like to do in your spare time?

JK:Iactually live inLancaster,abouta45-minutedrivefromthedistrict.Idon’tmind,though,asIgettotackletwistycanyonroadstoworkeverydayinmyMiniCooper,whichisfun,butburnsthroughtireslikeyouwouldn’tbelieve.Ienjoyspendingtimewithmyfamily,playingtennis,traveling,andhangingoutbythepool.Iusedtodoquiteabitofrockclimbing,butalas,myclimbingbuddieshaveall sufferedunfortunate shiftsintheircentersofgravity,whichhasleftmewithoutapartner.Anytakers?n

DataBus Chats with Jim Klein

Mem

ber

Pro

file

MEMBER ProfileBy Lisa Kopochinski, DataBus Editor


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Resource guide & Advertiser’s Index


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ERaTE/cTF cONSUlTaNT - TEcHNOlOgY dESIgN SERVIcESInfinity Communications & Consulting

(661) 716-1840www.infinitycomm.comPlease see our ad on page .............................30

FacIlITIES PlaNNINg, dESIgN & cONSTRUcTIONLogic Domain

(877) 768-3334www.logicdomain.comPlease see our ad on page .............................31

INFORMaTION TRaNSPORT SYSTEMSBICSI

(813) 979-1991www.bicsi.orgPlease see our ad on page .............................17

K-12 FINaNcIal & HUMaN RESOURcESENTERPRISE RESOURcES PlaNNINg SOFTWaREWindsor Management Group

(888) 654-3293www.InfiniteVisions.com/CETPAPlease see our ad on page ...............................3

NETWORK MaNagEMENT aNd INTEgRaTION SOlUTIONSCpSI LTD

(800) 659-8240www.cpsiltd.comPlease see our ad on page .............................21

Sehi Computer products(800) 346-6315www.sehi.comPlease see our ad on page .............................33

Spectrum Communications(800) 319-8711www.spectrumccsi.comPlease see our ad on page .............................39

REMOTE accESS & SUPPORTpJ Technology

(888) 330-4188www.GoverLAN.comPlease see our ad on page .............................37

SERVERS aNd Pc SOlUTIONSSehi Computer products

(800) 346-6315www.sehi.comPlease see our ad on page .............................33

SOFTWaRE NETWORKINgLightspeed Systems

(877) 447-6244www.lightspeedsystems.comPlease see our ad on page .............................35

SOlUTIONS PROVIdERDecotech

(800) 597-0757www.decotech.comPlease see our ad on page ................ Back Cover

Western Blue(800) 660-0430www.westernblue.comPlease see our ad on page .............................25

XIT Solutions661-635-0365www.xitsolutions.comPlease see our ad on page .............................12

STUdENT aSSESSMENT SYSTEMSpearson School Systems

(877) 873-1550www.pearsonschoolsystems.comPlease see our ad on page ...............................7

STUdENT INFORMaTION SYSTEMSEagle Software

(888) 487-7555www.aeries.comPlease see our ad on page ...............................2

IST, Inc.(866) 266-6364www.ist.comPlease see our ad on page .............................27

pearson School Systems(877) 873-1550www.pearsonschoolsystems.comPlease see our ad on page ...............................7

Sungard public Sector(866) 905-8989www.sungardps.comPlease see our ad on page .............................29

Tyler Technologies(800) 772-2260www.tylertech.comPlease see our ad on page .............................37

Edupoint Educational Systems(800) 338-7646www.edupoint.comPlease see our ad on page .............................19

TURNKEY TEcHNOlOgY SOlUTIONSaNd cURRIcUlUM INTEgRaTIONIVS Computer Technology

(877) 945-3900 or (661) 831-3900www.ivsct.netPlease see our ad on page .............................23

USER accOUNT MaNagEMENTAdvanced Toolware

(888) 770-4242www.advtoolware.comPlease see our ad on page .............................13

WEB dESIgN HOSTINgInteractive Educational Services, Inc.

(661) 859-1900www.cyberschool.comPlease see our ad on page ...............................4

ad INdEX

Advanced Toolware .................................... 13

BICSI ........................................................... 17

CpSI LTD .................................................... 21

Decotech ......................................Back Cover

Eagle Software .............................................. 2

Edupoint Educational Systems .................... 19

Infinity Communications & Consulting ....... 30

Interactive Educational Services, Inc. ........... 4

IST, Inc. ....................................................... 27

IVS Computer Technology .......................... 23

Lightspeed Systems .................................... 35

Logic Domain ............................................. 31

pearson School Systems ............................... 7

pJ Technology ............................................. 37

Sehi Computer products ............................ 33

Spectrum Communications ........................ 39

Sungard public Sector ................................. 29

Troxell Communications ............................. 31

Tyler Technologies ...................................... 37

Western Blue .............................................. 25

Windsor Management Group ....................... 3

XIT Solutions .............................................. 12

Zangle ........................................................... 9


http://www.trox.com

http://www.zangle.com

www.cpsiltd.com

www.infinitycomm.com

http://www.logicdomain.com

http://www.bicsi.org


http://www.cpsiltd.com

http://www.sehi.com

http://www.spectrumccsi.com

http://www.GoverLAN.com

http://www.sehi.com

http://www.lightspeedsystems.com

http://www.decotech.com

http://www.westernblue.com

http://www.xitsolutions.com



http://www.ist.com


http://www.sungardps.com

http://www.tylertech.com

http://www.edupoint.com

http://www.ivsct.net

http://www.advtoolware.com

http://www.cyberschool.com

http://www.spectrumccsi.com

www.cetpa-k12.org

INTHEACT



Documents

CETPA Databus Fall 2009