ACPE Session 2 - Minimizing Administrivia in IT: Policy v Responsibilities

http://goo.gl/l4IFF

Minimizing Administrivia in IT: Policy vs Responsibilities

Thursday, May 5, 2011 - 1:30–2:45 p.m.

http://goo.gl/l4IFF



Areas for discussion will include topics such as:

• filtering specific Internet sites
• Challenges
• Who decides what sites get blocked? Is it an instructional or a technical decision?
• Do we take control just because nobody else is stepping in and taking control of the decisions?
• Not a problem because we are able to look and see if it’s appropriate or not. Tech folks can tell?
• Where is the gray area - is it getting broader.
• Teachers may not use the best judgement - South Park social site.
• No advanced notice on getting something unblocked.
• Are we overblocking and how do we solve that.
• Teachers often only look at the first page and deeper in the site there is inappropriate material.
• Sometimes we end up being in charge because it’s easier to deal with the individual exceptions than go through the process of designing the process.
• Best Practices
• CC the curriculum side to see if blocks are the best instructional practice. Let them make the final decision to block or unblock.
• Can we filter out portions of the site?
• Send URL to curriculum manager, or administrator to make final decision.
• IN deciding which filter to use, go through a process to select the product and establish a process on how the decision is make to block or unblock a particular site. This takes time to establish.
• We’ve changed the whole premise. We allow teachers to go anywhere that is not adult. Teachers and students have different profiles of filtering. This has brought the complaints way down. If a student wants to get to a blocked site, the teacher can override the filter with their authentication.
• The majority of the districts present allow teacher override of filter.
• How do you handle students who bring their own device with their own Internet capable device
• Responsible use of device rather than acceptable use of device.
• Why not let students on with their own devices. As
• What problems are seen.
• Filter wireless at the higher level.
• They need to login to the district with their own credentials. - Filtered on own credentials. If no login, filtered like a KG level student.
• We have had open wireless for a couple of years. other than the bandwidth hogs, we are trying to get students to use the network so at least they are being filtered.
• Who does the evangelism for the use of this?
• Happens by accident
• Advocate within the Tech Department
• Advocate among the teachers
• Have had some security breaches to servers through the wireless network. Done through a personal device attached to the network.
• DMZ needs to be established to protect as much from the INSIDE as well as the OUTSIDE. Firewall inside and out.
• Tunnel a specific SSID specifically for personal devices.
• EMail for all students
• Challenges
• How do you allow students to choose?
• Opt in and Opt Out?
• Some boards have insisted on Opt In.
• Takes lots of time to get forms returned.
• Decision made on basis of fear.
• Student, “They wont arrange kegger via email, but rather by texting.”
• Opt out is part of student handbook.
• When you make form, make sure that you also deal with posting of images as well.
• Students don’t want to use the district account, instead they use their personal account
• We collect paper about permissions and teachers ignor. Changes the liability though to district to teacher. It becomes an actionable personnel item.
• Shouldn’t we be providing the tools to help the teacher avoid violation of these rules.
• Professional development issue.
• Personnel decision in many cases instead of a technology decision. We find ourselves in the middle often.
• IT gets caught in the middle.
• It should be a partnership between IT-Administration-Teachers-Parents
• Parents need to be aware of the consequences of opting in or out.
• ParaEducator.com
• Way to get PD for staff. Technology staff gets caught running the program/software/etc.
• Examples
• Textbook management
• Online tests on paraeducator.com
• Best practices
• Edmonds - created “tech points” with the job of offering general technical advice at the building level. Heads off some requests before it’s escalated to technology
• Advanced agreement that people who are getting the system control the system. We can keep it running, but they manage it.
• Difficult to maintain the separation rather take it over.
• VersaTrans is an example.
• Service level agreements to document definition of roles for all parties involved.
• Created a project form to outline questions to define responsibilities, TCO, etc. Works to keep control of rogue projects and systems.
• End user misunderstanding on when IT needs to be involved. How do we explain it?
• Constant communication.
• Clear communication
• Be approachable
• Healthy and clear boundaries
• How many or our decisions are about protecting the district instead of educating students.
• student and staff investigations that involve technology
• Challenges
• They happened and it tends to fall to the technology department to do the investigations. How is this handled in other places.
• Who can tell you to do an investigation?
• Human Resources - staff
• Student investigation comes from Principal
• Written procedure
• different levels.
• Full on forensics
• “Who accessed building on a given day” can come from principal
• Always get requests in writing
• Who spot checks?
• What do you do if you find something when going about your other duties?
• Make it clear to all staff that email and files are not private.
• If found, forward to HR.
• Let people know that you can see everything. Everything gets logged, yet it’s always a surprise when it becomes an issue.
• Are there any proactive measures being put in place:
• Boundary policy and training established in Washington.
• Policy #5253
• Professional development is critical and often needs to be repeated.
• Important to try to get it cabinet level of awareness.
• Twitter may be a good choice because it’s available to everyone to look out. Athletic departments often use. Better alternative than text messaging
• How often are AUPs sent out for staff to resign?
• When updated. Is that often enought
• Part of handbook and must be signed each year.
• When staff member first comes is signed. Then comes each year from HR department and not Technology
• Flashes on login screen and they need to “agree” before they move forward.
• New laptops deployed and instead of just an asset tag, added a reminder about who owns the computer and policy that must be followed when using the device.
• Best Practices
• building security
• Challenges
• Best Practices
• use of district technology by outside agencies.
• Challenges
• Best Practices