I was writing an email to all of our new staff giving an overview of many of the technology services and resources we offer, and I realized that it would be helpful for all of our staff to have a refresher on some of these things. So, in an uncharacteristic BBH-centric post, I’m also putting that note here. While much of this doesn’t apply to people who don’t work for the Brecksville-Broadview Hts. Schools, it does offer a glimpse into some of the things were doing here, technologically speaking.
Here, then, are my ten tech resources for staff as we start the new year:
- Get to know your tech people. Here’s a list of the technology support people. Most of the buildings have a “go-to” person in the building to help with technology needs. They’re a great resource for getting help fast. There are also three of us working at the district level. You’ll see Dan, Rick, and me in the buildings quite a bit.
- Use the help desk at http://www.bbhcsd.org/helpdesk to report tech problems. Documenting issues helps us better prioritize visits to schools, track recurring and ongoing problems, and make sure we have everything we need to solve problems as quickly as possible. In many cases, we can also solve problems remotely, saving everyone time.
- Head over to the user management system at http://www.bbhcsd.org/user. Log in with your username and password, and use the “Edit Directory Information” link to make sure your info is up-to-date. This data is used to generate the staff directories on the web site, links to staff members’ web sites, school email lists, and the automated emergency notification system. If your information is accurate here, you’re more likely to get those critical communications in a timely manner. At the very least, you’ll need to log in and enter your phone number. You can also change your password with this system.
- The district uses Google Apps for Education for email, calendar, and shared documents. You can access any of these tools from any Internet-connected computer by visiting http://email.bbhcsd.org, http://docs.bbhcsd.org, or http://calendar.bbhcsd.org. Students in grades 5-12 are also eligible to receive Google Apps accounts. This is the first year for this, so many of them don’t even know about this yet. I have also created a handy Getting Started Guide for Google Apps (http://bit.ly/aazJTK) that might be useful for you.
- The district uses the WordPress blogging software, which is a great way for staff members to quickly and easily publish information online without having to learn how to be a web designer. Intended to be as easy to use as email, blogs can provide a simple way for teachers to provide timely information to students and parents. For interested staff members, they can also be configured for interactivity, facilitating online student discussions and collaborative projects. To set up a blog, visit http://staff.bbhcsd.org and log in with your network username and password. An embarrassingly out-of-date WordPress Guide is available on the same page to help you get started. Professional development classes are also occasionally offered on blogging for teachers. If you’d rather use a site someplace else, you’re more than welcome to do so. Just update your directory information (see #3) with your site’s address.
- Interested in having an online component to your classes? We use Moodle as our learning management system (http://moodle.bbhcsd.org). You can use Moodle to facilitate online discussions, disseminate handouts, assignments, and other materials, and allow students to complete and submit work electronically. Log in and have a look around. If you decide you’d like to get started with a class of your own, let me know and I’ll get you the right permissions. Students in grades 6-12 have Moodle accounts automatically, and fifth graders get them mid-year. If you teach younger grades than that, we can also accommodate your students on a case-by-case basis.
- The district uses the Progress Book grading and grade reporting software. Attendance and grades are reported using this system. Your username and password will be provided by the EMIS office. Parents are provided with “parent access” accounts, allowing them to check on student progress online at their convenience. Teachers may also use this system for keeping parents updated about assignments, upcoming projects, and other classroom news.
- When you log in to your computer, you’ll notice that there are a number of network drives. While these can vary depending on your building and position, the most common drives are these:
- H: This is your home directory. Files stored here are only accessible by you, but you can get to them from any computer where you’re logged in.
- T: (staff) This is the staff drive for your building. All staff members in your school have access to this drive, but students do not. It’s a convenient place to share resources with your colleagues within the building.
- M: (diststaff) Like the staff drive, this one is available to all staff members. The difference is that the “diststaff” drive is available to all staff members district-wide. So if you need to share resources with teachers in other buildings (curriculum mapping, working on verticality, grade-level resources in the elementary schools, etc), this is the place.
- P: (public) This drive is available to anyone with a network account (including students). In some schools, student access to this drive is read-only, allowing staff to use it as a dissemination tool.
- O: (submit) Available at the high school and middle school, this drive allows staff members to set up “drop boxes” for students to turn in assignments.
- I: (programs) You won’t really use this drive directly. It stores shared data for applications that run on the network.
- X: (apps) This drive contains application installers and software drivers that are mainly used by the technology department.
- Federal law and district policy require us to provide filtered Internet access on all computers that are or may be used by students. We use the Webwasher content filter service provided to us by our ITC, Lnoca. Because web filtering is not an exact science, there are occasionally situations where needed resources are inappropriately blocked, or where content is not blocked that should not be accessed in school. The district has set up a procedure for handling these situations. Staff members may submit Internet Filter Review Requests (http://www.bbhcsd.org/tech/filter) to ask that an exception be made to the filter. These requests are reviewed by a panel of principals and media specialists. In most cases, a decision is made within a few hours.
- This summer, the district completed the installation of a wireless network in all six school buildings. District-owned devices that have been configured to use the wireless network should be able to access all of the same resources that they use when they’re connected to the wired network. Staff and students may also use the wireless network from personally-owned devices to access the web. Just look for the Beesnet wireless network. There’s no password to connect. When you start using the web, you’ll be asked to authenticate with a valid BBHCSD network account. Once that’s done, you’ll be able to browse the web. Please note that printers, file servers, and other internal network resources are not available from the Beesnet wireless network.
Have a great year.
Posted on August 19th, 2010 by Elizabeth DeGirolamo
Filed under: Front Page, bbhcsd | 1 Comment »


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