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August 28, 2018 - Service Alert

The Single Sign-On tool will be unavailable on September 2nd from 8:00pm to 10:00pm for scheduled system maintenance. The applications listed below will be unavailable during the maintenance window. All others can be accessed by visiting the application URL and logging directly into the application.

Applications unavailable during scheduled maintenance include:

  • District Helpdesk
  • Dreambox
  • EmbraceIEP
  • Employee Evaluation (Formerly MLP)
  • Google (Classroom, Drive, Gmail for students, etc.)
  • McGraw-Hill
  • My Service Tracker
  • Pearson EasyBridge
  • Reflex
  • True North Logic (TNL)
  • Wayside Publishing
  • Zoom

August 15, 2018 - Welcome Back from Technology Services 

On behalf of Technology Services, welcome back to Indian Prairie School District 204 (IPSD) for the 2018-2019 academic year! After starting in June as the Chief Technology Officer, I greatly appreciate the District's warm welcome and opportunity to fostering partnerships. As we continue to partner with Curriculum and Instruction, we look forward to the innovative ways that you will engage with technology, while exploring and creating on your educational journey.

Our Technology Services team has been hard at work to provide exciting new offerings and technologies. After reviewing our updates included below, I encourage you to reach out if you have questions or would like additional information by emailing techsupport@ipsd.org, calling 375-TECH (or just TECH from a District phone) or by submitting a case through our Help Desk at https://sso.ipsd.org.

Wishing you a successful, engaging and enlightening year,

Adam Smeets
Chief Technology Officer

Focusing and Renewing Our Promise

In June, Technology Services started a holistic review process to understand our approach to support and enabling innovation both in and outside the classroom. From this exercise, Technology Services will be operating under the following principles: 

 

  • Reinforce customer service at the core of our support model; 
  • Provide easy access to information - anytime, anywhere; 
  • Focus on transparency and inclusivity in service delivery and information sharing;
  • Promote an environment of security and digital protection, while not creating unnecessary barriers;
  • Streamline access to resources using single-sign on to remove multiple logins; and
  • Responsive to emerging trends. 

 

In the coming weeks, Technology Services will be forming a steering committee for the development of the 2019-2021 Technology Plan. I look forward to hearing your feedback and outlook as new opportunities are available to shape the future of technology in the District.

Your Success Team

Each school has an assigned System Support Specialist to provide in building support. I encourage you to introduce yourself to the Specialist assigned to your building within the first few weeks. To find the Specialist assigned to your building, please visit the Tech Services website (http://tech.ipsd.org) and click on "Your Technology Team."

With a technology team of 46 staff, I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce you to your District technology leadership team. If you encounter opportunities for Technology Services to improve, I encourage you to reach out to a member of our leadership team so that we can learn and grow from your feedback. 

Summer 2018 Updates

Password Expiration Change

After a thorough review of best practices, security guidelines from the National Institute for Standards and Technology, IPSD has a new password expiration policy (this is available in the Single Sign-On portal). While you can opt to reset more frequently, we encourage you to continue selecting secure passwords to ensure the protection of District and student data.

Google Single-Sign On

Currently, you use a separate password when using Google services (Drive, Calendar, etc.). Starting Thursday, August 16, at 7:00am, the Google sign-in process for all District users will use the District user name and password.

Google Classroom

Google Classroom is available to support teachers and staff who choose to use the resource with their students. Class rosters and classrooms are now created and updated automatically using a product called Little SIS. Classrooms will adjust on a nightly basis to reflect any changes in scheduling or enrollment. Read more about this improvement...

Adobe Creative Cloud

Indian Prairie's new agreement with Adobe offers the full suite of Creative Cloud software on District-owned computers. This also includes home use for students and District employees. Read more about this offering... 

Microsoft Home Use

Students and District employees are eligible for Office 365 Education, which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote at no cost. Read more about this offering... 

Windows 10 Upgrades

6,000 machines were upgraded to Windows 10. District staff with devices on earlier versions of Windows will receive follow-up from Technology Services to schedule a time to upgrade their software within the next 30 days. 

Wireless Access Improvements

Technology Services has upgraded 560 access points in the elementary schools in preparation for the Chromebook deployment and at Matea Valley High School as part of on-going maintenance and replacement. 

Elementary School 1:1 Improvements 

Starting our third year of the student 1:1 Chromebook initiative, 9,500 Chromebooks have been prepared for the elementary schools. The District now supports a Chromebook device for each grade 2-12 student and shared use for grades K -1. Read more about the 1:1 Initiative... 

Reminder About Securing Televisions on Carts

Without proper securing, TV’s can be a tipping hazard, putting our students at serious risk. Some of our schools have TV monitors on carts. Please take this opportunity to check for the following for any TV’s which you have on carts:


  1. Be sure a safety strap is securing the TV to the cart.
  2. Be sure brackets on the ends of the strap are securely screwed into the sides of the frame of the carts. (If the straps are not secured, the tipping hazard increases as the brackets may slide, loosening the straps.)
  3. If you have any straps not anchored with screws, please work with your head custodians to put in a maintenance request immediately. While awaiting maintenance, be sure to move the TV’s to an area not accessible to students.

 

Thank you in advance for helping make student safety a priority. 

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