home



This is a wiki for the vision of the RSD-ESD tech consolidation. This is the pie in the sky view of what we believe we should strive for. Please add and comment as you see appropriate.


 * THE VISION

"Do it once, do it right!" "Under promise, over deliver!" "Make IT Fun"**

The new tech department is housed in a world class data center. The data center hosts all the RSD-ESD servers and other equipment. The data center has the capabilities of handling all the shipping and receiving for the technology of the region. The data center has a world class training and meeting facility to be used by anyone in the region.

The new tech department is a certified repair facilty for Dell, Gateway and Lenovo. The department is compensated for warranty repairs by the manufacturers.

The new tech department manages the web presence for the region. (Schoolwires, SchoolCenter, Apache, IIS, etc.) The department also encourages and provides custom Intrawebs for schools, departments, etc. The department hosts all web content used by the region (ie [|www.panthernation.org]) to provide a better experience for the users and developers of these sites.

The new tech department works closely with other departments to promote and encourage technical professional development from large scale training to just in time help in a classroom. No request is too large or too small.

The new tech department is encouraged and compensated to receive additional training and certification. Certifications in Windows Server, Exchange, SQL, SMS will enable our staff to better serve our customers.

The technology department creates technology standards that are to be implemented in regional locations. Standards range from which brand of PC and server, to phone vendors, switch hardware, wireless hardware as well as other hardware and software standards.

The technology dept would plays a significant role in supporting, creating, and implementing instructional standards that are to be met regarding technology in the classrooms of today and tomorrow.

The new tech department provides leadership and training to the on-site techs in all buildings. The on-site techs in return are compensated accordingly.

The new tech department offers computer repair and advice to all home PC's in the region. Students with A+ certification provided by high school instructors work for the department to repair PC's and laptops.

The new tech department works with educators to design what a classroom is and contains. The tech department works to equip all the classrooms in the region accordingly. Minimum standards for the basic classroom are defined. There are no haves and have nots.

The new tech department coordinates technology refresh programs throughout the region.

The new tech department is given time and resources and a budget for extensive R&D for new technology offerings. We have to stay ahead of the curve.

Technology personnel are provided with the latest tools which allow them to be on the cutting edge of technology so they may properly guide teachers in making technology decisions.

The new tech department is staffed with certified project managers that can lead technical projects throughout the region. (VOIP, new schools, software development projects, software migration, needs assessments etc.)

The new tech department manages all telecommunications throughout the district. Plans are put in place to extend VOIP to all buildings and consolidate telephone expenses.

The new tech department coordinates all technology purchases in the region to leverage buying power and to standardize technology equipment and software.

The new technology department is encouraged and required to work with other technology departments to improve knowledge and collaboration throughout the state. (ACPE, ISTE, NCCE conferences etc...)

The new tech department manages servers, switches, routers, access points, printers and desktops for the High Desert ESD and the Redmond School District to start. Remote management tools already in place in the RSD are leveraged throughout the region. Other remote management tools may be needed to service other districts or customers.

Expand the use of BigWebDesk (or other trouble ticket tracking system), currently in use in the RSD and the HDESD NOC, to track trouble tickets, response time, work load, and expense.

The staff of the new tech department is encouraged and required to cross-train with other staff members to broaden our horizons and to better serve our customers.

Professional development and training is provided so staff can improve, acquire, and maintain skills is provided personnel. Staff members create yearly goals and are provided with the resources and incentives to meet those goals.

All technology members are trained in project management and take on yearly projects to improve services for our clients.

·  Work smarter, not harder. (Commit to time and effort and $ to create and use MSI packages for all software installations) Install software on 1000 PC’s at once, instead of one at a time. This is how network people solve desktop support issues. ·  Keep an eye on the horizon, if we’re stuck at just maintaining what we have, we’ll get consumed by it. ·  Under-promise, over deliver. The ultimate in customer relations. We never say no. We might not say yes, but no isn’t in our vocabulary. ·  Our best way of adding value to what we do for our users is to be in front of them with a smile and open ears. A face with the name. Anonymity will bury us. This is maybe more important for the managers and directors and high-end techs that get stuck in meetings and other processes and the business of making things work and never get an opportunity to get out in front of our users. I worked with an elementary teacher last night with her Schoolwires page, I knew nothing about Schoolwires, we learned it together and she’ll never just delete my email or ignore it anymore. A connection with our staff makes us necessary to them. To get that, we have to get beyond just making it work. Getting beyond just making it work is going to take a conscious effort of our groups working together and making time available to add value for our users. ·  For our customers, we have to break the boundaries that exist in our departments. A technology issue is a technology issue. A technologist works to solve that issue. There is no separation of a desktop problem, or network problems, or Esis problems. They are all technology problems and we all work on them. There are areas of specialty that certain staff have to do, but there’s no reason at all that Esis help desk and desktop support work separately or that a there’s a division of when a desktop problem becomes a network problem. From the TV show Lost, “We either work together or die alone.”