Decatur

Community/Press: Bond Brings Laptops to Texas Districts One thing I noted in the article was the inclusion of parents, students and community members in creating the plan. Something to consider. Teacher buy-in isn't the only obstacle, there has to be community and parent buy in also... :)

Board Approves Student Laptops

//Troy Bagwell, Decatur ISD Director of Technology, talked about their experiences with 1:1 computing// · Planning o Program steering committee o Guidelines, agreements, & processes that address damage, loss, & acceptable use including guidebook o Inventory & record keeping plan o Tech support center o Laptop insurance o Online safety, responsibility & AU   o Purchasing & finance o Implementation & rollout o Evaluation & measurement o Community involvement o Online tools · Staff development o JUMP & JUMP Higher (web 2.0 training I & II) o Teachers received laptops a year before students o Apple certified trainers o 2 days of iLife (iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, Garage Band) o 2 days of content-specific training o Follow up training scheduled for spring 2011 · Deployment process o 10 sessions over a 4 day period o Adult REQUIRED to attend orientation with student o $45 usage fee (pro-rated for free/reduced lunch) – $50 repair fee for all o 50 minute orientation o 15 minute laptop checkout (log on, get on wireless, complete survey [survey used to check that login, connection were good]) · Why Mac? o Creative device out-of-the-box o Powerful o Reliable o Easily managed o Stand alone philosophy – keep device independent of network as much as possible o Fits into existing infrastructure – binds to Windows Active Directory o MS Office 2008 o Apple iLife/iWorks o Apple is viewed as innovator & is redefining tech industry · Mac shack o Shop for tech support & repairs (students & staff) o Certified Mac tech on staff o Hours based on need o Minimal major repairs o Manages repair fees, new user setup, inventory · Technical o Printing needed more at the beginning o Cisco APs o Casper Suite – deploy, update, activate for Mac OS X   o Network home directories for backup & file storage Check in at the end of the year
 * Notes from November 18, 2010 Regional Technology Advisory Committee meeting**

- LDM