2006 Conference - Keeping IT Together: Connections Matter
Session Descriptions
Wednesday, 3:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m.
Wednesday Preconference Seminars
Find out what's new and great from selected sponsors and partner school districts. These 60 minute sessions will be from 3:30–4:30 pm. An email will be sent out to all participants before the conference to let you know what the topics will be and which sponsors/districts will be presenting. Those in attendance will be eligible to win a great door prize!
Thursday, 11 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
What Is SIF? The Promise...
Hear about the Schools Interoperability Framework Association (SIFA) and the vision for the Association and the Specification. Using the SIF Specification and the standards-based interoperability it enables, schools may better utilize technology in a manner that leverages the promises of all their applications. Through the active participation of both public and private sector technology and educational communities, SIF provides an environment where this vision can be implemented. Seamless integration of a broad spectrum of instructional, administrative and communication tools is an essential foundation for an environment that effectively addresses the needs of all learners.
Presenter: Larry Fruth, Executive Director, SIF
Disaster Recovery Planning
Katrina and Rita have brought disaster recovery to the top of many IT project lists. Come learn about disaster recovery planning and how it can be implemented on a scalable basis in K-12 education. Discover best practices you can use to protect organizational information against loss. Discussions will include what to do, how to do it and what it will cost. (Repeats at 3:00 p.m.)
Presenter: Derrick Lindsay, Mississippi State Department of Education
Control the Traffic - Network Analysis
Learn how to best utilize and manage your network traffic from a panel of district technology and facility personnel having experience with network analysis, monitoring and packet shaping. Current tools, strategies and best practices will be shared by the panel with input from the audience.
Panel Discussion
Developing Web Applications
School district web applications run the spectrum from online applicant tracking, personnel evaluations and interactive access to student data, parent access and district information. Find out through demonstration and discussion how three districts developed an online report card, providing a single lens to assess the reasons why certain tools were selected to accomplish the task. Presenters: JB Fitzpatrick & Kevin Hasslinger, Bethel SD; Linda Turner & Lisa Greseth, Vancouver SD
Keynote Speaker Follow up
Join in this follow-up session to the thought-provoking keynote presentation. Presenter: Genevieve Bell, Intel
Thursday, 1:30–2:45 p.m.
One to One
The literature is full of articles, the vendors are trying to sell it to you and some of your neighbors are actually doing it--one-to-one computing. Be ready when your superintendent brings it up at a cabinet meeting. Learn what it takes to implement one-to-one computing, how much it costs and view some preliminary data on how it impacts kids.
SIF: The Reality...
Discuss the issues that districts face in making the SIF promise a reality. What does it take to exchange data between and among all your mission supporting systems? How does it work? What do you need? How do you plan? What does it cost? You have questions, we have answers. A discussion of successes, challenges, risks and rewards in implementing SIF will be presented. Many successful examples (and a few failures) will be included.
Facilitators: Larry Fruth, SIF; Mitch Benson, WSIPC
Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA)
Learn about FERPA, the Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The presenter oversees the FERPA program and is the ultimate in knowledge on this key topic. For more information on FERPA see: http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html
Presenter: LeRoy Rooker, Director, Family Policy Compliance Office
Security on Outside Devices
Computing devices are smaller and cheaper. The presence of computers, PDA's, phones, wireless routers and other devices is inescapable and the demand for their use certain. Districts are struggling to develop the policies, technical solutions and training support to integrate these devices. How do we assure connectivity while protecting critical services from intrusion, loss or corruption? A panel will share issues, potential solutions and promising technologies. Panel Discussion
Online Support - Mini Tutorials
Quick and easy! Over the last year or two, the tools for creating mini-tutorials for online distribution have gotten cheaper and easier to use. Take a look at a couple of different approaches for creating software and system tutorials for even the most novice of users with tools that are low-cost or free—and then see whether or not they were successful!
Thursday, 1:30–2:45 p.m.
Roundtables
Our popular roundtable session will feature topics of interest to computer professionals and give you the opportunity to talk to your peers about common issues. Subjects to be chosen by attendees.
Disaster Recovery Planning
Katrina and Rita have brought disaster recovery to the top of many IT project lists. Come learn about disaster recovery planning and how it can be implemented on a scalable basis in K–12 education. Discover best practices you can use to protect organizational information against loss. Discussions will include what to do, how to do it and what it will cost. (Repeat of 11 a.m. session.)
Presenter: Derrick Lindsay, Mississippi State Department of Education
The World is Flat
What does the future hold for students and how will it effect IT? Discuss these issues and view a video presentation from renowned New York Times columnist, Thomas Friedmen, author of The World is Flat. Brainstorm how IT departments can better prepare staff and students for the future in front of us.
Friday, 10:45–12:00 p.m.
Tech Innovation From the Inside Out
Here's an opportunity to connect with a building principal to gain a better understanding of how a school approaches technology and integration. Understanding the concerns of principals and how they communicate within schools may build a better understanding of how schools operate, so technology resistance is better mitigated. Presenter: Scott Beebe, North Shore SD
Data Warehousing
This overview of data warehousing will include data mining, supporting architecture, analysis tools and its utilization to realize organizational objectives. Gain a functional understanding of the key issues in data warehousing to include, project management, architectures, critical success factors, risk factors, designs, processes and tools.
Panel Discussion
Active Directory- Group Policy Object
(Little GPO—are you well defined?!)
Explore the ins and outs of and what others have learned regarding this collection of settings that define what a Windows operating system will look like and how it will behave for a defined group of users. GPO policies, security options, software installation and maintenance options and scripting options, as well as other related tools, will be discussed.
Presenter: Kurt Gazow, Evergreen SD
Rapid Application Development (RAD)
RAD has long promised to be a boon to the computing community. With new tools and development strategies for web based application development, RAD is a practical method of designing software where development processes are quick, painless and focused on the end user's needs. Explore available tools, implementation strategies and how organizations have taken advantage of RAD from a management perspective.
Presenters: Kevin Hasslinger, Puget Sound ESD, Kris Hagel, Bethel SD
Keynote Speaker Follow-up
Join in this follow-up session to the thought-provoking keynote presentation. Presenter: Mark Milleman
Friday, 1:15–2:30 p.m.
New Leadership
This session will be devoted to strategies for being an effective leader in your district. Presenter: Terry Hippenhammer, Puget Sound ESD
Content Management
Come learn about content management systems for teachers. Included in the discussion will be RSS, Blog, and SWIFT (Simplified Web Interface for Teachers.) Discuss strategies for teachers controlling information they want to receive in order to keep current. Presenter: Kevin Hasslinger, Puget Sound ESD
Network Security
Hear what districts are utilizing to assure network security. This will be a four day conference paired down to a single session as you hear from your peers about what is working and the tools being used. Hear about firewall solutions, Intrusion Prevention Systems, reducing risks, protecting critical assets, etc.
Panel Discussion
Document Sharing
This interactive discussion will look at how documents are being captured, published, managed and shared. Join a panel of school district representatives who will share ideas and expertise on making content management more efficient, confidentiality issues, security problems and more.
Panel Discussion
Desktop/Helpdesk
Increase efficiency, save time, decrease costs and protect your desktops, while providing service to your customers. IT staff will share best practices using several products, such as Novell Zenworks and LanDesk to manage desktop images, deploy software updates and trying to keep your "customer" happy. Learn how to give access to the tools they need while still keeping control. Presenters: Quade Bowman, Beaverton SD; Mike Hanan, Hillsboro SD; Frnak Edwards, Vancouver SD