Laptop Procedures for Teacher Transferring to District Department Position

Teacher Transfers to a District Department Position 

• Teachers who transfer to a District Department must turn in their Laptop, before beginning their new position.
• Returned equipment must include:
  1. Laptop
  2. Laptop Case (bag)
  3. Power Adapter
• Teachers must turn in their laptop to the Campus Librarian and receive the Librarian’s signoff on the Principal’s check in form. 
• Principals must check Classroom Based Technology
  1. Lost – turn is a Trouble Ticket to determine replacement
  2. Stolen – Get a SBISD Police Case Number and create a Trouble Ticket
  3. Broken Devices – Create a Trouble Ticket for repair.
• Teachers who transfer to a District Department after the Librarian leaves campus for the summer in June must return their laptop to the Call Center located in ITV, next to the Guthrie Center. 713- 251-8324

Please email the Call Center @ 251Tech@springbranchisd.com or call 713-251-TECH (8324) with any questions concerning these procedures.

End of Year Procedures - Summer School/Program Campuses

Summer School/Program Campuses: 

MHS, SWH, NHS, SHS, WAIS, AOC, NMS, LMS, SWM, KIPP, YES, WVE, BCE, SSE, SBE, HBE, WCE, RGE, BCE, SOE

1.   Outgoing teachers assigned to campuses being utilized for Summer School or Summer Programs are urged to take their laptops home with them. If you use your laptop at home, be careful that you do not install any upgrades. This may cause your job-related applications to stop working.  
2.    Leave your keyboard, mouse, docking station and monitor in place.
3.    Leave your phone plugged in.
4.    Networked printers should stay connected and turned on so it can be used during the summer.  
5.    Leave all Classroom Based Technology devices plugged and stored in the charging cabinets. Be sure to lock your charging cabinets.
6.    ActivBoards, ActivPens, Projector Remotes and Keys: 

• Do not disconnect the ActivBoard cables. Please leave all ActivBoard cables in place.
• Place the following items into a baggie:
  • ActivPen
  • Projector Remote
  • Key to the cabinet/closet where your ActivClassroom Equipment will be stored.
  • Key to the charging cabinet for your Classroom Based Technology devices.
• Label the baggie with your name and Room #.
• Check the items in to your principal for checkout by summer school teachers.
  

7.    All other ActivClassroom equipment remains in place, including ActiVotes. These will be used during the summer. 
8.    All classroom based devices remain in the room as devices are assigned to the room, not the teacher.
9.    The computers in the COWs need to be connected and the COW itself should be plugged into a power outlet, even if they will not be used for Summer School. Keys to the COW must be checked in to your Principal.
10.  Your campus principal will contact Custodial Services or the Campus CSE to address any special situation. 

Please email the Help Desk at 251Tech@springbranchisd.com or call 713-251-TECH (8324) with any questions concerning these procedures.

End of Year Procedures - Construction/Renovation Campuses

Construction/Renovation Campuses:

VOE

If your campus is under renovation or new construction, your campus principal will give you instructions for end of school year technology procedures.

Message From Venu: Faster Netbooks

NetBooks

At the time this project started, the Dell 2120 Netbook was the new kid on the block. The 2120 was created specifically for K12 classrooms, at a price ($450) school districts can afford. We have 11,000 of them in the district. NetBooks work ok once they get going but logging into them takes a long time.

In Windows, the first time anyone logs in on a computer, Windows has to create a “user profile”, and this takes time. On the Netbooks, creating a user profile can take from 2 to 3 minutes. This time is in addition to the normal login time of 1 to 2 minutes. In the classroom, when kids are sharing computers, they don’t always get the same computer again and so Windows is taking time to create the user profile. Which means it can take up to 5 minutes for a student to login! This is a huge waste of instructional time.

In the old days, that’s just the way it was and people accepted it. iPads on the other hand turn on instantly. Now with iPads also in the classroom, NetBooks are perceived as “unacceptably slow” by both teachers and students. Most districts, including us, are having to address this issue of slow logins with NetBooks. Some districts are replacing them with full size laptops but most are implementing a solution called VDI.

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

In a VDI scenario, servers do all the work and the NetBooks become display units for the work the servers are doing. Logins take less than 20 seconds. All the programs run faster too. This is obviously a much more satisfactory solution for the user. We have piloted the VDI solution in a couple of classrooms. The change is dramatic! We think implementing a VDI solution is the next logical step to better utilize NetBooks in the classrooms. The VDI solution will make teachers and students happy and will result in better use of the NetBooks we have already deployed.

VDI also makes software installation and upgrades much, much easier. Instead of installing programs on 11,000 computers, all we have to do is install it once on the server. VDI also extends the life of NetBooks. As newer software is introduced requiring more powerful processors, all we have to do is upgrade (or add to) the server infrastructure.

End of School Year Technology Procedures

As we approach the end of the school year, it is important to keep in mind the procedures for dealing with technology items before leaving for summer break.

Construction/Renovation Campuses:

VOE

If your campus is under renovation or new construction, your campus principal will give you instructions for end of school year technology procedures.

Summer School/Program Campuses: 

MHS, SWH, NHS, SHS, WAIS, AOC, NMS, LMS, SWM, KIPP, YES, WVE, BCE, SSE, SBE, HBE, WCE, RGE, BCE, SOE

1.   Outgoing teachers assigned to campuses being utilized for Summer School or Summer Programs are urged to take their laptops home with them. If you use your laptop at home, be careful that you do not install any upgrades. This may cause your job-related applications to stop working.  
2.    Leave your keyboard, mouse, docking station and monitor in place.
3.    Leave your phone plugged in.
4.    Networked printers should stay connected and turned on so it can be used during the summer.  
5.    Leave all Classroom Based Technology devices plugged and stored in the charging cabinets. Be sure to lock your charging cabinets.
6.    ActivBoards, ActivPens, Projector Remotes and Keys: 

• Do not disconnect the ActivBoard cables. Please leave all ActivBoard cables in place.
• Place the following items into a baggie:
  • ActivPen
  • Projector Remote
  • Key to the cabinet/closet where your ActivClassroom Equipment will be stored.
  • Key to the charging cabinet for your Classroom Based Technology devices.
• Label the baggie with your name and Room #.
• Check the items in to your principal for checkout by summer school teachers.
  

7.    All other ActivClassroom equipment remains in place, including ActiVotes. These will be used during the summer. 
8.    All classroom based devices remain in the room as devices are assigned to the room, not the teacher.
9.    The computers in the COWs need to be connected and the COW itself should be plugged into a power outlet, even if they will not be used for Summer School. Keys to the COW must be checked in to your Principal.
10.  Your campus principal will contact Custodial Services or the Campus CSE to address any special situation.

All Other Campuses:

1.    For campuses that are shutting down completely for the summer, teachers are urged to take their laptops home with them. If you use your laptop at home, be careful that you do not install any upgrades. This may cause your job-related applications to stop working.   
2.    Leave your keyboard, docking station and monitor in place.
3.    Networked printers should stay plugged in but turned off.
4.    Desktop computers (both PC and Apple) need to be plugged in but turned off.
5.    Leave all Classroom Based Technology devices plugged and stored in the charging cabinets.
6.    All other technology items such as document cameras should be stored and locked.
7.    All classroom based devices remain in the room as devices are assigned to the room, not the teacher.
8.    For damaged devices, submit work tickets on these devices and they will be repaired if the damage is repairable.
9.    Macbooks should be stored in their charging carts and the carts plugged into an electrical outlet. 
10.    Leave Macbooks and iMacs turned off but plugged into an electrical outlet
11.    Computers in COWs need to be connected and the COW itself should be plugged into an electrical outlet. Make sure that keys to the cabinets are available to allow summer work.
12.  ActivBoard Procedures:

• Put your pens and wands inside of your ActiVote/ActivExpression case for safe storage over the summer.
• Take the batteries out of your ActiVotes/ActivExpressions while stored. This keeps the batteries from exploding and corroding in the warm temperatures.
• Wipe your boards with a clean, soft towel that is lightly damp to get smudges off. For any stubborn smudges, you can lightly spray your towel with whiteboard cleaner and wipe away those marks.
• Lock up all ActiVotes, hubs, remotes, ActivPens, document cameras and webcams.
• Disconnect the ActivBoard cables from the docking station and coil the cables behind the ActivBoard.

13.  If your campus has large scale floor cleaning during the summer, your campus principal can coordinate with the Customer Service Department on how to facilitate this process.  

Please email the Help Desk at 251Tech@springbranchisd.com or call 713-251-TECH (8324) with any questions concerning these procedures.

Laptop Procedures for Retiring, Resigning and Transferring Teachers

If you are resigning, retiring or transferring this summer, it is important to keep in mind the following procedures for laptops.

Teacher Resigns/Retires:

• Teachers who resign or retire must turn in their Laptop, before leaving campus at the End of the School Year.
• Returned equipment must include:
  1. Laptop
  2. Laptop Case (bag)
  3. Power Adapter
• Teachers must turn in their laptop to the Campus Librarian and receive the Librarian’s signoff on the Principal’s check in form. 
• Principals must check Classroom Based Technology
  1. Lost – turn is a Trouble Ticket to determine replacement
  2. Stolen – Get a SBISD Police Case Number and create a Trouble Ticket
  3. Broken Devices – Create a Trouble Ticket for repair.
• Teachers who resign/retire after the Librarian leaves campus for the summer in June must return their laptop to the Call Center located in ITV, next to the Guthrie Center. 713-251-8324.

Teacher Transfers to a New Campus: 

• Teachers who transfer to a new campus will take the following equipment to their new campus:
  1. Laptop
  2. Laptop Case (bag)
  3. Power Adapter

• Teachers will leave the following equipment in place inside the classroom of their former campus:
  1. Monitor
  2. Monitor Stand
  3. Laptop dock
  4. Keyboard
  5. Mouse
  6. Docking Station Power Adapter
  7. Classroom Based Technology

Teacher Transfers to a District Department Position 

• Teachers who transfer to a District Department must turn in their Laptop, before beginning their new position.
• Returned equipment must include:
  1. Laptop
  2. Laptop Case (bag)
  3. Power Adapter
• Teachers must turn in their laptop to the Campus Librarian and receive the Librarian’s signoff on the Principal’s check in form. 
• Principals must check Classroom Based Technology
  1. Lost – turn is a Trouble Ticket to determine replacement
  2. Stolen – Get a SBISD Police Case Number and create a Trouble Ticket
  3. Broken Devices – Create a Trouble Ticket for repair.
• Teachers who transfer to a District Department after the Librarian leaves campus for the summer in June must return their laptop to the Call Center located in ITV, next to the Guthrie Center. 713- 251-8324

Staff Member Transfers from a District Department Position to a Teaching Position 

• Staff who transfer from a District Department Position to a Teaching Position must turn in their computer equipment to their department before beginning their new position.
• Transitioning staff member will receive a Teacher Laptop at their new campus. 

Please email the Call Center @ 251Tech@springbranchisd.com or call 713-251-TECH (8324) with any questions concerning these procedures.

Gradebook End of School Year Reminder: Grade Change Requests

If you need to change a grade from a closed grading period, the following will demonstrate how to do this. The steps are listed below.


Once a grading period has closed, you cannot change an assignment grade or term grade without going through the following process. Please remember that you will have a maximum two hours to complete the process. If you you do not finish the process in two hours you will have to start over again.

1. Hover your mouse over the Options button in the column heading of the grading period and choose Grade Posting Status for Term.

 

2. Click Request Grade Changes.

3. In the Reason for Requesting Grade Changes box, type the reason you are requesting a grade change, then click Yes.

4. The grading period is now open for grade changes for the next two hours. You are able to make changes in the gradebook for the grading period. When finished, hover your mouse over the Options button in the column heading of the grading period and choose Grade Posting Status for Term.

 

5. Click Complete Grade Changes.

6. Click Yes.

7. Your administrator, or designee, will then receive your request for grade changes. They will either approve or deny your request.