Now almost nine months into her first year at Van Buren, Director of Technology Sheryl O’Shea is focusing on maximizing the technology already in our district and developing strategies to continue moving our district technology forward.
One of the first steps toward accomplishing her goals is to update the technology inventory to determine what equipment is in use and what is available for use. In order to improve efficiency at no cost to the district, O’Shea is utilizing the Beyond VB internship program so her intern, a current junior, can gain experience to make informed decisions about his post-high school life while helping with a variety of tasks in the technology department, including inventory.
Among other tasks such as fixing Chromebooks and maintaining Smartboards, the intern has been using a hand scanner to move through all three buildings scanning all technology equipment, including Chromebooks, desktop computers, iPads, and Smartboards, allowing O’Shea and Chris Kniss, Technology Coordinator, to focus on other technology tasks.
One of the most important tasks currently is the purchase of new computers for both staff and students. Because of Microsoft’s announcement that the Windows 10 operating system will no longer be supported starting this October, staff machines from 6-8 years old that do not have the capacity to run Windows 11 will be replaced with refurbished machines from Dell that can handle Windows 11, come with a three-year warranty, are cheaper than purchasing new machines without sacrificing quality, and are expected to run for ten years.
“Cybersecurity is huge in school districts as they are targeted every day because of the data we have. We have to do everything possible to keep our district data secure. Keeping old machines would make us vulnerable to cybercrime, so we periodically need to purchase new computers,” O’Shea said.
Because it is so important, cybersecurity is a focus for O’Shea every day. Whether it is implementing the use of multifactor authentication on district devices, keeping computers up to date with security patches, or locking down unnecessary accounts after students have graduated or employees have retired, keeping our network secure takes time. “Nothing is foolproof, but we will do everything in our power to slow down cybercriminals,” she said.
Like staff computers, student Chromebooks are used throughout the day and after school if students have homework to complete. One of the new purchasing protocols O’Shea is implementing is that students will receive new Chromebooks in fourth grade (computers for grades K-3 stay in the classroom and are not taken home) and use their assigned computers for five years (grades 4-8). As freshmen, each student will be assigned a new Chromebook to use throughout high school. Because students will have the same devices in grades 4-8 and 9-12, the goal is for students to be conscientious about maintaining their computers since they know they will have them for an extended period.
Because replacing one Chromebook costs the district approximately $266.00 at current prices, it is important for students to take care of these assets. O’Shea said, “We want students to treat these as their own personal devices. The better they treat them, the more likely it is that the devices will work when needed, and fewer repairs will be required over the life of the machine.”
When Chromebooks reach the end of their “lives,” those that are set to be retired will either be parted out to fix broken Chromebooks or used as loaners if students are waiting for their Chromebooks to be fixed. All unusable Chrombooks and parts will be sent to a recycler for environmentally-safe disposal.
In order for students to be able to work almost anywhere on campus and help visitors to the district, the Wi-Fi hotspots at the football field were recently replaced to ensure people attending events can connect to Wi-Fi. Reliable access also helps on Friday nights so coaches can record the football games, and it is a safety measure in case there is ever an emergency at the football field or surrounding area.
O’Shea is also the district’s Education Management Information System (EMIS) coordinator, spending about 25% of her time managing the district’s data. “EMIS is an arm of the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, and the school is responsible for reporting certain sets of data throughout the year. What we report is significant because it can affect the funding we receive from the state,” she said.
Computers and data play a major role in the education of our students. Managing all of our technology assets is no small task, but our students and staff are in good hands as O’Shea and her team work to protect our data and meet our technology needs every day.
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