3 Technology Initiatives

I. Removal of ASA
In 2008 we installed a CISCO 5520 Series ASA Security Appliance. At
the time that we installed the device, it was our primary firewall. As
time progressed and we migrated to MLTI this ASA became redundant.
Once MSLN declared that the Joebox would be filtering all traffic
through our system, our ASA was an extra appliance that needed to be
worked around.
Minor problems staff members were experiencing with this additional
firewall included trouble with the Tandberg. Whenever we called out to
another Tandberg to communicate, the view of the other person was
really small. After troubleshooting this problem with Cisco Technicians,
MSLN, and CBE TECH, the root of the problem always seemed to be the
Firewall. Whenever we purchased new hardware, we had to configure it
through the Joebox & our Firewall too. This seemed like an extra step
that was not needed.
I spoke with our contracted network guy and made arrangements to
remove the ASA over the summer. I thought this would be the best
time for this maintenance, as there are only few people in the building
over the summer and I was nervous about removing hardware that had
been in place so long. Also, I was not sure what was still attached to
the device, running through this ASA. I arranged for all of this to
happen during a non-payroll week and warned the staff in the building
that there might not be any network connection for the day.
On the day of the removal, my network guy recommended that we
work directly with MSLN to migrate any remaining things over from our
firewall to their Joebox firewall. To be honest, I trusted this task to him,
as I was working on other things that day. He was on the phone
working with the guys from MSLN for hours. When he left that day, it
appeared to be a seamless removal.
It was not long before I realized that Id lost access to my Cisco 2800
Series Router that is my Cisco Unity Express Call Manager for our
network phone system. This has been a huge inconvenience for me
and it has affected a couple of teachers as well. Two teachers had a
broken hang up switch and could only use speaker phone, making
communication with difficult. We also had counselors from Tri-County
move into a vacant office and I was asked to configure them a phone
for their space. I put a phone in there, but it still had the name of the
previous employee who used it. I had to jump through hoops to regain

access to my Call Manager and the ability to configure my phone

system again. This cost our district a bunch of money to resolve and it
is not over yet. I was finally able to gain access last week through the
console. I quickly found that using PUTTY to console in to the system
requires a set of skills I dont have. We hired our network guy to come
up from Waterville and fix the immediate problem through using PUTTY
and I hired an engineer from e-Plus to assist me in accessing the Call
Manager through the available Ethernet port on the device, connected
to a laptop. They hooked me up with an alternative IP address to
access the Call Manager temporarily. The catch is that this laptop has
to remain connected via Ethernet port to the router or things like our
auto-attendant wont work right now. In this process, I realized that the
Call Manager Express license that we have is for version 3.1.1 and
version 8.6 is now available. I have taken the appropriate steps to
getting this taken care of too.
In reflecting back on this process, I am disappointed in myself that I
wasnt sure what was attached to the router before it was removed. I
was determined to remove the device and get rid of all outdated
equipment that was not serving a function. I put a lot of trust in the
contractor and expect that I wouldnt be left with a mess of broken
routing and dead ends. I blame myself for not knowing more about the
layers of the network and each of their functions.

II. Addition of Lantronix Print Server

Last year RLRS became a 1:1 iPad school in Kindergarten and grades 612. One of the greatest concerns with the migration from laptops to
iPads was the printing situation. Historically, we have had the ability to
install multiple printers on each student and staff laptop. The transition
to iPads has been a game-changer in the world of printing.
It was first recommended to me to purchase Printopia for Mac. This is
air-printing software that costs $19.99 per year. I went with the
recommendation, but was not happy with this solution. The software
was loaded on to a laptop that I dedicated for a print server. The
service was only active as long as the laptop was plugged in, on the
network, and the print server was turned on. What I found with this
option was that if anyone accidentally paused a printer, that printer
would not be available for anyone to print to. Also, if the printer was
out of paper or had an error, that particular printer would not show up
in the list of printers for iPad users. I received a ton of helpdesk tickets
for print issues from iPads, which were mostly resolved by restarting or
resetting the users iPad and trying again. This was becoming a serious
inconvenience for staff and students. The printers are added into

Printopia by IP address and are listed on the user end by IP address as

well. This was confusing to many staff and students because they were
unsure of IP addresses and hence unsure of where to pick up their
prints!
Lantronix Print Server was recently recommended to me. It is a device
that plugs into our network and has its own IP address. This device has
really made my life easier. From a staff and student prospective, they
are printing with little frustration now. I think this turned out to be a
good move for RLRS. There is a great administrator tool included that
allows me to search for all nearby printer and name them so staff and
students can recognize their location. Students are not forced to take
time out and reset their device so frequently and everyone seems to
be happy with the addition of the Lantronix Print Server.

III. Privately-Owned Devices

Since becoming a 1:1 iPad school last year, we have had an increased
number of students requesting permission to bring their privately
owned devices on to school property. Before now, I had never given
much thought to the pros & cons of allowing students to bring their
personal computers to school. Before last year, every student had a
laptop so there was really no reason to bring another laptop to class.
Since the switch to iPads, many students are finding that they need
software that is exclusive to OS X.
A couple of years ago, we invested in the Photoshop Suite. This software
isnt compatible with the iPad. This has resulted in nearly all Graphics
students requesting to bring their personal laptop from home. From the
teachers perspective, it has been frustrating because they have
designed curriculum around the use of software and operating systems
that are obsolete. Many of the sites that students visit require flash, so
we had to purchase a flash app for every iPad user in the building. I will
be glad when large companies like Josten get on board and support iPads.
This has been a difficult adjustment for Yearbook staff and students.
Because of the increase in the number of requests we have received
for students to have permission to bring their privately owned device
to school, I suggested that we add something about it to the schools
Acceptable Use Policy. We added the following:
G. Additional Rules for Use of Privately Owned Devices by
Students
1. A student who wishes to use a privately owned device in school
must complete a Student Request to Use Privately-Owned Device form.

The form must be signed by the student, his/her parent, a sponsoring

teacher, the building administrator, and the Technology Coordinator.
There must be an educational basis for any request.
2. The Technology Coordinator will determine whether a students
privately owned device meets the school units network requirements.
3. Requests may be denied if it is determined that there is not a
suitable educational basis for the request and/or if the demands on the
school units network or staff would be unreasonable.
4. The student is responsible for proper care of his/her privately owned
device, including any costs of repair, replacement or any modifications
needed to use the device at school.
5. The school unit is not responsible for damage, loss or theft of any
privately owned device.
6. Students are required to comply with all Board policies,
administrative procedures and school rules while using privately owned
device at school.
7. Students have no expectation of privacy in their use of a privately
owned device while at school. The school unit reserves the right to
search a students privately owned device if there is reasonable
suspicion that the student has violated Board Policies, administrative
procedures or school rules, or engaged in other misconduct while using
the computer.
8. Violation of any Board policies, administrative procedures or school
rules involving a students privately-owned device may result in the
revocation of the privilege of using the device at school and/or
disciplinary action.
9. The school unit may confiscate any privately owned device used by
a student in school without authorization as required by these rules.
The contents of the device may be searched in accordance with
applicable laws and policies.
In addition to adding this to the schools policy, I created a form for
students to fill out, requesting permission. I keep a record of this on
file.
RSU #78 Rangeley School
Request to Use Privately-Owned Device
2014-2015
NAME: _______________________________
DEVICE: ______________________________
SERIAL # ______________________________
ADMIN PASSWORD: _____________________
DATES REQUESTED: ____________________

FROM: ___________
TO: ______________
REASON FOR REQUEST: _______________________________________
APPROVED ________
NOT APPROVED ________
NEED MORE INFO _______________________________________________

I think it turned out to be a great idea to keep better track of all

privately owned devices that are allowed on school property. Because
of the increase in requests, I think it is important to address it in the
policy as well.