Extra, Extra, Read All About It! Technology Updates!

The Heartland AEA Internal Technology Department has a strong vision for meeting the needs of our staff, as well as our partners and schools. Vision for Technology Services and Supports 

• Agency staff members have access to the technology they need to do their jobs. 
• Agency staff members know how and when to appropriately use this technology. 
• Agency technology operates reliably at all times. 
• Districts and schools rely on our knowledge and leadership in technology-related functions. 
• Districts and schools experience a range of value-added technologies and services, as resources allow. 

Supports for Technology 
Outstanding customer service is always what we strive for, and as technology continues to evolve, we will adjust what we use and how we support it. The information below provides an overview of some of the key changes for 2015-16. Remember that many people are here to support our employees’ use of technology. Please make regular use of the tech support lead in your office. If the lead can’t answer your question or provide the help you need, consult the Internal Technology Contact Guide that is available on the Intranet > Technology so you know which member from the Internal Technology team can best provide help with your specific question. 

Software Updates to Be Made More Often 
The Agency will be increasing its efforts to make sure our software on staff computers is up-to-date. Many of you do a great job of this, but others don’t update as often as they should. We encourage everyone to update their software on a regular basis, unless the Internal Technology Department communicates why an update should not be applied. Note that such recommendations are not common. Please update your software regularly. More information will be provided early this fall about how we will use our Casper software management system to help support software updates. 

Phasing Out of Support for iChat
Our department will be phasing out support for iChat. We are not creating iChat accounts for new employees, and the last day we will support iChat is Dec. 31, 2015. Moving forward, we will support more current tools such as Zoom and Google Hangouts. More information will be provided early this fall about this transition.

Phase Out of Support for DVD and VHS Players 
The Agency will be phasing out support for DVD and VHS players. The last day that hardware will be available is May 31, 2016. During the coming months, if you use DVDs or VHS tapes, visit with our library and multimedia staff to identify more current content and/or content that can be delivered using more current methods. Please note that if your computer has a DVD drive (built in or external), that option for playing DVDs will still be supported after May 31. 

Personal Use of Agency Computers 
The amount of personal use of agency computers continues to grow at a rapid pace. Please be reminded of what the Staff Handbook says about agency computer use: Access and use of Heartland AEA equipment is not intended to provide staff with personal, recreational or financial benefit. Use of agency equipment for non-work related purposes, especially secondary employment, is prohibited by board policy. If your agency computer has large amounts of personal data, such as 50 GB or more of iTunes or personal photos or movies, please consider moving those to other storage options or deleting them. The Internal Technology Department can help you identify storage options. 

Core Technology Skills 
The Agency will provide additional learning opportunities and supports to all our employees this year, focusing heavily on four key areas during the 2015-16 school year: 

• Mac operating system 
• Agency systems, including the Employee Dashboard and agency website 
• Digital citizenship and data security 
• Productivity software (including Google Apps) 

One last note for this week: Because of the Agency’s focus on core skill training for this coming year, there will be a higher-than-average number of communications this year regarding technology, including Technology Tips of the Week. Our first tip is below. 

Managing Your Storage Space 
Managing storage space is one of our core technology skills. Today’s tip will focus on managing the storage space on your computer. Many people forget to look at what’s in their Trash and in their Downloads folder, and all of those files add up and take up needless space. We recommend the following: 

• Make folders for any files you want to keep. 
• When you download or create a file, it should go into a folder that you create. 
• If a downloaded file goes into your Downloads folder or on your Desktop, you should put it in a different folder that’s logically named so that you can find the information without having to search through a huge number of downloaded files. 
• Delete any files you don’t need. 
• Empty your Trash regularly. 

These practices will help you find files more quickly and will free up storage space on your computer.