Today is Sunday, September 23, 2018. The day has come!
On these pages, you'll find:
- A 3-part update as we rocket toward technological greatness,
- 2 answers to your questions about the digital classroom, and
- 1 short lesson on how technology works at CSD.
WHOA.
Last week was the week!
Work has begun to install our new WiFi network! A cabling crew kicked off the project at the High School building last week on Thursday. Work on the new cabling at 404 will extend at least through the end of this week and will take place each day after school dismisses for the day. Please let me know should the crew leave any unwanted traces in your classrooms! One exception to the schedule this week is Thursday: work will be suspended to prevent crews from being in the building at the same time as the scheduled coffee house.
What about the K7 building?
Cable crews will move to the K7 building when the high school cabling job is complete. We will be in touch about the schedule as soon as we have it in hand. Your project is a little more complex. In addition to running cable to accommodate the new WiFi access points, our contract includes installing one new wired port per classroom. For the most part those new ports will be located as close as possible to your TV monitor so that we can hard-wire it. Doing so will provide for more stable connections between TV, Apple TV device, and the Internet. You all should see Dan coming through in the next couple days to mark the new port location for your classroom.
How will I know when to switch to the new WiFi?
In short: we’ll let you know. We will test the new network and the improvements we want to see to ease of use before making the cut-over. Thank you to staff members who responded last week to our request by email to serve as testers for the new network. We could use a couple more folks at the lower school to sign on as our testing team. Please email Connie directly if you are willing to serve.
Your Questions
- How often will the Internet be broken during the WiFi installation project? Oh, ye, cynics. The snide answer to that question is: “As often as it is broken now.” But seriously, folks . . . We will run the current WiFi network in parallel to the new network until we are sure the new one is up and running without interruption. We promise to try hard not to make your technical life more miserable than it already is.
- Do you realize that nothing is working for me? No, not if you don’t tell us. In the last week, we’ve learned of a number of unreported technical issues. To reiterate: We cannot help if you don’t tell us, and we promise that the work-around you are using (if any) will not work forever, and you’ll be even more frustrated when the inevitable happens. Please, don’t hide problems from us.
Tech @ CSD 101:
So, exactly what do you mean when you say “new WiFi network”?
In each building, the new WiFi network consists of three key parts:
- New, upgraded cabling, capable of carrying more bits of data, faster. Our ability to transfer data doesn’t come close to the capacity of this new cabling. The moral: the upgrade gives us room to grow.
- Replacement, state of the art Access Points (APs), as well as additional APs to provide more comprehensive coverage area at 565. The APs are the square white boxes (some with antennae) with blinking lights that you see mounted on the walls. They are the devices to which your laptop, tablet, and phone connect to provide you Internet access. These new APs not only send stronger signals and respond more quickly to requests than the current APs, but they also work together as a system to recognize and respond to demand on the network. We’ve had to hand-tune the current APs. Obviously, this new automated load-balancing capability will make the network more responsive to our specific use patterns in both buildings.
- A new controller as well as the switches that it manages. The controller is the manager of the system. It allows us to set policies for all users on the network, including establishing a guest network and simplifying the onboarding process for users. Over the last few years, we’ve set up processes on the existing system in an effort to simplify your interactions with the network (including logging on) but we’ve been severely limited in our abilities by the outmoded existing controller.
What’s your point?
We are starting at square one with the design of the new WiFi network and have the benefit of years of data on how we actually use the network. The new system’s architecture will be configured based on that experience, instead of relying on the generic set-up we’ve tweaked over the years with the existing network. The new network will reflect the way we work in our classrooms . . . and, we hope, will give you greater control over the technological tools you use for instruction.
Don't forget:
Support@nucentric.com: wired pcs and laptops, CSD.local domain, wireless or wired Internet connection, etc. AND SEND A SCREENSHOT!!!!!! (Know that we will poke back and insist on a screenshot. It is the most efficient way to help us diagnose what's up.)
Tech Team Students are available for triage and diagnosis ONLY. Please do not tempt them to make changes to your device! They remain on provisional licenses only!
Please know that we know that Dan and Joe are two of the nicest guys in the world, but if you just resort to calling out randomly for help when you see them, you will likely be taking them from an already scheduled task to help a colleague. We promise to churn through support requests as quickly as possible, but please help us maintain a queue.
