Push.

Push the button.
No, push THAT button.
Yes, that's the one.

Ok.
Now, push these three buttons at the same time.
Hold for 5 seconds.

Did you get your Doritos?  Did the PRAM reset?  How about the WiFi...does it work now?

What combination of buttons does it take to regain control?

Humans be humans.  Things be tings.
Metal be metal.  Diamonds be bling.

#thinkwithbrains

Create Your Own Learning.

San Jose, CA 95126, USA
Behind every innovation lies three "actions" of design: THINK, BUILD, COMMUNICATE.  No successful product has ever been presented to the world without these three components.  Whether it be a new type of blender, waterproof binoculars or a micro-chip clip, there exists a process of thought, craftsmanship and instruction leading to successful integration and acceptance in our society.  One of these components cannot exist alone.  Even with a near-perfect design, prototype and distribution model, who will be the end user?  How will they find relevancy with the product?  Will they have resources, or an avenue of communication when assistance is needed?

Right now, imagine this "product" is LEARNING.  Forget about the latest watch or a new form of transportation.  Let's get non-tangible.

As humans, we are constantly curious and easily stimulated by the outside world.  Children's minds are like sponges, but they lack the life experience to navigate life's hairpin turns.  Adults often forget the playfulness of discovery, lingering instead on immediate goals and the cause/effect of quick decisions.  If you were the creator of your own learning (as a product of sorts), how might these three components integrate to a personalized and unique innovation?  Consider the following questions:

Think: What inspires you? (How can you best collect and retain information?)
Build: How will you strengthen your understanding? (Can you draw, listen, watch, present?)
Communicate: How will you empower others with this discovery? (How can you explain your ideas with passion?)

 When you were a young student, how would you have responded to these questions?
How would you respond TODAY?

No matter what "hat" you wear on a daily basis, we are all students, teachers and participants in life.  Learning is something we should be thinking about, building and expressing constantly.  Isn't that the goal for most of us, to feel so deeply engaged with the world that we can't help but live life to the fullest?

We all have the ability to create our own learning.  Let's ACT on it.

How To Ask a PC to Retire (Nicely)

This year at our school, we have rather successfully transitioned from about 75% Macs to about 95% Macs for faculty/student laptops (sweet!).  Not that all Windows computers are bogus, but since we are a 1:1 iPad JK-8 school, management and workflows between Apple devices is MUCH easier without additional OS's and UI's.

Well,

    since we do not have a full-time IT/Networking director on campus, our Director of Technology and myself (Tech Support Specialist with heavy Apple teaching background) will often need to troubleshoot/fix this minority breed of PC (among other heavier IT "let's figure this out on the fly" tasks):

I will start to post these "hack" WINS on this blog on occasion...mainly to show how YES, no matter your previous training or age, you CAN learn new skills and APPLY them!  #highfive

TODAY's HACK (Emily):

Device: Lenovo T61P Laptop
Issue: Won't power on

Workflow:

Set up laptop, plugged in to power.  Press Power button (No action).  

*Apple Brain: Reset PRAM?  Do PC's have a PRAM?

How do I reset PRAM on a PC?  Err...I'll just Google "Lenovo T61p won't turn on..."

This article was deemed most helpful.  Ajkula66 was my guide.

Winning Solution:

Pulled out battery, unplugged power, pressed the Power button 10.  TIMES.  Plugged back in to power...IGNITION!  I'm pretty sure this won't be an easy guarantee for much longer.  How do you ask a nice PC with decent manners to think about retiring?  Thoughts in the comments please!

Now, to figure out Windows Backup...(hehe)













Betas Aren't So Fun Sometimes.

Today I was set out to "clean up" my bookmarks in Google Chrome.  Not a huge deal.

However, there was a previous user logged in to Chrome on a previous laptop, and I was not aware until I had already imported ALL bookmarks into Chrome on my newer laptop.

Now, a crazy folder called "Other Bookmarks" thought it could just chill on the Bookmarks Bar and hang on to oodles of random duplicated bookmarks that I did not save.  Naturally, I went to the "Bookmarks Manager" to try and investigate.  No such luck, since that crazy folder did not appear in the newer Chrome Beta Bookmarks Manager.

After a little Gigging (Google digging), I came upon this awesome article.

After disabling the Beta version of Bookmarks Manager (and doing a little fancy dancy), I was able to view a more comprehensive and complete list of everything.  The "Other Bookmarks" folder was present and available.  I deleted ALL bookmarks inside of it and WHHHHOOOOSH!  It disappeared.

#simplepleasures

Hillbrook iPad App Distribution (2015)


 Last spring, I started working at Hillbrook School in Los Gatos in a newly-created "Technology Support Specialist Role." Hillbrook is a JK-8 private school in Los Gatos, CA, with about 320 students. It is a 1:1 iPad school (Grade K-8).  

One primary responsibility as part of my role is to manage the MDM (mobile device management) system and process at the school. This system includes tracking device inventory and distributing apps to appropriate student/faculty "groups." The system we use is JAMF, along with Apple's DEP enrollment program. This year, the system was very complex, since about one third of our iPads did not qualify for the DEP program (iPad 2's), and therefore could not be automatically enrolled in JAMF. Also, I made the decision to change the way we purchased apps for the school, choosing Managed App Distribution via Apple's VPP.

Below are some comments and observations (written in early fall 2015) that may give insight to those that are managing a mixed iPad + MDM + DEP + VPP (Managed) solution:

Hillbrook iPad App Distribution
2015
With a combination of iPads within the Apple DEP guidelines (cut-off March, 2011/Institutional purchase requirement), and those outside of the guidelines (all iPad 2’s- purchased prior to March, 2011, some non-institutional), the Hillbrook Technology Department is using a custom distribution method in order to create a more streamlined user experience.  

Required for Device Management and App Distribution:

Device Configuration (specific settings/restrictions) + Enrollment in a MDM

Apple DEP (Device Enrollment Program): New June 2014

  • Linked to MDM system (JAMF)
  • Enrolls qualified devices in the MDM automatically and installs configuration profiles through a “Pre-stage Enrollment.”
  • Prior to this, it was necessary to use Apple Configurator to manually install configuration profiles, etc. Then, devices were manually enrolled in the MDM.

MDM (Mobile Device Management) System: JAMF, v. 9.4

  • Database was updated and re-generated for this year.  
  • Devices were enrolled and User accounts were created manually for each individual, including lower school iPads.
  • LDAP will help alleviate this manual process in the future!
iPad Deployment:
Pre-stage Enrollment (DEP devices only)
Configuration Profiles (Distributed after a device is enrolled)
Smart/Static Groups (for distribution)

Hillbrook’s App Distribution Process:

Enrollment

  1. iPad should already be enrolled by tech department
    1. Some iPads may have been missed
    2. If profile set is deleted, enrollment is deleted (for that device)
  2. Linked to device, not end user
  3. Allows for inventory collection
    1. Device Type/Model
    2. Serial Number
    3. Asset Tag (manually entered)
    4. Software Version/IP Address
    5. Find My iPhone is Enabled/Disabled
    6. Existing Apps (as well as if they are managed apps or not)
    7. Battery Level
    8. Available/Used Storage Space
  4. Supervised vs. Unsupervised (Supervision provides more control over restrictions and the user experience.)

Invitation

  1. Email or Pop-up message (depending on invitation scope settings)
  2. Links the USER to app distribution
    1. Based on the Apple I.D., not device serial number
    2. User needs to exist in the database (manually/auto-entered via LDAP), with username, first/last name, email address.  Additional characteristics can be added for purposes of scoping/searching, but are not required.
  3. Apple I.D. Linking
    1. After opening invitation link, user logs in to the App Store with Apple I.D./password
    2. Apps (assuming they are scoped appropriately) will appear for that user in the “Purchased” section of the App Store.  
    3. If auto-app downloads is turned on in the iTunes Store Settings, apps will begin to appear on the home screen.
    4. Apps not installed on the iPad will appear in the “Not on This iPad” section of “Purchased.”

App Distribution

  1. Apps are pushed to certain Users depending on the scope
    1. Smart/Static User Groups
      1. Used for scoping apps to students/teachers based on characteristics/key words in their User profile.  
    2. Smart/Static Mobile Device Groups
      1. Used for scoping configuration profiles (separate from enrollment profiles) to devices based on characteristics/key words about the device.
  2. Apps can be taken away after a 30 day grace period, depending on needs for the school.

App Management User Experience

  1. Apps can still be moved around/deleted by User
    1. If app is deleted, it is still accessible in the Purchased section of the App Store, as long as their Apple I.D. is logged in on that device.
  2. User experience does not change, only distribution changes