Technology+Management+and+Administration

= Technology Management and Administration = On August 11th and 12th, I worked with 2 other members of the PENNCREST technology department in preparing our Macbook carts for this years student use and professional development. Each of the machines that we have on our cart (81 total) are now connected to our Mac server and they had to be connected individually. By individually connecting each machine to the Mac server, the server now recognizes each machine when powered on. This connection permits an administrator, me in this case, to 'push out a plethora of files, updates, images, etc. to all machines that are powered on by using Apple Remote Desktop (ARD). For example, after each machine was connected to the Mac server, I used ARD to connect to an entire cart of machines that were powered on. By connecting to each machine, I am now able to control an entire cart from one machine. The process of connecting each machine to the Mac server took a considerable amount of time (8 hours over 2 days) with a few bumps in the road that needed some troubleshooting. In addition to manually connecting each machine to the Mac server, I managed the organization of the machines in a directory account within ARD. Each machine was uploaded to a directory account and renamed according to their district tags. So when we had an entire cart of Macbooks out and powered on, as an administrator of those machines, I was able to rename all the machines and manage them in a folder created for SHSCart1. Each high school (3 total) having 4 carts of Macbooks all connected, registered and organized in ARD allows the administrator to bounce around to multiple buildings, power on a cart of machines and do updates, maintenance, etc from one administrative machine. I had the privilege of being administrator of those machines within my building.

August 16th was a day that I used as managing our Macbook carts and preparing them for hands on use by students and professional staff. I cleaned each machine and secured the charging apparatus to assure a smooth and certain start to the school year. In addition to this, our district upgraded our email server to Microsoft Exchange 2010. Being that I am the Technology Integration Coach for our two schools, I mange the signing out of each cart and assure that there are no conflicts. In previous years, I used a 3-ring binder with a calendar. But with the new email server came calendar sharing for all registered users. In Microsoft Exchange 2010, you can create a calendar and share it/invite other users to modify, edit, and view the created calendar. I acted as the administrator and creator of the calendars for all of the carts within our high school and created an individual calendar for each cart, shared the cart with the appropriate CFF teacher, and gave them specfic directions to accept the invitation to the calendar, create an event, etc.

I was also made administrator of our teacher Google Apps as well as the student email and Google Apps accounts. With these privileges, I am now capable of managing each account. If a student is locked out of their account, I can reset their passwords and the same goes with a teacher. As administrator of these accounts, this expedites the process of implementing technologies and Web 2.0 tools into lessons. Previously, I had to email our administrator for a password change or to open up Google Calendar for students, etc. Now, as administrator of both teacher and student accounts, I have full administrative privileges and implementation processes are speedier. After being made administrator of the account, I spent time learning the procedures and capabilities that came with the administrative accounts.