Future of Education Technology

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the Future of Education Technology Conference and it was such an amazing experience to meet up with so many folks working hard to bring the best educational experience to the classroom. There were people there from all over the country and even across the globe. There is definitely a shift in the way technology is being used in the classroom, and I am excited to work with our own staff in implementing some new ideas that will bring about the meaningful experiences that our kids deserve.

Pre-Conference Future of IT Summit

One of the best parts of this conference was the pre-conference summit where over 300 educators gathered to discuss the future of IT, network and listen to a few amazing speakers talk about the importance of building strong relationships with students. Eric Sheninger, Senior Fellow and Thought Leader on Digital Leadership with the International Center for Leadership in Education, gave an inspiring keynote on "bringing the awe back in to learning." It is so easy to get caught up in the chaos of standardized testing and big data, that sometimes we forget to inspire. Obviously, testing is a necessary evil, but we have to be mindful about the way our students best learn and if that means moving away from traditional methods of educating, it is something that we should do.

VR and Robotics

Photo credited to
@AmyBradshaw_KET @LShafferKET

One of the trends this year is Virtual Reality and Robotics. These technological tools have taken off in the classroom due to the affordability, engagement factor and the real learning experiences that come with them. Virtual Reality has allowed the classroom to break outside of the traditional 4-walls and move into a new reality where students can increase their depth of learning and experience classroom content in a very engaging way.



Another fun tool happens to be classroom robots. These cool little gizmos allow students to think creatively and work on coding skills and even solve real-world problems. There are many different products out there, but I was fascinated with the Sphero bots because of their ease of use and affordability. These wonderful tools can help supplement classroom instruction and inspire students to take ownership of their learning.



Fear of Technology

Technology grows at an exponential rate and some of the world's most greatest advancements have happened in the last 20 years. This is exciting and scary at the same time as it highlights the advancement of our civilization but also shows how difficult it is to prepare our students for a world that will be much different than our own. Sometimes the fear of the unknown can be paralyzing, but we must not let that deter us from taking that giant leap forward. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said that, "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." This is especially true in education. Even though we don't know what the future holds, we must have faith in our abilities and in our own students to take this world on. This is why it is important to inspire our students to think critically and problem solve on their own, to show them how to communicate and collaborate, because our world will never be perfect. Since our world will never be perfect, there will always be problems to solve, and people to help. This is where we can make a difference, not in how well our students test, but how they impact the world.

Dan Townsend
Director of Technology and Media Services
@dtownsend20

JB Tech Info - Lost your Apple TV Remote?

Lost your Apple TV Remote?

They're quite small and easy to loose and cost $20 to replace.  Did you know you can program any remote to your Apple TV?  If you have an extra tv/vcr remote sitting around you can program it to your Apple TV.  You may need to borrow a Apple TV remote from someone else until you get the other remote programed.  The following are directions from Apple's website on how program an extra remote to your Apple TV.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3296

Apple TV: Using a third-party remote control

You can control your Apple TV with third-party infrared remotes. To use a third-party remote that came with your TV, cable box, or DVD player to control Apple TV, follow the steps below.

1. Using the Apple Remote, choose Settings > General > Remotes.
2. Choose Learn Remote.
3. Select a setting on your third-party remote that doesn't control any devices in the area (such as a VCR, DVD player, or an auxiliary (AUX) device (used for an unspecified device)) or use buttons that don't control your TV or other devices.
4. Select Start.
5. Apple TV will show icons that represent the six buttons on the Apple Remote. The Up or + button should be highlighted.
6. Using your third-party remote, press and hold the button you want to be Up until the blue progress bar is full. Apple TV will select the next button function.
   
   
    
7. Repeat step 6 to program all six button functions.
8. You can now use your third-party remote to control Apple TV.

You can also set buttons for fast-forward, rewind, next chapter, and more. You can rename, delete, or change your button choices by choosing Settings > General > Remotes and selecting the third-party remote. You can program additional remotes to control Apple TV by repeating steps 1 through 8. 

Additional Information

The "No signal received. Check remote." message may appear for these reasons:

• Apple TV couldn't detect an infrared signal from your third-party remote within 20 seconds.
• You may need to enable the button you are trying to program. Consult the documentation for your remote to learn how to enable buttons. 

The "Button already learned" message may appear for these reasons:

• A different, previously-learned remote has a button with the same IR code as the button that you are trying to program.
• A previously-learned button on the current remote has the same IR code as the button that you are trying to program.

You can use a different button or delete the previously-learned remote if you're not using it.

Important: Information about products not manufactured by Apple is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute Apple’s recommendation or endorsement. Please contact the vendor for additional information.

JB Tech Info - Self Service to add printers and software to your Mac

Self Service:

If you see this icon on your Mac, do not panic.  This little guy is going to help you install software, printers, and other things on your Mac in the future.  You can find this icon in your Applications list, which can be accessed by pressing F4 or clicking the launchpad icon on your dock:



I've already started adding software and printers to this Self Service portal.  If it says that your computer is currently patching, that means that software is being updated in the background.  Once it's done downloading in the background it will let you use it.  This just prevents you from unintentionally trying to download too much at once.  Check the box of the software/printer you want and click OK.  It will download and install it for you.

Stay tuned for more updates.

JB Tech Info - Password Expiration on Mac / Login Keychain

Password Expiration on Mac:

If you have changed your password and had this message pop up or something about the "Keychain Login", then this blog post is for you.

If you just changed your password you will see the above message. 

1. Click Update Keychain Password
2. Type your old password and it will update the Keychain to your new password.

If you didn't see the above prompt and are getting a "Keychain Login" error message the following will fix it:

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1631

If you want your default keychain to be unlocked automatically when you log in, synchronize your Keychain Access and account login passwords by doing this:

1. Open Keychain Access (you can get to it by choosing Utilities from the Go menu in the Finder).
2. From the Edit menu, choose Change Password for Keychain "login."
3. Type the former password of the account that you are currently logged in to, then click OK.
4. If you entered the correct password, a new window appears; enter the original password again in the Current Password field.
5. In the New Password field, type the password that matches your current account password.
6. Re-enter the newer password in the Verify field, then click OK.

If you don't remember your original (former) account password

If you don't remember your original password, you'll need to delete the keychain. Deleting a keychain also deletes all the password data saved in that keychain.

1. In Keychain Access, choose Preferences from the Keychain Access menu.
2. If available, click the Reset My Default Keychain button. This will remove the login keychain and create a new one with the password provided.
3. If Reset My Default Keychain is not available, choose Keychain List from the Edit menu.
4. Delete the "login" keychain.

The next time you log in to the account, you can save your current password in a keychain.

If you are still having issues, please create a ticket in GLPS Support in RebelNet.