Dustin Thomas

What an Awesome meeting with Katie Caserta, John Parent, and Lauren Anderson at LIMA CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT!! Talk about #BringingYourAGame! It is important to discuss the best use cases for teachers and students when you bring in multiple technologies!! Amplify CKLA + Schoology + Digital Experience + Google/ Google Slides = Options to learning that must be discussed, understood, and most importantly implemented clearly per use case!! Amplify - #BringYourAGame!!!!! #interoperability!

15

2 Comments

This is one of the best platforms I have used for my computer science classes. The level of engagement of knowledge and understanding has increased significantly, and I recruited more girls in CS. Videos coming out soon! #boxie #classinthebox #AI

8

1 Comment

Dive into the latest insights on work-life balance in the IT sector in this article featuring CompTIA's Seth Robinson!

6

"Enhance instructional practices for adult learners with technology" For educators looking for ways to use Microsoft technology to implement adult learning strategies, this is helpful @MicrosoftLearn!

2

What are you doing this summer? You can earn a Career Certificate and Certification in Artificial Intelligence. It only takes 3 classes and they are all online. All books and vouchers are free. Classes start May 15, 2024. When someone ask what did you do this summer, what will be your story?

13

3 Comments

You've heard statements like this before...right? "Higher Education has to build programs with embedded certifications for the workforce"...or similar, right? Let's take a moment and lay out exactly what this means for an institution, and WHY it is so difficult for many to change their programs in this way. 1. Faculty have to BELIEVE that the programs they oversee are not serving the workforce, or that the programs they teach are antiquated. If yes, move forward to step 2. If no, forget it. 2. Find out what a "New Program" approval process looks like at your university, knowing that it probably means going through a few committees that include members from #1 that still aren't sure. 3. If you get by steps 1 and 2, do you have enough investment in instructional designers to revamp a program's curriculum - even more than that, do you have enough designers to REIMAGINE the curriculum to create embedded certificates with multiple stop out points? 4. If you do have enough designers, take a look at delivery methodology including standard term, non-standard term, borrower based award year packaging, and/or subscription based packaging. 5. Create new program versions and explore differential tuition amounts for the "heftier" credential rich program. Yeah, better have good tech configuration - I recommend Ellucian for this part 😁 6. Create credentials in "blocks" - meaning that with each 15 units achieved, you get a certificate in the skill. This means, probably, eliminating electives...so go back to #1. 7. Once done, probably head back to an approval committee. 8. You've probably eliminated electives as this point, so you might have to right-size staffing or reallocate resources to teach to the new credentials. This means (probably) sunsetting the "old" program. 9. If you have gotten to this point, congrats! This is hard but necessary. Easier said than done. Let's work to line out the details as a part of how we build value back in #highereducation. Don't assimilate! #educationpolicy #realtalk #collegesanduniversities

31

7 Comments

Topic 8.2. Continuing on about the benefits of the Helpdesk service For teachers/staff these are: 1. The teacher/staff doesn't have to think about who in IT to contact about what issue - there is a single address for all requests. 2. If the responsible IT employee is sick/on vacation and another IT employee replaces him/her, it doesn't matter for the teacher/staff, the address for the requester is the same, the IT staff will figure out who will handle the request. 3. If Helpdesk is set up correctly (all services from the IT Service Catalog, priorities, deadlines and notifications are defined), the requester sees through notifications that his ticket is taken into work, is not lost and meets the deadline. 4. In case of incorrect/untimely work on tickets, the whole history of interaction between the requester and IT is stored in the history of the ticket/tickets - a request for the same reason for the millionth time (the problem is not fixed), the ticket was not taken into work in time, all correspondence on the ticket is stored in the ticket, there is no need to search for emails or correspondence in chats. For IT employees: 1. Do not promise to fix something or give advice and then forget because you were distracted by another task. 2. analyze types of requests by service, find patterns of which service tickets are registered most often, so that you can then work out a solution and fix the problem once and for all (this is already Problem Management) 3. Constructive dialog with investors and management in case of conflict situations (I will also write about such situations) - we opened a ticket/tickets and in the ticket histories we see who wrote what to whom, how quickly the ticket was taken into work, by whom it was taken into work, when it was executed. 4. If you can see from the tickets that they are executed efficiently, but there are a lot of them because there are a lot of teachers/staff and not enough IT specialists, you can provide the school management with a reasonable justification with statistics on the types of requests, time spent daily. Helpdesk, of course, does not guarantee a positive decision to hire an additional staff member, but at least it's some reasonable justification supported by numbers, not the abstract "we can't handle it, there's a lot of people and not enough of us". For school leadership: 1. to be able to assess the quality of IT in the school 2. to save their time and be objective when dealing with conflict situations 3. To make an informed decision on hiring additional IT staff.

4

Get in touch to learn more we’ve been doing this a long time and have navigated many of the pitfalls that can derail many cyber security initiatives. Our experienced team are here to help. #cyberstrategy #schoolscyber #cyberpilotprogram

4

With Ai coming to K-12 school systems, will leadership teams allow the usefulness and growth of Ai to be utilized and organically grow as administrators, teachers, and students use it or will it be hamstrung by fear of the unknown or lack of vision of the future for students? Where will your school system be on the continuum? Is your state department of education providing support and guidance? We need to think beyond roll out plans and focus on what we want students to be able to do using Ai. Years ago, I knew of school systems that adopted Google apps for education but restricted students from creating with all of the tools because they could use Microsoft tools like PowerPoint instead of Google Slides. Is your school system authentically integrating Ai for staff and student use or are you adding it to show you can keep up with other school systems while locking it down to as little as a document revision tool? These are questions that school systems need to discern answers to as they draft guidebooks and regulations. We need to prepare students for their future not our past. Last point, I was asked to help a teenager apply for summer jobs. I discussed how to write a resume to email to potential employers. He went into a burst of laughter at the idea of e-mail. He said “Sir! No offense but today everyone texts, tweets, or snaps.” It will be their future.

3

Establishing unified cybersecurity requirements for Nebraska's K-12 education system is crucial in today's digital landscape. Given the increasing reliance on technology in education, ensuring the security and privacy of students' data and the integrity of educational systems is paramount. Here's a proposed framework for developing these cybersecurity requirements: Assessment and Analysis: Begin with a comprehensive assessment of the current cybersecurity posture in Nebraska's K-12 schools. Identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. This assessment should involve cybersecurity experts, educators, administrators, and relevant stakeholders. Baseline Standards: Establish baseline cybersecurity standards that all K-12 schools in Nebraska must adhere to. These standards should cover areas such as network security, data protection, access control, incident response, and security awareness training. Compliance and Enforcement: Implement mechanisms for ensuring compliance with the established standards. This may include regular audits, inspections, and reporting requirements. Develop penalties or incentives to encourage adherence to cybersecurity requirements. Training and Awareness: Provide ongoing cybersecurity training and awareness programs for educators, administrators, and students. Ensure that everyone understands their role in maintaining a secure digital environment and knows how to recognize and respond to cybersecurity threats. Resource Allocation: Allocate sufficient funding and resources to support the implementation of cybersecurity requirements. This may involve budget allocations from the state government, federal grants, public-private partnerships, or other funding mechanisms. Collaboration and Information Sharing: Foster collaboration among K-12 schools, government agencies, cybersecurity experts, and industry partners. Facilitate the sharing of best practices, threat intelligence, and resources to strengthen cybersecurity defenses statewide. Continuous Improvement: Establish a process for regularly reviewing and updating cybersecurity requirements to adapt to evolving threats and technologies. Encourage feedback from stakeholders and incorporate lessons learned from cybersecurity incidents and breaches. By implementing these measures, Nebraska can enhance the cybersecurity posture of its K-12 education system, better protect student and staff data, and create a safer digital learning environment for all.

9

Check out these great #cybersecurity tips from April Mardock CISSP!

2

So you are a teacher discerning whether to become an instructional coach, technology coach, or assessment coach but worry that you don’t know what the positions would be like? Well, now you can test drive a position without giving up your classroom. Here is a Ai simulation of A Day in the Life of an Instructional Coach that poses challenges to you which you must overcome balancing multiple stakeholders and events. Each time you attempt it you will move forward in a unique path. I created this tool and several others for the positions of Assessment Coach, Technology Coach, New Assistant Principal and Principal. These tools give that “boots on the ground” experience which mock interviews or behavioral questions cannot provide. I foresee these tools being highly useful for Ed Leadership programs as they provide real time data. Essentially, these tools function much like the Choose Your Own Adventure stories from our childhood. The Instructional Coach tool that I share below can be copied and tweaked based on your program needs. Like all Ai tools, the prompt is the guiding force for the tool and the more focused and precise it is written the more successful the results. I am helping schools and individual teachers on writing Ai prompts so please check out my over 80 tools on SchoolAi. My contact information is Robert Muskett, M.Ed. Westfield High School (VA) with Email at rpmuskett@fcps.edu.

10

5 Comments

If you're looking to define your AI strategy at your institution, look no further than Educause's AI readiness assessment for higher ed. Educause offers a library of resources and community-submitted articles on IT and IT security, helping universities tackle large and complex endeavors. Thank you, Educause, for providing such valuable tools to the higher ed community. #educause #AI #artificialintelligence

12

1 Comment

EDUCAUSE recently released its IT Leadership Workforce report, highlighting needs related to flexibility and human-centered needs. Several things are striking: - There is still a LOT of movement in higher ed IT jobs at all levels. Just more than 50% of survey respondents reported success in hiring into existing positions and 66% report being able to retain staff. - Only half of survey respondents were satisfied with their salaries, and only 40% were satisfied with mobility and growth opportunities as well as HR policies and practices. Does this foreshadow even more movement among IT leaders? - Where positions are reduced and/or where roles remain unfilled, IT leaders and the broader team are taking on those responsibilities, an approach that is unsustainable for long in the best of times, but even more so now, when folks are still exhausted from the past five years. - Change management was flagged as the area of most potential growth and development for IT leaders, indicating that we expect more change - and potentially a sustained or increase pace of change - in the near future. Change can be exhausting and anxiety producing for everyone. What does this mean for our customers and for our IT teams in terms of how we support them? Are you observing these survey trends playing out at your institution, or are you observing something different? #HigherEducation #HigherEd #HigherEdIT #IT #CIO #ChangeManagement #ITLeadership #ITLeaders #ProfessionalDevelopment https://lnkd.in/evs8y6gx

28

5 Comments

There are so many AI platforms that it can be confusing. Which platform was built by educators for educators? SchoolAI. If your school system is looking to choose an AI platform for next year, please schedule a demo. There are many examples of a Space where students can have real engagement with their classroom learning. SchoolAI is ready for system wide deployment. Robert Muskett

7

I’m excited to share some big news! My friend Ashley Philipps has just published her first book The Teacher's Guide to Changing Careers! If you don’t know Ashley she is a former teacher and she wrote a guide for other k12 teachers who want a career change. This resource will help: *Determine if leaving is right for you *Plan your classroom exit *Figure out what industry, companies, and roles are a fit *Build your brand to tell your story *Build your network *Get tips and advice from other former teachers Click the link in the comments to get your copy today! #teacher #careerchange #transitionteacher #booklaunch

8

2 Comments

I get a lot of questions from recent grads and those looking for a career shift about the cybersecurity landscape, for anyone interested in cybersecurity and being a part of a cybersecurity network, this podcast is for you.

16