Technology Newsbytes - October 1, 2009
Greetings,
It's hard to believe that October is already here! We welcome the cool weather and so do our hot-running servers. We've tried to keep it short so please take the time to read as there is a lot happening in technology.
Going Green Saves Green$$$
We all know that saving power in turn saves money for the District. 
But how green are we when it comes to our computers? Please help us find out by clicking the link(s) below and completing a very short poll. I know you're busy but it's short and for a good cause!
Staff laptop users click here.
Staff desktop users click here.
If you use both...2 polls for you!
Thanks for helping us gather the info...results will be posted in the next newsletter.
Wireless Network Access Control NAC
If you use a laptop wirelessly, you should probably understand more about NAC. We are moving closer to turning this on district-wide and people are asking more questions. If you are a wireless user, you will be effected. We've put together an info page to help answer those questions...click here to know more. More questions with answers as we near NAC.
Computer Refresh
The new computers are beginning to arrive for refresh. The tech team  will begin the intensive process of image, inventory, and distribution on top of the support they are already providing. Please be patient as the computers don't all get distributed at once to everyone but instead in phases. We hope to have them all distributed by December.
Supported Web Browser
Many people ask why we don't support Firefox as a web browser. I like it and I use it on occasion, but we don't officially support it as there are known issues with reporting services, pass-through authentication, and iNotes among others. We know our apps work under IE so
that is the recommended and supported browser. What version of IE is supported you ask?...6 or 7. PS: we're testing IE8 at this time.
Online Requisition Form
The Application Development team has begun rollout of phase one of the Online Requisition Form. Long awaited, the online form will spell the demise of the typewritters on the desks of Office Managers across the district. Ultimately, it will save time and error correction associated with the old paper process. Denise Cariaga and Chris Edmondson are providing training.
Eonline Check Stub Viewing
Currently, Eonline is only available to users while on the District's network. We are taking the steps to make this available to users from anywhere they have an Internet connection. Of course security of your information is a top priority...so we proceed cautiously. Target date is mid-December. Thanks for your patience.
Fiber to Clovis North
We've completed the high speed fiber run up Willow Ave. to Clovis North. Within a week, we will be making the final connections in the server room to light it up! Goodbye to the current T1 connections! The campus will certainly see better network performance and a cost savings.
Training
From Moodle to Quickr and almost everything in between. We've got the training. Check Chris Edmondson's Training web site for the latest updates.
The New Email Archive System
New mandates require districts to archive email for several years. Until recently, you've had to archive your own mail to your computer and after 90 days we clear old mail from the server. If you didn't archive, it would be gone. You have been archiving?...haven't you?
Not to worry, it's now an automated process through  Gaggle. Our email is uploaded daily to Gaggle for archiving. You can actually access your archived email through your web browser from any Internet connection.
Simply go to http://www.gagglemail.com
and log in using yourusername@clovisusd.k12.ca.us and your domain password (the password that you log into your computer with). The log in field is at the verrrry top of the page.
And no, you can't delete anything in the archive. Sorry.
NOTE: Your email communications are property of the District and may become public record. Don't forget to review the Board policies on email in section D of AR7203.
 Thanks for taking the time to read this...until next time....!!
Dan Resciniti
Chief Technology Officer, CUSD
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