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Olathe Public Schools

March 2017
1:1 Questions and Answers

Table of Contents

MARCH 1:1 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 1


WILL MY CURRENT TECHNOLOGY WORK ON THE MACBOOK AIRS? 2
FOR THOSE TRANSFERRING TO OLATHE WEST 3
TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 3
TRANSITION QUESTIONS 4
MOVING FROM PC TO MAC 4
STUDENT DEVICES 5
INTERNET AND WIRELESS 8
HARDWARE / PERIPHERALS 9

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Will My Current Technology Work on the MacBook Airs?

Q1: You mentioned that the business labs will stay intact. Does that mean that they will remain
as PC labs with all the same software and NetOp that already exists?
Q2: Will fine arts teachers who teach in a iMac lab be getting Pro computers rather then Air?
The processor in the Air many not be able to handle the work we do efficiently enough.
Q3: How do we go about making the case for upgraded hardware to accommodate the
program specific software we have? The Macbook Air falls at the bottom end of acceptable
specs for some of our software, which can lead to other issues.
Q4: How will this affect my classes such as computer essentials - district
Q5: What software will the teachers and students have? Can some teachers have additional
software--like InDesign, for instance--if they teach a class that uses Macs?

A1-5: If the MacBooks can replace the existing technology, they will. If not, then we will leave
the existing technology in place or find an alternative solution. Some teachers may be issued
MacBook Pros if their software requires it. Some teachers may get a PC laptop in addition to a
MacBook. Some PC labs or laptop carts will be left in place. The primary factor in determining
whether a teacher or classroom retains or receives enhanced technology are the technical
specifications required by the software or hardware issued by the district.

Our curriculum coordinators are currently submitting hardware, software, peripheral, and
online subscription details for all the technology currently used in the district at the high school
level. The Technology Division will study each item individually and determine whether the
MacBook Airs meet the requirements for each component. If you would like to submit a
hardware, software, peripheral or online subscription for further review, the URL is
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScS40u0VwwDPuF3nnQAAS3YUiqA4z4qG0lo9U-
Ndl6V2h6vxw/viewform and anyone may submit a form. We want to know about everything
you are using to make sure we accommodate your needs!

Additionally, we will be working with Olathe West teachers to determine whether there are
technology components that cannot be addressed using the MacBooks Airs. By the time we get
ready to deploy at the other four high schools, well already know what works with the
MacBooks and what doesnt.

Last, and importantly, the MacBook Airs we are providing to teachers and students are as
powerful as the HP820 laptops weve provided to teachers for the last few years. Benchmark
testing indicates that a MacBook with 1.6Ghz clock speed and 4GB RAM continuously
outperforms a Windows machine with 2.5Ghz clock speed and 8GB RAM due to the demands of
the Windows operating system.

Size Ghz Processor RAM Storage Graphics Startup Time Battery


HP 820 12.5 2.5 Intel i5 8GB 128GB Intel HD Graphics 6000 4 mins 5-8 hours
MacBook Air 13 1.6 Intel i5 4GB 128GB Intel HD Graphics 6000 2 mins 8-12 hours

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For Those Transferring to Olathe West

Q6: If you are moving to Olathe West when will be getting the MacBooks?
A: Our current plan is to provide devices on the district PD day, April 14 th. However, the Olathe
West administration will determine the date. Olathe West staff who are hired after April 14 th
will make an appointment to pick up their device at the Technology Support Center. We are still
looking into providing devices for non-district employees who are hired on at OWHS, but
without a network login (which isnt available until their formal hire date of July 1 or later), we
are still working through the details.

Q7: If we currently have a district iPad and are moving to Olathe West, will be keeping our
iPad or getting a new iPad?
A: High school staff who currently have iPads (as a result of a grant or program purchase, for
example) would take them with them to their new location. Middle school staff transferring to
Olathe West will turn in their iPads at the end of the year.

Q8: If we have content in our current email account, will it all be transferred over?
A: Yes. Your existing folders, emails and account information within Outlook will be available
within Outlook. Although we recommend you notify your contacts of your new email address,
email sent to your old account will automatically appear in your inbox for your new account.

Training and Professional Development

Q9: Will the district have Mac training for the teachers? If so, when?
A: Yes. High school teachers will get their devices approximately one semester prior to their
students getting the device, although this is a principal-based decision. During that time, staff
will receive training from their in-house technician and through other opportunities.

Q10: Will the district provide Mac training for the students?
A: Yes. Much of the training will be asynchronous and online. Students will study their Drivers
Manual and take an online test to provide them with administrative rights to their computer.
This process has been very successful in other districts, and our goal is to incentivize students to
learn all about their laptops. Additional training will be offered as well.

Q11: Will the teachers who currently have computers in their classroom still be able to keep
those computers and utilize the computers in their classrooms?
A: Yes, until students are issued devices, staff will keep their existing technology. Once students
receive their devices, any redundant technology will be removed.

Q12: Prior to the rollout in each building, will there be any dedicated time at district PD to
work with devices in collaboration with our colleagues?
A: Yes, very much so! While not all of the training will occur on district PD time, we hope to see
a lot of collaboration and learning between teachers who already have devices and those who

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are still waiting. At the building level, training sessions will be offered frequently. Principals will
determine the extent to which building-level PD should be used for training on the new devices.

Q13: Will there be optional training sessions focused on the Mac Airs at Summer Conference?
A: Absolutely! See you there!

Q14: Will we be able to get computers prior to our August report date? If we have to wait to
try the computers then that is a very, very steep learning curve for individuals who have
never used Macs before.
A: Depending on which high school you report to, the staff devices will be available at different
times. The building principals are determining the best time to provide devices to staff.

Transition Questions

Q15: Will staff who keep desktops still be issued a laptop?


A: Yes, for our classroom teachers. Classified staff and certified staff who do not directly engage
in instruction would not necessarily receive additional laptops. While we recognize the benefits
of more staff having more access to technology, we also want to honor the Board of
Educations purchase of these devices specifically for classroom instruction and student use.

Q16: Can late adopting schools (OS, ONW) have a classroom set to work with for August
2017 preservice? What about summer conference?
A: We plan to add laptop carts of MacBook Airs in all buildings (except OW) this August. While a
few carts wont be enough to replicate a 1:1 environment, teachers will be encouraged to check
out a cart for a day or two to see what the experience is like and test-drive a few lesson plans.

Q17: When will the transition happen Olathe North?


A: Based on infrastructural readiness, Olathe North students will receive their laptops in
January of 2018.

Moving from PC to Mac

Q18: I'm a PC, always have been, primarily because Apple didn't play well with Office, which
is what the business world runs on. Will we have ANY problems using all our years worth of
Word, Excel, Publisher, and PPT documents?
A: Not at all! Personally, I use a PC at my workstation and a Mac for my mobile and home
devices. I have yet to encounter an issue with Microsoft Office that didnt work equally well on
both devices While there are a few issues here and there, none rise to the level of concern, and
none are showstoppers. Most are just tiny inconveniences. That being said, if there are
required curricular components that a MacBook Air just wont work for, we will study and
address.

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Q19: I finally got One Drive working properly (after a year) with this laptop. Will it work with
the MacBook Airs?
A: Absolutely! I am currently typing this on a student device, and my OneDrive looks and feels
exactly like DropBox!

Q20: Will this effect any of the documents that I presently have on file?
A: Potentially, yes. Anything not saved to OneDrive, DropBox, or your preferred storage
solution would be potentially inaccessible on the new devices. But dont worry! Well be
working with all staff members to migrate content from the C: drive, H: drive, etc. to better and
faster storage solutions well before we remove existing technology.

Q21: Our technology-heavy departments are concerned about cloud storage as they deal with
very large files, and the M drive is a very convenient way to grade and handle student work.
They are concerned that upload to/download from the cloud will make it very unwieldy to try
to grade and evaluate projects. Is the district looking at other options for this use case?
A: Great question! If OneDrive is not an effective solution, and if a PC lab is the preferred
solution, students will continue to have access to the M: drive. However, we are opting for
shared folders within OneDrive whenever possible. Additionally, OneNote provides a nearly
unlimited transfer of files between teachers and students without the student having to accept
files from other students. Also, our curriculum coordinators are currently submitting hardware,
software, peripheral, and online subscription details for all the technology currently used in the
district. The Technology Division will study each item individually and determine whether the
student devices meet the requirements for each component. If a student needs access to the
technology, and if the MacBook Airs do not meet the need, existing technology (such as labs or
laptop carts) will remain in place. Mac and PC labs will have dedicated server storage that allow
drag and drop shared folders. This would not require upload/download in the same way that
OneDrive does.

Q22: As a classified staff (admin. assistant), will my computer be changed out? If not will
there be any problems with communications between the instructors computers and my
computer. Will all the documents be accessible to all of us?
A: Classified staff will continue to live in the Windows world. Mapped drives (like the H: drive)
will continue to be available since so many classified staff rely on district-wide drives. As for
communicating with teachers, there should be no issue. Shared folders within OneDrive will
provide the ability to share content with teachers.

Student Devices

Q23: Are the students going to be required to purchase insurance for their laptops?
A: No. Many families (but certainly not all) have homeowners insurance that would provide
coverage. Additionally, a tiered system of charges will be announced later this spring that
balances between incentivizing care vs. not being punitive. Students on Free/Reduced lunches
will get discrete consideration when handling issues of loss or damage.

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Q24: Will you provide charging stations
A: Since each building is unique in design, culture, and structure, high school principals and
their tech teams will determine the best way to offer charging solutions to their students. The
Technology Division will supply charging cables as needed to provide basic charging solutions,
but our goal is to disincentive poor battery management. If we provide too many charging
stations, we make it okay for kids to show up to your classes with low batteries. If students
perceive that they really need to show up to school each day with a full battery (because
charging at school is inconvenient) they will!

Q25: How many extra charging bricks will we get to set up charging stations? Is this going to
be a recommendation on how to best accommodate charging?
A: Although there will be charging opportunities provided at each building (and every building
will look different), we want to encourage students to show up each morning with a fully
charged device. We know that this wont always be the case, but we want to provide just
enough charging stations to handle emergencies without accidentally incentivizing poor power
management.

Q26: What do we do if students forget their computer at home or if it is not working? How is
the district going to fix students' computers if they are not working?
A: Each high school will have a full-time technician in-house to assist students and staff with
technology issues. If students forget a device, our current plan is to allow them to check out a
device for a day. If and when devices break, we will issue temporary devices to students while
their primary device is being repaired.

Q27: Will students still have access to M, H, and O drives?


A: No. Mapped drives (such as the M:, H:, and O: drives) will no longer be used with the
MacBook Airs, although various PC machines (such as labs and classified staff) will still have
access. Students and teachers will use shared OneDrive folders to exchange and share content.
OneDrive has 5 terabytes of space per user.

Q28: What are students responsible for replacing if damaged/broken? Do they receive cases
to carry their laptops in?
A: Students will receive cases, but these cases are primarily designed to preserve the cosmetic
integrity of the laptops (thus allowing stickers, scuffs, scratches, etc.). Students who lose or
break their devices will face a penalty, but the penalty will not be the full cost of repair or
replacement, and those students who are on Free/Reduced lunch will have little or no cost
associated with the first instance of loss or breakage.

Q29: What is the plan for insurance for student devices?


A: Our district is self-insured, which means that it is cheaper for us to replace/repair a device
outright than it is to purchase insurance on every device. Students will not be asked to purchase
insurance or maintain an insurance deposit or plan for their devices.

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Q30: Will parents have to put a deposit down for devices?
A: No. Their deposit comes in the form of their property taxes that fund this initiative.

Q31: Is the student replacement cost for damaged computers the same as the new staff
policy?
A: No. Although there are philosophical parallels between the two documents, we recognize
that teachers and students are different entities, and damage/loss can often be vastly different
between employees and students.

Q32: Can students opt of taking a laptop?


A: No. Just as students cannot opt out of taking a textbook, they may not opt out of taking a
laptop. We look forward to these laptops being foundational tools that students use every day.

Q33: What happens when a student fails to turn in components of their iPad in Middle School
(iPad, charger, etc.)? Are they blocked from getting their laptop? Our bookkeeper had issues
at the start of the year with carryover charges and being unsure how to deal with these
issues.
A: Carryover charges would never prevent the issuance of district-mandated resources. If so,
call me right away.

Q34: What software will student devices have to start out? Will there be a process to request
things teachers need? Can you push software out to student devices easily?
A: Students will have access to two powerful software packages: Office 365 (Word, Excel,
PowerPoint, etc.) and iWorks (Pages, Numbers, and Keynote). Generally speaking, we will guide
students toward Office 365. Both are free to students and available for download. We can also
push out software as needed. Teachers may request software using the Software request form
on Tech233.

Q35: Many students will need particular software based on the courses they are enrolled in.
A: Those courses that require specialty software or hardware (such as AutoCad or InDesign) will
have access to existing computer labs, laptop carts, or other current solutions already in place.
Due to licensing issues, not all specialty software can be put on student machines.

Q36: Will students be able to install software on their own devices or will they be locked
down administratively?
A: Yes. Later this spring, we will produce a Drivers Manual that students will study. The DM
contains the training materials needed to be an owner of a laptop. It includes Digital Citizenship
components and instructions for care and maintenance of the device. In the first 30 days of
receiving the laptop, students will have nearly unlimited access to administrative rights on the
computer. We want it to be as close to off the shelf access as possible (while still be filtered
at school and at home). Students will be asked to take an online Drivers Test on their own time
with the first 30 days. Students who pass the test with 100% will retain their administrative
rights. Students who do not pass the test will lose several administrative functions.

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Q37: Can students opt out of 1:1 completely and choose to instead use a BYOD device, or
none at all?
A: No. Just as students may not opt out of textbooks, they may not opt out of laptops. Some
students may choose to bring a personal laptop, but all students will be expected to participate
in classroom activities as directed by the teacher. Students who choose to bring a personal
device will still be issued a district laptop, and no student who brings a personal device would
be exempt from classroom activities or assignments due to differences between personal and
district laptops.

Q38: Will laptops mean lost texts that are available online will no longer be replaced by the
district?
A: No. We continue to study each curricular area, but all textbooks work with the selected
device. Our curriculum coordinators are currently submitting hardware, software, peripheral,
and online subscription details for all the technology currently used in the district. The
Technology Division will study each item individually and determine whether the student
devices meet the requirements for each component. If a student needs access to the
technology, and if the MacBook Airs do not meet the need, existing technology (such as labs or
laptop carts) will remain in place.

Q39: For in-class assessments, are there software solutions that will allow teachers to lock
students into a testing environment?
A: Yes and no. Many state and national assessments come with lock-down browser
technologies, but these are not necessarily compatible with the assessments that teachers give
on a daily basis. Our teachers will determine whether an assessment should or should not
include access to other online resources. In some cases, this may result in a paper/pencil test
begin given.

Internet and Wireless

Q40: Will my room have router/modem assigned to it specifically?


A: This would not be a necessary solution. The wireless network should be adequate to address
your internet needs.

Q41: Will our internet speed and our network be on par or be elite to handle our demands.
A: Great question! The Bond 2016 technology projects include several elements designed to
substantially improve the wifi experience for students, staff, and visitors. These projects include
recabling all 4 existing high schools to ensure direct connections, improving the wifi software,
adding more high-saturation access points, and providing new (and better) ways to connect
personal and district-issued devices. As these projects are completed in each building, the
buildings will be ready for student devices.

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Hardware / Peripherals

Q42: How many USB ports are on the teacher devices? How many USB ports are on the
student devices?
Two for students and teachers alike. Additional specs are available at
http://www.apple.com/macbook-air/specs/.

Q43: Teachers in the business labs have a PC desktop to display on an overhead screen as
well as a laptop to use. Will this also remain the same?
A: Teachers will have three options to display content on the screen: AppleTV (AirPlay), HDMI
connector, and for PC labs, VGA hookups. All labs will have a teacher workstation.

Q44: I still do not understand how teachers can replace the "doc-cam"-type feature. Will it
require additional cables, equipment, etc.? I use my doc cam every single day--it is essential
to my instruction.

Q45: When we get our Airbooks next year, will our smart slates that we currently have still
work with those? If not, is the district going to automatically provide us with the replacement
technology so that we can still do the same things we are capable of doing now. Both
[colleague name] and I use our smart slate technology every single day in the classroom.

A (Q44 and 45): For many years, our district has not replaced doc cams, but we do encourage
teachers to continue using them for as long as they can. Our replacement solution, AppleTV,
allows teachers to project their laptop screen to the whiteboard. While this is a great solution
for most teachers, we know there are a few curricular areas (such as math and science), that
rely on the document cameras for hand-written notes and details. In working with other
districts, we are excited to share some future technologies that provide superior whiteboarding
opportunities! One option might be a brand new technology called Inklet that weve been
testing recently!

Q46: Will staff have the option to purchase their current laptops from the district?
A: No. Existing technology will be repurposed throughout the district. Additionally, existing
policies prevent the sale of district technology equipment to individual staff members.

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