K12 Tech Talk

Episode 158 - Gyms are for PE, not the SAT.

In this episode, the guys discuss a security bulletin from Papercut, the launch of the digital SAT, and the release of an artificial intelligence framework for district leaders by ILO Group. They also address listener emails, including a question about parental access to web filters. The main topic focuses on tips for preparing for online testing season and large-scale assessments, prompted by a listener's story about a failed testing attempt in a cafeteria.
News Stories:1. Papercut Security Bulletin March 20242. Digital SAT Launches3. ILO Group Releases AI Framework for District Leaders4. COSN & CGCS AI Readiness Checklist
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* Absolute - email k12tech@Absolute.com to find out how you can use your hardware refresh budget to secure new devices AND manage and secure existing inventory.
* ClassLink - email Jill at jvandagriff@classlink.com
* Fortinet - email fortinetpodcast.com@fortinet.com
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Episode 157 - Vendor Turnover, E-Rate Advice, and Colonoscopies

Josh and Mark discuss the decline in edtech investments after the pandemic and the impact it may have on the industry. They also touch on the renewal costs for VMware customers and the opportunity it presents for competitor Nutanix. The episode explores the importance of team growth in a school district, highlighting the benefits of knowledge sharing, proactive vs. reactive work, and shared responsibilities. Additionally, listeners inquire about erate efforts in smaller districts and the strategy of swapping out vendors regularly.
Articles discussed on this episode:
Ed tech investments slow after sizable pandemic bump
Nutanix CEO sees opportunity in VMware’s turmoil
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 ManagedMethods - go to managedmethods.com, click on Use Cases, to understand how they can help your school district. Mention us when you talk to them.
* Absolute - email k12tech@Absolute.com to find out how you can use your hardware refresh budget to secure new devices AND manage and secure existing inventory.
* PDS/HPE/Aruba - email jeff.cobb@hpe.com
* Extreme - email dmayer@extremenetworks.com
* Fortinet - email fortinetpodcast.com@fortinet.com
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Episode 156 - Tabletop Exercise with Leadership

Hosts Josh, Chris, and Mark discuss a range of tech news stories, including articles on AT&T cell phone service outages, teachers avoiding AI tools, and the use of panic buttons for school safety. They also address a listener email about handling personal documents in district collaboration tools. The main topic focuses on holding a tabletop cybersecurity exercise with district leadership, with Chris sharing his experience leading a drill. Important lessons highlighted include making the exercise relevant, avoiding scare tactics, and emphasizing collaboration.
AT&T cell phone service outage
Top 13 reasons teachers avoid AI tools
Does your district ban ChatGPT?
Panic buttons for school safety
CISA Tabletop Exercises (look at the K12 one)
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Absolute
Classlink
HPE/Aruba - Email jeff.cobb@hpe.com
Fortinet - Email fortinetpodcast@fortinet.com
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Episode 155 - Outside Looking In

Josh takes a few minutes to remind everyone to patch your systems, firewalls, servers, Veeam, VPNs, etc. He also talks about the importance of looking at your logs, especially those public facing devices. Finally, he brags that he submitted four 471s to E-Rate and all four of them went to "Wave Ready" status in less than six hours after upload.
The majority of this episode is spent talking with Eric the Intern from K12TechPro. He left the K12 world recently and went to private industry. A few weeks ago, he wrote an article for K12TechPro with his observations about K12 technology now that he is on the outside looking in.
Article - https://k12techpro.com/the-k-12-tech-landscape-an-outsiders-inside-perspective/
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Absolute
Managed Methods
HPE/Aruba - Email jeff.cobb@hpe.com
NTP
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Episode 154 - Virtual Snow Days, SIS Woes, and Bathroom Breaks

In this episode, the guys discuss various news stories including a CISA alert about a former employee account compromise and Greenwich CT's request for $600k to fix poor cell service at a high school. They also address listener emails regarding their dislike of Teams and feedback on the Principal's Episode. The main topic of the episode centers around preparing for a virtual snow day, prompted by the recent blizzard in New York City that resulted in login issues for remote students. 
Josh also brags about some killer Tweets he made recently while Chris vents about his SIS implementation, which does not include scheduled bathroom breaks.
Fortinet music video https://twitter.com/i/status/1611450152509739008
 
Articles Discussed on this episode:
https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/alerts/2024/02/15/cisa-and-ms-isac-release-advisory-compromised-account-used-access-state-government-organization
https://www.govtech.com/education/k-12/greenwich-high-school-wants-631k-to-fix-poor-cell-servicehttps://apnews.com/article/school-snow-day-remote-learning-2ef89fedcd4caefc3d6b6c483188e888
And don't forget Canva's onboarding hub:
https://public.canva.site/canva-edu-district-resources
 
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Absolute
VIZOR
Extreme Networks - Email dmayer@extremenetworks.com
Fortinet - Email fortinetpodcast@fortinet.com
NTP
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Episode 153 - Clever MFA, Rise Vision, and Conspiracy Theories

In this episode, we dive into the latest news in the K-12 technology world. We discuss who hacked into Fulton County, Georgia schools' computer systems, we touch on the FCC's Affordable Connectivity Program, and we trade thoughts on a Maine school that will begin biometric scanning for student attendance. We debrief the Clever MFA roadmap and how a student-friendly MFA could work. The main topic of the episode is an interview with the CEO of Rise Vision, Brian Loosbrock, where we discuss their digital displays and how they are revolutionizing the education industry.
News stories mentioned in the episode:- New Fortinet RCE flaw in SSL VPN likely exploited in attacks- Student hacks Fulton County Georgia schools' computer systems- FCC's Affordable Connectivity Program consumer FAQ- Maine school will begin biometric scanning data collection for students- FTC order will require Blackbaud to delete unnecessary data, boost safeguards, settle charges of lax security
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Rise Vision
Extreme Networks - Email dmayer@extremenetworks.com
Fortinet - Email fortinetpodcast@fortinet.com
NTP
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Episode 152 - The Principal Episode

This is a special episode where we talk to principals and share our advice, or the advice we received from the K12 tech community, for how principals can better understand and work with their IT staff. Our tips and tricks were compiled based on feedback from /r/K12sysadmin and K12TechPro along with a few emails from listeners. We all recognize the importance of our school principals and we hope this episode will help improve the lives of both techs and principals by sharing four important ways that we can collaborate.
 
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Rise Vision
Extreme Networks - Email dmayer@extremenetworks.com
Fortinet - Email fortinetpodcast@fortinet.com
VIZOR
Oh, and...
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Tweet us err X us @k12techtalkpod
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Episode 151 - National Education Tech Plan

In this episode, Josh, Chris, and Mark discuss the recent discovery of the largest data breach in history, with 26 billion records compromised. They also review Clever's newly released cyber security report, which includes information on student multi-factor authentication. They address listener emails regarding IT documentation software. The main topic of the episode is the National Education Tech Plan, which focuses on the digital access divide, digital design divide, and digital use divide within schools. Key takeaways include the importance of universal design for learning, the distinction between active and passive technology use among students, and the report's role as a roadmap for district leadership.
 
Hyperlinked news stories:- The mother of all breaches- Clever released a cyber security report- Chicago Public Schools lost electronics- Best IT documentation software- National Ed-Tech Plan
https://www.youtube.com/@k12techtalk
Join the K12TechPro.com Community.
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Rise Vision
Extreme Networks - Email dmayer@extremenetworks.com
Fortinet - Email fortinetpodcast@fortinet.com
NTP - Email dwren@ntp-inc.com
Oh, and...
Email us at k12techtalk@gmail.com
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