Independent School Educators' List (ISED-L): March 2009

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Google Apps and Moodle Integration

We are currently running Moodle with a ton of success and would like to
integrate Google Apps into the student's toolbox. I came across The Killer
App: Google Apps and Moodle
Integration?<http://learningischange.com/2009/02/25/the-killer-app-google-apps-and-moodle-integration/comment-page-1/>
As I was reading it, it became apparent that we could integrate these two
tools.

Has anyone tried this?

Thanks,
Lisa Sjogren

[ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]
Submissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons, attribution, non-commercial, share-alike license.
RSS Feed, http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?RSS&L=ISED-L

Re: Global humanities curriculum

Dear George,

Here are some ideas for your proposed curriculum. As far as looking at
other schools, my former school, Sidwell Friends, teaches a 5th grade
curriculum in which students study medieval Europe and Asia. The
teachers used to spend a lot of time on Japan, not China, and they still
might.

As far as some content and curriculum suggestions, Japan is an
interesting comparison because it developed a feudal system independent
of Europe at roughly the same time. If you do a google search, you'll
find that there is quite a bit of comparison information, including
lessons and webquests for middle and high school classrooms. =20

There are some wonderful people around the country who specialize in
China and Japan in the curriculum and you might want to contact them.
In your neck of the woods, the Five Colleges Center for East Asian
Studies (at Smith College), and its director, Kathy Masalski, can offer
you some good insight into novels, stories, humanities curriculum, etc.
Go to www.smith.edu/fcceas or e-mail directly KMASALSK@email.smith.edu.
There is also the East Asia center at Columbia. Contact Karen Kane at
kak13@columbia.edu. In fact, Karen and her colleagues put together a
fabulous online unit on China and Europe, though it focuses on 18th
century to present. That and other units are at the Asia for Educators
site: http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/. There have been a series of
superb curriculum guides written on China and Japan over the past ten
years focused on the humanities. Sadly, they are no longer in print
(the organization that received the grants to write them dissolved) but
they are still in circulation and available for borrowing. The units on
China and Japan during the period you specify are particularly good.
The Five Colleges Center for East Asian Studies will have them for you
to borrow.

Good luck!

Best,
Jon Zeljo

----------------------------------------
Jon Zeljo
Director of Global Education
Holton-Arms School
7303 River Road
Bethesda, MD 20817
301.365.6004
www.holton-arms.edu

Re: Global humanities curriculum

Hi George -

You might want to post something about your project in an online
community that I run on global education:
http://globaleducation.ning.com. You can also search for potential
project partners in the members area and contact people directly.

Hope that helps,

Lucy Gray
Lead Technology Coach
The University of Chicago
Urban Education Institute
(773) 834-4078
lucyg@uchicago.edu
http://lucygray.org

On Tue, Mar 31, 2009 at 12:38 PM, George Swain
<gswain@poughkeepsieday.org> wrote:
> Dear friends,
>
>
>
> Our middle school teachers are planning to expand the 5th and 6th grade
> humanities curriculum to include a comparative history of China and
> Cordoba, Spain. The themes of religion, feudalism and trade are of
> particular interest. The current study is "medieval Europe" and touches
> mainly on Britain and Central Europe. =A0Does anyone have recommendations
> for contacts at schools that teach a global or cross-cultural curriculum
> at this level?
>
>
>
> Warm regards,
>
>
>
> George Swain
>
> Head of Middle School
>
> Poughkeepsie Day School
>
> 845-462-7600 ext. 222
>
>
>
>
> [ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]
> Submissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons, attribution,=
non-commercial, share-alike license.
> RSS Feed, http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?RSS&L=3DISED-L
>

MS English Teacher Opening

The Poughkeepsie Day School is seeking exceptional candidates to fill a
full-time, one-year leave-replacement position in 7th and 8th grade
English. We are a laptop school with a rich creative and analytical
writing program. The position also involves advising. A master's degree
and previous middle school experience is preferred. More information
about our school can be found at: www.poughkeepsieday.org.

=20

Please address correspondence to George Swain, Head of Middle School.

=20

George Swain

Head of Middle School

Poughkeepsie Day School

=20

Global humanities curriculum

Dear friends,

=20

Our middle school teachers are planning to expand the 5th and 6th grade
humanities curriculum to include a comparative history of China and
Cordoba, Spain. The themes of religion, feudalism and trade are of
particular interest. The current study is "medieval Europe" and touches
mainly on Britain and Central Europe. Does anyone have recommendations
for contacts at schools that teach a global or cross-cultural curriculum
at this level?

=20

Warm regards,

=20

George Swain

Head of Middle School

Poughkeepsie Day School

845-462-7600 ext. 222

=20

SharePoint Portal

Anyone out there using the Share Point Portal Learning Management
System? If so, and you're open to questions, please email me directly
at vrichter at Exeter.edu. Thanks, Vi

=20

------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----

Vi Richter

Instructor and Academic Technology Coordinator

Information Technology Services

Phillips Exeter Academy

http://www.exeter.edu/ITS <http://www.exeter.edu/ITS>=20

Re: Announcing the Independent School Cooperative

Hi Renee,

In discussions so far we are thinking of courses for both teachers and
students. It would really depend -to a great extent- on what courses
members of the cooperative want to offer. One possibility we've been
considering for teachers is a course about learning how to create an
online course.

Fred

A forum for independent school educators <ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU> writes:
>Will the courses be for other teachers, for students, or both?
>
>Thanks,
>
>Renee Ramig
>Seven Hills School
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: A forum for independent school educators on behalf of Fred Bartels
>Sent: Tue 3/31/2009 7:01 AM
>To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
>Subject: Announcing the Independent School Cooperative
>
>The Independent School Cooperative is a new endeavor to support online
>learning in the world of independent schools.
>
>Our goal is to build a supportive and challenging online learning
>community comprised of independent school educators committed to
>collaboratively exploring the design and construction of excellent online
>learning communities for independent school students.
>
>The cooperative will be run in a transparent, compassionate and democratic
>manner. Courses offered through the cooperative will always belong to
>their creators. The 'price' of offering a course through the cooperative
>is a commitment to ongoing active participation in building and supporting
>this learning community.
>
>If you are an independent school teacher interested in developing and/or
>offering an online course geared to independent school students (or
>teachers) please consider joining us at http://iscoop.ning.com
>
>Thanks,
>
>Fred Bartels
>
>-------------------------
>Fred Bartels
>Head - Computer Department
>Rye Country Day School
>914-925-4610
>
>
>[ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]
>Submissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons, attribution,
>non-commercial, share-alike license.
>RSS Feed, http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?RSS&L=ISED-L
>
>
>[ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]
>Submissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons, attribution,
>non-commercial, share-alike license.
>RSS Feed, http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?RSS&L=ISED-L
>

Re: Announcing the Independent School Cooperative

Will the courses be for other teachers, for students, or both?

Thanks,

Renee Ramig
Seven Hills School

-----Original Message-----
From: A forum for independent school educators on behalf of Fred Bartels
Sent: Tue 3/31/2009 7:01 AM
To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Announcing the Independent School Cooperative
=20
The Independent School Cooperative is a new endeavor to support online
learning in the world of independent schools.

Our goal is to build a supportive and challenging online learning
community comprised of independent school educators committed to
collaboratively exploring the design and construction of excellent =
online
learning communities for independent school students.

The cooperative will be run in a transparent, compassionate and =
democratic
manner. Courses offered through the cooperative will always belong to
their creators. The 'price' of offering a course through the cooperative
is a commitment to ongoing active participation in building and =
supporting
this learning community.

If you are an independent school teacher interested in developing and/or
offering an online course geared to independent school students (or
teachers) please consider joining us at http://iscoop.ning.com

Thanks,

Fred Bartels

-------------------------
Fred Bartels
Head - Computer Department
Rye Country Day School
914-925-4610

[ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]
Submissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons, =
attribution, non-commercial, share-alike license.
RSS Feed, http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?RSS&L=3DISED-L

Announcing the Independent School Cooperative

The Independent School Cooperative is a new endeavor to support online
learning in the world of independent schools.

Our goal is to build a supportive and challenging online learning
community comprised of independent school educators committed to
collaboratively exploring the design and construction of excellent online
learning communities for independent school students.

The cooperative will be run in a transparent, compassionate and democratic
manner. Courses offered through the cooperative will always belong to
their creators. The 'price' of offering a course through the cooperative
is a commitment to ongoing active participation in building and supporting
this learning community.

Thanks,

Fred Bartels

-------------------------
Fred Bartels
Head - Computer Department
Rye Country Day School
914-925-4610

Re: Instructions/Guidelines for Students Creating Video Projects

I used media converter just this last quarter. Because of the =
limitation for 5 free, I went ahead and paid for a month subscription =
for $15. It was worth it.

Bernadette Roche'
Technology Coordinator
Oakhill Day School
bernadette.roche@oakhilldayschool.org
816.436.6228
=A0

-----Original Message-----
From: A forum for independent school educators =
[mailto:ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] On Behalf Of David Kapferer
Sent: Tuesday, March 31, 2009 7:57 AM
To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Re: Instructions/Guidelines for Students Creating Video =
Projects

I've used zamzar.com with success, as well as vixy.net. These work =
great for downloading clips from YouTube (simply paste the url in, and =
it creates a downloadable file in whatever format you'd like).

I prefer http://www.mediaconverter.org/. It's faster and works more =
consistently, but you're limited to 5 conversions per day (based on IP =
address).

>>> Beth Ritter-Guth <britterguth@hotchkiss.org> 3/30/2009 4:38 PM >>>
I am not sure if this is helpful, but a student can use =
http://zamzar.com to convert movies. It is easy and free.

Beth Lynne Ritter-Guth
Educational Communication and Technology Facilitator
The Hotchkiss School
11 Interlaken Road
Box 800
Lakeville, CT 06039
(860) 435-4445
http://hotchkiss.org=20
http://hotchkissedtech.blogspot.com=20

-----Original Message-----
From: A forum for independent school educators on behalf of Maura =
Fennelly
Sent: Mon 3/30/2009 4:37 PM
To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU=20
Subject: Instructions/Guidelines for Students Creating Video Projects
=20
We are seeing more and more faculty assign short video projects to =20
their students. However, we don't currently have set of standards or =20
guidelines for how the students should create their videos. As we do =20
not have a 1:1 program at our school, the students are editing their =20
video on their home computers and bringing it to school in a variety =20
of formats. With some frequency, we end up with students in the IT =20
office, desperate to get their project converted to something that =20
their teacher can see.

We are looking to put guidelines together for our faculty that they =20
can share with their students to prevent some of the last minute =20
craziness that some of the students go through. If you have any =20
information or materials from your school to share, I would appreciate =20
it.

thanks, Maura

Maura Fennelly
IT Department
Archbishop Mitty High School
mfennelly@mitty.com=20

Re: Instructions/Guidelines for Students Creating Video Projects

I've used zamzar.com with success, as well as vixy.net. These work great =
for downloading clips from YouTube (simply paste the url in, and it =
creates a downloadable file in whatever format you'd like).

I prefer http://www.mediaconverter.org/. It's faster and works more =
consistently, but you're limited to 5 conversions per day (based on IP =
address).

>>> Beth Ritter-Guth <britterguth@hotchkiss.org> 3/30/2009 4:38 PM >>>
I am not sure if this is helpful, but a student can use http://zamzar.com =
to convert movies. It is easy and free.

-----Original Message-----
From: A forum for independent school educators on behalf of Maura Fennelly
Sent: Mon 3/30/2009 4:37 PM
To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU=20
Subject: Instructions/Guidelines for Students Creating Video Projects
=20
We are seeing more and more faculty assign short video projects to =20
their students. However, we don't currently have set of standards or =20
guidelines for how the students should create their videos. As we do =20
not have a 1:1 program at our school, the students are editing their =20
video on their home computers and bringing it to school in a variety =20
of formats. With some frequency, we end up with students in the IT =20
office, desperate to get their project converted to something that =20
their teacher can see.

thanks, Maura

Maura Fennelly
IT Department
Archbishop Mitty High School
mfennelly@mitty.com=20

[ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]
Submissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons, attribution, =
non-commercial, share-alike license.
RSS Feed, http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?RSS&L=3DISED-L=20

Monday, March 30, 2009

ACK! PolyCom! Not PolyVision!

We have SMARTboards (which I love), but we have a PolyCom conference =
system! Does anyone else?

-----Original Message-----
From: A forum for independent school educators on behalf of J. E. Hydock
Sent: Mon 3/30/2009 7:20 PM
To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Re: PolyVision Users
=20
We are looking at purchasing some PolyVision or Promethean boards. How =
do
you like it?

-----Original Message-----
From: A forum for independent school educators
[mailto:ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] On Behalf Of Beth Ritter-Guth
Sent: Monday, March 30, 2009 6:33 PM
To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: PolyVision Users

Hi! Do any of you use PolyVision for teleconferencing?

We installed a brand new system, and would like to call someone with it =
to
work out different scenarios (running videos, etc).

Thanks!

Beth R-G

[ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]
Submissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons, =
attribution,
non-commercial, share-alike license.
RSS Feed, http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?RSS&L=3DISED-L

Re: PolyVision Users

We are looking at purchasing some PolyVision or Promethean boards. How do
you like it?

Hi! Do any of you use PolyVision for teleconferencing?

We installed a brand new system, and would like to call someone with it to
work out different scenarios (running videos, etc).

Thanks!

Beth R-G

[ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]
Submissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons, attribution,
non-commercial, share-alike license.
RSS Feed, http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?RSS&L=ISED-L

Re: PolyVision Users

Thank you for your email. I will be off campus at a workshop on Tuesday, March 31. I will return your email when I am back on campus.

Thank you,
Joanne Mamenta

PolyVision Users

Hi! Do any of you use PolyVision for teleconferencing?

We installed a brand new system, and would like to call someone with it =
to work out different scenarios (running videos, etc).

Thanks!

Beth R-G

Re: Instructions/Guidelines for Students Creating Video Projects

This is a frequent source of frustration at our school as well. Students
will create something on a mac and then bring it in to play on a PC or
forget their connector so their mac cannot connect to our LCD projector. It
is not just a problem with video, often I have students with problems with
ppt created in keynote as well. One way to avoid this may be to upload to
vimeo or slideshare- of course then you may run into problems trying to show
them if your filters block these online tools. Since Macs seem to play nicer
with different formats, and we have all PCS in our lab, as well as the
teacher laptops- I try to encourage kids to bring in PC compatible video. I
have VLC and gomplayer on my laptop, which can usually find the codecs
needed to play just about anything.

So- either upload to an online tool, or use VLC or some other more universal
player (not windows media player).

Maureen Tumenas
Berkshire Country Day School
Lenox, MA

-----Original Message-----
From: A forum for independent school educators
[mailto:ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] On Behalf Of Maura Fennelly
Sent: Monday, March 30, 2009 4:38 PM
To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Instructions/Guidelines for Students Creating Video Projects

We are seeing more and more faculty assign short video projects to
their students. However, we don't currently have set of standards or
guidelines for how the students should create their videos. As we do
not have a 1:1 program at our school, the students are editing their
video on their home computers and bringing it to school in a variety
of formats. With some frequency, we end up with students in the IT
office, desperate to get their project converted to something that
their teacher can see.

We are looking to put guidelines together for our faculty that they
can share with their students to prevent some of the last minute
craziness that some of the students go through. If you have any
information or materials from your school to share, I would appreciate
it.

thanks, Maura

Maura Fennelly
IT Department
Archbishop Mitty High School
mfennelly@mitty.com

[ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]
Submissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons, attribution,
non-commercial, share-alike license.
RSS Feed, http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?RSS&L=ISED-L

Re: Instructions/Guidelines for Students Creating Video Projects

I am not sure if this is helpful, but a student can use =
http://zamzar.com to convert movies. It is easy and free.

-----Original Message-----
From: A forum for independent school educators on behalf of Maura =
Fennelly
Sent: Mon 3/30/2009 4:37 PM
To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Instructions/Guidelines for Students Creating Video Projects
=20
We are seeing more and more faculty assign short video projects to =20
their students. However, we don't currently have set of standards or =20
guidelines for how the students should create their videos. As we do =20
not have a 1:1 program at our school, the students are editing their =20
video on their home computers and bringing it to school in a variety =20
of formats. With some frequency, we end up with students in the IT =20
office, desperate to get their project converted to something that =20
their teacher can see.

thanks, Maura

Maura Fennelly
IT Department
Archbishop Mitty High School
mfennelly@mitty.com

Instructions/Guidelines for Students Creating Video Projects

thanks, Maura

Maura Fennelly
IT Department
Archbishop Mitty High School
mfennelly@mitty.com

multi-bay battery chargers, ceiling power, or multiple batteries?

Hello all,
I am looking for advice from anyone who has successfully solved the power
strip dilemma in a 1:1 program. Our teachers are increasingly frustrated
with power strips running across the floor and I am considering three
options:

1. Investing in a multi-bay battery charging system and extra batteries and
allowing no student chargers at school
2. Supplying each student with two batteries
3. Hanging "power poles" from the ceiling

Thanks for any help,
Brett

Brett DiMatteo
Director of Technology
American School of Warsaw
http://www.asw.waw.pl/

Re: Online Unification and Synthesis

Surprisingly, I pretty much agree with just about everything Dan says
on this topic. :)

We started the process a year ago by building a local "Nexus" database
(our own name) to simply rationalize our constituents and get everyone
a unique "Human ID." Soon after it become apparent that having a
common "Family ID" and "Household ID" weren't bad ideas either.

Our roadmap forward currently includes having the common IDs known by
all systems that need to automatically exchange information, and we're
working on secure XML streams from database APIs as a possbility for
achieving at least the one-way data pull scenarios.

Similar to Dan, we have HR as authoritative for employees (anyone who
gets a pay check) and SIS as authoritative for family demographics.
Both need to talk to accounts, for obvious reasons.

It's a slow process leading this forward, but having the long-range
plans in mind can make the shorter-term decisions easier to make.

Jim Heynderickx

On Mon, Mar 30, 2009 at 6:02 AM, Daniel Hudkins <DanielH@harker.org> wrote:
> An enormously belated response
>
> As Jim knows, this has been one of my projects going back quite some
> time - and no factors to be included keep popping up, nevertheless...
>

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Re: Online Unification and Synthesis

An enormously belated response

As Jim knows, this has been one of my projects going back quite some
time - and no factors to be included keep popping up, nevertheless...

We decided to integrate what we felt to be "best of breed" regardless of
vendor. Like Jim we settled on finalsite as the landing point. We have
ended up adding more "portals/constituencies" than I anticipated as
other needs appeared.

Advice - get some sort of exclusive, cross data source identification
system running first. Everyone now has a unique ID that works across
roles so that if an alumnus gets hired as a faculty member, and is also
a parent, they only have one ID. This simplifies the process a great
deal.

Advice 2 - define your God system(s). What system is going to be
authoritative about whom. In our case - HR about anyone receiving
paycheck (even if faculty), SIS about currently enrolled students and
their parents (if not on payroll), Advancement about Alumni, etc.

We are concurrently working on a public face (finalsite), SIS and
Admission (PCR Educator), Advancement (RE7), Payroll/HR (Paychex),
Authentication (AD/LDAP), Business Office (MAS 200) integration that
moves slower than I'd like but in the right direction. Requires
significant willingness on the part of the vendors to "play nice." Some
play nicer than others - seems to be a function of scale. The larger the
organization, the less the perceived need to help out.

Most of this is still batch oriented but we do have some automated
linkages working.

Details available to anyone who's interested.

Dan

Daniel F. Hudkins
Director of Instructional Technology, Director of Information Systems
Ethics Teacher, Advisor Class of 2011, JSA Teacher/Adviser, Assistant
Varsity Softball Coach
500 Saratoga Ave.
San Jose, CA 95129
(408) 345-9631

-----Original Message-----
From: A forum for independent school educators
[mailto:ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] On Behalf Of Jim Heynderickx
Sent: Friday, December 19, 2008 9:37 AM
To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Online Unification and Synthesis

Hi, All

I've been working away for about 18 months now on a multi year
project, so it's probably time for a report.

I'm working on a way to improve communication and work flow via online
portals and services. Currently, we're migrating to a full Finalsite
implementation as a framework portal system, with unique "landing
pages" for different constituent groups. We're thinking critically
about systems that separate instead of unify the community-- such as
email systems used only by some constituents, and web pages built
primarily for other community members. One objective is to have a
"one stop shop" for communications and services.

One concept underlying our work is that information can have greater
value and accuracy if appropriately shared with larger groups.
Another premise is that unified tools working off of a single user and
demographic lists can be more effective than stand-alone applications
with bigger feature sets.

Next stages include a core student information system that meshes well
with the online portal, integrated email systems, and more windows of
unique information and services shared with constituents online
instead of via specific software clients or "only on campus" tools.

It's been an interesting process so far-- I've had to rethink a lot of
concepts to try to envision stable and reliable systems that may
hosted online instead of run on campus. It's also been an opportunity
to think about serving an increasingly diverse and user-owned and
user-centric technology environment, as opposed to a standardized,
locked-down or domain-controlled environment.

There's many concepts at work here, but I might ask just one question
of others at this point. How many others are working on these
concepts, and how do you feel about your online synthesis so far?
Others are already further down the road with online student
information systems and online portals for parents, students, faculty
and staff, and I'm interested in reports of progress and
complications.

Thanks, and happy holidays to all!

Jim Heynderickx
Director of Technology
American School in London

[ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]
Submissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons,
attribution, non-commercial, share-alike license.
RSS Feed, http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?RSS&L=3DISED-L

For Teachers: Leadership, Diversity, and Global Awareness on the Amistad in Connecticut on April 23, 2009

Hi Everyone,

Still a few spaces left--sign up by Friday April, 6!!!

**Join us for a unique 1-day workshop aboard the Freedom Schooner Amistad in
historic Mystic Seaport, Connecticut, April 23, 2009.**

"Collaborative Leadership, Diversity and Global Awareness for Educators"

Step into history and hear one of the most dramatic stories of courage,
collaboration, and change in American History: the story of the 1839 Amistad
Incident. This powerful story is a way in to the difficult conversations of
race, slavery, oppression and social justice. You will come away with new
ideas for your classroom and new inspiration about the power of
storytelling.

In addition to the story of the Amistad, participants will experience
collaborative leadership, diversity and global education activities and
discussion that will inspire and entertain. Collaboration, leadership,
diversity and global awareness are on everyone's list of 21st Century skills
for students and teachers, and they help the schools establish programs that
set them apart from peer schools. Come and experience a 1-day version of our
programs that has great possibilities for educators.

Workshop outcomes:

--Knowledge of the 1839 Amistad incident and how the story is a model of
courage and alley building

--Increased understanding and ability to facilitate the collaborative
leadership process

--Activities for your classrooms, clubs, and advising groups

--Familiarity with a unique model of multicultural identity: the 5 C's of
Awareness

--Use of your local resources to achieve a global perspective

--Discussion and reflection on how unique programs, such as GYLI,
offer schools a chance to set themselves apart

--Work with nationally recognized experts as well as colleagues from other
schools who face the same economic and programming challenges

GYLI is a non-profit organization that runs many successful leadership
programs for high school students and teachers, including the NAIS Institute
for Student Leaders. GYLI has developed this workshop in partnership with
the Freedom Schooner Amistad, an educational vessel that is the state
flagship of Connecticut. Any educator K-12 will find practical activities,
connections and inspiration for their work during this unique 1-day event.

Costs: $350 per person or $1000 for up to four people from the same
organization. Costs cover all workshop speakers, materials, a light
breakfast and lunch. This workshop is open to anyone in the field of
education.

Sign up deadline, Wednesday, April 1, 2009. For more information, contact
Jesse Blom jblom@gyli.org or Matt Nink mnink@gyli.org . To register, go to
www.gyli.org.

Location and lodging information see http://www.gyli.org/workshops/index.php

Matt

Nurturing collaborative leadership for global communities and helping
schools inspire socially responsible young people

Re: Position in Florida for talented teacher?

Pamela,
I am sorry but we do not place teachers in the Florida area. We only place=
in the western United States. We wish you the best of luck in your search=
though.

Sincerely,
Kerry
Cal/West Educators Placement

-----Original Message-----
From: A forum for independent school educators [mailto:ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.=
EDU] On Behalf Of Pamela Livingston
Sent: Sunday, March 29, 2009 2:29 PM
To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Position in Florida for talented teacher?

Dear ISED-L Colleagues,

A grad student of mine is moving with her husband to the Tampa, FL =20
area. She has a job but her husband does not yet. If you are in a =20
school in the area or know others here is information about him and a =20
full link:

"My background as an educator is somewhat storied. I began my career =20
in advertising and design, and transitioned into education as a Teach =20
For America corps member in 2007. I have taught secondary science at =20
inner-city schools in Philadelphia since - primarily grades 7 & 8, =20
with summer experience in grades 10-12 with the Upward Bound program. =20
As an educator in a low-income charter school, I have found many of =20
the practices necessary to my success in business also critical to my =20
performance as an educator. I therefore take an organizational and =20
creative approach to education that centers on incremental goals and =20
continuous performance analysis, utilizing localized, context-focused =20
problem-based learning and emerging technologies to maximize student =20
gains.

An extension to my background as well as PDF resume, recommendations =20
and selected class images can be found here: http://=20
www.sciencewithmrmilstid.com/teacher-overview/ "

Thanks very much,
Pamela
----------------------------------------------
Pamela Livingston
livingstonp@mac.com
Author of "1-to-1 Learning: Laptop Programs That Work"
Blog: http://1-to-1learning.blogspot.com
Twitter: plivings
973-476-4819

[ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]
Submissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons, attribution, n=
on-commercial, share-alike license.
RSS Feed, http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?RSS&L=3DISED-L

Job posting - St. John's Prep

Below is a snippet of a recent job posting at my school. For complete
information, please visit
http://www.stjohnsprep.org/page.cfm?p=3D235

> SUMMARY: The Technology Integration Specialist (TIS) is a staff position.=
The
> TIS
> Coordinates efforts to support and develop the use of technology as a too=
l to
> support teaching
> and learning. Serves as coach and mentor to assist faculty in implementat=
ion
> and integration.
> The TIS also plays a role in working with students and supporting
> co-curricular programs involving
> the use of multimedia resources. Minor computer setup, repair and mainten=
ance.
>=20
> ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following (other duties=
to
> be
> assigned):
> 1. Assist in the formulation of technology plans for St. John=B9s Preparato=
ry
> School.=20
> 2. Provide workshops and training for faculty in educational technology s=
kills
> and applications.
> 3. Meet with Academic Technology Director and faculty by department to as=
sess
> needs and recommend suitable uses of technology.
> 4. Assist in troubleshooting hardware and software problems. Perform mino=
r
> technical repairs.
> 5. Assist in maintaining the inventory all hardware, software and electro=
nic
> media.=20
> 6. Assist faculty in computer labs and classrooms with curriculum lessons
> requiring the use of technology.
> 7. Assist students in the computer labs with applications as needed.
> 8. Assist faculty in developing units, projects, or other educational
> technology applications within their curriculum.
> 9. Coordinate SJP production of multimedia resources for both internal an=
d
> external constituents.
> 10. Serve as a member of the Professional Development Committee
> 11. Provide quarterly reports summarizing various technology integration
> initiatives=20
> 12. Other duties as assigned by the Academic Technology Director and Prin=
cipal
>=20
>=20

This position reports to me :-)

Christopher

--=20
Christopher Butler
Academic Technology Director
St. John's Preparatory School
http://www.stjohnsprep.org

Position in Florida for talented teacher?

Dear ISED-L Colleagues,

A grad student of mine is moving with her husband to the Tampa, FL
area. She has a job but her husband does not yet. If you are in a
school in the area or know others here is information about him and a
full link:

"My background as an educator is somewhat storied. I began my career
in advertising and design, and transitioned into education as a Teach
For America corps member in 2007. I have taught secondary science at
inner-city schools in Philadelphia since - primarily grades 7 & 8,
with summer experience in grades 10-12 with the Upward Bound program.
As an educator in a low-income charter school, I have found many of
the practices necessary to my success in business also critical to my
performance as an educator. I therefore take an organizational and
creative approach to education that centers on incremental goals and
continuous performance analysis, utilizing localized, context-focused
problem-based learning and emerging technologies to maximize student
gains.

An extension to my background as well as PDF resume, recommendations
and selected class images can be found here: http://
www.sciencewithmrmilstid.com/teacher-overview/ "

Re: Free alternative to Basecamp

Thanks so much! I have read about this one but have not tried it out. Looking forward to taking a look.

Lorrie

A forum for independent school educators <ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU> writes:
>We used Active Collab for a long while happily. It lay dormant for a few years but has been reintroduced by a new open source fork, Project Pier.
>
>I recommend it wholeheartedly.
>
>Bram Moreinis
>Hudson Valley Tech Scouts
>http://hvscouts.com

Lorrie Jackson
Director of Communications and Marketing
Lausanne Collegiate School (Memphis, TN, USA)
901-474-1003
ljackson@lausanneschool.com
www.lausanneschool.com
Skype: lorriejackson
Twitter: lausanneschool or lorriej
Find Lausanne Collegiate School on Facebook!

Re: free alternative to basecamp

A forum for independent school educators <ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU> writes:
>Lorrie, Tracks is the closest thing to Basecamp that I've found that's open source. It's pretty nice, although the "jazziness" level isn't as high. The project-management capabilities are quite high. Take a look at their site here:
>http://getontracks.org/
>
>I used it a few versions ago with success.
>
>arvind

Wonderful! Thanks. That's a new one for me. I'll take a look.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Re: Free alternative to Basecamp

Not surprisingly, we use Drupal. Project plans are maintained using the core Book module, and Organic Groups can create working groups around individual projects.

Cheers,

Bill

--- On Sat, 3/28/09, Bram Moreinis <bram@valstar.net> wrote:

> From: Bram Moreinis <bram@valstar.net>
> Subject: Re: Free alternative to Basecamp
> To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
> Date: Saturday, March 28, 2009, 12:45 PM
> We used Active Collab for a long while happily. It lay
> dormant for a few years but has been reintroduced by a new
> open source fork, Project Pier.
>
> I recommend it wholeheartedly.
>
> Bram Moreinis
> Hudson Valley Tech Scouts
> http://hvscouts.com
>
> I've used BaseCamp to manage the Comm & Mktg
> projects here with great success. Now that I "get"
> the project management concept, I'd like to move to an
> open source/freeware option. Do have any you would suggest?
> Keep in mind that my team is small (usually
> only 1-2 others on some projects, most projects just me)
> but that I have 25 projects running. Thanks!
>
> Lorrie Jackson
> Director of Communications and Marketing
> Lausanne Collegiate School (Memphis, TN, USA)
> 901-474-1003
> ljackson@lausanneschool.com
> www.lausanneschool.com
> Skype: lorriejackson
> Twitter: lausanneschool or lorriej
> Find Lausanne Collegiate School on Facebook!
>
> [ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]
> Submissions to ISED-L are released under a creative
> commons, attribution, non-commercial, share-alike license.
> RSS Feed,
> http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?RSS&L=ISED-L

Re: Free alternative to Basecamp

We used Active Collab for a long while happily. It lay dormant for a few years but has been reintroduced by a new open source fork, Project Pier.

I recommend it wholeheartedly.

Bram Moreinis
Hudson Valley Tech Scouts
http://hvscouts.com

I've used BaseCamp to manage the Comm & Mktg projects here with great success. Now that I "get" the project management concept, I'd like to move to an open source/freeware option. Do have any you would suggest? Keep in mind that my team is small (usually
only 1-2 others on some projects, most projects just me) but that I have 25 projects running. Thanks!

Re: free alternative to basecamp

Lorrie, Tracks is the closest thing to Basecamp that I've found that's =
open source. It's pretty nice, although the "jazziness" level isn't as =
high. The project-management capabilities are quite high. Take a look at =
their site here:
http://getontracks.org/
=20
I used it a few versions ago with success.
=20
arvind
=20
---------------------------------------------------------
arvind s grover
Director of Technology
The Hewitt School
45 East 75th St
New York, NY 10021
T. (212) 994-2613
F. (212) 639-9366
E. agrover@hewittschool.org
W. www.hewittschool.org
---------------------------------------------------------

________________________________

From: A forum for independent school educators on behalf of Lorrie =
Jackson
Sent: Fri 3/27/2009 12:50
To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: free alternative to basecamp

I've used BaseCamp to manage the Comm & Mktg projects here with great =
success. Now that I "get" the project management concept, I'd like to =
move to an open source/freeware option. Do have any you would suggest? =
Keep in mind that my team is small (usually
only 1-2 others on some projects, most projects just me) but that I have =
25 projects running. Thanks!

Friday, March 27, 2009

Integrated Technology Symposium for School Leaders -- and more

Registration is now open for this summer's San Francisco-based [ https://www.urbanschool.org/page.cfm?p=97 ]Center for Innovative Teaching professional development workshops in late July and August. Hosted by the Urban School of San Francisco. Workshops are offered in all subject areas ranging from 1 to 5 days.

For more information: http://www.urbanschool.org/cit

Of particular interest - note the 3-day Integrated Technology Symposium for School Leaders: Digital Tools & Practices to Enhance Learning Across the Curriculum - designed specifically for school leaders (Principals, heads of school, division leaders, curriculum leaders). The Symposium will highlight visionary practices to help leaders vision for a future of a technology-rich school designed to support, enhance and extend the learning experience. The 2008 Symposium FILLED last year with attendees
from over 20 states.

Please forward this on to your colleagues. These sessions will likely fill in the next several weeks and I wanted you all to be the first to have a crack at the available spots.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Integrated Tech Symposium: Technology Rich Learning Across the Curriculum

Monday â€" Wednesday, August 3 - 5, 2009, with optional add-on, August 6th
9:00 a.m. â€" 3:30 p.m.

Full Description at: http://www.urbanschool.org/techsymposium

Overview: Spend three full days exploring models for designing, constructing and implementing technology-rich learning environments across the curriculum. Building off The Urban School's reputation as a national leader in seamlessly integrating digital tools and practices, this symposium delves into various transformative implementations, both school-wide and in all key secondary school department areas (math, science, history, language, arts, English). Presentations and hands-on workshops will
emphasize strategies and techniques to enhance and extend student learning via increased collaboration, organization, information access, varied production and assessment.â€¨

Facilitated by:Â [ https://www.urbanschool.org/page.cfm?p=177#Levin ]Howard Levin, Director of Technology, The Urban School, ISTE Board Member, with presenters from all academic areas.

Cost: $600 (optional add-on day +$200 + discounts available)

Optional Add-on Workshop: Moving to 1:1 â€" Visioning Laptops in Your School

Thursday, August 6 2009
9:00 a.m. â€" 3:30 p.m.

Overview: This optional fourth day invites a subset of Tech Symposium attendees to spend additional time more fully exploring the potentialities of implementing a 1:1 laptop program. What are the key questions that need to be asked in the exploration phase? Who are important constituents to bring into the process? What are the associated costs and benefits? What infrastructure is necessary to support a laptop program? What are options to fully support student and teacher technical needs? How does
a Faculty develop digital practices in a coherent and manageable fashion? What have we learned along the way and what missteps can you avoid? The presenters will lead a combination of presentations, group discussions and targeted workshop planning time. The bulk of the day will be devoted to an open consultancy model where attendees will have time to begin their own planning process with constant access to expert advice.

Full Description at: http://www.urbanschool.org/techsymposium

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Telling Their Stories: Producing Web-Based Digital Video Interviews
Monday â€" Friday, July 27-31, 2009 (5-days)
9:00 a.m. â€" 3:30 p.m.

Full Description at: http://www.tellingstories.org/workshop

Instructor:Â [ https://www.urbanschool.org/page.cfm?p=177#Levin ]Howard Levin, Director of Technology, The Urban School of San Francisco, ISTE Board Memberâ€¨

Cost: $650

Overview: This hands-on workshop explores the production and web publishing of digital video interviews. The publishing of student-conducted interviews has efficacy far beyond oral history. Consider the benefits of interviews with local authors, scientists, mathematicians, community leaders, artists and musicians. Using The Urban School's award-winning projectâ€"Telling Their Stories: Oral History Archives Projectâ€"as an example, participants will learn and practice production techniques,
including interview preparation, creating and using a mobile studio, and post-production leading to a public website, complete with digital video and full transcription. See [ http://www.tellingstories.org/ ]www.tellingstories.org for examples. Participants in small groups will conduct interviews at the home of local elders drawn from the current topics of Holocaust survivors, camp liberators and Japanese-American relocation camp internees. Participants will complete all stages of production,
from preparation to interview to publication.

Full Description at: http://www.tellingstories.org/workshop

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Howard Levin
Director of Technology
aka - "Director of Digital Tools and Practices that Support,
Enhance, and Extend the Teaching and Learning Process"

The Urban School of San Francisco
415-593-9525
hlevin@urbanschool.org
www.howardlevin.com

Apple Distinguished Educator - Apple Distinguished School
Board of Directors - International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)

Telling Their Stories: Oral History Archives Project
www.tellingstories.org

Re: Looking for schools to visit - PA area - April 24th

Dave,
If you ever get an inexpensive Southwest flight to Nashville, Tennessee, we'd love to host you.
Joanne Mamenta

Joanne Mamenta
The Harpeth Hall School
Director of Communications/Public Relations
mamenta@harpethhall.org
615-346-0135
www.harpethhall.org
Teaching girls to think critically, lead confidently, and live honorably

A forum for independent school educators <ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU> on Friday, March 27, 2009 at 1:02 PM -0500 wrote:
>For an upcoming professional development day (Friday, April 24th), our entire Upper School faculty is planning to visit other schools... to see what's going on in classrooms beyond our own four walls. We did something like this a few years ago, and it
>was very useful.
>
>There are about 20 teachers and administrators who will be looking for a place to spend the day. We're expecting to be split up among a variety of different schools, and are particularly interested in seeing what's working well for others in terms of
>technology.
>
>If you work at (or know of) a school within about a 1 hour drive of Lancaster, PA that would be willing to host one or more of our Upper School (grades 9-12, all disciplines) teachers on Friday, April 24th, please contact me. We're a fun group!
>
>Thanks,
>DAVE
>
>David Kapferer
>Lancaster Country Day School
>kapfererd@e-lcds.org
>
>[ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]
>Submissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons, attribution, non-commercial, share-alike license.
>RSS Feed, http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?RSS&L=ISED-L
>

Looking for schools to visit - PA area - April 24th

For an upcoming professional development day (Friday, April 24th), our =
entire Upper School faculty is planning to visit other schools... to see =
what's going on in classrooms beyond our own four walls. We did something =
like this a few years ago, and it was very useful.

There are about 20 teachers and administrators who will be looking for a =
place to spend the day. We're expecting to be split up among a variety of =
different schools, and are particularly interested in seeing what's =
working well for others in terms of technology.

If you work at (or know of) a school within about a 1 hour drive of =
Lancaster, PA that would be willing to host one or more of our Upper =
School (grades 9-12, all disciplines) teachers on Friday, April 24th, =
please contact me. We're a fun group!

Thanks,
DAVE

David Kapferer
Lancaster Country Day School
kapfererd@e-lcds.org

Re: free alternative to basecamp

Check out LiquidPlanner (www.liquidplanner.com).

It's a very powerful web-based project management system. And, while they
charge lots of money to corporations, they will provide it free to schools.
It's a little different than Basecamp and a bit different from MS Project.
Also, the free version only allows one project, but a project can have a
very large number of task groups so you could take each of your projects and
map it to a project group.

Christopher

On 3/27/09 12:50 PM, "Lorrie Jackson" <ljackson@lausanneschool.com> wrote:

> I've used BaseCamp to manage the Comm & Mktg projects here with great success.
> Now that I "get" the project management concept, I'd like to move to an open
> source/freeware option. Do have any you would suggest? Keep in mind that my
> team is small (usually
> only 1-2 others on some projects, most projects just me) but that I have 25
> projects running. Thanks!
>
> Lorrie Jackson
> Director of Communications and Marketing
> Lausanne Collegiate School (Memphis, TN, USA)
> 901-474-1003
> ljackson@lausanneschool.com
> www.lausanneschool.com
> Skype: lorriejackson
> Twitter: lausanneschool or lorriej
> Find Lausanne Collegiate School on Facebook!
>
>
>
>
>
>
> [ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]
> Submissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons, attribution,
> non-commercial, share-alike license.
> RSS Feed, http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?RSS&L=ISED-L

--
Christopher Butler
Academic Technology Director
St. John's Preparatory School
http://www.stjohnsprep.org

free alternative to basecamp

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Re: Print Queue Managers

One thing that you might not know about Papercut is that it includes an
Internet Control module. I haven't implemented it so I can't comment on
its use.

Thanks,
Damianne President
Computer Teacher/Tech Coordinator
Khartoum American School
dpresident@krtams.org

Brian Lee wrote:
> Thank you for all of your suggestions. It's a great jump start in my
> research to eliminate wasted print outs.
>
> I'm leaning toward Papercut, but I also have an eye on Pharos. I look
> forward to saving the school money and saving our trees.
>
> Brian
>
> On 3/23/09 2:58 PM, "Peter Hoopes" <phoopes@standrews-de.org> wrote:
>
>
>> A forum for independent school educators <ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU> on
>> March 23, 2009 at 2:27 PM -0400 wrote:
>>
>>> Student send a print job from their computer. Student walks over to a
>>> console nearby the printer. Student validates print job and waits for
>>> print
>>> outs.
>>>
>> Check out PaperCut (www.papercut.com). It will do exactly what you want.
>> We've used it now (not with the release station, but for management and
>> reporting) and it does a great job.
>>
>> Peter Hoopes
>> Director of Technology
>> St. Andrew's School
>> phoopes@standrews-de.org
>> =====================
>>
>> [ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]
>> Submissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons, attribution,
>> non-commercial, share-alike license.
>> RSS Feed, http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?RSS&L=ISED-L
>>
>
> [ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]
> Submissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons, attribution, non-commercial, share-alike license.
> RSS Feed, http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?RSS&L=ISED-L
>
>

Looking for Feedback on Test Wiz ERB Reporting Tool

A few years ago we replaced Test Wiz with the Test Analysis Resource
from ISIS Affiliates (www.isisaffiliates.com
<http://www.isisaffiliates.com/> ). Their innovative approach to the
presentation and analysis of multiple years of ERB data has redefined
the way we utilize that data for curricular and instructional decision
making. It's had a significant impact on our program.

=20

Sincerely,

=20

James P. Skrumbis

Head of School

=20

Sierra Canyon School

20801 West Rinaldi Street

Chatsworth, CA 91311

Tel: 818-882-8121

Fax: 818-700-8642

=20

Call for Speakers, Internet@Schools West

Greetings, ISED-Lers. Here's a call for conference speakers that might
interest you. I hope to hear from some of you, especially if you're a
library media specialist or a technology specialist.
David Hoffman
Internet@Schools conferences
=====================
Call for Speakers
Internet@Schools West
October 26-27, 2009
Monterey, CA
Deadline: April 30, 2009

We're seeking presenters for our Internet@Schools West 2009 conference,
to be held in Monterey, California, October 26-27, 2008. Sponsored by
MultiMedia & Internet@Schools magazine, the conference covers practical
and timely technology-related topics and technology-based tools and
resources for K-12 media and technology specialists. It is held in
conjunction with the Internet Librarian 2009 conference.

If you're somehow keeping up in this era of change—policy change,
technology change, funding change, and more—that the K-12 education
community and all media and technology specialists find themselves in …
if you're keeping your programs at the forefront as your school or
district ramps up in these difficult and fluid times to equip all
students for life in the 21st century, we want to hear from you! Please
consider volunteering to share your ideas, insights, and successes with
colleagues at Internet@Schools West.

All speakers receive a full, complimentary registration to the
Internet@Schools West and Internet Librarian 2009 conferences, plus
great recognition from their peers. So think over your latest success
stories or technology ventures and go to
www.infotoday.com/Internet@Schools/CallForSpeakers.shtml.

Thanks! We look forward to hearing from you soon. The deadline for
proposals is April 30, so think quickly and send in your ideas!

Conference Co-Chairs
David Hoffman
Editor, MultiMedia & Internet@Schools Magazine

Susan Geiger
Librarian, Moreau Catholic High School
Hayward, California

--
=====================================
David Hoffman
Information Today, Inc./MultiMedia & Internet @ Schools
14508 NE 20th Ave., Suite 102
Vancouver, WA 98686

360/882-0988
Fax: 360/882-9174

www.infotoday.com
www.mmischools.com
=====================================

Re: Online Courses Repost

Spookh,

I've held off posting since the course we (BFOIT) have
is rarely used by a student on their own. It has been,
with e-mail support. And, when I teach the course using
the website, I always have at least one student that
works on their own ahead of me. The final (advanced)
lessons are also a work-in-progress - basically because
I get few students that make it this far; but,
completing it is something I'll continue to pursue.

So, since you've asked twice... even though it might
not be what you are looking for... here's what we
have:
----- Original Message -----=20
> From: Spook=20
> Subject: Online Courses Repost
>

> I am reposting this in hope of getting a few more responses,
> since I guess many schools were on spring break.=20
>
> I would like to ask some questions about online courses.
>
> 1 - Are your students taking online courses and if so what
> are they?

Introduction to computer science/programming

> 2 - Are you creating any online courses and what are they?

Introduction to computer science/programming

> 3 - If you are creating online courses are they for
> internal use only?

No, the on-line materials have been used by others (including
public schools) over the last five or more years.

> 4 - If they are for outside use who can use them and what
> are your charges.

No restrictions on use - this is Berkeley :)

> 5 - If you are teaching online courses, do you have special
> teachers that teach them or to your regular classroom
> teachers teach online.

Teachers that I have been in communication with do not seem
to be special. One teacher was new to computer science and
programming and, so, lots of e-mail was exchanged.

> 6 - Are you using Video conferencing? Can you tell me how
> you are using it?

I have not experimented with this yet, but have been thinking
about video for at least a year. I've played with Skype, but
not in a formal setting.

> Please let me know if I can contact you with additional questions.

guyhaas@pacbell.net
http://www.bfoit.org/
http://www.bfoit.org/itp/itp.html

guy

> Thanks for taking time to answer these questions.
>
> "Spook" Hilgartner
> St. Paul's School for Girls
> Brooklandville MD

Re: Anyone using Cymphonix

On Wed, 25 Mar 2009 09:47:38 -0400, Hennel, David
<henneld@notredameprep.com> wrote:

>We are looking at Cymphonix Network Composer (www.cymphonix.com) as a
>solution to help shape our internet traffic and maximize our limited
>bandwidth.
>
>Our main goal is to prioritize teachers and educational web use over the
>non-educational web traffic (streaming media ,ect) that is currently
>taking place on campus. Ultimately I would also like to retire my linux
>web proxy (squid) and would look to this device for our content
>filtering as well.
>

If the only thing your interested in is making the most of your bandwidth to
provide the best connection for the most users I think the NetEqualizer
(http://www.netequalizer.com/) is worth a look. When faced with a major bill
for upgrading our Packeteer we decided to give the much less expensive
NetEqualizer a try. In a nutshell, this box takes a protocol agnostic
approach to managing traffic by progressively slowing down the top users
once your traffic hits a percentage of you connection's bandwidth (ours
kicks in at 85%). What's cool is that low bandwidth users or users with
short bursty traffic (e.g. most HTTP traffic) are completely unaffected no
matter what the load. We've used it since September and we see a much fairer
distribution of bandwidth among users (rarely is anyone over 2% of the total
bandwidth) and higher utilization on our connection so we are using all the
bandwidth we pay for. Because of it's simplicity setting it up and learning
how to configure it is a 4 hour job.

The box does contain ability to prioritize individual hosts (e.g. servers,
video conferencing hardware, etc.) as well as the ability to set hard
bandwidth caps on specific hosts or vlans.

--
Tom Phelan
Director of Technology
Peddie School
http://www.peddie.org

Re: Anyone using Cymphonix

I installed one 4 years ago and used it for a full school year.=A0At the ti=
me it was one of the few=A0affordable solutions competing with Packeteer, a=
nd their one-price model was more appealing and affordable than SonicWall's=
.=A0=A0 It was a very good experience and I would recommend looking at them=
, however after 3 years I am sure the competition is stiffer.=0A=0APros:=0A=
--Detailed reporting and logging.=A0 I could maintain logs on=A0all=A0netwo=
rk activity for a full year (320 students and 100 faculty)=A0and go back th=
rough the history of individual machines.=A0=A0It also has good high level =
reporting that can help you=A0understand your traffic better and make good =
shaping decisions.=A0 =0A--Pretty charts and graphs.=A0 It shouldn't make a=
difference but it does.=A0 The crisp, professional looking data made an im=
pression on non-technical people, especially=A0parents.=A0 It also made it =
easy=A0to show my browsing history to students at the beginning of the year=
to help them understand the information that was being collected or could =
be collected on any network.=0A--AD integration was solid as was filtering.=
=0A--Individual machines are=A0IDed by MAC address, AD, DNS or a custom nam=
e you assign.=A0 This was especially helpful with our students laptops.=0A=
=0ACons:=0A--The interface mostly worked with Safari, but every so often yo=
u needed IE.=0A--iBooks and macs were only picked up by MAC address and I h=
ad to manually label them for ID purposes.=0A--The built in firewall was an=
emic, especially the VPN (Hopefully this has=A0changed over 3 years)=0A--Th=
e options for setting times for traffic shaping were somewhat limited.=A0 E=
xample=A0you could not set multiple times per day to allow students expande=
d bandwidth to IM (i.e. before and after school).=A0 These have likely impr=
oved as well.=0A____________________________=0AJason at jasonpj@yahoo.com =
=0A=0A=0A=0A=0A________________________________=0AFrom: "Hennel, David" <he=
nneld@notredameprep.com>=0ATo: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU=0ASent: Wednesday, M=
arch 25, 2009 9:47:38 AM=0ASubject: Anyone using Cymphonix=0A=0AHello All, =
=0A=0A=0A=0AWe are looking at=A0 Cymphonix Network Composer (www.cymphonix.=
com) as a=0Asolution to help shape our internet traffic and maximize our li=
mited=0Abandwidth.=0A=0AOur main goal is to prioritize teachers and educati=
onal web use over the=0Anon-educational web traffic (streaming media ,ect) =
that is currently=0Ataking place on campus. Ultimately I would also like to=
retire my linux=0Aweb proxy (squid) and would look to this device for our =
content=0Afiltering as well. =0A=0A=0A=0AIf anyone has a good or bad experi=
ence with this product could you=0Aplease let me know.=A0 We are planning o=
n demoing the product if anyone is=0Ainterested I would be happy to give my=
feedback as well. =0A=0A=0A=0ADavid Hennel=0A=0ANetwork Administrator=0A=
=0ANotre Dame Prep School=0A=0ATowson, Maryland =0A=0A443-921-2855=0A=0A=0A=
=0A=0A[ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]=0ASubmissions to=
ISED-L are released under a creative commons, attribution, non-commercial,=
share-alike license.=0ARSS Feed, http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?RS=
S&L=3DISED-L=0A=0A=0A=0A

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Systems Administrator Position Open

Systems Administrator
Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall School, an independent college preparatory seconda=
ry school located in Waltham, MA, seeks a Systems Administrator beginning F=
ebruary 1, 2009. CH-CH is a coed day/boarding school with 180 students and =
60 faculty/staff members. 25% of the students are international and 20% are=
domestic students of color. The School values its diversity and embraces e=
veryday principles and practices in pluralism. It embraces differences in l=
earning style and culture in a richly diverse and supportive community. The=
School seeks a Systems Administrator reporting to the Director of Technolo=
gy. The Systems Administrator is responsible for running the day-to-day ope=
ration of the network including servers, PCs, and end-user software. Candid=
ates must be well organized and diverse in all aspects of networking from s=
erver administration to end-user support on applications. Required experien=
ce: A bachelor's degree in a related field, along with 2-5 years experience=
and knowledge of Windows Operating Systems, Microsoft applications, Window=
s Server environments, Active Directory, Firewalls, Cisco and 3Com switches=
, Cisco Wireless NAC Installation and VOIP Systems. Prior independent schoo=
l experience is a plus. Please send a cover letter, resume, and three refer=
ences to: Gwen Schmuhl, Business Manager, Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall School, =
785 Beaver Street, Waltham, MA 02452. Email at gschmuhl@chch.org, or fax to=
781-894-5706. No phone calls please. Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall School is an=
equal opportunity employer.

This e-mail and any files transmitted with it originate from the Chapel Hil=
l =E2=80=93 Chauncy Hall School and are intended solely for the use of the =
individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If an addressing or transm=
ission error has misdirected this e-mail, please notify the sender by reply=
ing to it. If you are not the intended recipient you may not use, disclose,=
distribute, copy, print or rely on this e-mail.

Re: Anyone using Cymphonix

We have been using the Cymphonix for 3 years now. The reporting is very
strong. It integrates well with our active directory and I think it
supports Novell's eDirectory. The bandwidth shaping has worked well.
Teachers have priority over students but students have a larger share of
the pipe since there are a lot more of them then teachers. Certain
websites that the teachers and students use for school take precedence
over other websites. The only problem that I have encountered is with
the workstation directory utility (cymdir) sometimes dropping
communication with the cymphonix box. If the box can't identify you
then you are automatically put into the default (student) group. This
will generally resolve itself within a few minutes, or the user can log
off and back on again. This doesn't happen as often anymore. Overall
we have been satisfied with it. The tech support has been great.

Bruce Montgomery
Network Administrator
Lakeview Academy =20

-----Original Message-----
From: A forum for independent school educators
[mailto:ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] On Behalf Of CHRISTOPHER BUTLER
Sent: Wednesday, March 25, 2009 9:59 AM
To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Re: Anyone using Cymphonix

Greetings -

I've been evaluating this product for the last month. I had already
tested
the Marshall-8e6 product and in a few days I will be testing the St.
Bernard
Software iPrism box.

The biggest problem we had with the Cymphonix was distributing the local
cymdir executable that takes care of the single-sign-on process. The
distribution was fine, but we had some problems and it took us a while
to
figure out that we had a problem with our Group Policy Object. All the
while, the Macs behaved just fine.

I like the interface (but don't like that it doesn't yet support Firefox
or
Safari). I like the granular reporting and the ease of finding what I
need
in the reports without having to wait too long.

I like the filtering and ability to associated filter policies to
different
groups and users. I like that there is a web-based login to fallback to
if
the SSO is not working (and for non-domain members on the network). I
like
the bandwidth throttling, but I haven't really tweaked this yet. I
haven't
found any showstoppers.

Right now, I strongly prefer the Cymphonix over the Marshall-8e6
solution.
And, for what it's worth, their initial quotes (for a three year
agreement)
were within $100 of each other.

We'll see how the iPrism does...

Christopher

--=20
Christopher Butler
Academic Technology Director
St. John's Preparatory School
http://www.stjohnsprep.org

On 3/25/09 9:47 AM, "Hennel, David" <henneld@notredameprep.com> wrote:

> Hello All,=20
>=20
> =20
>=20
> We are looking at Cymphonix Network Composer (www.cymphonix.com) as a
> solution to help shape our internet traffic and maximize our limited
> bandwidth.
>=20
> Our main goal is to prioritize teachers and educational web use over
the
> non-educational web traffic (streaming media ,ect) that is currently
> taking place on campus. Ultimately I would also like to retire my
linux
> web proxy (squid) and would look to this device for our content
> filtering as well.
>=20
> =20
>=20
> If anyone has a good or bad experience with this product could you
> please let me know. We are planning on demoing the product if anyone
is
> interested I would be happy to give my feedback as well.
>=20
> =20
>=20
> David Hennel
>=20
> Network Administrator
>=20
> Notre Dame Prep School
>=20
> Towson, Maryland=20
>=20
> 443-921-2855
>=20
> =20
>=20
>=20
> [ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]
> Submissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons,
attribution,
> non-commercial, share-alike license.
> RSS Feed, http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?RSS&L=3DISED-L

[ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]
Submissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons,
attribution, non-commercial, share-alike license.
RSS Feed, http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?RSS&L=3DISED-L