Magazine
The Cloud
9/6/2012 By:
When it comes to running a district’s online operations, the general
consensus of this working group was not answering the questions “if?” or
“why?” go with a cloud-based strategy but “when?” and “how best?” Each presenter had distinct
visions, concerns, costs, and applications. Some opted for closed strategies using software that
comes with costs. Others chose open systems with services that are free. All participants agreed
that this information infrastructure, no matter if you call it “the cloud” or not, is an essential
element of any district IT vision. Here are some takeaways from the conversation:
Burrillville, RI School
Department
Presenter: Paul Barrette, Director of
Technology
His suggestions
for implementing:
Project-based
utilization of cloud
tools can drive
adoption and be
sure to involve lots
of stakeholders
in planning and
implementation.
First, some realizations: Online features and
functions can be as much a frustration as a
benefit. Some cloud tools are
useless if they are not being
used online, and not all Web
browsers are created equal.
Some pleasant surprises:
Adoption by the staff was
swift, concerns from parents
were almost non-existent,
and the cloud infrastructure
was essential during a recent
weather emergency.
Tools They Use
Chromebooks
iPads
Refurbished
desktops
NComputing
L300 solution
Google Apps
MMS
Generations SIS
Study Island
WHERE TO START
• Develop a vision for how this fits with your
district’s goals (college readiness, parent
participation)
• Assess your network. What parts can you do
in-house?
• Don’t try to build the entire cloud
environment in one project. Even the big
boys don’t do this.
• Choose a few applications and services that
will have the biggest impact. Look for lowhanging
fruit.
• Develop a good sales pitch. This is not an
easy concept to sell.
—Robert Gravina
Maine Township, 207 (IL)
Presenters: Dr. Ken Wallace, Superintendent and Dr. Henry C. Thiele, CTO
Going with open solutions doesn’t necessarily
mean sacrificing quality or security. Early
adopter of the cloud since 2007, Thiele
says the school’s culture has become more
collaborative and flexible since implementing
the cloud. It removes walls, actually closes the
digital divide, and increases demands for other
technologies. Another myth buster: just because
it is free doesn’t mean students are being served
advertisements. Wallace says the trick is taking
traditional institutions and making them more
nimble. Doing that involves supporting the staff
that ultimately leads that transformation in the
day-to-day business of running schools.
Tools They Use
Google Apps
Aspen SIS
School Messenger
Palo Alto Web Filter
Mediacast
Eduphoria
Discovery Streaming
Gale
Follet Destiny &
TetraData
Brain Pop
Naviance
Education 2020
Poway Unified School District
Robert Gravina, Chief Information and Technology Officer
“We use our cloud to help
teachers and students set goals.
Walk into any one of our 1st
and 2nd grade classrooms and
students will tell you not only what
they need to learn, but how they
are learning it.” — Robert Gravina
Develop a vision for how the cloud fits with your district’s goals such as college
readiness and parent participation. Assess
your network and ask yourself what parts of
the implementation can you do in-house and
what do you need to outsource. Also, don’t
try to build the entire cloud environment in
one project—choose a few applications and
services that will have the biggest impact.
Most important: Develop a good sales pitch
as this is not an easy concept to sell at first.
Tools They Use
Cisco Shop
Dell Desktops &
servers (we are 95%
virtualized using
VMWare).
Lenovo Laptops
Apple Tablets
Blackboard
MAP (from NWEA)
Compass Learning
Stoneware
Judson ISD, San Antonio, TX
Presenter: Steve Young, CTO
Your best arguments for implementing the cloud: Very
high up time, recurring costs are low and predictable,
technical barriers are low, and you can implement
without additional staff. Best reason for using Software
as a Service (SaaS) cloud solution: Deployments can
be extremely efficient and cost effective. Using our
Stoneware web portal as a gateway to SaaS clouds, users
get an easy one-stop shop for all their applications from
anywhere on any device. Creating, updating, and retiring
of student and staff accounts over multiple cloud systems
automatically through our UMRA identity management
solution means huge time savings.
Tools They Use
Stoneware
Schoology LMS
Cisco wireless
Live@Edu
nComputing X &
M Series
nComputing L
series and Citrix
Xenapp virtual
desktops
“The easy part is the
wires, bolts, bits
and bytes. The hard
part is controlling
the policies and
procedures to
protect the district
from liabilities.”
Greg Partch, Hudson Falls
Central School District, NY
Additional
Participants:
Leo Brehm
Director of Information
Technology, Newton
Public Schools, MA
Bryan Doyle
Director of Information
Technology Services,
Bastrop ISD, TX
Salvador Contes, Jr.
Director of Technology,
Poughkeepsie City
School District, NY
Jim Klein
Director Information
Services & Technology,
Saugus Union School
District, CA
David Harding
Superintendent,
Willington Public
Schools, CT