Area B Technology

This year has gotten off to a running start! With so many changes happening in the world of technology in Alief ISD, I am looking forward to improving the quality of support that I am able to offer you. The updates to Area B Tech Support will allow me to make a more measurable impact on your campuses, and it will allow you to have a more consistent schedule of support that will not vary month to month.

Please keep reading below to learn more about changes to the following:

• Scheduling Meetings/Campus Visits/Etc.
  
• Campus Visit Schedule & Tech Tune-Ups
• Campus Highlights

I am so happy and proud to be your technology integrator! I'm looking forward to another wonderful year in Area B!

In an effort to work more efficiently, I am implementing the use of an online scheduling system that you can use to schedule appointments, campus visits, etc. The new system will be much easier, as you won't have to email me and then wait to hear back on what my availability is. With this new system, the dates and times that are shown sync directly to my calendar, so if you see it available you can book it!

I am confident that this is the best way for us to schedule appointments moving forward, as it completely cuts out the wait time. You can book your appointments using this link: areabtech.youcanbook.me Additionally, it is embedded into the Area B Technology Highlights blog, as well as being included in my email signature.

If you are interested in using this tool on your campus for scheduling labs, technology carts, etc. just let me know. I am happy to show you exactly how you can make it work for you.

As we are moving towards meeting on an as-needed basis, I want to make sure that you are still receiving quality support from me. In the past, I have visited multiple campuses to share the same information each month. In lieu of those face-to-face meetings, I will be scheduling monthly Tech Tune-Ups.

These one (1) hour web conferences will be a chance to share the same information with all campuses in Area B at once. The venue for the web conferences is Adobe Connect, and the schedule for the semester will be sent out towards the end of September. A sample agenda is below:

Tech Tune-Up Sample Agenda

• Welcome
  
• Leadership Skill/Focus (Communication, training teachers, etc.) 15-20 min
  
• Job Specific tasks for the month (w/Q & A) 15-20 min
  
• Student/Teacher Productivity Tool (Demo & Discussion) 15-20 min
  
• Closure

Look for the Tech Tune-Ups schedule to come via email at the end of the month!

This year, in order to ensure that all campuses receive recognition on the Area B Highlights blog, I will be creating a calendar to schedule campuses by month. The highlights included in the write-up will be based on your campus Twitter feed.

You will be notified at the end of the previous month that your campus will be the next school featured. For example, at the end of September I will email the October featured schools. This is the process that I hope to use for the entire school year, but we will work out the kinks as we go along.

**Please note that if you have additional information that you would like to send me or if you tweet technology related items from your professional Twitter account you can give me that information when you are notified that it is your school's turn to be featured.**

As I wrap up a few of the special projects that I have working on since late July, I am working tirelessly to make sure that I am ready to support you and your campuses in the most efficient way(s) possible. The new procedures will go into effect on the 21st to ensure that we have at least one (1) week to work out any glitches before October begins.

Again, I am looking forward to supporting you, learning with you, and growing with you during the 2016-2017 school year!