05/12/2026 Behind the Scenes

So often it is easy to see only the technology that we are proud to have in each of our classrooms.  Going into summer though, tons of work is going on behind the scenes to get everything ready and keep things in top shape.  Here are just a few examples that we hope you never see!

• Google SSL Certificates:   Every year we have to rotate and update the SSL certificate that connects all of our systems in together with Google for SAML connections.
• Cisco ISE Updates:  In order to keep our environment safe, we employ Cisco ISE for all of our wireless devices.  The current certificates expire on June 25th.  We are currently in the process of not just updating these but overhauling the entire solution.  This will allow us to have a full time backup system for student devices to connect as well as a more robust server for the primary server.  The end goal is to correct the couple of times this year we had early morning outages when the primary disconnected.
• Move to Microsoft Azure/Entra/Intune:  Our Windows desktops connect to a traditional on premise Active Directory environment currently.  We have been working this year to significantly decrease our reliance on this environment.  The new image being worked on for this summer moves our connections to the modern Microsoft cloud environment.
• Automated Account Management:  Earlier in the year we transitioned to Clever for automated management of our student accounts, replacing a mix of multiple tools and greatly improving the account creation delay.  We are working to move staff accounts into this environment though a great deal of automated data movement.  This exciting change will give us one source of truth for all staff accounts and speed up the process.

05/07/25 Providing Tech Support in a Modern Age

It’s amazing how much educational technology support has evolved! While some might remember the simpler days of quickly fixing a computer in a classroom, our current environment is now a dynamic ecosystem deeply integrated with the cloud and numerous accounts. We understand that the intricacies might not always be apparent, and while we sometimes wish for those straightforward fixes too, our team is dedicated to providing comprehensive support for you every day.

Building Support Personnel: Our on-site technicians are fantastic for resolving immediate issues like disconnected cables or altered settings. However, many of today’s challenges are more complex, often requiring the expertise of our entire support network. By submitting a work order, your issue can be promptly assessed and frequently resolved remotely, saving time and minimizing disruption. When an on-site visit is necessary for high-priority requests, we aim to have a technician there within 4 business hours.

Student Chromebook Support: For our K-5 students, we proactively manage a pool of at least 10 swap devices in each building through daily routes. If a student experiences an issue, a quick swap ensures minimal learning disruption. To maintain accountability, please remember to formally check out these devices to the student through our simple online process. Device swaps for grades 6-12 are managed according to each building’s preference, either through their office or IMC throughout the day, or via scheduled office hours. Regardless of the method, our team works diligently in schools daily to repair and prepare devices for the next day’s learning.

Account HelpDesk: Our dedicated HelpDesk is available daily at extension 3750 or helpdesk@perryschools.org. Our primary goal is to offer friendly and efficient assistance with any account-related issues. If you encounter login problems, we are committed to resolving them for you immediately over the phone.

Instructional Technology Specialists/Professional Development: Beyond our extensive in-person summer training, our four certified specialists are passionate about helping you effectively integrate technology into your teaching. They follow a regular schedule across all buildings and are always eager to provide personalized or group training during your prep time or other available moments. They also possess deep expertise in our core resources like Skyward and Canvas. We strongly encourage you to take advantage of their valuable support!

While there’s a touch of nostalgia for the simpler tech landscape of the past, we are incredibly fortunate today to provide a much richer and more extensive level of support to our students and staff. We recognize that this expanded support can sometimes lead to questions about who to contact. Please, if you ever have any uncertainty, don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly. I’m always happy to discuss it with you.

04/11/25 Managing Change

Probably the biggest challenge we face in educational technology is balancing the quality of our environment as the best for student learning with the fast moving technology field.  We are often tasked with ensuring we meet all of the important cybersecurity and evolving tech needs while making sure we avoid change shock in our classrooms.  Truly those classrooms and the people within are the reason we do this work.  Frequently I’m asked why we are changing the environment.  I’m hopeful that this might help make some sense of this year…

Windows 11:  We will be changing our Windows machines over to the Windows 11 operating system.

• Who? – Any user on one of our Windows desktops will be impacted with a slightly different environment.
• Where? – Every school building has many of these devices.
• When? – All desktops will be replaced or re-imaged with Windows 11 over the summer.
• Why? – Microsoft is ending primary support for Windows 10.  In order to receive the latest updates, devices need to move to Windows 11.

Skyward SMS to Q:  We are transitioning our Student Information System to the new version from Skyward called Qmlativ.

• Who? – Everyone that interacts with Skyward will begin using a completely new interface.
• Where? – Throughout all buildings.
• When? – The processes have already started.  Following summer school access will be stopped to the old environment until the new one is available.
• Why? – Skyward wrote a new version of their software utilizing more up to date database and interface technologies.  They are moving all clients over across many years.  We are in the middle group around the country and in Indiana.

Legacy Drives (H and I drives):  The majority of the remaining legacy drives will be removed.

• Who? – This will primarily impact users who have not already transitioned to Google Drive.
• When? – Access will be removed over the summer.  Transition guides will be available first.
• Why? – These drives currently run on older hardware and software.  Without a significant cost investment we cannot reliably provide these services.  In the meantime we have invested heavily in Google to provide much larger, more featured storage environments.

Student Passwords:  Student passwords will be separate from lunch numbers.

• Who? – All students will be impacted on how they login.  Teachers and office staff will also have impacts in assisting students.
• When? – We have launched a new project with Clever for their Identity Management solution used by many schools.  This will be activated over the summer.
• Why? – Student accounts being used for phishing has become a growing concern.  We have 1-10 students lose access to their accounts every week due to sharing their simple passwords on websites.  Several textbook sites will also no longer allow such short passwords on their systems.  Finally the current model we use with Skyward for lunch codes/passwords is no longer compatible with the new Q environment.

Papercut/Printing:  Our printing system was converted to a unified system.

• Who? – All staff printing was impacted.
• When? – This transition occurred before and during spring break.  We moved secondary buildings one at a time so that we could provide additional support in those environments and then moved the remaining buildings over break.
• Why? – The most common printing request we have received is in regards to print security, for instance with important documents like IEPs.  This solution provided everyone with automated secure print and the ability to not be tied to a single device.  Papercut also upgraded all of our Toshiba copiers with scanning functions for all users.  Finally, we have already seen a dramatic decrease in “waste documents” that were left on printers at the end of the day.