Leadership and Vision
Posted by Frankie Jackson, Chief Technology Officer
Technology Leadership Staff Conducts Technology Transformation Team (T3) Meeting on October 19, 2015
Frankie Jackson led the Technology Transformation Team (T3) leadership meeting on Monday, October 19, 2015.
The leadership topic included a discussion about Be Hear Now from Jack Canfield’s book, Success Principles.
October 23, 2015
Other meeting agenda items
included:
• Reviewing each team’s
status,
• Discussing the week’s
priorities,
• Reviewing the previous
week’s accomplishments.
Notes from the
meeting are
available here.
Leadership and Vision
Posted by Frankie Jackson, Chief Technology Officer
Professional Personnel Services Committee
Concern Received from Post Elementary
Frankie Jackson supported the Professional Personnel Services Committee meeting on Monday, October 19,
2015. Post elementary submitted an issue on September 22, 2015 about inoperable laptops and projectors.
They have been told that if a laptop or projector breaks and can’t be repaired that they will not be replaced.
Frankie addressed the committee with the following response. During the response presentation, other
committee members expressed similar concerns. Frankie took the names of the members that expressed
concerns and she plans to conduct site visits the week of October 25, 2015.
October 23, 2015
RESPONSE:
Funds available in the 2014 Bond Technology Referendum will replace laptops and projectors.
Laptops and projectors are funded in two different categories of the 2014 Bond: administrative
purchases and instructional purchases.
Funds to replace administrative purchases include laptops, not projectors. Projectors will need to
be budgeted as part of each department’s annual budget. Laptops are however included and will
be replaced on a five-year replacement cycle. This year, 2015, over 500 administrative laptops
have been replaced. If there is an administrative laptop that needs to be replaced at Post
elementary, feel free to submit an iSupport service request.
Funds to replace instructional laptops and projectors are funded in the instructional category of
the 2014 Bond. These funds in the 2014 Bond Instructional Technology referendum are
scheduled to be sold in November 2015. At that time, the Director of Instructional Technology,
Becky Cook, will set forth a replacement plan for replacing instructional laptops and projectors.
Leadership and Vision
Posted by Frankie Jackson, Chief Technology Officer
Meeting with Microsoft Account Executive with
Lenovo to Discuss Microsoft’s Increase in Pricing
October 20, 2015
Frankie Jackson and Jay Johnson met with Patrick Dougal, the
CFISD Lenovo account representative on Tuesday, October
20, 2015 to discuss Microsoft’s Shape the Future discounts,
which ended on October 20, 2015. Microsoft is giving vendors
new guidance on which devices will increase in cost. This
includes the tiny desktops and Helix 2 devices. The cost
increase could be anywhere from $75-$80 per device.
Frankie made it clear that if Microsoft
increases their cost in the education
market, CFISD will rebid or pursue
other purchasing options, including the
Lenovo products. Mr. Dougal said he
would take this message back to
Lenovo and Microsoft.
In a previous meeting with Microsoft on October 15, 2015, Microsoft heard from Texas Chief Technology
Officers (CTOs) about their concerns. Microsoft said they would go back and reconsider cost increases and
how the Shape the Future discounts are structured!
At this time, we will await to hear from Lenovo and Microsoft about any potential cost increases.
Leadership and Vision
Posted by Frankie Jackson, Chief Technology Officer
Working with CoSN on Defining When Does Lit Fiber,
Dark Fiber, or Self Construction Make Sense
October 20, 2015
Frankie Jackson participated in a conference with the
Consortium of School Network (CoSN), along with other
CTOs from across the nation, on Tuesday, October 20, 2015
to discuss when does it make sense to use lit fiber, dark
fiber, or self construct.
With the costs associated with
connectivity being so significant,
as well as the impact connectivity
has on education, it is vital that a
district like CFISD be on the
leading edge of all education
network design conversations.
CoSN is working on a tool kit that
we be part of the SMAR
Education Network by Design
(SEND) initiative. Click here to
see the starting point for this
larger discussion.
Leadership and Vision
Posted by Frankie Jackson, Chief Technology Officer
SunGard Family Mobile App for Administrative Users
is Approved by School Administration
On October 21, 2015, John Crumbley demonstrated the SunGard Family Mobile App
for administrative users to school administration, including Scott Sheppard, Donna
Guthrie, Travis Fanning, and Carla Brosnahan. John also invited Jeff Burnthorn, the
Director of Instruction (DI), and Candace McCown, Associate Principal from Cy Fair
high school. Jeff and Candace have been using the App as part of a pilot group, and
are thrilled with the new capabilities that it provides. At the end of the presentation and
demonstration, John received approval to move forward with the roll-out and
implementation of the App. He received direction to present at the upcoming DI
meetings for secondary campuses, and cluster meetings for elementary campuses.
The term “lead from your feet, not from your seat” has been coined as a result of the
app now being available. A copy of John’s presentation is available here. Thank you
John for making student information systems available to administrators. Now,
administrative staff have a mobile tool with all student information readily available!
October 22, 2015
Scott Sheppard, Donna Guthrie, Travis Fanning, Candace McCown, Jeff Burnthorn,
Carla Brosnahan, Frankie Jackson and John Crumbley
Leadership and Vision
Posted by Frankie Jackson, Chief Technology Officer
AT&T with Cisco and Network Data Systems (NDS) Review the
Voice over IP (VoIP) Telephone Upgrade Design Document
Frankie Jackson worked with AT&T and Cisco technical specialists to review the proposed Voice over IP (VoIP)
telephone upgrade design document. AT&T has subcontracted with Network Data Systems (NDS) to prepare
the detailed design for the CFISD implementation. The NDS design was provided to CFISD. Frankie sent the
design to Cisco for a verification review. Cisco assessed the design with their Unified Communications network
engineers and requested the following revisions. Frankie is also working with AT&T’s project management team
to assess the implementation schedule to assure the installation aligns with the network infrastructure upgrades
that are underway at the campuses, and the e-rate funding reimbursement schedule, as we move into 2016.
October 23, 2015
REVISIONS REQUESTED in the Detail Design Document:
1. Connect to local paging systems for dial access, e.g. bell
systems at the campuses.
2. Provide redundant Cisco Emergency Responder (CER)
servers for all network electronic switches.
3. Provide telepresence server for Jabber technology, which
enables video conference calling.
4. Incorporate Domain Name Server (DNS) aware technology
for network integration.
5. Install server certificates on the Cisco Unified Call Manager
(CUCM) hardware infrastructure.
Detailed Design ReviewNow that the Enterprise Communication Network (ECN) new hire
has accepted the position of Telecommunications Support Analyst,
we will have additional staff available to lead and support the
telephone replacement implementation.
Leadership and Vision
Posted by Frankie Jackson, Chief Technology Officer
Upgrades for Wireless Access for Dense
Distribution at CyRanch High School
October 23, 2015
As of Friday morning, October 23, 2015,
the teams had installed and turned up
220 wireless access points. Staff will
continue to work through Saturday,
October 24, 2015 to complete the total
upgrade. Thank you to staff that are
willing to give up their free time to
support the upgrade project.Glen Carpenter, CFISD
Layer3 Vendor Providing Wireless Upgrades for CFISD
The Enterprise Communication Network (ECN) and Device Imaging and Imaging (DII) teams started working on
Thursday afternoon, October 22, 2015, upgrading the wireless access for dense distribution at CyRanch high
school. Paula Ross, Larry Barrios, and Glen Carpenter, worked late into the evening, with Layer3 staff, to install
and replace wireless access points.
Leadership and Vision
Posted by Frankie Jackson, Chief Technology Officer
Cabling, Follow-up, Planning, and Punch List Rework
Continues at the High School and Middle Schools
Cabling, follow-up, planning, and punch
list (rework) continues at the high school
and middle schools. The tables to the
right show the overall percent completes
at each school. Presidio is subcontracting
with MCA. MCA is providing 4 cabling
crews working to complete the cabling in
the schools.
October 20 2015
% Complete
Middle School 80%
Hopper MS 0%
Campbell MS 47%
Cook MS 50%
Watkins MS 50%
Aragon MS 50%
Truitt MS 50%
Thornton MS 50%
Labay MS 50%
Arnold MS 66%
Anthony MS 83%
Salyards MS 87%
Kahla MS 97%
Hamilton MS 100%
Goodson MS 100%
Smith MS 100%
Bleyl MS 100%
Spillane MS 100%
Dean MS 100%
% Complete
High School 94%
ALC East 67%
Cy-Springs HS 75%
Cy-Creek HS 81%
Jersey Village HS 83%
Cy-Falls HS 89%
Cy-Ranch HS 100%
Cy-Woods HS 100%
Cy-Fair HS 100%
Cy-Lakes HS 100%
ALC West 100%
Langham Creek HS 100%
Cy-Ridge HS 100%
Windfern HS 100%
* Starting Next Week
* In Progress
* CompleteMCA Cabling Crews Running High-Speed Wireless Cabling
Leadership and Vision
Posted by Frankie Jackson, Chief Technology Officer
Data Center 3 – Still Waiting on CenterPoint Energy to
Install an Electrical Pole Before Work Can Resume
October 20, 2015
Data Center 3 completion depends on CenterPoint Energy installing an electrical pole, at the backside of the
building. The following are the pending action items. eVolve has requested an update and CFISD is waiting on
a response.
Waiting on
CenterPoint
Energy to
Install Pole
HereData Center 3
1. Provide Centerpoint cutsheets and drawings
of the 260 Amp automatic transfer switch
(ATS) for verification. Evolve provided
Centerpoint with this information.
2. Develop an operational agreement for
signature relating to safety and operations.
Centerpoint took the action to send the
agreement to Evolve/CFISD. eVolve
received an email from Centerpoint on
Wednesday (10/14) stating that the signed
operational agreement would be sent out in
the mail. As of Monday, 10/19, eVolve has
not received the agreement. Once received,
eVolve will bring it to CFISD for review and
approval since it will need to be signed by
CFISD personnel.
3. Verify the load on the existing transformer currently
servicing the data center to verify the service will not be
overloaded. Centerpoint took this action. Evolve has
not yet received verification from Centerpoint that this
has been performed. This should be a non-issue since
the data center has always been on the existing
transformer and has not experience problems in the
past.
Leadership and Vision
Posted by Frankie Jackson, Chief Technology Officer October 23, 2015
Network Infrastructure Upgrades Set for the
Weekend at Truitt and Salyards Middle Schools
School Start End
Bleyl MS July 2015 July 2015
Dean MS July 2015 July 2015
Spillane MS 9/18/2015 9/20/2015
Hopper MS 9/18/2015 9/20/2015
Kahla MS 9/25/2015 9/27/2015
Goodson MS 9/25/2015 9/27/2015
Smith MS 10/2/2015 10/4/2015
Hamilton MS 10/9/2015 10/11/2015
Aragon MS 10/23/2015 10/25/2015
Truitt MS 10/23/2015 10/25/2015
Salyards MS 10/23/2015 10/25/2015
Thornton MS 10/30/2015 11/1/2015
Labay MS 10/30/2015 11/1/2015
Campbell MS 11/6/2015 11/8/2015
Watkins MS 11/6/2015 11/8/2015
Cook MS 11/13/2015 11/13/2015
Arnold MS 11/13/2015 11/13/2015
Anthony MS 11/20/205 11/22/2015
In a conference call on Thursday, October 22, 2015, with Frankie
Jackson, and the Enterprise Communication Network team, along with
Presidio, it was determined that teams are set to upgrade the network
infrastructure at Truitt and Salyards middle schools this weekend.
Equipment has been delivered and staged at each campus. CFISD,
Presidio and Gigabit Technologies will have personnel at each
campuses beginning at 8am on Saturday, October 24th, 2015 to
begin the new network equipment installation.
Gigabit staged the equipment in each closet and un-patched, un-
racked, re-racked, re-patched each closet. Gigabit will dress all
cabinets, panels and raceways to meet CFISD’s current methodology
and standard. Presidio will provide support and direct the efforts of
Gigabit. CFISD will have all necessary keys and badge access
required to open all MDF / IDF locations and provide oversight.
MIDDLE SCHOOLS NETWORK
INFRASTRUTURE SCHEDULE
• 8am - Arrive on site and begin staging equipment
• 9am - Stage / rack /stack equipment
• 8am - 11am Dsconnect the connection to the MDF
• 11am - 12noon - Cutover MDF and confirm connection to ISC
• 12noon - ???- Confirm operation of pre-defined priority users in
Admin areas. Configure static and special ports. Continue
rack/stack and turn up of all IDF's
Leadership and Vision
Posted by Frankie Jackson, Chief Technology Officer October 26, 2015
Network Infrastructure Upgrades at Truitt and
Salyards Middle Schools Are Complete with Success
School Start End
Bleyl MS July 2015 July 2015
Dean MS July 2015 July 2015
Spillane MS 9/18/2015 9/20/2015
Hopper MS 9/18/2015 9/20/2015
Kahla MS 9/25/2015 9/27/2015
Goodson MS 9/25/2015 9/27/2015
Smith MS 10/2/2015 10/4/2015
Hamilton MS 10/9/2015 10/11/2015
Aragon MS 10/23/2015 10/25/2015
Truitt MS 10/23/2015 10/25/2015
Salyards MS 10/23/2015 10/25/2015
Thornton MS 10/30/2015 11/1/2015
Labay MS 10/30/2015 11/1/2015
Campbell MS 11/6/2015 11/8/2015
Watkins MS 11/6/2015 11/8/2015
Cook MS 11/13/2015 11/13/2015
Arnold MS 11/13/2015 11/13/2015
Anthony MS 11/20/205 11/22/2015
The Enterprise Communication Network (ECN) team successfully
upgraded the network infrastructure at Truitt and Salyards middle
schools over the weekend. CFISD staff, along with Presidio and
Gigabit Technologies started at 8am on Saturday, October 24th, 2015.
Staff finished by 10:00 p.m. – what a long day! CFISD providing
support included Paula Ross, Oscar Villar, Thomas Hollister, Anna
Senties, and Elizabeth Montes.
MIDDLE SCHOOLS NETWORK
INFRASTRUTURE SCHEDULE
Challenges:
• More closets and switches than the
normal MS campus.
• All closets with the exception of IDF
I in the field house are connected
and working properly.
• IDF I had an electrical outage.
• All other switches have been
tested.
• Operation connectivity has been
confirmed.
Salyards Middle School Truitt Middle School
Challenges:
• None
• All switches have
been tested
• Operation
connectivity has
been confirmed.
Leadership and Vision
Posted by Frankie Jackson, Chief Technology Officer
Frankie Jackson met separately with five of the Technology Transformation Tactical Teams (T4)
on Tuesday and Thursday, October 20 and 22, 2015.
Some of the meeting highlights included:
The focus of each meeting including statusing each team’s priorities, progress, and goals.
Conducted a dry run of John Crumbley’s presentation of the Family Mobile App for Administrators
Discussed leadership development and opportunities during campus technician meeting
Talked about the RFPs being processed and evaluation, and the board approval schedule
Discussed the status of the asset device responsibility policy
SUS ASSETS ACQUISITIONS
October 22, 2105
11:00
Technology Transformation Tactical Team (T4)
Meetings on October 20-21, 2015
October 23, 2015
8:00 9:00 3:002:00
October 20, 2015
Leadership and Vision
Posted by Frankie Jackson, Chief Technology Officer
Instructional Technology Coordination Meeting on
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Frankie Jackson met with Becky Cook, Director of Instructional
Technology, on Wednesday, October 21 2015. A summary of the meeting
notes are here. Items discussed included the following:
October 23, 2015
• Discussed the delivery of the US History laptops to the high schools. Things are going well. All the USH
laptops should be delivered by the end of the week. Training is ongoing.
• Talked about if there is an intermediate solution to providing campuses laptop replacements and projectors.
Becky sent an email to Mary requesting a meeting.
• Representatives from Troxell is planning to deliver a proposal to setup the students for Google accounts
including the interface to Microsoft Azure, and with synchronization with Active Directory.
• Linda Macias and Mary Jadloski are interested in seeing a demonstration of Stoneware for a student portal.
When Rodney returns he will set up a meeting.
• Becky is working with Kajeet to set up a demonstration of how the product works. This could be used as a
possible solution for providing students access to the Internet at home. Becky will be arranging a time with
Linda and Mary for a webinar. It will be probably during the week of Oct. 27.
• There is a need for us to use Lab 3 because of the promethean board. Frankie took the action to move
technology services out of Lab 3. 6. 7. Jay should have everything needed to purchase the 210 C&I laptop.
Leadership and Vision
Posted by Frankie Jackson, Chief Technology Officer
Texas K-12 Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Council
Strategic Planning and Fall Meeting
October 23, 2015
Frankie Jackson participated in the Texas K-12 chief Technology Officer (CTO)
Council strategic planning meeting on Thursday afternoon, October 22nd, 2015 in
San Antonio, Texas. Then Friday, she and Jennifer Miller attended the fall
meeting from 8-5. A summary of the agenda is as follows. Key discussion points
are available here.
• Sponsor Session - Unite Private Networks - "Infrastructure Required" - Randy Wright, UPN
• Keynote Speaker - Richard Guerry - "Public & Permanent: A Guideline to Promote Responsible Use
• Presentation - Lena Engel, Attorney - Rogers, Morris & Grover - "Ten Pitfalls of Software Contracts"
• "Automating User Management and Access in a Cloud Connected Learning Environment“
• Sponsor Session - Lensec - "Security Technology Upgrades at Pflugerville ISD"
• Sponsor Session - Conterra Broadband - "Leveraging Your Network Infrastructure“, Conterra Broadband
• Sponsor Session - Lenovo & Absolute Software
• Presentation - "Communicating Bond Propositions for Success"
• Sponsor Session - AG iRepair, Jeff Lander, AG iRepair
• Sponsor Session - Clever - "Clever: The Flexible and Secure K-12 Identity Solution"
• Table Discussion - "Staffing Patterns“, Victor Valdez, Pflugerville ISD and Karen Fuller, Klein ISD
• Sponsor Session - Xirrus - "Maximizing E-rate 2016 Funding for Your Network Upgrades"
• Panel - "Update of Policies from the Last Legislative Session“ Mike Tilley, TASB
Leadership and Vision
Posted by Frankie Jackson, Chief Technology Officer
Closing Message for the Week
October 23, 2015
Leadership and Vision
Posted by Frankie Jackson, Chief Technology Officer
Reflection for the Week
October 23, 2015
A highlight for me was watching John
Crumbley demonstrate the Mobile App
for Administrators to Travis Fanning, Scott
Sheppard, Donna Guthrie, & Carla Brosnahan.
John also invited the DI and Associate Principal for CyFair
high school. They talked about how the app is enabling
their administrative staff to “Lead from your feet, not from
your seat.” I reflected on our purpose, “We Transform
Education.” As I watched John go through the app and
hear how administrators can use it to help transform
education, I thought of Viktor Frankl’s quote, “Everyone’s
task is unique as is his specific opportunity to implement
it.” What a transformative technology! - Frankie Jackson