Technology Equipment
Equipment Usage, Location and Check Out:
Equipment checkout and assignment guidelines should be developed to allow equitable access for all teachers and students. Equipment should be checked out to teachers/rooms using the Destiny Library System. If you choose to check out equipment to rooms in your building you will need to add Destiny "patron records" for each room. Instructions for adding Destiny Room Patrons are here.
If there are pieces of equipment in your building that you need to track and they have a TPS barcode on them, but they are not listed in Destiny, make a copy of the "Barcode or Data Record Request" and add the barcode number information at the bottom of the form. Fill out the form and email or send a print copy to the Media Services office. If there is equipment not barcoded that you want to track, fill out the form above and send it to the Media Services office and we can enter the record and send you back a barcode.
--If teachers or other staff want to take equipment home, follow the guidelines in Regulation 2830-01: Use of School District Property. Scroll down the page to the Regulation which contains the agreement form.
--Labtops and other devices issued to teachers should be checked out in Destiny and also registered with the district using the School District Property Checkout Form
Guidelines and procedures for the TPS One to One Initiative:
Current district practice calls for students to have a usable device issued to them.
The guidelines and procedures for this are continually updated, based on current need, current repair costs, and the device replacement schedule. Elementary one to one devices are not sent home, but are available to students while at school. Secondary devices are checked out to students at predetermined times and the maintenance and charging of the device is the responsibility of the students.
[CURRENTLY Elementary students participating in "REMOTE" or "VIRTUAL" SCHOOL have checked out devices which are sent home with students.]
Chromebooks:
Elementary chromebooks are checked out to the 2nd through 5th graders. Carts are checked out to classroom teachers. Chromebooks are checked out to individual students.
Elementary chromebooks which the technology assistant or library media specialist have determined need repair are to have a "Elementary Tech Ticket" completed and be stored in the Library Media Center until IT personnel can pick them up for repair.
The complete, detailed "Pandemic procedures" are here.
Elementary chromebooks stay at the elementary school where they are assigned. Students do not take them to their new school. Students will be issued a different chromebook upon registration at their new school and the chromebook they have been using will be returned to the Destiny assigned school. (This is so that we can support the use of wired carts when regular classes commence. )
Find elementary chromebook information here
Secondary chromebook procedures are more complicated. Secondary chromebooks are checked out to students and are not kept on carts in the classrooms. Chromebooks which the technology assistant or library media specialist have determined need repair a
Secondary chromebooks which the library media specialist has determined need repair are to have a "Secondary Tech Ticket" complete and turned in to the IT Service Technician assigned to the school. This ticket reflects the 2018-2019 school year initial repair costs. They have not changed.
The complete, detailed "Pandemic procedures" are here.
Secondary chromebooks travel with the student to their new school, unless they are moving to a school not part of the Topeka Public Schools. Procedures and links for getting records updated in Destiny are listed here. Exceptions to this is that chromebooks don't transfer to Avondale Academy.
Ipads:
Elementary iPads are generally housed in carts and checked out by the cart to pre-kindergarten through first graders. Carts are checked out to classrooms. iPads are checked out to individual students. These iPads are managed centrally with a program that can remotely load the OS, etc. Individual Apps can be loaded from the District App store. Exceptions to this include iPads purchased by individual schools or programs and issued to staff. All iPads, no matter their source, should be checked out and tracked in Destiny.
Find iPad "triage" information here.
There are few Secondary iPads. They are only used for specific applications.
Receiving New Equipment:
--All audiovisual and computer equipment that the District purchases must be received by the designated receiving departments. These departments are responsible for authorizing payment, for barcoding the item, and starting the procedure that adds the item to the District's Fixed Asset List.
--All audiovisual and computer equipment that is donated to the District or makes it to your school unbarcoded, needs to be barcoded. To get barcodes for this equipment, copy and fill out the "Barcode or Data Record Request" and email or send a print copy to the Media Services office. You will be sent a barcode label for the device and a data record will be entered in Destiny. (Contact the Media Services office, if you don't know who to email.)
Maintaining and Storing Equipment:
All equipment should be periodically tested and cleaned. Once a year, usually at the end, audiovisual and computer equipment should be checked for damage and cleaned. Starting at the end of the 2017-2018 school year, library media centers will be air conditioned during the summer and used to store most digital devices. Plans and recommendations for this are recorded here.
Use this Checklist to guide planning end of the year inventory and maintenance of devices. (Checklist, courtesy of Laura McDaniel.)
If there is construction scheduled for your library media center during the summer, equipment should be stored with "dust" covers and securely stored.
Repairing Equipment:
Computers and computer peripherals that are not functioning correctly are reported on Trackit. Convenient links are provided in the Application Launcher in the IT Help folder and in the tps501.org bookmarks, available when logged into Chrome with a Topeka Public Schools login. In most cases, devices are reported to the technology assistant/media specialist first, to see if the problem can be remedied quickly on site. Technology Assistants/Media Specialists report student devices they can't get to work on trackit
Audiovisual Equipment is reported through the TPS Service Center "work order" system currently using Maintenance Direct.
There are separate and detailed procedures for repairing equipment issued to students. Regulation 2830-03: Off Campus Use of School Owned Computing Devices covers policies. Procedures are reviewed and established by building principals annually. They establish fees, repair costs. Devices are tracked using Destiny.
Discarding Equipment:
One of the realities in a school media center is equipment eventually wears out or becomes obsolete. The increasingly rapid change in technology amplifies this problem. Consider discarding equipment that is obsolete, in poor physical condition, or cannot be repaired at reasonable cost. Below, see the TPS procedures for discarding equipment.
Replacing Lost, Stolen, or Destroyed Equipment:
Equipment costing more than $200 may be replaced if deemed essential. Replacement per Regulation 2570-01: Loss Reimbursements from Risk Management Reserve Fund