Technology Department

As you know, we are currently installing a new phone system. This is a massive project that is nearing completion. There are a couple of reasons why we needed to install a new phone system.

• Our previous system was no longer supported
• The phones from our previous system were breaking at a rapid clip. These were getting extremely difficult to replace
• Michigan passed e911 legislation

e911

Michigan has passed e911 legislation. This essentially says that we need to be able to send first responders (police officers, EMS, fire, etc) directly to a room, not just a building. Under our old current system, only a building address is sent. With the new system, we will be able to send those first responders to the exact room that called. This could literally save a life. However, this also means that we need to know exactly which room every phone is in. I will be providing our first responders with a list of phone numbers, rooms and floor plans. This will allow our first responders to know which room to go to when 911 is called. The first responders will be able to review the building map on the way to the emergency.

Mobility Extension

We will no longer be offering mobility extension. This is due to the e911 legislation above. Mobility extension allows for a phone number to “travel” to different phones. Obviously, this would cause great confusion to our first responders. Not only could they go to the wrong room, but they could go to the wrong building.

However, we do understand that we have phone numbers that are assigned to people and not places. So, we will be assigning those “extension mobility” numbers as a second (or third, fourth, fifth) number on a phone in a room. This means that a phone may ring in multiple buildings.

Voicemail

Once we have just one phone system running, we will be able to turn on Gmail sync. This will allow for all users to listen to their voicemail right in their email. Once it is marked as listened to in email, it will also be marked as listened to in the phone system. If the voicemail is deleted in email, it will also be deleted in the phone system.

Currently, voicemails are delivered to email, but the sync is not yet active.

Main office personnel are set up as “delegates” for the main number and attendance number for their school. This allows them to easily check the main line and attendance line voicemails on their computer. Plus, the messages stay “in sync” for all members of the office.

Phone placement

We are mounting most phones. There are two reasons for this:

• To comply with e911 laws
• To reduce/prevent breakage

Phones are being mounted in most classrooms. This helps to make sure that phones remain where we placed them. Remember, for 911, we will provide a spreadsheet to the 911 call center with phone numbers and room numbers. This list won’t regularly change. It needs to be relied upon for life saving decision making.

As a side benefit, phones that are mounted suffer much less breakage.

Please remember that individuals move from room to room. Additionally, some teachers like to “change it up” in terms of the room layout and decor (that would be me in the classroom). However, we can’t regularly move phones due to individual preference. Thus, we established as much of a standard as possible.

Tips

To help new users, we have created a Classroom and Office Phone Basics Page. This page is still under development. It was the intent from the beginning to select a phone system that is easy to use. We didn’t want to be in a situation where users needed a ton of training.

You may have heard of the recent Facebook account compromised. Maybe you’ve received an email stating that your webcam shows….(we’ve had several people received these). That email may also list your user name and a password that you’ve actually used.

What does this mean to me?

Password management is an important issue and skill that you need to develop. Since there are people out there who would like to use this for their own gain (which can be stealing money, stealing your identity, or just making things difficult for you), you should proactively protect yourself.

What should I do?

In short, use a different password at every single site that you visit.

How do I do that?

There is no way that you could realistically remember that many different, complex passwords. I advise that you get a password manager.

What’s a Password manager?

A password manager is a program that, well, manages your password.

What are my options?

Here are a few choices (that I’ve used):

• Dashlane
• 1Password
• LastPass
• Passpack

Other options (I don’t have any experience with these):

• Keeper
• Blur
• Sticky Password

Which one should I get?

That’s really a personal preference. Most of these are a paid option/program. Some offer free options. (This is one of those things that I’m definitely willing to pay for.) You should check to make sure that your choice supports all the devices that you use. You should also check your use case. For example, some have free plans if you only use one device. (Personally, I use 1Password. I have paid for and used it for many years. Other team members use Passpack, Dashlane and Lastpass). The best ones allow you to enter your password in a browser extension and that fills in your password.

What about saving passwords in the browser?

We strongly advise AGAINST doing this. Saved passwords in a browser lack almost any security at all. The security standards aren’t nearly as robust for web browsers. If anyone gets any access to your computer while you are signed in, they would have access to everything.

Anything else I should do?

Yes, turn on 2 factor authentication wherever you can. Google offers 2 step authentication. So does Apple.

For a long time, we’ve noted how nice it is to use the WordPress app to post to blogs. Sadly, because of bad actors and security concerns, we can no longer use the app. There is an issue in how the WordPress app integrates with a WordPress web site that allows for massive attacks.

So, for now, we have to block the WordPress app integration.

We hope that with updates, WordPress app integration can be restored. If it is, we will certainly let you know.

For now, all users will need to sign in through a browser in order to post to iBlog.

Phishing is the practice of sending out emails that purport to be from a legitimate, reputable company in order to get users to reveal sensitive information (such as passwords and credit card numbers). 

Protecting your user name and password is critical to the security and safety of our district. Many users have access to very sensitive data.

Tips for spotting a phishing attack:

• Do you know the sender? Although it is easy to fake the return email address, you should still check to see if you know the account.
• Does the language seem appropriate for the person?
• Does something just seem “funny” about the email?
• Hover your mouse (if on a computer) over the link without clicking on it. It should reveal the URL of where it is actually going. (So, if it supposed to be sending you to Apple, but the URL is https://apple.scammer.com, that isn’t right).
• Be wary of links in emails: Type links into the Location bar in your browser instead of clicking on the link in an email.
• There is some kind of threat or urgent request in the message.

Here is a Phishing Flyer with tips (reposted from a couple years ago).

Securing your accounts

There are several things that you can do to make your account more secure:

• Be careful on clicking links in email
• Use a passphrase manager – (this allows you to have a unique password for every site you visit) (Note that most of these are not free). 
  • 1Password
  • LassPass
  • Dashlane
  • PassPack
• Turn on 2 Factor Authentication – this will require you to receive a text message or use a known device as an extra step to log in. This means that if someone does know your passphrase, they still can’t sign into your account without that device. 
• Be very cautious about where you are entering your user name and passphrase.

• from the address book of someone who has had their account phished
• from breaches of online services

• Facebook
• EquiFax – one of the sites that provides credit reports
• Macy’s
• Addidas
• Sears
• Kmart
• Delta
• Best Buy
• Saks Fifth Avenue
• Lord & Taylor
• MyFitnessPal App
• Panera
• Forever 21
• Sonic
• Whole Foods
• PumpUp (Fitness App)
• And more….