Service Centre Portal

Get on board! There is a range of information relating to ICT and the delivery of IT services being recorded in the Portal: https://portal.ntschools.net/servicecentre/default.aspx

Schools Technical Architecture, Site reports, the latest outage information including a knowledge base in the form of a wiki and much more is stored and maintained in the Portal.

The daily site visits to all schools continues. Over 150 have been completed to date and are proving to be valuable for many schools.
The schedule for remote site visits can be viewed at: URL http://rcs.csg.com.au/flight-schedule.php

Principals and ICTCs are encouraged to ring Bob Creek (bob.creek@nt.gov.au) on 0401118716 for any feedback on the Remote Site visits

ICTC Discussion Forum

A facility for ongoing discussion amongst ICTCs, similar to the Lyris ICTC mailing list, has been created in the Service Centre portal using a discussion forum. ICTCs will need to enter their ntschools username and password to gain access with the ‘discussion forum’ being located at the top left of this portal site. This forum is available to ICTCs only at present.

Data Storage Management

If schools server storage capacity is over 90% utilised, systems and backups begin to fail. Check your server out!

It has been identified that a high number of schools have consumed above 90% of the available storage capacity on their server. It is recommended the ICTCs consider the following steps to increase the available capacity:

The option to simply increase the storage on the School’s server has implications for data replication, backup and storage costs, WAN bandwidth, and available capacity on backup servers.

To assist with storage capacity IT Services are currently working on a centralised data storage solution in conjunction with NTSchools Sharepoint Portal. It is estimated the solution and data storage will be made available to the schools over coming months.

Change of name to TIPS

IT Services Division and Business Planning and Information Division have recently combined and have been renamed Technology Information and Planning Services (TIPS). TIPS is led by Greg Moo, Chief Information Officer.

Staff changes
TIPS are pleased to advise that Satpinder Daroch (Sap) has joined the Operations team as Operations Manager. Sap has been largely involved, through prior Service Provider roles, with DEET IT development and operations over the last 6 years and is known to many staff across NT Schools and DEET Corporate.

Poppy Miaoudis, who has worked in the Online Services team over the last 6 years will be taking maternity leave at the end of Week 1. Poppy is known to many staff members in schools and corporate. We wish her all the best for the next 12 months with her growing family.

NTSchools Portal

Most schools are now using the Portal. Workshops have recently been conducted for Portal Admin Training, Portal for teachers and a refresher for Portal Administrators.

Each school has a designated Portal Administrator. To locate your school’s portal admin check the following: http://www.ict.schools.nt.gov.au/computers_networks/pdfs/NTSchoolsPortal_Administrators_08.pdf

Bandwidth Changes

The WAN bandwidth at 31 remote schools are in the process of being increased. 25 have been completed and Telstra are progressively working through the remaining 6 satellite sites. Sites listed attached.

SAMS Behaviour Module

Over the next few weeks, the SAMS team will work with individual schools to progressively upgrade the Behaviour Module which includes the activation of new parameters.

Schools who wish to use the new module to record suspensions will be able to generate the Student Suspension form to notify Schools Division and the Parent Notification letter from within the Behaviour Module.

For any concerns or queries regarding the module upgrade or training, please contact Sylvie Tulacz-Hess on 8999 5738 or sylvie.tulaczhess@nt.gov.au.

REACT Goes Mobile

Top End Group Schools gathered together in Darwin last week for a 2 day workshop using the resource Primary Connections – linking science with literacy. Using REACT two transition teachers from Gunbalunya CEC, Hagar and Virginia, were able to share their experiences about how they were using this program with their Transition class and how it enriched the learning experience of their indigenous students.

For more about how this happened read on.........

Using a Telstra Extra G modem with a teacher’s laptop with REACT installed and a team of dedicated and enthusiastic DEET employees, Lorraine Van Haeften streamed a Powerpoint presentation over REACT allowing Hagar and Virginia to speak to the TEGS audience at a Darwin Venue. This was a spectacular example of a team of enthusiastic people from DEET working together to achieve such a positive outcome. The flexibility of the REACT software is allowing us to deliver presentations from a laptop. Thanks to NTOEC for lending us the bandwidth and supporting Gunbalanya in setting up the IDL lesson computer and microphone. This, together with the perseverance of the Teaching Learning and Standards staff (who learnt to use the video conferencing software REACT in one day) and the good luck that to have all IT connections in service when required, enabled a successful sharing session which added dimension to the TEGS program.

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