-
Reddit’s r_k12sysadmin Credits: @r_channels @reddit2telegram
ClassLink QuickCard Chromebook Login - no camera
Just this morning our student Chromebook cameras are no no longer working to scan ClassLink QuickCards to log in. We use ClassLink as our IDP for Chromebook SSO. When you select the button to sign in with a QuickCard from the ClassLink login screen when the Chromebook starts up, the camera box is blank. It is happening both on and off the school network. Anyone seeing something similar?
https://redd.it/18j307c
@r_k12sysadmin
Streaming Services for Teachers
So, we are cracking down on streaming services for teachers (Disney +, Netflix, Paramount, etc.) are there any alternative educational streaming services that the school can pay for to fulfill these needs? An example being we have a teacher who has a music in movies class, where they examining different composers in movies.
We are currently going to make an exception for them, but we know a lot of these streaming services technically do not allow you to show this to a classroom full of students and are looking for alternatives.
https://redd.it/18j14ln
@r_k12sysadmin
Potential huge Ubiquiti security failure going on. Anyone here notice anything weird?
https://www.reddit.com/r/Ubiquiti/comments/18ien3u/ubiquiti_showing_other_users_consoles/
https://redd.it/18ii7az
@r_k12sysadmin
UPS backup induced failures
This may be a non-issue for most of you as I think I'm unique in not being on site most of the time for my school but....
We just had a complete internet and phone outage this morning. Cause was a UPS backup unit that actually belongs to our ISP. Fortunately I was able to resolve everything with a couple of phone calls but this got me thinking.
9/10 of the outages I've seen over the years have been caused by a faulty UPS. For a while we had some that would simply not come back on after power was restored if their battery was exhausted. OR they would fail their self test and again default to offline rather than just switch on.
It's starting to make me wonder if we'd be better off with simple surge protectors that would at least supply power to all the equipment after power is restored- but I may be blind to all the little 1-2 minute or less outages that never cause an issue. Anyone else had thoughts like this?
https://redd.it/18ie0ht
@r_k12sysadmin
MS FastTrack question
So this is my first time using Fasttrack. Had a discussion with the assigned partner (which is a company half a world away and makes things difficult) to go over the scope of the project. I was really trying to focus on just a few workloads, but then I received the authorization document I was to sign (actually it's the claim form from Microsoft) with every box checked for every workload. This seems like a blank check to me for the partner to claim maximum reimbursement. Just wondering for those that FastTracked in the past -- is this normal?
​
https://redd.it/18ie3aw
@r_k12sysadmin
One app purchase to multiple iPads?
Our elementary school librarian has a handful of ipads she uses for the students who visit, and she wants to purchase an app for them to use as well. All of the ipads use the same Apple ID. If she buys the app, will all of the ipads have access to it and be able to all use it? Thanks.
https://redd.it/18i8iod
@r_k12sysadmin
KB5033375 Breaks Wifi?
We just updated our Dell Laptops with the December Windows update KB5033375. Upon reboot it breaks the ability to connect to our WPA2 Enterprise Network. We have Aruba Clearpass and Aruba APs. Is anyone else seeing this?
https://redd.it/18hukqd
@r_k12sysadmin
PowerSchool & other SIS applications
I'm not sure if any of you have already made a similar post, but I've been dealing with a transition to PowerSchool, or PowerStruggle as we call it, and we are experiencing a lot of issues.
The main part of the problem is that the software requires "plug-ins" to function properly, unless you speak a coding language at an expert level. This means whatever you paid for the software, you're actually going to pay at least several thousand more dollars to get any functionality out of your initial investment.
I used this example while discussing it with the principal of our school, who happens to also be my wife. I explained that the software itself is like a car. The issue with this car is that it has no headlights, no steering wheel, no windshield and no mirrors. Seeing behind you while driving? That's going to cost you extra. Oh, you want to be able to steer the car effectively? Pay up.
Does anyone else have this experience with SIS, PowerSchool or otherwise? I feel like the CEO who builds an SIS that doesn't require constant plug-ins or add-ons is going to become the next tech billionaire.
https://redd.it/182bh4o
@r_k12sysadmin
Using family filter on school tablets
Hi, everyone! I have 40 Android tablets that are used in our lower school, and until this summer, they were monitored/filtered with Qustodio for Schools. It was a good product and it did what I needed which was that it tracked activity and blocked categories, apps, and URLs that I specified. Qustodio discontinued its school product, but they still have a product for families. Their privacy policy indicates that the family subscription is COPPA compliant.
​
Is there any reason I shouldn't consider using a family product in a school?
https://redd.it/181js2s
@r_k12sysadmin
Anyone willing, please upvote the UserVoice for Microsoft Loop in Education Tenants
Loop will be going away for education users early next year. If anyone uses it, or just wants to help by telling Microsoft it should be available, please upvote it.
Education Availability · Community (microsoft.com)
https://redd.it/180tz22
@r_k12sysadmin
Manageable Chromecast
Hey there everyone. We are currently fielding options to move out teachers away from MacBooks and into chromebooks.
We are looking into screen mirroring options. Right now we use Apple TVs with their MacBooks.
We have tested Ditto, too expensive and inconsistent when it comes to connectivity.
We are curious about chromecasts, but it seems like you can’t manage them in google admin console.
Anyone have any ideas that might work? Admin console manageability a huge plus, no subscription a bonus as well.
Thanks in advance
https://redd.it/180pttv
@r_k12sysadmin
Google Chrome Pausing in only 1 of our schools
So I am calling out for any help that anybody may have Involving google chrome pausing. We have been having this issue since January and nothing we have done has fixed it. We have 6 different schools consisting of 1500 total enrollment. On google admin they all are adopting the same rules but for some reason only 1 school has this issue and it only happens within the schools library. It isn't pausing every time they close google but it pauses every other day. I have tried all the fixes I have read up on online with a test account I use and nothing seems to work. Allowing cookies, whitelisting accounts.google.com, we erase all local user data so I thought maybe disabling that would help and it did not. I contacted google about the issue in February and it has now been nearly 10 months and google has been no help. I have been passed around like a hot potato and they just keep asking the same questions and having me send them the same data over and over. I have researched this problem so much that I have started dreaming of solutions. At this point I would be perfectly ok with it being a stupidly easy solution that I have missed this entire time. We have tried changing things in the registry, we have tried uninstalling and reinstalling chrome, we have looked into our network and firewall, we have looked into group policy. Everything matches all the other elementary schools and none of those schools have this issue. We have tried so many things. I would love to hear any ideas and solutions anybody has.
https://redd.it/180mkrf
@r_k12sysadmin
Chromebook development has slowed to a crawl
Remember when there used to be a new model of Chromebook every year? It seems like since 2018/19 it’s been each generation last 2-3 years now. G9 from HP came out in 2020 and the Dell model is still the 3110 while the Windows equivalent is now on to the 3140.
https://redd.it/180lxth
@r_k12sysadmin
3D Printer Recommendations.....
Good afternoon. We are researching 3D printers and I am looking for recommendations. We are a small charter school with about 470 students. I do have some experience from a previous school but that was a few years back. So far I have only looked at the Makerbot Sketch and the Makerbot Sketch Large. Are any of you using Makerbot 3D printers and, if so, please tell me what your experience is with them and whether or not you would recommend them to someone else especially a school of our size(K - 6). If you have a different model that you use and would recommend, please let me know that at well. How easy or hard is it to use, have you had any problems with the heat bed, have you had any problems with the filament/PLA, getting stuck, etc. Can you use it for complex designs? What software do you use to create your designs and did it come with the printer or did you have to purchase it separately? Thank you in advance for your feedback
https://redd.it/17zwigh
@r_k12sysadmin
Using Cambrionix ThunderSync3-C10 for Macs
Heya, school owned Mac private school here and was wondering if anyone had experience with the Cambrionix ThunderSync3-C10 and Apple Configurator, specifically for use with Macs.
I recently discovered that doing a DFU restore is an easy way to clean out and reset an Apple Silicon Mac and it's great when you have more than 2 or 3 ports around.
Plowing through 3 computers at a time plugged into a MacBook Pro to update (after fumbling around with the DFU shortcut keys) is way better and faster than the usual onboard ways of doing it.
The Cambrionix seems to be the main thing out there to connect one to many, but does anyone have experience with it to restore Macs?
Does it work alright or is it slow and useless when you connect 10 Macs?
https://redd.it/17zgcqg
@r_k12sysadmin
Azure (Entra) Sync - No directory structure?
We're in the final stages or moving from GCDS (Google Cloud Directory Sync) and Google Password Sync to Microsoft Entra. I've come to discover the new sync won't keep our directory structure in Workspace intact. New accounts don't land in correct OU's.
Other sysadmin wants to just stop using OU's altogether in Workspace. I'm not at all supportive of that. I've barely touched the Entra side of things. I'm told is very messy/labor heavy to setup OU's to sync in Entra.
Kinda curious if others have seen similar issues and what you do between Active Directory and Workspace for SSO.
https://redd.it/18j258h
@r_k12sysadmin
LockDown Browser and Macs
So, I'm looking for some help with LockDown Browser. I'm trying to use the managed installer and push it out to our Mac fleet using Jamf School. I specifically need to do this "silently" as no device is an admin device and students don't take the device with them. I did this last year with no problem through Jamf Composer uploaded to Jamf School and pushed out.
However, this year, I'm constantly running into issues. They vary but tend to revolve around the following:
1. The app will act like it's installed in Jamf School, but never shows up on the device.
2. LockDown Browser is damaged and can't be opened.
3. Auto launch failures.
In a moment of despair, I even tried using the iOS app on M1 Macs as a workaround and it couldn't to open the Schoology LockDown tests.
If the installer URL didn't change every 15 minutes, I could use a script similar to a Update/Install Google Chrome script I have deployed.
Respondus literally said they have limited experience with Jamf and Macs and to just copy the app to all the networked computers. 🙃
Any help is greatly appreciated!
https://redd.it/18is4es
@r_k12sysadmin
Data Server
We have an old data server that teachers and staff used to all have a folder on prior to Google Drive. I have a csv of file names that I would like to pull from that server and put all those files in a folder. Is there a script that will reference the .csv of file names, go find the files with those titles and move them all to one folder?
https://redd.it/18iia5b
@r_k12sysadmin
Students Disabling each other chromebooks?
I was told by my nephew that goes to a different district that students are walking up to each others chromebooks and "Hitting a bunch of keys." and then the screens go black and they cant use them anymore. Now I have no idea if this is just playground roomers or whatnot and it hasn't happened in my district. Anyone have any idea what they may be doing sounds like BS to me.
https://redd.it/18ifaxu
@r_k12sysadmin
PO / Procurement Software
We have an absolute Clown show of Filemaker PO Database which is then printed off with the invoice, Sent to Accounts, then Scanned into a Document Archive system.
Anyone a turnkey solution that they are using that they could suggest? I'd love to be able to Receive Quotes, Elevate to approvers, Raise PO's, attach invoices, submit to billing and have the ability to meaningfully backup the documents.
https://redd.it/18i9l5u
@r_k12sysadmin
Is anyone using Ed-Fi?
Ed-Fi looks to be a data standard that's been around for a while, but I never hear anyone talking about it. It sounds good, I believe it's free and trying to be an open standard for education touting data interoperability.
I was wondering if anyone here is using it, and if so, in what capacity?
https://redd.it/18htdwv
@r_k12sysadmin
Issues with Youtube Restricted Mode
Has anyone had issues with Youtube's restricted mode lately?
We normally use moderate restricted mode, but last week we found that students were able to access a lot of inappropriate videos. So I updated the setting to strict restricted mode, but it didn't help.
After looking closer at the issue, it seems restricted mode isn't in effect at all. We have it applied in the Chrome management policy, the Youtube settings in Workspace, and our filter (Linewize). chrome://policy confirms that the policy should be applied.
I've contacted Workspace support, but they're pretty slow to respond, so I'm still investigating on my own. I have removed our filter from the equation and tested a Chromebook off network and still have the issue.
I also noticed some weird behavior this morning where videos that say they aren't approved for watching will later change to watchable. No one is approving these videos and we don't have the option to unapprove them.
https://redd.it/18hjvw8
@r_k12sysadmin
Chromebook Specific Policies?
Wondering what the best way to make this work would be:
Our web-based library app recently switched from username/password authentication to Google Authentication using OAuth 2.0 - so now staff needs to sign in to the library computer using their Google accounts
Initially I had them sign in with their Windows accounts. Users weren't signing out however, and aggressive logout GPO policies were interrupting library time.
So I thought I'd remove Windows from the equation and hooked up a managed ChromeOS device with a keyboard/mouse/monitor. Similar problem - the users would close the web browser, but leave themselves signed into ChromeOS. Aggressive timeouts again failed to work. In addition, I couldn't auto-launch the library app because the user settings for Chrome devices have no way of being conditionally applied / skipped based on what device is being used.
So then I set ChromeOS device in Managed Guest mode. They click "Library System" at the login screen, and it automatically launches the web application. The web application gets them to sign in with their google credentials. Whether the user logs out of the app, or the ChromeOS session the result is the same - the data is cleared for the next user. So this is nearly perfect to how we would want it to work except users are having to enter their 2-Step verification codes every time they go to use the library computer. Its probably the least intrusive condition of all the solutions I've tried - but I'm still curious if there is a way I can disable 2-step verification for when a user signs in using either the web app or the device
https://redd.it/1827gtp
@r_k12sysadmin
Seeking Assistance Revoking All Sessions for an AzureAD Group of Users Using PowerShell
I've found multiple different PowerShell scripts from the last couple of years around Reddit and other sites, but all of them have been failing for me at some point.
I'll paste what I have below with the accompanying error.
I'm not a pro, but maybe someone can help me correct what I have, or maybe you have something better.
We need to sign all students out to fix an issue, but that is all that we want to sign out.
Thanks for any help you may provide!
https://redd.it/181ds12
@r_k12sysadmin
MailTo links - Open new in Gmail
How can I make it so mailto: links open in gmail as a new outgoing message? This is for Windows devices, and I've tried to use the default of Chrome in Windows, but nothing happens or opens. Any help would be appreciated.
We are a Google Workplace school.
https://redd.it/180m6e6
@r_k12sysadmin
Camera System
I know many times this falls under facilities, but we're managing the camera system. We have 127 and our current system is way too expensive. Does anyone have suggestions/recommendations? Would like web based viewing portal. Thanks
https://redd.it/180py49
@r_k12sysadmin
Alternatives to Netop Visio Pro aka Impero
We currently use Netop Vision Pro with our windows labs to manage the computers and students on them but since Impero purchased the company, they haven't updated Vision Pro. Netop works great and I love using it during the summer but since it seems they're pushing us to upgrade, I'd like to seek alternatives. Impero's Education Pro subscription will be costly and supposedly would need an on-prem server. Are there any alternatives to Netop that you currently use and could recommend?
https://redd.it/180ntwm
@r_k12sysadmin
Gmetrix and Program Data - Adobe Certification
Hello all,
Has anyone ran into this issue with the newer Gmetrix versions and how is it being handled?
Gmterix is requiring all users to have Read/Write access to C:\\ProgramData.
We have looked into doing a custom ran as, but this is flakey at best.
Gmetrix does not apper to support impersonation like its counterpart Certiport.
https://redd.it/180ksyx
@r_k12sysadmin
Let's Encrypt RD Gateway
Does anyone know of a decent guide on how to get Let's Encrypt working on an RD Gateway? I'm having trouble wrapping my head around how it actually all works. Traditionally my DNS and SSL host has been GoDaddy however with cert providers continuing to shorten the validity period on certs, this is definitely something that makes sense to automate.
https://redd.it/17zsalf
@r_k12sysadmin
Episode 144 discusses the "Working without purpose" post
New episode is out - https://k12techtalkpodcast.com/e/episode-144-working-with-a-purpose/
The main topic revolves around the post about exploring the purpose in K-12 tech work:
https://www.reddit.com/r/k12sysadmin/comments/17vak3f/working\_without\_purpose/
https://redd.it/17ze3wi
@r_k12sysadmin