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E d Te c h S h o w D a i l y 1 1 M o n d a y, J u n e 2 9 , 2 0 1 5 THE GUIDE TO APPLE IOS DEPLOYMENT IN EDUCATION So your school is about to launch an iPad program, and you're not sure where to start? That's where the Apple Management Experts can help. Since 2002, JAMF Software – and its Casper Suite solution – have helped schools across the globe ensure their Apple pro- grams are a success. It has pinpointed five steps to get a 1:1 iPad program up and running using the Casper Suite and Apple's user-friend- ly deployment programs. Step 1: Prepare Streamline the deployment process by enrolling your school in Apple's Device Enrollment Program (DEP) and Volume Purchase Program (VPP) at deploy.apple.com. Consider your Apple ID strategy and take into account that stu- dents under 13 will need to sign up for Apple's Under 13 Apple ID program. Ensure enough bandwidth to handle your new devices. Once the strong con- nection is in place, you'll need to link the Casper Suite to DEP. What is the Casper Suite? The Casper Suite is a collection of Mac and iOS management tools. The core of the suite is the JAMF Software Server (JSS) that acts just like a web server. The JSS can be hosted on any existing OS X, Windows or Linux server on-premise or via our JAMF Cloud sub- scription. Step 2: Configure With the Casper Suite installed, you can begin to build your Configuration Profiles. These are XML files that act like a recipe for your device settings and are deployed via the Casper Suite. Devices will need to be supervised in order to receive profiles. This can be done with DEP and configured in the JSS. Step 3: Purchase Apps and Books Decide on your method for purchasing and distributing content: either Managed Distribution or redeemable codes. Next, you'll invite users via a VPP invitation to gain access to the content you have assigned them. If you'd like users to be able to install approved apps on their own without IT assistance, you can use the Casper Suite Self Service app. What is Self Service? Self Service is an App that acts like an internal App Store for your school. Self Service can contain Apps linked to VPP, free apps, eBooks, PDFs and Configuration Profiles. Step 4: Deploy When handing out devices to students, consider multiple stations in the gymnasium that offer a logical flow. Next, enroll your devices through DEP, User Initiated Enrollment or Apple Configurator. Step 5: Manage Update Self Service with new content and encourage usage. You can also lever- age push notifications to push communi- cations directly to devices. Casper Focus can now be set up for streamlined class- room management. What is Casper Focus? Casper Focus is a free app that comes with the Casper Suite and runs on the teacher's iPad. Casper Focus allows teach- ers to focus student's iPads to a single app or website to help streamline transitions. Learn more about how to successfully deploy and sustain your iPad program at booth #938. For more information, visit www.jamfsoftware.com or call 612.677.7075. GAIN CONTROL OF GAME-BASED LEARNING The RGS Classroom Game Server and game-based learning gives teachers the power to use the computer gaming skills their students already have in the service of enhanced engagement and real-time assessment for lessons in the classroom. "It empowers students to take ownership for their learning and allows them to showcase their understanding of content for the teacher. It's important to note that in this environment, teachers can gain insight into where students are excelling in real time and can bring students to a place of mastery much quicker than in a traditional environment. They don't have to assign homework and wait until it's corrected. Teachers can assess mastery right away," says Nicole Flores, RGS Digital Learning Specialist. Game-based learning (GBL) is flex- ible, used across all levels, and in all sub- ject areas. Additionally, it's effective for cross-disciplinary learning. "In the same game, a student can be learning about history and math," says Carl Cohen, Product Manager for RGS's Education solutions. For instance, the RGS Classroom Game Server is optimized for an educa- tion-specific version of the popular game, Minecraft©, a sandbox game in which the player builds, travels and explores a world of his or her own cre- ation. "There's no 'griefing' (no vio- lence/harassment/bullying). There's cre- ation, strategy and exploration and the ability to learn through trial and error," Cohen says. In MinecraftEDU©, a stu- dent can explore the Egyptian pyramids and learn Egyptian history while also studying fractions and proportions by building virtual pyramid models. "The RGS Classroom Game Server comes with sample lesson plans and learning objects along with profession- al development to help teachers and students get started in the classroom," says Cohen. Professional development (PD) provided by RGS helps teachers with GBL takes dif- ferent forms, from video training to hands-on experi- ence, depending on what teachers need to be success- ful in the classroom. Lesson plans available from RGS are tied to specific Common Core mas- tery standards or Next Generation Science Standards, depending on the context of the game. The RGS Classroom Game Server is designed for efficiency such that it does- n't tax the school's Wi-Fi network. The system has four built in network options and can support up to 35 concurrent users without traffic across the school's net- work. Students can play the games with- out network latency or disruption to other classroom activities on the school net- work. "Traditionally, game-based learn- ing happened outside the classroom. The RGS Classroom Game Server now enables this type of engaged learning in the classroom," Cohen says. Teachers and administrators look- ing to pilot this experience integrated in digital learning before wider deploy- ment have the opportuni- ty to use game-based learning along with the RGS SmartStart Classroom Pilot Solution (a full classroom 1:1 dig- ital learning experience – devices, curriculum con- tent, classroom applications, profes- sional development and support). To learn more about the RGS Classroom Game Server, attend the workshop on "MinecraftEDU in the Classroom" at 12:30 p.m. on Monday or 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday. "We also recommend attend- ing our 'Digital Learning Pilots the SmartStart Way' workshop as well as our professional development work- shops to get a better understanding of the use of the server and game-based learning within a classroom context," Cohen said. Visit booth #1363 during ISTE 2015 for all the details as well as sessions on PD, GBL and digital learning pilots. After the ISTE conference, call 800.222.7374, email RGS.comm@avnet.com or visit www.avnetrgs.com. HOW A SMALL TOWN IN ARIZONA REVOLUTIONIZED EDUCATION OF STUDENTS ACROSS THE STATE In the K–12 environment, gone are aba- cuses and globes as many educators look to trade textbooks for tablets to keep up with students' advanced understanding of everything digital. But not all school dis- tricts have the means to revolutionize their classrooms, including the rural community of Vail, Arizona, which, in 2003, was not supported by any major Internet service provider. Although Vail is small, its leaders' ambitions were not. Passionate educators and technology professionals envisioned a richer, more collaborative learning envi- ronment to improve its students' education and classroom experience. But, Vail lacked the technological resources to implement the interactive framework of Beyond Textbooks and allow educators to develop curricula and digital teaching materials. The district needed access to an intri- cate, fiber-optic Metro Ethernet and high- speed Internet setup that no Internet serv- ice provider was willing to set up – until the Vail School District reached out to Cox Business. Five years into the partner- ship, Cox Business successfully brought Beyond Textbooks online by boosting the district's original speed requirements to 40M. In 2012, Cox Business further improved Vail's fiber-optic infrastructure to support data transfer rates of 200M – 300 times the district's original high- speed Internet needs from a decade prior. The district's high-speed Internet – now at 400M – is also supplemented by a 10G Metro Ethernet network that provides reliability, allowing administrators and teachers to "look at state standards, locate innovative digital content and share it" seamlessly, says Matt Federoff, CIO for Vail and Co-creator of Beyond Textbooks. These improvements have enabled the Beyond Textbooks program to expand its breadth and reach: 13,000 pieces of digital content support Arizona's Common Core Standard and touch more than 80 school districts and 90,000 students across Arizona. But, it's about more than implement- ing technology; it's about establishing and fostering relationships, which Cox Business has done with Vail for the past decade. Over time, the relationship between students and teachers has changed as well. Now, because of "perva- sive, high-performance, low-latency net- working from Cox Business, [Vail] teach- ers and students are on task" and teachers can focus on boosting stu- dents' test scores. As a result, the district has seen a 20 percent or high- er increase in pass rates and all 17 Vail schools earned an A+ rating from the Arizona Department of Education for five consec- utive years, establishing the district as a forerunner in the education field. Since the inception of Beyond Textbooks in 2008, the Vail School District has grown to educate more than 12,000 students. And as the district's 18th school prepares to open, it's clear that the "powerful and resilient Internet backbone" provided by Cox Business will propel Vail students to success, megabyte by megabyte. For more information, call 866.419.6026, visit coxbusiness.com/education or stop by booth #224.