As we approach the end of the year, the question arises from students "will all my work (on the computer) be deleted?". The simple answer is "Yes". In order to maintain clean servers, folder structures and address student matriculation challenges, we need to completely remove all student accounts. These accounts will be regenerated next year at the beginning of school but we cannot currently retain the files that were in students' folders.

So what is a student to do with all their work? There are a couple of options available to those that would like to retain their documents.

First, nearly every computer that is less than two years old has a CD burning optical drive. Writable CDs are by far the least expensive storage media and are usually easily obtainable. You can write your files from the computer (and your "H" drive) to a blank CD using the installed Roxio software application.

Second, USB Drives, sometimes referred to as "thumb drives" or USB Keys are an excellent method of safely storing valuable files. Investing in an inexpensive USB Key (as little as $12 at Costco) is a great way not only to back up your files but it also allows for easy transferring of the files to your home computer.

Third, you can access your "H" drive from home using the Novell Web Storage Access. Using this, you can download all your files to your home computer, protecting them completely from "the wipe".

If you have any problems with using any of these techniques to save your data, please work with your instructor or call the ITS Help Desk.

We are currently in the beginning stages of implementing a centralized storage facility that will allow accounts to matriculate across school boundaries. This system design will allow a student's account to follow them throughout their attendance within the Lucia Mar District and remove our need to delete accounts annually. We hope to have this system in place sometime next year as the budget allows.

TEACHER ACCOUNTS WILL NOT BE DELETED 

Thanks to one of the Microsoft law suits and settlements, we are to able facilitating one of our many technology goals. Getting rid of classroom inkjet printers!

The Technology Committee recognizes the great need to have networked laser printers in classrooms. This grant opportunity will provide 217 additional classrooms with laser printers. Classrooms with laser printers rather than inkjet printers will save approximately $60.00 per year. Estimated savings to the district and sites will be $13,000 per year with this project. With this influx of new technology, 45% of Lucia Mar classrooms will have laser printers.

Principals have been notified to select the classrooms to receive these printers. Some sites have chosen to purchase additional printers to furnish in every classroom.

Laser or bust!

At the end of June, we will be upgrading our district's SchoolCenter web pages: The new upgrade will provide the following improvements:

New pre-built templates to use for but not limited to:

-E-Store Request
-Grant Application
-Homework Dropbox
-Mass E-mail Distribution Request
-Photo Media Permission
-Supply Orders
-Volunteer Application
-Website Feedback Form

Many other new improvements in the new release. See the following link for more detail:

http://www.schoolcenter.com/support/releaseinfo.php

For several years, Lucia Mar has used the F-Secure Anti-Virus product to protect our computer systems from malicious software attacks. Over the Summer, we are planning to convert to the LightSpeed Security Client to provide this protection.

The LightSpeed Security Client has several advantages over F-Secure:

1. Real-time detection and denial of Spyware and other forms of 'malware' that can seriously compromise the performance of a system.
2. Real-time detection and denial of various forms of computer viruses that can totally disable a system if not neutralized.
3. Real-time detection and denial of non-authorized program execution. If a non-authorized program attempts to run on a system, it is denied.
4. Prevents execution of software residing on removable media such as floppy disks and USB Keys, USB Thumb Drives, and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM drives, etc.
5. Provides centralized management of systems and detailed reporting on detected events.

The LightSpeed Security Client is also more system friendly in that it uses much lower system resources to do its job.

The LightSpeed Security Client will be automatically deployed using our ZEN protocol. Existing installations of F-Secure will be removed using ZEN prior to the deployment of the LightSpeed Security Client. We expect this process to be transparent to system users.