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Reddit’s r_k12sysadmin Credits: @r_channels @reddit2telegram
Emergency Strobe Lights for Band Room and other loud areas.
We have a couple areas where I have been asked to add a flashing or strobe light to go off in a few rooms that are normally loud. We have an analogue intercom system, does anyone know what I should look for to 'clip' onto the speakers to flash when sound passes over the wires?
https://redd.it/1rp8udm
@r_k12sysadmin
Local USB Printers, V4 Drivers, and Non-Local Admins
Its been 5 years since the initial Print Nightmare patch that set the IT World on fire. Since then, like many others, we've adjusted our Point to Print Policy so that users can install driver packages for network printers with no interruptions.
However... We still have a nagging pain and I'm curious how others are handling it.
My staff do not have local admin. We ripped that band-aid off many years ago. When they go to install a USB Printer, it seems like many times the device specific driver is V4. The driver fails to install correctly, and the printer is left in that dreaded hardware state where it can't be used as it doesn't know its a printer.
Currently, my guys know that they can hand install the V3 Driver and assign it to the printer, and it works just fine. Sometimes it requires cleaning up the previous installation a bit, but usually its straight forward. Still a nuisance none the less.
How is everyone handling local USB printer installs for non-local admin environments?
https://redd.it/1rp1vx4
@r_k12sysadmin
Is it possible to forward a specific email from someone else's email?
I know using "gam user (user) sendemail message (message) recipient (recipient email)" you can send an email as another user, but is there a way to take an email they already have in their inbox and forward just that email to one, some or all users? Also not looking to add a forwarding address, just a one time forward of a single email. Thank you.
https://redd.it/1rme8ei
@r_k12sysadmin
Recommendations for managed 1-to-1 student laptops (OS & MDM) with off-site filtering?
Looking for advice on a laptop rollout for a growing school. Our student need a laptop solution (Windows, Mac, or ChromeOS) that meets these criteria:
* **App installs:** students cannot install software/apps, only push from MDM
* **Persistent Filtering:** Web/Service filtering must work at home just as it does on-campus without a VPN or on-prem hardware dependency. Also need to has a function that can block all Web/Service and allow access only from the whitelist/allowlist.
* **Scalability:** We need a robust OS+MDM/Management system that allow us to grow to all of our student in 1-1 programs.
We currently use Mosyle for iPads. What is the "gold standard" right now for managing student laptops that go home?
https://redd.it/1roreqg
@r_k12sysadmin
Campus communication
I’m looking for a better solution for on campus communication. Currently we have standard phones where you can dial an extension and get somebody’s desk. Then we have walkies which are crazy expensive, require FCC nonsense, and have no 1:1 ability - everything is a broadcast. Our principal would love a phone in each classroom but only for the 1:1 use however phones are cost prohibitive.
I’ve gotten solicitations for campus communication tools but for the life of me can’t find the emails. What options exist that folks have used that are cost effective?
https://redd.it/1rnj96p
@r_k12sysadmin
What version of ChromeOS are you guys pushing out?
We are currently still set at 138.xx and I know 145.xx is officially out. We tend to stay a couple versions behind to try and not run into issues on the newest releases. Was going to decide on moving up soon but wanted input from other's on what they are pushing out.
As a side note: With Google/Chrome moving towards changing Aluminum OS on the horizon do you plan on staying with Chromebooks, or moving to something else IE Windows, or Mac etc?
https://redd.it/1ro9r7w
@r_k12sysadmin
Did Apple just release the Chromebook killer?
https://k12techtalkpodcast.com/e/apple-s-499-mac-neo-the-chromebook-killer/ and all major podcast platforms
We break down Apple’s big announcement: the Mac Neo, a $499 laptop that many call a potential Chromebook killer. We compare specs, durability, repairability, management with Apple School Manager, resale value, and the extra operational costs and security considerations (EDR, content filtering, app installs) for school districts.
https://redd.it/1rmk7n4
@r_k12sysadmin
Consultation offerings
Was reached out to by a company called Dialect Incanet saying they would pay me to talk to a client about what I know about a specific subject. Has anyone done one of these?
https://redd.it/1rgbwes
@r_k12sysadmin
SSO on Chromebooks?
How do you all differentiate your chromebook wireless networks? Right now, all of my staff and students are on one network and overall getting student filtering. Our goal is to have our staff on our staff network and students on our student networks but without verifying the user before signing in, I don't see how that would happen.
Is there a way to use SSO on them? We are a Fortinet district but I don't see any options for Chromebooks/Google sso yet. Any suggestions?
https://redd.it/1rg8qdo
@r_k12sysadmin
Chromebook USB-C repair
For the Acer 871s we have were finding the USB-C connectors degrading to the point of failure. We are finding sources for the daughter motherboard for a replacement of the lighted side, but replacing the motherboard side is more expensive and involved. Does anyone have any experience with only replacing one side and hoping the repair lasts? Any downsides?
https://redd.it/1rgcgni
@r_k12sysadmin
Google Admin Issues
Managed bookmarks disappeared for everyone this morning. Sleep/lock settings not applying properly for students on chromebooks. Settings changes to specific OUs a couple days ago that show up in the admin log have reverted.
Anyone else having issues or are we just lucky?
https://redd.it/1rgds9p
@r_k12sysadmin
Tennessee proposals that would severely restrict or ban classroom devices?
https://k12techtalkpodcast.com/e/tennessee-may-ban-k%e2%80%935-classroom-tech-%e2%80%94-is-this-going-too-far/ and all major podcast platforms
We discuss Tennessee proposals that would severely restrict or ban classroom devices and online assessments for younger grades, and debate whether this is an overreaction or a needed reset on screen time.
We discuss a widespread, sophisticated phishing campaign that hit many Midwest school districts, including guidance on immediate steps to secure compromised accounts for Google and Microsoft.
Google: https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/support/troubleshooting/identify-and-secure-compromised-accounts
Microsoft: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/defender-office-365/responding-to-a-compromised-email-account
K12 SIX: https://k12six.org/compromise
https://redd.it/1rgjjp8
@r_k12sysadmin
Student playing Fortnite on the Microsoft login screen
Observed several students running Fortnite on the Microsoft login on their school-issued Chromebooks using external controllers. Any idea how this was done?
Update:
image: https://imgur.com/a/GlPsjqi
https://redd.it/1r8g4db
@r_k12sysadmin
Feedback on Grandstream UCM6308 + 6 Remote Sites via RemoteConnect & Telnyx?
I'm planning a new PBX rollout and wanted to get some "sanity check" feedback from the community.
The Setup:
Main Hub: Grandstream UCM6308 IP PBX.
Remote Sites: 6 locations, each with \~25 extensions (approx. 150 total).
Hardware: All new Grandstream IP phones.
SIP Trunk: Telnyx (metered).
Connectivity: Planning to use Grandstream RemoteConnect for the 6 remote sites to handle NAT traversal without site-to-site VPNs.
My Questions:
Has anyone used RemoteConnect at this scale (150+ extensions across multiple sites)?
Any latency or stability issues compared to a traditional VPN?
Is the UCM6308 overkill, or just right for future-proofing this many sites?
Any specific "gotchas" with Telnyx and the UCM6300 series regarding E911 for multiple physical locations?
Would you recommend High Availability (HA) for the hub, or is the 6300 series reliable enough on its own?
Thanks in advance for any insights!
https://redd.it/1r96ylx
@r_k12sysadmin
Managing Workspace Marketplace
Question for other districts: How do you manage the Google Marketplace apps? Do you have staff & students on an allow only list? How do you determine what apps should be allowed? Many of the applications, particularly form and mail merge ones, request access to several drive permissions similar to below.
https://preview.redd.it/ki2k2sv0cpkg1.png?width=520&format=png&auto=webp&s=f254aa5e4e673fb9dfe9aace1c31a67220210385
https://redd.it/1ra54eu
@r_k12sysadmin
Chrome os recovery tool providing out of date images
Hi,
Has anyone else ran into the issue of the recovery tool providing out of date os images for some chromebooks? I have had two different models run into this problem in the course of 2 weeks. Im using the official Chrome recovery extention. Im just hoping that this is an isolated problem.
https://redd.it/1rp2yui
@r_k12sysadmin
USB-C Headphones with Mic - 1:1
What are you buying for headphones with Mics? There's some nice ones out there for staff but for students they just get too pricey. We've done cheap headphones before but find the USB-C adapters are just brutal.
What have you deployed with success for microphones/headphones with USB-C for students?
https://redd.it/1rmi2dp
@r_k12sysadmin
PDF Editor Replacements
Hi, We were using Foxit but they ended their purpetual liceneses last year so we need a replacement.
Im currently considering EaseUS PDF Editor or PDF-XChange.
What are y'alls using?
https://redd.it/1rmfhi4
@r_k12sysadmin
Securly Mystery...Help me solve it?
Context: I am Super Admin of both the Google Admin and Securly accounts. Half of the district I support is an online school and use Securly Classroom to monitor "classroom management" on student's screens.
Got a call Monday morning.
All of the Google synced classrooms inside of Seculry just magically dropped all of its students and teachers. Classes that were working fine on Friday now say "0 Students , 0 Teachers." All of these have in common being sync source of Google.
Checked identical Google Classrooms, but the teachers and students are there, fine and dandy.
The short term work around was to ask teacher manually create Backup Classes and add the kids manually.
I already ran syncs between Google and Seculry; no error messages.
I unlinked and relinked the Google Deployment side of things as a Super admin as Google. Nothing changed.
I made sure the student's Chrome Extensions were up to date. Nada.
I put in a support ticket to Securly themselves. Explained everything. Got the reply: "I have no idea what caused this if that is what you are asking." Gee thanks.
Any ideas?
https://redd.it/1rmoexk
@r_k12sysadmin
BRAINSTORM WI DELLS (Will take Ticket if you can't attend)
Posting on the off chance someone sees this who registered attending this week's Brainstorm Tech Conference in Wisconsin Dells, WI. If you cant make it and want to transfer a ticket to a fellow K12 Sysadmin that would super cool.
https://redd.it/1rokfn3
@r_k12sysadmin
The Real-World Privacy Risks of Cloud-Based School Cameras
https://k12techpro.com/unchecked-access-the-real-world-privacy-risks-of-cloud-based-school-cameras/
Mark Keierleber from The 74 and cybersecurity expert Michael Klein from The Institute For Security and Technology discussed recent reporting, which reveals that school-installed Flock security cameras are quietly feeding automated license plate data into a massive network accessible to outside law enforcement. This setup effectively turns local school environments into what Keierleber calls a “drag net,” noting that “this is truly what we call mass surveillance … one police agency can run a search and that search actually queries thousands of cameras” across the country.
https://redd.it/1rk0ldk
@r_k12sysadmin
Basic Phishing Simulation and Training Platform
We’re looking to do some Phishing campaigns this year and conduct some trainings and we’re trying to narrow down the most affordable platform.
We were initially going to go with Knowbe4 but looks like they’re changing their tier model to a one level membership making it a lot more expensive. I am also hearing that their platform and content are pretty dated.
So far I found Huntress to be promising, but if there anything out there that has some basic features with phishing sim and training it would be much appreciated. We’re trying to start slow so don’t need all that glitter and glam.
Thanks!
https://redd.it/1rfufrr
@r_k12sysadmin
Synology and Google Backup: Space Reclaimation
So for a couple years now we've been backing up our domain to a Synology appliance. We have five jobs divided up by shared drives, key staff groups like Central Office, etc. and then two generic jobs to catch the regular users. We've started to get low on space and realized when we remove a user from the system, it's not deleting the files behind the scenes on the drive. I'm currently in File Station and seeing a ton of old users that got backed up but didn't fully get removed from the system. Is there a trick to this or is it just that goofy? We have around 12TB of data, for scale.
https://redd.it/1rggktq
@r_k12sysadmin
ManagedMethods vs Google Education Plus
We are getting hit almost daily with phishing scams and our Managed Methods helps to remediate but not stop the initial emails.
Does anyone have experience with the Google Education Plus and how well it works to protect against phishing campaigns?
https://redd.it/1rgcene
@r_k12sysadmin
Students and chat
Is it possible to set up in the Google Admin Console a way for students to be able to message staff only? No one on one with students and no creating of spaces. Just message teachers. Thanks in advance
https://redd.it/1rglvjl
@r_k12sysadmin
Projector Suggestions
My school primarily uses IFP in our classrooms and therefore don't have any projectors but we're having a school trip encompassing a weekend and we need a projector to show some videos/activities.
I am looking for recommendations in the $300-500 range. Any reason not to consider the small form factor ones like the Anker Nebula?
https://redd.it/1rh3a5j
@r_k12sysadmin
Communication regarding the possible NYC blizzard?
Anyone in nyc had any communication regarding the potential blizzard this weekend? I'm just a lowly sysadmin at an independent school and don't get any communication.
https://redd.it/1raslkw
@r_k12sysadmin
Veracross for Development Office
Does anyone use Veracross for your development office and can you share your experience with it?
https://redd.it/1r95pv2
@r_k12sysadmin
Google Workspace
We have been getting hit hard with phishing/scam emails. I saw somewhere to run us through the Google MX toolbox and we had a lot of errors. All but one of this has been resolved now.
But I was going thru the Security Health area and saw Approved Senders without authentication is enabled for our Admin group which included all of our main office staff, technology, transportation; basically anyone that is not at a school site. We get a lot of them claiming to be our superintendent.
Would disabling this be a wise decision? The admin that enabled it no longer works for us so we can’t ask him why it was enabled for only that 1 OU.
https://redd.it/1r92q3g
@r_k12sysadmin
K12 IP Surveillance: Genetec vs Milestone XProtect?
Does anyone have any experience with both Genetec and Milestone XProtect? We currently use the locally hosted version of Milestone XProtect but we have some folks that are very interested in Genetec and I'm wondering if there are any real benefits or caveats on the technical end since it's going to mean gutting the current camera system.
https://redd.it/1r9vh7o
@r_k12sysadmin
