Microsoft Updates
This past August Microsoft released a substantial update to Windows 10 that has improved several features and smoothed the operating system out, as well as a new version of Office called Office 2016. The Pampa ISD Tech Department will be applying these updates between now and the start of the next school year.
These updates will bring some exciting new features and a subtle new look to Microsoft Office and Windows 10. An update to the Start Menu in Windows 10 is one of the highlights of the Anniversary Update. Office 2016 will look similar with very minimal cosmetic differences.
The Windows 10 Anniversary Update will include:
- An update to the start menu for easier access to your programs.
- A upgrade to the notification menu and task tray to allow for better communication from your computer.
- There were a few improvement made to Microsoft Edge and its support for browser extensions.
- Updates to system troubleshooting with Windows 10.
- A new on/off toggle for a sleek ‘Dark Mode’ theme option for those users who think Windows 10 windows are too bright.
Who’s Getting Them?
All teacher devices will be getting these updates, along with all student lab computers. We want to roll these out not just for the new features but to ensure security on district devices. This Windows update has been tested by the technology department for the past several months and is ready to be introduced to the district.
For now we will limit the updates to just laptops only because they are portable and have the ability to be brought into the Technology Department.
What You Need to Do
To perform these updates the Technology Department will need to wipe the devices that we’re updating, so you will need to backup your files if you don’t want to lose anything. A good place to put your files would either be your X drive or a flash drive if you have one. This will ensure that all your data will be saved and you won’t lose any information while we complete the process of getting your device updated.
Depending on how many documents and files you have on your device, it may take some time to move your stuff over to your X drive or a flash drive, so be sure to have all of your stuff already backed up before bringing them to the Technology office. The Technology department will not be responsible for any lost or damaged data, so be sure to get your things backed up properly.
How Do You Get Them?
You can give us your device before or during the summer and we will gladly update them. The process to update them does not take very long (although time results may vary based on our availability) so if you drop your laptop off before summer we expect to have the devices updated within same-day service. If you choose to wait until summer to leave your device with us it may take much longer before it is ready because we will have a larger number of devices to update on top of the other tasks we will be performing to get the district’s technology ready for the next school year. We will notify you via email when your device is ready for pick-up; you may come pick your device up anytime after that or leave it with us for the duration of the summer if you will not be needing it.
When you come to pick up your device we’ll have a few things for you to do, so make sure you have 15 or 20 minutes to spare when you come in. First of all we will ask everyone to log into their laptop and take a couple of steps to prepare your profile so that everything will be ready for you when you leave. Secondly we’ll ask you to fill out our new Device Assignment form which is our new standard for record keeping. You will need to know your Employee ID for this form, so please come prepared!
So drop your laptop off with the Technology Department at the administration building and we’ll begin updating your device. As things wind down for summer break we hope that everyone gets a much needed rest and we will continue working to ensure that you have all of the necessary tools to better perform your job when you come back!
Remember to follow the Pampa ISD Technology department on Facebook and Twitter to get info, tips, and updates about all of the changes coming for next year!
The Harvester Kernel 