According to Superintendent John Deasy, providing iPads, which are intended for standardized test taking, assignments, educational games and media work, will help even the playing field between high- and low-income students. However, roughly 300 students across 47 schools selected to test-drive the program were able to hack security firewalls and access social media and other sites. The breach caused school officials at three schools to reclaim the tablets, while the remaining schools revoked students’ ability to take the iPads off campus.

During a Nov. 12 meeting, board members continued the debate on the usefulness of the initiative, and how it would best be implemented. After nearly three hours, the board voted 6-1 to provide an additional 35 schools with the tablets, on top of those schools already serving as guinea pigs. The decision also included hiring an evaluation team to monitor the effectiveness of the program, and swapping iPads for laptops at seven LAUSD schools to determine which is more useful for students.

In response to the technology debate, board member Monica Garcia said, “If it doesn’t work, we will fix it. If scores go down, we will fix it…but we need courage. I haven’t heard anything scarier than keeping our graduation rate and proficiency rates at the same place.”

Meanwhile, board member Monica Ratliff remains unconvinced that the district has chosen the most effective device. Ratliff cited student reports saying laptops were easier for completing writing assignments. “My intent is to make sure our students have the best devices and the best curriculum as we move forward,” she said.

The school district has negotiated a contract with Apple and Pearson, an online curriculum developer, putting the per tablet price at $768, which also includes software, a protective case and a warranty. The project is expected to cost roughly $1 billion when fully implemented, and includes Wi-Fi upgrades, increased electricity bills, maintenance and licensing. The department will also receive discounts at various price points. However, school board member Steve Zimmer is still concerned about the large price tag. “I don’t feel like we have the best contract,” said Zimmer. “I’ve done everything I can to get my head to a place where I feel comfortable with the contract, but I’m not.”

Long-term funding for the project and devices, which have a three-year guarantee, also remain in question. The one-time sale of school construction bonds to be repaid over 25 years is intended to fund the project. Any leftover monies could be devoted to purchasing more devices, according to Chief Strategy Officer Matt Hill. However, Hill cautioned that bonds would only cover a quarter of future maintenance and repair costs. He added that funds could also be raised through voter-approved bonds, or pulled from the general fund.

Deasy initially aimed for full board approval by December 2013, and complete iPad integration by 2015, bringing the program to the district’s 450 remaining schools. However, he admitted at the Nov. 12 meeting that this date could be pushed back as a result of lingering board concerns.

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“People now have the ability to act as living sensors for things they witness in their day-to-day lives,” said Dave Bartlett, vice president of Industry Solutions at IBM.

The district typically receives more than 300,000 maintenance service requests each year. Since launching the mobile application, the district has responded to more than 1,650 reports submitted through both it and an identical form on its website. The number of reports is anticipated to significantly rise this year.

“What’s neat about the technology is that it gives the user automated feedback,” said Kurt Daradics, co-founder and director of business development at City Sourced, which developed the application. “Once the problem is fixed, it sends a message to the user who sent in the request and notifies them of the completed project.”

When a user submits a problem through his or her smart phone, the software notes the location and notifies campus workers. Redlands, Calif.-based software company, Esri, helped develop the tool.

“By using mapping technology we have made electric boundaries, so we know what campus the problem is at,” Daradics said.

It can be difficult for the district’s 700,000 students to know to whom to report a problem and for maintenance workers to locate it. The application is intended to make both challenges easier to handle.

“LAUSD is the first school district to have the app,” Daradics said, “and now that it’s public, other schools have been reaching out to us to learn more.”

The district pays about $25,000 for an annual license for the program. City Sourced calculates the annual payment based on district population size. For users, the application is free.

Before the application launched, students, faculty, staff and parents reported maintenance issues to the campus plant manager. The manager would then need to locate and understand the issue before calling the maintenance and operations service call desk, which would then delegate the problem to the appropriate person or department. The application, school officials say, bypasses many of those steps.

“Each year we found we were spending too much time, money and energy locating and reporting a problem before we even had the chance to fix it,” said Danny Lu, business analyst for the district. “By finding a more efficient way to report and locate needed repairs, we are able to respond faster to serve our campuses. The best part is that the solution is at the fingertips of most everyone on campus.”

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Cannon

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Vicon Industries Inc. introduces the I-Onyx Series of IP cameras. Powered by ViconNet software, the series consists of three models: the VN-855, a high-resolution model; the VN-855DN, a day/night version; and the VN-855 wide dynamic range model. All three can deliver up to 30 fps across a network.

The series provides color images with a resolution of up to 540 TV lines and uses MPEG-4 compression that enables simultaneous transmission of multi-channel video across the LAN and WAN to recorders and workstations. The cameras support motion detection, alarm reporting, macros and alarm configurations.

Reader Service # 200

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Toshiba introduces the IK-WB02A IP network camera, which comes with a 24 VAC power supply, a 6-inch universal mount and a choice between a 2.9-8.0-mm or 5.0-50.0-mm Fuji lens.

Designed for security applications in schools, government facilities and businesses, the camera features power over Ethernet capability, two-way audio and built-in motion detection. The product can interface with new and existing systems using network video-out and RJ 45 connections. It is compatible with standard monitors and recorders.

A built-in SD card slot allows users to record activity at the camera and then play the card back on a computer to view captured video at one frame per second.

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Bradley Corp. is expanding its line of eyewash solutions with the new OneStep bottle eyewash. The eyewash provides immediate first-aid relief because it is ready to use in one motion.

The patented design allows the user to simply pull the bottle from the wall-mounted station and use it to quickly rinse the affected eye area. The bottle top is suspended from the holder and there is no turning, twisting or unscrewing required to open it. The station has a slim profile for mounting within reach of any hazard. Bottle eyewash is intended as a quick flush before users reach an ANSI-compliant eyewash station.

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