Technology Blog
A New Year of Support for Digital Learning in SUSD
As we step into the new year, we’d like to take a moment to celebrate the hard work and dedication of our IT staff in supporting the Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) throughout 2024. Supporting the technology that enables world-class, future-focused learning each day is important to our team! Despite the challenges of ensuring nearly 21,000 students have daily access to digital resources, our commitment to maintaining or increasing our 96% customer satisfaction rate remains unwavering.
Highlights of Our 2024 Achievements:
- Device Refreshes: We successfully completed 2,032 student device refreshes, ensuring every student had access to reliable, up-to-date, and secure technology for their online learning. Each fiscal year (which follows the school calendar), we have had sufficient funds to refresh student devices in at least one learning community, ensuring students consistently have a reliable device for digital learning, collaborating, and communicating.
- Technical Support: Our team provides support to students and staff through the work of our Help Desk, field technicians, and other staff members responsible for the smooth operations of our infrastructure and systems. In 2024, we received 18,164 requests for support (about one third of which were for student devices) and maintained a 96% customer satisfaction rate.
- Data Privacy: We entered into or updated 80 data privacy agreements with third-party service providers, adhering to legal and ethical standards for student data protection. More information about these agreements is available here.
- Optimizing Storage: We safely moved nearly 7 TB of individual storage from local SUSD servers to secure cloud storage provided by Microsoft OneDrive. This move takes advantage of existing cloud storage capacity while increasing efficiencies and eliminating the need for individual storage on SUSD servers.
- Classroom Audio/Visual Upgrades: The fall of 2024 marked the completion of a project begun in 2021 to replace classroom projectors with interactive flat-panel devices. This project provided updates to 1,433 classrooms across SUSD, and 240 of those completed in 2024 included classroom audio updates. SUSD is proud to provide audio enhancement in each classroom and we will continue updating those systems across the district in the coming year.
While we take pride in our achievements in 2024, our journey doesn't stop here. We are committed to continuously enhancing our services and exceeding your expectations. Your insights and suggestions are crucial as we aim to elevate our performance in 2025. Please share your feedback with our leadership team by clicking here.
Thank you for your ongoing trust and support. Wishing you a joyful and successful new year of learning!
Stay Safe Online: Using AI Responsibly
As we embrace the exciting possibilities that Artificial Intelligence (AI) brings to our daily lives, it’s crucial to stay informed and proactive about using these technologies safely.
Here are some essential tips from our “Secure Our World” AI safety sheet to help you and your loved ones navigate the digital world securely:
- Mind Your Inputs: Some AI systems learn from the data we provide. Avoid sharing sensitive or confidential information with AI tools. If you wouldn’t post it on social media, don’t share it with AI.
- Be Privacy Aware: Remember that AI models often use data from the web. Think carefully about what you share publicly online, as it could be used by AI tools.
- Stay Vigilant Against Cyber Threats: Cybercriminals can use AI to create convincing deepfakes or mimic trusted voices. Protect yourself by using strong passwords, enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA), keeping software updated, and being cautious of phishing attempts.
- Use AI as a Tool, Not a Crutch: While AI can assist with many tasks, it’s important to maintain your own expertise and not rely solely on AI-generated content. Treat AI as a helpful tool, rather than a replacement for your skills.
Additionally, we encourage you to familiarize yourself with the SUSD AI Guidelines available at susd.ai. These guidelines provide valuable insights into the ethical and responsible use of AI within our schools. They cover important topics such as:
- Ensuring privacy and data protection
- Promoting transparency and accountability in AI usage
- Identifying generative AI tools approved for use, as appropriate, within SUSD
- Encouraging the development of AI literacy among students and families
By following these guidelines and staying informed, we can all contribute to a safer and more responsible digital environment. Let’s work together to secure our world and make the most of AI’s potential, while protecting our privacy and security.
Keeping Our Devices and Families Healthy This Cybersecurity Awareness Month
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month and to celebrate, we want to remind you that just as we care for our physical health, it’s essential to nurture our digital well-being. Here are some healthy habits to keep both your family and devices safe online:
- Educate for Health: Just as we teach our children about nutrition and exercise, let’s talk about online safety. Discuss the importance of protecting personal information and respecting privacy just as we respect our personal space. SUSD has additional information about online safety in our Keeping it Real campaign found here.
- Strong Passwords Are Like Strong Immunity: Encourage your family to create strong, unique passwords for their accounts. Think of a password as a healthy barrier against germs ‒ strong passwords help keep harmful intruders away! Information for students about how to change their password can be found in the SUSD Student Help Center.
- Regular Check-Ups: Just as we schedule regular doctor visits, make it a habit to update your software, apps, and devices. Keeping everything up to date is key to preventing potential threats, much like staying current with vaccinations. Students are encouraged to restart their SUSD devices regularly so updates can be applied automatically.
- Be Wary of Junk Food: Just as we avoid unhealthy snacks, remind your family to steer clear of suspicious emails or messages. Encourage them to think critically before clicking on links or downloading attachments from unknown sources. The National Cybersecurity Alliance has helpful information about identifying and avoiding phishing emails.
By adopting these healthy digital habits, we can nurture a safe and secure environment for our families and school community. Together, let's cultivate a culture of cybersecurity awareness!
Secure and Ready: IT’s Commitment to a Great School Year
As we launch the second month of the new school year, our IT department is dedicated to ensuring smooth and successful digital learning for teachers and students. With more than 20,000 student devices deployed across our Pre-K‒12 schools, we continue working tirelessly to support the safe and effective use of devices, software, and classroom technology. We are here to assist with any technical issues that may arise, so please do not hesitate to reach out for support by calling 480.484.HELP (4357).
We would like to remind all students that they have the ability to change their passwords to something private and secure by visiting password.susd.org.
Specific instructions and other helpful tips can be found on our Student Help Center. Changing your password is an important step in maintaining the security of SUSD accounts and personal information. For students in sixth grade and above, there is a new requirement to create a “passphrase” instead of a traditional password. A passphrase is a longer string of words or a sentence that is easy to remember but difficult for others to guess. This added length and complexity provides an extra layer of security and is a good habit to start early.
Thank you for your continued support and cooperation. We are excited about the opportunities this new school year brings to Elevate Excellence in SUSD! If you have any questions or need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact our IT support team. Let’s make this school year a great one!
The SUSD IT Department has been working hard all summer to support a successful launch of the new school year! We know that access to digital resources is essential for communication, collaboration, and learning, and we continue to provide a device for every student in the Scottsdale Unified School District. Currently, the standard is a Chromebook (borrowed from the school library) for K-8 grade students and a Windows device (checked out from the bookstore) for high school students.
Just like any other borrowed learning resource, it’s important to remember that students are responsible for any damage or missing items, other than normal wear and tear.
To help protect families from potentially large fines for missing or damaged devices, SUSD provides families with an Optional Device Protection Plan each school year. For detailed information about this plan, we invite you to visit the Optional Device Protection Plan website. If you decide to enroll in the plan, please note that enrollment is required each new school year and coverage extends through the summer.
If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to reach out to your school’s library or bookstore.
You can also contact the SUSD Help Desk at 480.484.HELP (4357). We’re here to support you!
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