Six Tips for Successful Video Implementation in
K-12 Schools:
Increasingly serious threats are emerging both inside and outside
school walls, so here are six tips for achieving successful video
implementation in K-12 schools:
Take advantage of the power of IP
Video technology
today is like other network devices and applications that run on the
existing IT network. IP cameras are another peripheral on the network, and
video management software can be operated from a PC, making video easier
to install, scale, access, share and use.
Get the right people involved
A cross-functional
implementation team for video planning and deployment can decrease errors
and ensure buy-in among critical system users. The team should include the
principal, administrators, safety officers, IT professionals, teachers and
athletic and transportation directors.
Capture the right video
The implementation team
should consider the problems they are trying to address and prioritize
coverage areas to provide the greatest possible breadth of information.
Planning should consider a history of problems in the building and which
areas are most frequently associated with activities such as fights,
vandalism, drug use and sneak-offs. Consider entry and exit doors; high
traffic, public areas; loading and unloading areas for buses; corners and
stairwells; restroom entrances/exits; and parking lots.
Establish a policy
Schools should anticipate
negative reaction to the use of video and construct an official policy
outlining its use. The policy should communicate why administrators chose
to use surveillance technology and list general guidelines and
restrictions of surveillance video. Developing and proactively
communicating a plan can address concerns and garner support.
Leverage video with other systems
IP video is
unique in its ability to augment other systems. With access control, for
example, administrators can use video to determine if main entrances are
being kept locked during in-class hours, thus forcing visitors to check in
at the office. Video can also identify - and suggest the need for training
related to - issues such as tailgating, door propping and other activities
that may render access control systems ineffective.
Provide access to law enforcement
For video to
become a lifesaving tool, law enforcement and firefighters should have a
link via a Web browser to provide access to live video from cameras on
campus. The school may choose to offer full access to camera views any
time, any place, or to offer video access only in case of an emergency.
Either choice involves working through the school's IT administrator and
security personnel.
From an article written by Andrew Wren & Brad Spicer (02/07)
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Report: Schools Fall Short in Preparing for
Emergencies
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has analyzed the state of
emergency preparedness at U.S. schools and concluded that schools'
emergency plans are insufficient. The GAO finds, for example, that roughly
50 percent of all school districts lack a plan for educating students in
the event that schools are closed for a long time. Districts are also
failing to include first responders when implementing their emergency
plans, and 28 percent of districts with emergency plans do not have plans
for evacuating disabled students. Also, about 66 percent of districts are
hampered by a lack of preparedness knowledge and equipment, including
communications equipment and good locks for their buildings.
Source: CNN.com (05/17/07)
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10 Ways To Get A Grip On Your e-mail
If you get and send 100 e-mails a day, that adds up to 24,000 messages
annually, on which you probably spend an average of 100 workdays. If you
could manage to reduce the amount of e-mail you send and receive by 20%,
you'd free up 20 workdays a year to use for other things, like thinking up
new ideas that could help further your career or, heck, taking a longer
vacation.
So how can you cut back on the time e-mail takes up (not to mention the
aggravation it can cause)? Ten suggestions that may help:
Send less
Think hard before you use the "reply to
all" and "cc" features, and use group distribution lists sparingly. By
targeting your e-mails, rather than spraying them, you'll be more
efficient and effective.
Quit boomeranging
Send 5 e-mails and you'll get,
on average, 3 responses, most of which aren't necessary. If you eliminate
just 1 in 5 of your outgoing e-mails, you'll instantly shrink the incoming
volume, and save time on needless back-and-forth exchanges.
Stop - then send
Before hitting the "send" button,
ask yourself: Is this information timely, topical, and targeted? Will it
help the recipient do his or her job better? If not, skip it.
Be polite, up to a point
Not every e-mail requires
a reply, especially if it's just a routine "thanks!" With the people you
e-mail (and who e-mail you) most often, try including an acronym in the
subject line like "NTN" (no thanks needed) or "NRN" (no reply needed) - a
simple but effective time-saver.
Schedule live conversations
Instead of sending an
e-mail that will initiate a long back-and-forth discussion, try scheduling
an in-person or phone meeting instead. You'll often get a lot more done in
less time.
Strengthen your subject lines
Vague subject lines
confuse recipients and make e-mails hard to locate later. One-word
categories, like "Request" or "Confirmation," along with relevant
information like dates or times, add clarity and context to your messages.
Structure matters
Avoid sending a wall of words.
Instead, start every message with a greeting of no more than 8 words. (For
example: "That was an interesting meeting yesterday.") Then use the ABC
method to divide your e-mail into 3 distinct sections: Action (stating
your purpose), Background (presenting your key points), and Close
(clarifying the next steps).
Save purposefully
Searching for an old e-mail can
eat up untold amounts of time, so be picky about what you save. Ask
yourself: What are the odds I'll need this information later? Could I get
it just as easily from the Web or somewhere else? Is it important to what
I'm working on - really? You'll save less and find more.
File smart
You might have several overlapping
e-mail folders, so "Stuff from the Boss" could contain anything from a
performance review to a lunch invitation. Instead, create a smaller number
of folders and label them according to content (not sender or some other
criterion). You'll file and find information faster.
Coach - or suffer
Alas, sending better e-mails
yourself won't guarantee that others will follow your lead, unless you ask
them to. "Offer your frequent senders a few really good tips," the authors
write, "or suffer through their bad e-mails."
From an article written by Anne Fisher, Fortune senior writer
(05/18/07)
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Quote of the Month:
"Many fine things can be
done in a day if you don't always make that day tomorrow"
Is Web-Screening Job Candidates a Good Idea?
Using the Internet to examine job candidates is legal if done
correctly, but employers should note that their findings may range from
irrelevant to inaccurate. A recent survey found that of the 26 percent of
employers who reported using search engines like Google, 51 percent
reported not hiring applicants based on what was found. Of the 12 percent
of employers who searched social networks like MySpace, 63 percent
declined to hire candidates. Employers were put off by negative
information like poor communication skills and false qualifications. On
the flip side, 64 percent of employers found information confirming the
suitability of the candidate. An employer's right to deny job candidates
based on Internet search findings depends on the findings' content. Some
states bar employers from taking punitive action against employees or job
candidates due to off-duty activities or speech. Moreover, discriminatory
googling, such as by national origin, may lead to lawsuits. Googling only
one candidate out of a pool of applications is also frowned upon. One
expert notes that, overall, time spent searching online may be better put
to use questioning the applicant's former employers.
Source: Managing Accounts Payable (04/07) Vol. 2007, No. 4
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Fact of the Month:
In April, internet news sites
paid up to 9 cents a click to for search engine terms such as "VT
shooting" and "VT video" to guarantee that their pages would be displayed
prominently when readers searched for coverage of the Virginia Tech
shootings. (The Wall Street Journal)
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