IS 480 Journal & Progress Report

Two weeks ago, I outlined a professional networking strategy focused on workplace connections, online networking, and industry events. Since then, I have made significant progress in strengthening my professional presence and expanding my network. Workplace Connections: While I continue to engage with colleagues and supervisors, I’ve also started leveraging personal connections outside of work. A former classmates father, who works at Lumen and is in the same jazz band as me has been providing valuable career advice and even shared potential job leads, which could help me transition into a more advanced IT role. Online Networking: I have been actively improving my LinkedIn profile by adding past supervisors and new connections to expand my reach. This has helped me get my name out in the IT field and stay updated on potential job opportunities. Additionally, I’ve started working on updating my portfolio website to better showcase my skills and projects, ensuring that my online presence...

 This week I worked my full 40 hours, bringing the quarter total to 280 hours. This week I did not know what to expect as I had just come back from our mid-winter break. I did expect to get more laptops back as students are doing WEDA testing and I was right. I got about 18 computers that need to be either reset or updated so that the testing software could run.  This week has been a mix of slow and busy days. It feels like its been 2 weeks since I was on break but its only finally Friday. There has been a mix of things that I have worked on like resetting and updating student computers, setting up a new staff laptop and customizing his settings to be like his old computer / downloading software for his curriculum next year. I also fixed other miscellaneous issues such as frozen computers, monitors not working, preforming inventory control (tagging tech and adding it to our inventory software) etc... Next week I expect to do more laptop repairs and not a lot else as they ...

Although I didn’t work this week due to the school’s mid-winter break, I’m reflecting on my previous week to address this journal prompt. Easiest Accomplishment: One of the more straightforward tasks was handling two teacher laptops before the break. The first involved a Surface laptop infected with ransomware. After disabling the teacher’s accounts and notifying the system admin, I performed a fresh Windows installation and reinstalled all necessary drivers. The process went smoothly since I’ve done similar resets before. The second laptop was outdated, running Windows 10 21H1, which prevented system updates and Outlook from working properly. I manually upgraded it to Windows 10 22H2 and then to Windows 11. Although the install took time, the process itself was routine. Hardest Accomplishment: The most challenging task was dealing with a middle school student misusing the school’s network. Investigating their actions revealed they were sending malicious scripts through SharePoint, all...

This weeks report is going to be a relatively short one. This week the school is on "Mid Winter Break" so that means I don't work this week as its not in my contract to work. This brings this weeks hours worked to 0, leaving the total hours the same. Before I left on Friday, a few teacher had issues with their surface laptops and one has ransomware on it. We disabled all her accounts and let the system admin take the accounts from there while I reset the Laptop with a fresh install of windows and reinstalled all the drivers. Another teacher had Windows 10 v 21h1 and was so outdated they couldn't update or use outlook. I had to manually install Windows 10 22h2 then I was able to install Windows 11 after that. When I left it was still installing so I hope it finished.  I expect to hand back those two laptops as soon I get back on Monday then deal with any weird issues that seam to come up whenever there is a break. 

Building a strong professional network is essential for career growth, especially in the IT field. My networking strategy focuses on three key areas: workplace connections, online networking, and industry events. First, I am working on building relationships within my current workplace. As a Technology Technician, I regularly interact with IT staff, administrators, and occasionally vendors. By demonstrating my technical skills and problem-solving abilities on the job, I am establishing credibility and creating opportunities for future growth. I also make an effort to engage with my supervisors and colleagues, seeking advice on career development. Second, I am utilizing online platforms like LinkedIn to connect with IT professionals and stay informed about job opportunities. While I have started following industry leaders and sharing insights from my work experience, I recognize the need to be more active in these spaces. Additionally, I plan to join online communities focused on networ...

This week I will have worked a full 40 hours, bringing my quarter total to 240 hours. This week started slow and slowly had things come up here and there. I worked a little bit on some server rostering stuff, contacting our Class-Link rep to help remove duplicate students and make sure the rostering is correct so students can sign into their portal to have SSO for all their curriculums programs like McGraw hill and Project Lead the Way.  Before winter break, we had a middle school student being malicious with the school network and computers, therefor his technology privileges were taken away and it became an admin problem. It was a whole thing I was assigned to work on and discover what he was doing, how he was doing it etc.. Most recently he was given his technology privileges back and they are again up to no good.  This time taking things a bit further  by using his share point to send bat and other script files to students and teachers, letting them gain remote access...

 Since I didn't really work this week I am going to use what I did last week. My biggest accomplishment was successfully managing the A/V setup and troubleshooting during the superintendent finalist forums. These events were critical for the district, as they provided staff and community members the opportunity to interact with the top candidates for the superintendent position. My role was to ensure that the audio and visual components functioned smoothly throughout the forums, minimizing disruptions and ensuring a professional presentation. While A/V is not my primary responsibility, I stepped up to ensure everything worked correctly. I set up the equipment, tested all connections, and remained on-site during each session to address any technical issues immediately. This proactive approach prevented potential disruptions and allowed the forums to proceed without any major problems. Additionally, I gained valuable experience in event technology support, which strengthened my troub...

With all the snow this week I only ended up working on Monday and today (Friday) so that gives me 16 hours worked this week bringing the total for the quarter to 200 hours. I will make up the missed days along with the students on the makeup snow days later in march.  There was nothing really expected to get done this week and since I was only here two days there wasn't much to be done. A lot of teachers and students did not come to school today and there was only one tech issue all day so I took the opportunity to do coding homework. On Monday I changed out two projector bulbs and repaired two computers and that was about it. Next week students will be doing testing again so I'm sure I will be needing to update more computers to make sure that they can access the testing software.