Author Archives: blogger

Things That Can Get Educators in Legal Hot Water

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Remember those World War II posters that warned, “Loose Lips Sink Ships?” Well, that dire wisdom is just as urgent today. It is possible that a comment ingenuously made in the faculty room, in an email, during an IEP meeting or a phone call can cause a teacher embarrassment, at best, or a district to become embroiled in a lawsuit, at worst. Caution to be professional at all times as well as ever mindful of confidentiality laws has always been a top priority of school districts. However, in our digital age, this issue has taken on a new meaning and has escalated caution to another level.

In order to ferret out the most critical concerns facing schools today and some tips for how to deal with these concerns, I spoke with four lawyers who work with schools on a regular basis. Following are some of the insights gleaned from those conversations.
What is considered written documentation?

Anything and everything written about a student on school grounds can be subpoenaed for use in court. Attorney Dianna Halpenny of Sacramento, California, reinforces that anything in writing with a student’s name in it is part of the official student record. It is not necessarily true that if teachers keep it at home that it is not a student record.

Email communication

When faced with the challenge of keeping email private on school servers, teachers used to be advised to use web mail versus a downloadable email client such as Microsoft Outlook, Eudora, or Thunderbird. The belief was that web mail such as Yahoo mail; Hotmail, Mail2Web, etc. were safe.

Attorney Pamela Parker of Austin, Texas, reveals another, less known, fact: even web-based email is forensically accessible. Web-based email history may still be on the school server. Parker acknowledges that schools are not necessarily monitoring emails; however, a forensic computer specialist can recreate the emails if necessary. The reality of today’s world is that everything that is digital lives forever. Parker employs a sound analogy, “Having a conversation by email or text message is no different than having a private conversation on stage at Carnegie hall in front of a full house. Most people won’t pay attention, but some will.”

Teachers may send an email to a parent, colleague, supervisor, etc. believing that the email will remain confidential between them. However, there is no guarantee that the recipient of an email will respect that confidentiality or realize the importance of keeping the interaction private. Sometimes, despite all good intentions, emails are forwarded accidentally. This easily happens when the writer uses “reply all” or continues to respond to an email that has the entire thread attached. I’ve been amazed at what I’ve had included in a message to me when I have been added as a recipient midstream in an email conversation. When I scroll down, I might read conversation to which I should not have been privy. Here’s a tip: Look at what’s attached to the bottom of your email before you hit “send!”

Phone messages

Another consideration is phone messages. Not only can they be overheard, they can be forwarded. Parker contends that even a teacher’s children might see and pass on text messages or phone emails. Parker advises educators to have critical conversations in person.

Attorney Brad King of Richmond, Virginia, goes on to explain that even messages on personal phones, especially those regarding relationships with students, can become public domain. He explains that teachers’ phone records can be involved in litigation. Again, the digital age brings a new level of accountability to the issue. Digital phone messages, as well as text messages, are easily forwarded and potentially retrieved.

Text messages

Have you ever gotten a text or sent a text that was meant for someone else? Are you sure that deleted texts are not potentially accessible if a related case was brought to court? How much text messaging is available is dependent on your telecommunication carrier. There may be information out there that you do not know is there.

Contributors:
Diana D. Halpenny
Attorney at Law
Kronick, Moskovitz, Tiedemann & Girard, Inc.

Pamela Parker
Attorney at Law
Austin, Texas

Bradford A. King, Esq.
Thompson McMullan, P.C.

Mark Joel Goldstein
Attorney

Telecom Jobs And How To Find Them

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The telecommunications industry is broad and varied. Landing one of the many telecom jobs that are available today will offer the possibility for long-term employment and job security. As technology is becoming less expensive than ever before, more consumers are able to take advantage of the latest software, computers, phone and satellite systems as well as gadgets of all types. This surge in the use of technology has created thousands of jobs in the telecom industry. Even during the recent recession, the telecommunications industry fared well as there were very few layoffs and company closures across the board.

Considering the fact that more and more technical jobs are being created across the UK, the time is now to jump into this exciting field of opportunity. One of the best ways to take a look at what types of jobs actually exist today, is by simply go online and visiting one of the many vocational-related websites that lists various job titles, their descriptions, qualifications required and estimated salary ranges.

In order to work in the telecom industry, you must consider your level of experience and credentials. While there are some telecom jobs that only consist of providing assistance and technical support to people, others are much more complex and will require that you have an education in the particular area and/or up-to-date training and certification. So be sure that the area you would like to work in is actually something that is possible for you to do – in other words, do not set your sights too high. There is an awful lot of competition in the telecommunications field due to the rather good pay and employers will certainly choose the most qualified candidate for any open position they may have.

One of the best ways to locate telecom jobs is to go online and visit some of the dozens of UK-based websites that list job openings in the telecommunications field. These employment sites are very valuable resources to use as they will save you literally hours of work. If it were not for these sites, you would be wasting an incredible amount of time scouring through newspapers and crawling the web looking for open positions.

Most of websites that provide the job listings obtain their information from large databases which are constantly being updated so you can rest assured that the information you are viewing is accurate. The best sites usually offer some extras such as listings of the best companies to work for or tips on writing an powerful and effective resume.

If you discover that you need some education or training in order to qualify for a job you are interested in, then by all means check into taking courses in that area. There are numerous online telecom training programs available as well as university courses that cover every aspect of telecommunications. The time could not be better and the opportunities abound in this exciting field of employment.

Crossnet Managed Services Provides Network And Telecom System Monitoring

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Network and telecommunications services come in many shapes and sizes. There are many that offer the service, but few that truly excel in delivering service and maintenance. Cross Telecom is an industry leader in providing the best in services and Avaya maintenance to clients. One way they have ensured this continued success is through CrossNet Managed Services. CrossNet Managed Services is a comprehensive and flexible suite of managed services, which utilizes Cross Telecoms experience and expertise.
CrossNet Managed Services offers a proactive network and telecommunications system monitoring and management platform, which means you get real-time support of your system; remote system backup for business continuance and disaster recovery, enabling your business to move forward no matter the setback. Systems audit and analysis reporting ensures that your valuable data and assets are effectively reaching your companys goals.
CrossNet Managed Services is one of three pillars that make up CrossNet Services. CrossNet Maintenance and CrossNet Support are the other two pieces. These three components encompass the elements of ensuring stable, secure, and efficient operation of your network and telecommunication systems. Here are some of the features CrossNet Managed Services delivers.
Storage Services: Cross Remote System Backup services provide customers with a secure encrypted offsite disaster recovery copy of Avaya PBX translations. Cross servers are hosted in a SAS70 Type II certified data center, and data is encrypted both in transit and while at rest. Backup jobs are scheduled for weekly transfers using secure file transfer protocol. Backup files are encrypted by the PBX using an implementation of Open PGP.
Reporting Services: Cross System Audit and Analysis is a service providing system inventory, configuration information, and analysis for Avaya PBX systems. The audit process collects data from the cabinets, carriers, and media gateways down to the individual stations. Once Cross has prepared the analysis from collected data, an Overall Impact Rating is applied to each PBX surveyed. This allows you to quickly identify PBX systems with the most critical upgrade needs and to prepare migration plans before major support and liability issues arise.
Monitoring Services: Visualize, monitor, and pro-actively manage your environment. CrossTrak Monitoring and Management is a secure distributed network management service that will monitor your entire voice and data network infrastructure. CrossTrak can provide you with proactive availability monitoring, statistical measurements, and real-time alerts and notification.
Cross is an Avaya Premier, National Platinum Business Partner and Avaya Business Partner of the Year award winner. By providing a complete portfolio of Voice, Data, IP Telephony, Wireless, CrossNet Maintenance and Support, Professional Services and Cross University, Cross has defined itself as a complete, end-to-end integrator of converged technologies nationwide. Having one of the largest and most experienced technical teams within the industry, Cross delivers business transforming communications solutions that will create a distinct competitive advantage for our customers. For award winning customer service on Avaya telecommunication products, contact Cross Telecom to meet your needs.

Ooma Review Is Voip Really Good Enough

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A couple of years ago Ooma VoIP devices came onto the telecommunications scene.

For a quite a while now, the communications industry has been getting us all hyped up on VoIP with companies like Vonage leading the charge in selling the service.

If you’re like me, the monthly cost of communications has gotten to be a significant part of the monthly budget. Any way to save a buck or two is always on my radar, but I wasn’t willing to take the plunge until I knew I could rely on it. Internet, land line phone, mobile phone, TV, streaming entertainment…it’s gotten ridiculous! These “essentials” can end up competing with food expenditures!

he idea is enticing…Voice over Internet Protocol…essentially, using the Internet to transmit phone calls. You already have Internet access; why not just use it for your voice calls?

The “early adopters” explored the early days of VoIP offerings and the reports were not terribly encouraging. Buffering, freezing, weird echo-ing…the technology just wasn’t up to snuff.

Then came Ooma.

In 2009 the Ooma Core VoIP was launched. This was soon followed by the Ooma Hub and Ooma Scout.

What immediately set Ooma apart was the crystal clear voice quality. Ooma set the standard with the leading edge technology and the ease of use.

The latest offering on the market is Ooma Telo Free Home Phone Service.

As technology is apt to do, this new device has become even smaller and sleeker than its predecessors. It’s a simple, unobtrusive device to add to your home.

It’s also incredibly easy to use. Plug your modem into the Ooma Telo and plug your phone into the Ooma Telo. Voila!

The options are great too. Get a new phone number, or keep your old one. Use BlueTooth to connect your mobile to the Ooma. Get rid of your land line altogether or keep it as a backup. Full 911 access even sends your address to emergency services.

You can even upgrade to the Ooma Premier package for more features. You get to try all of them for free and then decide if you want to keep them.

Now Use Cheaper Telecommunication Services With More Freedom

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The telecommunication sector in India is passing through transformation stage. The multidimensional growth and improvement in the services have drawn the attention of almost all the countries. Whether it is cellular data card, cellular postpaid plans, net setter plan or usb modem, every field of communication and internet has expanded considerably. Today, having the best telecommunication has become the priority of everyone irrespective to occupation.

The demand of cellular data card and cellular postpaid plans is increasing fast in almost every part of country. Everyone has so many options to choose the service provider. Till now cellular phone users have the limitation of using the services of only one provider from whom they purchased the connection. If anyone changed the service provider, cell numbers also used to change. Recently introduced portability policy has made it possible to change the service provider without changing the cell number. It means, users are free to choose the best service provider. Telecommunication companies are also trying their best to retain their users. To woo more customer, companies are announcing new postpaid and prepaid schemes. We are all set to see more reduction in the call charges in the near future.

As the globalization is increasing fast, communication needs are no more limited only to verbal communication. People of almost all the professions rely upon the reliable internet services. Here, we have two options -wired one with usb modem and wireless with a movable stick. The companies offer fixed value net user plan and variable valued plans. if the use is considerable high, fixed value plan are better. If someone intends to use internet only for limited period, he may opt for variable amount plans. The continuity and speed are the main consideration of internet users. Professionals are least bothered for paying little extra if they get better services. Today, cellular users have become smarter because of having so many options. They want not only the most competitive plans but also anticipate best allied services like ease in billing, customer care and plan switchover facility etc. All the Indian telecommunication companies are engaged in updating their working model; soon, we are going to get more advantages.