Schools Recognize Their Technology Department

Three Cannon County Schools Technology Department Employees were named as "Employees of the Month" for September 2020 by Cannon County Schools. During the September Meeting of the Cannon County Board of Education on Thursday, September 10th, 2020, Mr. Bryan Cofer, Mr. Timothy Davis, and Mr. Michael Medford were recognized and presented a certificate by Cannon County Schools Director William F. Curtis for their service to the Cannon County School System. Employees are nominated by School Principals or School District Supervisors and are chosen during monthly District Leadership Meetings and/or Supervisor Meetings regarding individuals who exemplify the Vision and Mission of Cannon County Schools.

A recent report submitted from the Technology Department indicated the following listing of recent accomplishments from these outstanding employees:
Chromebook Deployment:

Deployed 164 new Chromebooks to CCHS Freshman Class

Redeployed 220 used Chromebooks to K-8 schools for CICO (Check-In/Check-Out)

Ordered/Prepped/Deployed 315 new (ESSER Funded) Chromebooks to K-8 schools

Reassigned 129 (Civic Grant Funded) Chromebooks to K-8 schools

Total of 828 Chromebooks have been made available for student needs since April.

Outdoor Wireless Internet Access

Outdoor WiFi is now available from all school parking lots. Equipment for this project was just ordered in July using ESSER funds. Project was completed in early August.
VOIP Phone Project

Project to deploy VOIP phones in all classrooms in the school district continued during the pandemic with the final 2 largest schools (Cannon County High School & Woodbury Grammar School). All phones have now been deployed, and the phone systems have also been integrated with intercom systems.
School Computer Lab Projects

A new computer lab replacement was installed at WGS, along with an upgrade of another computer lab. A new Chromebox lab replacement was also installed at this school. A Chromebox lab replacement was also done at CCHS along with replacement of Lion Academy Chromeboxes.

Centralized Finance Network

A network for the new Centralized Finance Dept. has been installed and integrated with our school system network.
School System Network Infrastructure Upgrade

A large project to double the Internet speed/capacity of our school system network has been launched. The hardware that is going in place will be capable of a 10x increase, but will be limited according to the amount of bandwidth that we are purchasing from our provider (thus, a 2x increase for now). Equipment is currently staged out at the Central Office, and implementation is in the early phase, with completion planned by the middle of the school year.
Internet Content Filtering Upgrade

A new Internet content filtering system was ordered with ESSER funding in July, and is already being utilized. The new system adds remote filtering capabilities, which were activated last week. This system will also replace our in-line system in the very near future.
Classroom Management System

A companion product to the filtering system will also allow teachers to interact with students online live during their classes. The system allows the teachers to view/control student screens, and also allows limited control over filtering rules. This system is currently in the testing phase.
Website Upgrade

A new website hosting provider has been vetted/selected for upgrading our school district website. This project was started over the summer, but is temporarily on hold due to the demands of other more urgent projects.
Recovery of Lightning-Damaged Network at Auburn Elementary School

A lightning strike at Auburn Elementary School on July 30th, 2020 resulted in significant damage to the school network. A total of 5 network switches, 7 computers, a monitor, laser printer, and 3 VOIP phones were damaged. We were able to fully restore/replace these items the following week before school was back in session.

In addition to all of these projects, Cannon Schools Technology Department has continued to provide end-user support for routine service requests, which typically surge at the beginning of each school year (and especially surge during a pandemic!).

Director of Technology and Supervisor - Mr. Bryan Cofer started working for Cannon County Schools in September of 2004. Prior to that he was in the same position at Morgan County Schools for 7 years. He transitioned to the education field after working as an Industrial Engineer for 11 years. Mr. Cofer stated, "For me, the most rewarding thing about this job (or any job) is simply to build or create something that is useful, and then see people actually use it. In technology, I get to do this on a daily basis, as there is always something new that is needed."
Senior Network Technician - Mr. Timothy Davis has worked in technology for many years. The first computer he programmed was a Cambridge Z88 over 32 years ago. He went to MTSU for programming FORTRAN 77. Mr. Davis worked for 10 years with the Singer Sewing Company and traveled for the last 3 years with Singer as a computer/equipment trainer and worked on technology in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada. He was involved with technology in education in Rutherford County, Coffee County - where he taught Diversified Technology at Coffee County High School, Bedford County, Tullahoma City Schools, and now here in Cannon County Schools for the past 16 years. When asked about what he enjoys about his job, he stated, "Helping people to succeed - that has always been something I have enjoyed, as you watch them say, 'I get this now!'"

Network Technician - Mr. Michael Medford began working for Cannon County Schools in March 2008. He stated, "I enjoy keeping up with the latest technology and supporting the students and employees of Cannon County Schools."

Director of Cannon County Schools, Mr. William F. Curtis stated, "Cannon County Schools could NOT operate without these guys! Their listing of recent accomplishments above, clearly demonstrates the outstanding work done by these qualified and hard-working individuals. I recently told a state official and other Directors of Schools that, 'I would put my Tech guys up against any others in the state of Tennessee, and further would place Cannon County Schools Technology against any school district in Tennessee. Why? Just because we are a small school system, does NOT mean our Technology is small - it is Tremendous!' Each of these members of our Technology Department Staff personifies our VISION - 'Engaged in Excellence EVERY Day in EVERY Way!' through our MISSION - 'To Create a Unified Environment That Will Provide Opportunities for All Students to Reach Their Full Potential!' Congratulations to Cannon County Schools Technology Department Employees - Mr. Bryan Cofer, Mr. Timothy Davis, and Mr. Michael Medford for being impactful 'Team Players' in our Cannon County Schools family and specifically impacting every student and educator in Cannon County Schools. We are truly 'blessed' by their dedication and commitment!"

Keep up with the Cannon Schools in our Education Section each week in the print edition of the Courier.