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AEA Learning Online - Update for the Directors - September 2021
 
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AEA Learning Online - Update for the Directors - September 2021

(This message is being sent out to the AEA Chief Administrators, Media Directors, Instructional Service Directors, Special Education Directors, Governance Council Members, and Communication Directors.  Please forward to other appropriate personnel within your AEA.  While this information is appropriate for LEAs, this information is not intended to be forwarded “as is” to LEAs; please take care to reword when using for external communication).

Welcome Back!

Back to SchoolHello everyone!  A new year is upon us, and while the mad rush of beginning-of-year training completion is drawing down for us, school services are back in motion.  What an exciting time of year for everyone!

If you are new in your position and might be receiving this newsletter for the first time, a quick introduction.  I am Evan Abbey, the Director for AEA Learning Online.  This newsletter comes out monthly during the "Joint Director" days (typically the 4th Thursday-Friday of the month).  It features quick updates for not only directors and administrators within the AEA system, but anyone who would like to subscribe.

The newsletter also comes out the first Friday of the month.  That newsletter coincides with the Curriculum Network meeting each month, and goes out to a much larger audience.  While this newsletter goes out to AEA personnel only, the Curriculum Network newsletter goes out to 2000 LEA administrators throughout the state.  As such, you might see some overlap between the two, as I will occasionally mention "X is coming", and with the Curriculum Network, I might mention "X is now here".

Through this newsletter, we do try hard to be concise since your time is valuable.  There are many other monthly updates that do not make the cut.  If you are curious about the items in the newsletter, or items not mentioned, I encourage to reach out and connect with me either by email or phone, 1-800-362-2720 x14511.

To-Do's: Start of the Year

Homework on the first day?!?

Hopefully this is an easy one.  We would love for more consultants from the AEAs to subscribe to this newsletter.  As you review the items in the newsletter, think about those who work with you that would also benefit from these newsletters.  They can subscribe at http://bit.ly/aealearningonlinenewsletter.

Also, feel free to review past copies of the newsletter.  You can do so from the link above, or by viewing this email in a browser, and then clicking on Past Issues in the upper left corner.

AEA Profile of Savings

Statewide usageWith every August, we release our Profile of Savings for districts.  These reports, specific to each district, show the amount of AEA Learning Online services usage that district has had the previous year, and what the relative savings would be over purchasing those services on their own.

The reports are available at http://bit.ly/profileofsavings.  If you work closely with districts, the reports can give insight into how those districts are utilizing our services.  It can also be an opportunity for a conversation starter, as many district administrators often report not being aware of all that is available with the AEAs through AEA Learning Online.

Statewide, you can see the totals on the right.  For all the elements other than the LMS usage, those numbers represent at least a 50% increase over 2019-20 and record highs for usage.  And this summer has continued the upper trend.  We are saving Iowa districts almost $10 million a year with just one small program within the AEA system!

One Handy Spot: Info for Trainings

What trainings are required by the state?  What are the links to them on AEA Learning Online? - http://bit.ly/aearequiredtrainings

Roughly how long is each training? We want to allow teachers to complete trainings at home and need to know the approximate time length. - Hours estimate

Where's that 1-pager of directions I can customize and send out to my staff? - Staff Directions Handout

Where is that help sheet to the most common troubleshooting question that staff have? - Our FAQ Page

What are the tutorials for the Training System Administrator and Developer, where I can find out how to run a report, update an employee's password, or assign them a training? - Administrator Training | Developer Training

IdentAEA

IdentAEAWe are finished with phase 1 of the Single Sign-On overhaul.  We've mentioned earlier that IdentAEA represents our new focus.  When our systems have many forms of Login (Google!  Microsoft!  AEA Login!  ClassLink!), it can be confusing to really describe what is going on.  The reality is that each employee has their own online identity within AEA systems, and those identities can have any number of logins that they would like to setup.

Identities focus more on your professional data.  Being a 5th grade teacher in IdentAEA will help us tailor 5th grade resources and communication to you.

Phase 1 means our new login prompt has been setup and placed on our student systems (Scout, Moodle, etc).  Over the next two months, we will be adding it to our Training System and Registration System as well.  Phase 1 also means a streamlined interface for creating accounts and trusted email domains, meaning students and faculty using their school email in their IdentAEA will no longer need to enter a building or district password.

Phase 2 now starts and will be rolled out October through December.  This will include an embeddable widget to appear on the home pages of our systems, a revised interface for individuals to customize their IdentAEA profile, and a revised interface for administrators to manage the system.  More details to come.

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