Megan Townes and Warwick Noble from Abbotsleigh school discuss their experience transitioning to Windows 8. They conducted play, pilot, and implementation phases starting in early 2013. Over 800 devices were upgraded in two months including mandatory upgrades for certain years. Training strategies included information sessions, pop-up help desks, and apps highlighted on their intranet. While the transition was successful overall, some issues included a limited app selection compared to iOS and difficulties for some staff and desktop users adjusting to the new interface.

1. Megan Townes
Abbotsleigh
Adventures with Windows 8

2. Abbotsleigh’s Adventure into
Windows 8
Megan Townes and Warwick Noble
ELH SchoolTech 2014

3. Who are we?
Megan Townes Warwick Noble
Lead IT Integrator
English Teacher
townesm@abbotsleigh.nsw.edu.au
@townesy77
IT Director
noblew@abbotsleigh.nsw.edu.au
@warwicknoble

4. Where are we?
Established in 1885, Abbotsleigh is
a Pre Kindergarten to Year 12
Anglican day and boarding school
for girls located in Wahroonga on
Sydney’s North Shore.

5. Who are you?
 Classroom Teacher
 Executive Teacher
 Principal
 Primary Teacher
 Secondary Teacher
 Tertiary Teacher
 Technology Coordinator
 IT Manager
 Has Windows 8 at their school in some
capacity
 Intends to roll out Windows 8 at their
school in the next 12 months
 Has used Windows 8 either
professionally or personally

6. Why are you here?
This session will explore our planning, deployment and training strategies, logistics
and technical requirements, as well as explore a range of Windows apps relevant to
the classroom.
What would you like to hear about most?
 Planning strategies
 Deployment strategies
 Training strategies
 Technical and logistical requirements

7. Why Windows 8 at Abbotsleigh?
• All staff and majority of students have been allocated
touch screen laptops over the last two years
• Desire to make touch a more compelling enhancement of
the way laptops were being used
• Additionally, tablets were being trialled in iOS and Win 8
• IOS devices are not widely used and we have not facilitated
BYOD
• Dual SOEs in the short term with plan to upgrade all
devices in 2014
• Deliberate decision to bundle Win8, Office 2013 and
SharePoint 2013

8. Why Windows 8 at all?

9. Windows 8 Project Phases
Play – Early 2013
• Feasibility play
• IT service staff
• IT Integrators
Pilot – 2013 Term 4
• 20 staff
• 3 teacher ‘guinea pigs’ with
high IT tolerance
• Desktop application testing
• General usability
• OneNote issues list
• Weekly meetings
• Investigated imaging
methodology – changed from
Altiris to SCCM
• Investigated InTune vs SCCM
Implementation – Dec
2013 through 2014
• Win 8.1 deployment through
2014
• Staff choice when to upgrade
• Mandatory upgrade or new
deployment for Years 6, 7, 8, 10
and 11
• Difficult to time reimage Years 8
and 11
• Desktops ongoing
Enhancement – 2014
and beyond
• Windows 8 tablets for project
work
• Improved group policies and
registry tweaks
• Volume purchasing
• Office 365 hybrid services

11. Windows 8 Training
 Strategy briefing to all staff
 Heads up sessions
 End of year fun activities
 Holiday upgrades/training
 Term upgrade sessions
 Win 8 Pop-up Help Desks
 Integrator Workshops
 Apptivities for learning
 Featured apps - Intranet
 Subtle and not so subtle coercion

12. The Challenge

14. Training

16. Just in Case You Missed it the First Time

17. Windows 8 Apps
http://bit.ly/w8bloomsapps

18. My Personal Favourites

19. Issues with Windows 8
 Apps – Win 8 small collection compared to iOS but building every day
 Staff comfort levels if committed to personal iOS apps
 Live accounts – Manual processes
 Volume Licensing – no clear solution at this point
 App management
 Dual SOE’s especially with desktops
 Some software required tweaking and waiting on updates
 Scheduling and timing of upgrades was time consuming
 New staff individual induction takes significantly longer time
 Some staff have had difficulty with desktop and Windows 8 Start menu

20. Live Accounts and Age Limits
 Students 13 or older have personal Live accounts, students under 13 we pre setup laptops with Live
accounts
 Spreadsheets are created with groups and default passwords for quick reference and cut and paste and
distributed amongst technicians. 30 students per technician per year group
 Naming convention on live account names smithj2020abb@outlook.com
 Second alternate address smithj2020.live@abbotsleigh.nsw.edu.au created as per requirements for Live
confirmation processes all go to one mailbox
 Validation process is sent to an IT account “Live Accounts”
 The accounts are created and bound as part of the setup process along with other tasks in setting up the
laptops
 Silly complications like “bank” in names

21. Evaluation
 Upgraded and deployed over 800 devices in two months
 Voluntary staff upgrades 120 since December
 Extremely successful upgrades and deployments processes
 Very smooth induction with students, best to date
 Speed improvements have been significant
 Student touch usage noticeably increased, not necessarily in tablet mode
 Split screen feature regarded as highly valuable and productive
 Desktops will require careful planning as Modern UI with mouse is less intuitive – likely boot to desktop
 Office 2013 bundled improved overall “freshness” but added to training requirements

22. Questions…

23. Thank you! Get in touch for more information
Megan Townes Warwick Noble
Lead IT Integrator
English Teacher
townesm@abbotsleigh.nsw.edu.au
@townesy77
IT Director
noblew@abbotsleigh.nsw.edu.au
@warwicknoble