ITS4ED: Recent Episodes
Los Angeles Unified Information Technology Services 4 Education
A Podcast series about IT Issues and Trends in K-12 Schools from the Los Angeles Unified School District's Information Technology Services team.
Information Technology Services for Education.
Welcome to iTS4ED podcast, in this session we will speak with 3 amazing coaches representing LAUSD Esports Programs around the district. We will learn about what eSports is and how they got started with their programs. These esports coaches will share their highlights and challenges with student participation, competitions and potential careers and college scholarships.
Host:
- Youssef Elias, School Systems Manager, Los Angeles Unified
Co-Host
- James Hicks, ITS Esports Lead, Los Angeles Unified
Guests:
- Gavin Ma, Franklin HS, Esports Coach
- Edwin Guama, Hamilton HS, Esports Coach
- Bryant Cooper, Chatsworth Charter HS, Esports Coach
Welcome to ITS4ED podcast, today’s podcast is titled, “Principals” of Technology: A Podcast for Innovative Educators; How school leaders can inspire and implement technology-driven change in their schools. This podcast features interviews with principals who are bold leaders of technology and on the forefront of introducing new technologies with their staff. We aim to share the stories, challenges, and best practices of these visionary educators who are transforming their schools with technology. Listen as they provide practical tips and resources for principals who want to learn from their peers and become more effective and confident in leading technology initiatives.
Host:
- Youssef Elias, School Systems Manager, Los Angeles Unified
Guests:
- Heather Karuza, Ph.D., Principal, Narbonne HS
- Sarah Gilman, Principal, Garvanza ES
Welcome to the ITS4ED podcast. Today we will explore the landscape of Adult learning in Los Angeles Unified. Technology is transforming the way adults learn, offering new tools, resources, and opportunities that were unimaginable just a decade ago. We'll explore Adult Education and find out about the programs that are offered. We’ll focus in on Evans Adult School where innovative technology is offered to adult learners. Lastly, we’ll talk to members of the Information Technology Services team who will share information about a new, collaborative, teaching and learning program with Adult Education that will lead to potential technology jobs in Los Angeles Unified.
Host:
- Youssef Elias, School Systems Manager, Los Angeles Unified
Guests:
- Matthew Oberlander, Director, Equity and Instruction, Division of Adult and Career Education (DACE)
- Farzana Cassim, Instructional Technology Teacher Advisor, Evans Adult School, DACE
- Richard Meraz, Deputy Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Los Angeles Unified
- Stephen Mercado, Deputy Director, IT Infrastructure Project Manager, Communications Systems Installation Branch (CSIB)
Welcome to ITS4ED podcast, today we return to record session 2 on celebrating women leaders in IT. In this session we will continue with our conversations with Dr. Jacqueline Sanderlin, Homaira Kaufmann, and Mary Lu Camacho. These are three amazing Women Leaders in IT who will share more of their journeys, challenges, and triumphs in the tech world. Join us as we embark on these empowering conversations. Host: Youssef Elias, School Systems Manager, LA Unified Guests: Jaqueline Sanderlin, Leadership Executive Manager, Apple Homaira Kaufman, National Account Manager for SLED and the President of Belkin’s Women’sNetwork Group Mary Lu Camacho, Senior Administrator, IT Customer Service, Los Angeles Unified
Welcome to ITS4ED podcast, today we celebrate women leaders in IT and explore their journeys, challenges, and triumphs in the tech world. As you all know LA Unified’s IT department is a massive enterprise with over 800 employees and we have our own software development shop, maintain our own data center, and have a device repair shop. Even with all of this, we still rely on valuable partners to deliver software and tools that our schools and stakeholders depend on. Today we will be interviewing a couple of our women partners who are making a real impact in the tech world as well as our very own first women Senior Administrator in IT.
Host:
- Youssef Elias, School Systems Manager, LA Unified
Guests:
- Jaqueline Sanderlin, Leadership Executive Manager, Apple
- Homaira Kaufman, National Account Manager for SLED and the President of Belkin’s Women’s Network Group
- Mary Lu Camacho, Senior Administrator, IT Customer Service, Los Angeles Unified
Welcome to the ITS4Ed Podcast! This session is titled “Things You Didn’t Know About ITS”. Usually when we think of IT we think of computers, software and maybe things like Wi-Fi. But did you know that ITS is responsible for many other technology related things? Today we'll be interviewing various members of our ITS team who work on projects for IP phones, radios, public announcement systems, and network operations. Did you know that when inclement weather strikes, a whole team of IT professionals spring into action to ensure that all our systems are up and running? Join us in this session to find out more.
Narrator:
- Youssef Elias, School Systems Manager, LA Unified
Guest Speakers:
- Tom Castillo, IT Infra Project/Program Manager, ITS-Infrastructure
- Gary Mossman, Network Systems Engineer, ITS-Infrastructure
Welcome to this session of the ITS4Ed Podcast. Our host, Youssef Elias, will be interviewing our ITS technicians, from ITST to ITST Supervisor. Learn about what they do day in and day out. Listen to each of their unique experiences in ITS and understand what makes them focused and dedicated to supporting students and staff in LA Unified.
Narrator:
- Youssef Elias, School Systems Manager, LA Unified
Guest Speakers:
- Brian Andasol, IT Support Technician Supervisor
- Bryan Joe, IT Support Technician
- Katherine Palmeri, IT Support Technician
- Jose Lucrecio Rivera, IT Support Technician
Welcome to this session of the ITS4Ed Podcast. Today, we’ll be discussing student devices in LAUSD and the pilot Device Renewal Program. We have come a long way in the district in terms of technology. Pre-pandemic we had a handful of schools where every student had a device, during the pandemic it was a necessity. To ensure the continuity of teaching and learning, devices in the hands of students were a must. In addition, funding was provided for this effort which relieved schools from purchasing them on their own. Now post-pandemic, we have seen the positive impacts that technology has made for our teachers, students, and staff. We still need to issue devices to students but not necessarily the funding to do so. You will hear from our IT Customer Support staff who have been working on managing the student devices and working on a creative way to remedy the funding gap through the Device Renewal Program.
Narrator:
Youssef Elias, School SystemsManager, LA Unified
Guest Speakers:
- Jose Somoano, Senior IT Operations Manager, LA Unified
- Manny Montenegro, Senior IT Operations Manager, LA Unified
- Hugo Perez Garcia, IT Support Technician Supervisor, LA Unified
Welcome to ITS4Ed. In this podcast, we celebrate the Information Technology Services (ITS) Employees of the Quarter. The ITS Employee of the Quarter Recognition Program provides an opportunity for all ITS employees to be recognized for their outstanding contributions and service to the students and employees of the Los Angeles Unified School District. ITS is committed to recognizing employee excellence and helping to build an encouraging and positive work environment. Our first two ITS Employees of the Quarter are Rose and Tony. You’ll hear from Tony, a Technical Specialist, who shares his passion for his work, and Rose, an IT Support Technician, who shares her “words to live by” when it comes to customer service.
Narrator:
- Youssef Elias, School Systems Manager, LA Unified
Guest Speakers:
- Tony Nguyen, Technical Specialist
- Rosamaria Marchione, IT Support Technician
Welcome to this session of the ITS4Ed Podcast on Cybersecurity Awareness. October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Since 2004, the President of the United States and Congress have declared the month of October to be Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a dedicated month for the public and private sectors to work together to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity. In 2023, the theme for Cyber Security Awareness Month is “Step up your Cyber fitness.” This theme is all about learning “the ability to identify, react, and respond to online threats by taking small and easy steps.”
This session is focused on things you can do to secure your world from cyber threats and hacks. Learn the difference between “phishing”, “vishing” and “smishing (SMS phishing)”. Additionally, you will hear about careers in Cybersecurity from our very own LA Unified experts, Joel Simangan, LAUSD’s first Chief Information Security Officer, and Eddard Romero, Interim Senior Administrator, IT Infrastructure.
Narrator:
- Youssef Elias, School Systems Manager, LA Unified
Guest Speakers:
- Joel Simangan – CISO, LA Unified
- Eddard Romero - Interim Senior Administrator, Infrastructure, LA Unified
Welcome to the second session of the ITS4Ed Podcast on Artificial Intelligence aka AI. Since AI is continuing to expand and is having a major impact on education, we decided to dig a little deeper into AI in LAUSD. We will continue our conversation with Ms. Sophia Mendoza, Director of the Information Technology Initiative (ITI). We will learn about ITI's approach to developing thoughtful and appropriate AI guidelines for the school community. In this session, we will share resources from the ITI website: lausd.org/iti. This includes professional learning opportunities for educators, computer science education, cybersecurity, digital citizenship education, and more. Be ready to learn about the latest updates on AI in LAUSD.
Narrator:
- Youssef Elias, School Systems Manager, LA Unified
Guest Speaker:
- Sophia Mendoza, Director, Instructional Technology Initiative
Welcome to this session of the ITS4Ed Podcast on Artificial Intelligence aka AI. It’s a hot topic in the news today and it impacts many people. In fact, the current writers and actors strike has “AI” as a score issue. AI is having a major impact on education. Whether you are excited or concerned about AI, we in the education industry have the responsibility to ensure AI is approached thoughtfully and appropriately in our school community. As a district, we need to understand the vision for teaching and learning. So, whether you're a teacher, a student, a parent, or simply someone curious about AI and the future of education, this session is your gateway to the world where AI meets academia.
Narrator:
- Youssef Elias, School Systems Manager, LA Unified
Guest Speaker:
- Sophia Mendoza, Director, Instructional Technology Initiative
Welcome to this session of the ITS4Ed Podcast. Joining this session are educators and pioneers who are revolutionizing classrooms, campuses, and beyond with the incredible potential of eSports.
We'll explore how competitive gaming can foster critical thinking, teamwork, problem-solving, and communication skills. From the strategic decision-making in esports titles to the application of STEM concepts in game development, we'll uncover the educational opportunities that lie within this digital playground. Well also hear about how LAUSD schools are getting involved in this movement.
So, whether you're a teacher, a student, a parent, or simply someone curious about the future of education, this session is your gateway to the world where esports meets academia. Prepare to be inspired and amazed as we delve into the realm where passion meets achievement.
Narrator:
- Youssef Elias, School Systems Manager, LA Unified
Guest Speakers:
- COSA - Dr. Chiae Kitayama
- Principal - Anthony Yom - Berendo MS
- IT Liaison - James Hicks
- UC Irvine eSports Director - Mark Deppe
In this session, we will discuss “how an idea becomes an app”. Los Angeles Unified uses a multitude of software applications, some of which have been developed by our internal teams in Information Technology Services and others have been contracted out. Today we will chat with guests who worked on creating and coming up with ideas for a couple of safety apps such as LASAR and Emergency Alert.
Speakers:
- Lieutenant Nina Buranasombati, LASPD
- Dr. Alfonso Webb, Senior Director of School Operations
- Ken Hong, Computer Applications Administrator
Narrator:
- Youssef Elias, School Systems Manager, LA Unified
Welcome to the ITS4Ed Podcast.
This is episode #5. This podcast focuses on the IT Customer Support (ITCS) Unit of Instructional Technology Services.
In this discussion, you will hear different perspectives from various members of ITCS.
- IT Customer Support provides high-quality, professional, and expeditious support and services to enable District schools and offices to meet the District’s goals, increasing student achievement and operational efficiency.
- IT Customer Support provides support for end users using technology and devices connected to the technology infrastructure. They provide on-site, day-to-day, proactive, and reactive local support to schools and offices. This branch performs the following functions:
- Chat
- IT Helpdesk
- IT Remote Services
- Onsite technology support for schools
- Day-to-day maintenance of school site technology
Speakers:
- Jose Somoano, Senior IT Operations Manager
- Phillip Lucero, IT Business Efficiency Analyst
- James Hicks, IT Business Efficiency Analyst
- Steve Evans, IT West Supervisor
Narrator:
- Youssef Elias, School Systems Manager, LA Unified
In honor of Women’s History Month annually celebrated in March, we are proud to present this podcast highlighting the LA Unified Women in Information Technology. You will hear stories about how these four women are making an impact in the IT field. You will learn how they started in the IT field and overcame challenges. They will share advice and resources for young girls and other women who may be interested in pursuing a career in IT.Speakers: Linda Perez, Senior Technical Project Manager Le Shun Coleman, IT Support Technician II Amanda Young, School System Manager Diana Gutierrez, IT Project Manager Youssef Elias, School Systems Manager
This podcast takes an in-depth look at LA Unified’s (the 2nd largest School District) CIO. Discussion topics include:
- How Soheil Katal got started in IT
- How the CIO successfully navigated the COVID pandemic while supporting instruction
- Challenges and successes during his career
- The current state of IT
- The future state of IT
- Advice to others interested in pursuing a career in information technology
Guest Speaker
- Soheil Katal, CIO, LA Unified
Narrator
- Youssef Elias, School Systems Manager, LA Unified
This podcast focuses on what our school communities can do to protect themselves from a cyber security attack. It covers topics such as:
- What can the public do to protect themselves
- Tips to help protect our information when using public Wi-Fi
- The 5 cyber security pitfalls to watch out for
- What LAUSD is doing to improve the instructional program as it relates to enhancing cyber security
Speakers:
- Soheil Katal, CIO
- Eddard Romero, IT Administrator, Technical Services
- Janice Clark, Operating Systems Administrator
- James Thurmond, Director IT Security
- Youssef Elias, School Systems Manager
The Cyber Security attack on LAUSD occurred over the Labor Day weekend in 2022 and caused some disruption to business systems, but schools were able to open on Tuesday following the Labor Day holiday as scheduled. This podcast explains:
- How the District was able to minimize disruption to the instructional environment
- The difference between a cyber breach, cyberattack, and ransomware
- What organizations are most vulnerable and what can organizations do to mitigate cyberattacks
- What is involved in a recovery operation
Speakers
- Soheil Katal, CIO
- Jack Kelanic, Senior IT Administrator, Infrastructure
- Alton Kizziah, MGT Consultant
- Jay Gehringer, Cyber Patriot Coach
- Youssef Elias, School Systems Manager