Mobile Technology Networking Discussion-Minutes 1/30/2013 (10:00 AM 11:30 AM) Introduced who is in the room and their roles at CWRC

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1 Welcome and Introductions Thank you to all who has joined the session Introduced who is in the room and their roles at CWRC Brandie Gilbert (Statewide Resource Specialist and one of the project leads with the Technology Networking Sessions and Mobile Technology Distribution) Matt Kerr (Technology Development Department Lead) Catherine Collins-McDaniels (Administrative Assistant and Minutes) Explained the purpose of the Mobile Technology Networking Discussion o This call is set up to provide participants the opportunity to share how you are using mobile technology in the field so that users in other counties can benefit from the experience of others. o We encourage users to use this time to ask questions related to the use of technology, even if these questions are technical in nature. o If we are not able to answer the questions that are asked, we will make every effort to follow-up with the vendors or other individuals who might have the answers and then communicate the answer to Administrators, Information Technology Staff and technology users across the State. Any follow-up related to the use of the technology will be posted on the Mobile Technology Discussion Forum. Background Information Regarding the Mobile Technology Project Briefly provided background information regarding the mobile technology project funding (primarily for new Round 3 users). o Federal funds were made available to Office of Children, Youth and Families through the Child and Family Services Improvement Act. While these funds were to be directed to improving Quality Visitation, the legislation did encourage using the funds to increase caseworkers access to technology. Funding for this project has led to 3 different distributions of technology. The original overall belief was that caseworker turnover could be partly attributed to the vast amount of paperwork (etc.) and that if access to technology could decrease the amount of time it took for caseworkers to complete paperwork, it 1

2 may increase the time spent with families. The increase in efficiency may then decrease caseworker turnover. Before moving forward with purchasing / distributing additional technology, each county was asked to complete a larger Quality Visitation Survey that asked counties what technology they would like to have access to and what their plans were with using the technology. This resulted in the following technology being made available to counties: additional tablets, mobile printers and voice to text software/support Throughout the 3 technology distributions, we have been gathering Successes and Lessons Learned. Various Examples of Mobile Technology Use Across Pennsylvania that have been gathered o Tablet Use Access to the Internet Allows caseworkers to complete case notes and have access to while in the field instead of having to travel back to the office between visits; Agency databases such as the Child Accounting and Profile System (CAPS) can also be accessed in the field allowing the caseworker to have needed information about a case; Move towards potential goal of paperless system by having all information in the system. Will save on copy costs, client files paperwork filing space, etc., and Search for client services while in the client home. Wireless not available Tablet used to type notes during agency meetings; Complete case notes while in the field between visits. Some tablet users visit free Wi-Fi places such as Starbucks, or McDonalds between visits to connect to the wireless networks; Caseworkers can still obtain signatures from the clients while using the tablets. When they return to the agency, they can then upload the file and save to the agency database or print the document for the client file; and 2

3 The tablet pen feature has been found very beneficial by numerous staff including: Writing down work meeting notes Use the tablet pen to convert handwriting to text. Great for slow typists or messy handwriting. Instead of writing voic messages on post-it notes, use tablet/pen feature to write down messages including date and time of the message. This leads to less post-it notes, and ensures that all messages are gathered in one place. o Mobile Printer Use o After Hours Staff Use: After hours staff may need emergency releases ed to them and then print them at various locations such as hospitals. The printer allows the caseworker to have the release printed and available immediately. o Available during Court: The Judge s recommendations and changes to plans can be typed up during court, so that the document can be printed and signed immediately by the Judge. This diminishes waiting on documents to be signed; as well the family can leave the court with the court order in their hands. o Family Group Meetings (FGDM) Print out the Family Plan: Having a mobile printer available during a FGDM meeting will allow someone to type up the notes during the actual FGDM meeting, and then the Family Plan can be printed out immediately for all team members. o Voice Recognition Use o Earlier Completion of Dictation: Numerous Voice to Text Software users are stating that they are completing dictation earlier, especially beneficial for individuals who are not fast typists. Spoken word is faster than typing. o Disabilities Use: Individuals who have Carpal Tunnel have stated that using the Voice to Text has helped with their dictation. Windows seven has built in software for voice to text. o Completion of Online Trainings/WebEx s: Although this is benefit is not regarding Voice to Text Software, the headsets that are provided for Voice to Text, can also be used to hear the audio for online trainings, as well as to speak/hear during WebExs. Mobile Technology Resources Available 3

4 Online Training o Using the Fujitsu Lifebook Guide you in the use of the many functions of the tablet. Free templates for the agency to download for use. Goes over multiple uses for the tablet to maximize advancement for users. o Youth and Family Engagement and the Use of Technology Explore how technology is a tool that can be used to work collaboratively with youth and families and enhance engagement. How to engage the family in the use of the tablet. Examples would be to look up and connect the family with benefits or services online. It could be used to show the progress of a family if the issue is cleanliness, etc. o How do you get credit for the training? These trainings are also approved for training credits for caseworkers. You can print the certificate at the completion of the training. In-person Training. Look for this training being offered through CWRC s training calendar o 501: Technology in the Workplace: Legal and Ethical Ramifications Texting and social networking is changing the manner in which individuals communicate and interact in their private and professional lives. While these technologies offer many opportunities for increased professional communication, professional roles and boundaries can often become blurred. Quarterly Meetings (via web-ex): Mobile Technology Discussion Board ( o This forum will provide individuals the opportunity to share ideas, as well as tips and techniques pertaining to use of mobile technology. PCYA Quarterly Meetings Technology Forum This is a forum for people to share the uses and other ideas pertaining to technology If you are interested in this group or forum, please let Chuck Crimone and Chuck Songer know and they can add you to the panel. Participant Discussion Gathered During the January Networking Discussion Tablet Users Successes and Lessons Learned 4

5 o Some counties are using mobile smartphones and other technology as hot spots for the tablets. Verizon also makes mobile hot spots that you can take with you to connect to the network at an additional fee to your cell phone plan. o Mifflin County has utilized the webcam for pictures of the home or children for documentation in the case rather than a camera. o Has anyone used Windows 8 on the tablets? Huntingdon County has uploaded Windows 8 on the tablets and seems to be running great. Further feedback from these two counties would be great. Windows 8 allows for touch screen capability. o Bucks County had a power outage for a week and their tablets were able to step up allowing them to be able to get the work completed for the agency. Also, when clients do not have computers, the caseworkers were able to help the clients to sign up for Social Security benefits and help people look for housing with the tablets. o A concern was raised about the warranty on the Fujitsu which is Depo warranty, which means when they have a problem they are having to ship the tablets back, so it is causing a 10 day delay. Are other counties experiencing that they have to send back tablets numerous times? Why is Fujitsu unwilling to troubleshoot issues and just automatically asking for the counties to ship the tablet back in? Montgomery County was having a problem with the second batch of tablets that they received. They were not able to have them pull up on their network for some reason. The mother boards had to be replaced by Fujitsu. Since then they have not experienced this again. If you have barriers dealing with Fujitsu, please contact Brandie Gilbert at cwvisit@pitt.edu or and she can troubleshoot some of the barriers with our contacts. o How long is the warranty issued before it expires on the tablets? Depending on which model tablet you have been issued the dates change. T902 Standard Warranty Expiration: 9/25/2016 5

6 Accidental Damage Protection Warranty Expiration: 9/25/2016 T901 Standard Warranty Expiration: 10/14/2015 Accidental Damage Protection Warranty Expiration: 10/14/2015 T5010 Extended Quality Care Warranties for all tablets remained in effect until September 8, Voice Recognition Users Successes and Lessons Learned o One participant said that Windows 7 is better than the Dragon Software for their users. DragonSpeak was too steep for training, but Windows 7 seemed to be working relatively quickly. Windows 7 is built into your operation system. So it is able to scan your computer for previous materials for reference. If your agency usage on the network is substantially busy, the DragonSpeak has to use the software on the computer so then it slows down the usage. o Lawrence County just received our voice recognition software. Is it possible to upload it to more than one computer? Or can you only use the CD for one computer? This was part of the survey Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center sent out to the counties asking how many licenses you would like to receive before the equipment was ordered. The CD that you received has the number of licenses on the label that was requested by your county and these are the number of licenses you have to use in your county. Please do not exceed the number of licenses that were designated for your county. Thank you. Your county can purchase additional headsets for the computers that are using Windows 7 software. The headsets range from $15 to $30. Here is an example of the headsets that CWRC purchased: o Is there a cheat sheet for using the voice features? 6

7 On the Nuance website there are multiple cheat sheets and online training for this feature. Brandie will include the sheet with the minutes from the DragonSpeak Company. Most of the commands are the same or interchangeable for the Windows 7 and DragonSpeak. Windows 7 has a cheat sheet that you can print off from the tutorial. us/windows7/common-commands-in-speech- Recognition o Are there any scheduled trainings to specifically have people work with the voice recognition? CWRC response: There are not trainings scheduled for this at this time. There are free trainings for this on the Nuance website that you can take advantage of. The hardest part of using it is the first few days because the software has to learn your voice and pronunciations for the initial 8 hours. The dictation speed from regular typing at 50 wpm is outweighed by the 98 wpm of the voice recognition. o Do you think that there will be additional grant money to do another round of laptops? CWRC response: The quality visitation funds are being used for future projects elsewhere. Right now the counties are encouraged to include these needs into their needs based plan and budget for requests for technology. Counties should use the success feedback as reference for these requests. 7

8 o How do you go about extra power cords and/or pens? CWRC response: Agencies are encouraged to visit the Fujitsu website to order additional powercords based upon their model. Mobile Printer Users Successes and Lessons Learned o The printers are Bluetooth (so you don t have to plug in the tablet to the printer) so caseworkers have connected them to their work cell phones and print photos directly from the cell phones. The T901 Guide has the setup instructions provided on page 21: Mifflin County IT Staff person says that there are a couple of users who are using the tablets and they have played around with the technology. Not all applications on the phone will print everything, like text messages. Send to Bluetooth, option to select a printer and the printer will start printing. Mifflin County provides cell phones. They used to use a memory card with the phones to print the pictures but now it s changed to being able to print directly from the phone to the Bluetooth. Android phones are okay, but the IPhones were a problem. Caseworkers are happy with it. They love to use the webcam on the tablets, so they include the pictures from the home in their report. How are the workers printing from cell phones through the mobile printers? Mifflin county response: They are using the Bluetooth technology which is wireless to establish a connection from the cell phone to the mobile printer and print the copies {printer makes color copies} from the mobile printer. o Are other counties given county cell phones to use with the printers or are they using their personal cell phones? Northampton County and other counties have county issued county cell phones and utilize the wireless networks with 8

9 these. They are supplied wireless networks within the county conference rooms and are able to access information while they are in meetings. One county says that their work phones do not take pictures so the caseworkers are using their personal cell phones to take pictures. o Should there be any security concerns when tapping into a family s wireless connection? CWRC response: Not as long as you have the family s permission to use their network. However, when you are keeping sensitive data on your computer you should keep them encrypted so as not to give access to your files by a thief or passerby. Symantec and other companies have software out there to encrypt your data if you have the possibility of theft. o One participant commented that they find that the printers are very hard to carry around especially when you have all the other work items and their agency does not use the printers as much as other counties. CWRC Response: That was one of the smallest printers we could find that had the best reviews and capabilities. This is why we purchased the separate bags to carry the tablet and the printer so that you don t have to have multiple bags for the equipment. o Is anyone using the fingerprint scanners or passwords to log into the computers? This is the biometric device on the side of the tablet, which can step up the security on the tablet versus logging in with a password. They can be set up to use fingerprint sensors for extra security. No response from counties o Are you aware of any Counties using a wireless network, and if you are, are there any issues such as security, etc.? There are some counties out there that have wireless networks within their agencies. Wireless networks are susceptible to security breaches. There is nothing foolproof but there is software out there to make preventive measures 9

10 with the sensitive data. IT staff should set them up with wireless codes and encryption to make them secure. One participant commented that their County IT Department will not implement this due to possible security issues Lawrence County has wireless internet in their office, but they have security measures set up so that nobody can access their information. o Is anyone getting resistance from caseworkers using the tablets in the field and think that it is impersonal with the families? County Response: Some are using them on only in home visits so that they can keep the facts straight and keep notes accurate. They keep eye contact with the people at all times using the tablet. CWRC Response: Reminder that there is an online training {caseworkers get three hours of training credits for this course} designed for this, The Use of Technology and Family Engagement that talks about helping caseworkers more comfortable in the field with technology use. Next Steps Thank you to everyone for joining the session and sharing feedback. We hope this information is beneficial to you. Minutes will be shared pertaining to this call and will also be placed on the website. Any questions can be directed to Brandie Gilbert at the cwvisit@pitt.edu account. Reminder of our future networking session dates and times o Wednesday, April 24, 2013, 10 AM 12 PM o Wednesday, July 24, 2013, 10 AM 12 PM o Wednesday, October 30, 2013, 10 AM 12 PM 10