Amazon Web Services (AWS)

We recently experienced another significant disruption affecting many of the web-based services we rely on daily. As we communicated earlier, the root cause was an outage with Amazon Web Services (AWS), which was entirely outside of our control.
If you’re interested in learning more, the brief summary below explains what AWS is and why this issue impacted our systems.

aws

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a cloud provider used by countless companies across the internet. So when AWS experiences issues, the effects are widespread—like the internet catching a cold when Amazon sneezes.
Despite the name, “the cloud” is essentially a network of data centers—large warehouses filled with computers. In this case, the disruption stemmed from a DNS issue in AWS’s North Virginia data center region. DNS (Domain Name System) acts like the internet’s address book, helping apps and websites locate the servers they need to function.
Even if the data center itself is running fine, a DNS problem means those services can’t be found—like a mail carrier trying to deliver a letter with a smudged address. And because this happened in Amazon’s largest data center complex, the impact was even more significant.

Important Links & Tools

Google Chrome Important Shortcut Folder (must be signed into your Chrome browser with your district cbk12.com Google account)
  • When opening up the Google Chrome web browser you should see a folder called “CBPS” on the far left of your bookmark bar.  This folder has some important shortcuts that you may find yourself going to quite a bit.
 
 
 
IncidentIQ – Work Orders – https://coosbay.incidentiq.com/
  • You will login with your district Google account (“username”@cbk12.com)
  • This is our ticketing/work order system for both Information Technology and Facilities.
  • If you have an emergency you may call IT at extension 1200, or Facilities at extension 1901, otherwise, please use the ticketing system to submit a work order.
 
 
GoGuardian Teacher – https://teacher.goguardian.com
  • GoGuardian Teacher allows teachers to:
    • View student screens in real time to ensure they stay on task.
    • Open or close browser tabs remotely, lock screens, or present their own screen to students.
    • Chat with students individually or send announcements to the whole class.
    • Apply filtering rules (called “Scenes”) to control which websites students can access during class.
    • Schedule class sessions in advance, which is especially useful for substitute days.
    • Receive daily summary emails with insights into student activity, including websites visited, commands used, and session durations.
  • Resources:
  • You will choose the “Log in with Google” option:
 
ParentSquare – Communications – https://www.parentsquare.com/districts/2945
  • It is important that all district staff register their ParentSquare account.
  • Not only is this tool used for communication with parents and sometimes students, but this is also the primary communication that the district will use for things like school closures, weather delays, and more.
  • You may receive emails from the system if you haven’t registered reminding you to do so.
  • You can also install the app for the convenience on your phone.
  • With this product, you must sign in with your primary district account (“username”@coos-bay.k12.or.us), choose the “Sign in with Microsoft” option.
 
 
Email – CBPS Email accounts explained
  • “username”@coos-bay.k12.or.us
    • Microsoft Account
    • Your official district email account
    • If using a Windows device this is the account you will use to sign in.
    • Access to Microsoft 365 online: Office apps, OneDrive, SharePoint, Online Email
  • “username”@cbk12.com
    • Google for Education Account
    • Domain for our student accounts
    • If using a Chromebook this is the account you will use to sign in.
    • Sign in to Google Meets and your Chrome browser with this account.
    • Access to online Google Services: Gmail, Google Drive, Google Workspace, Google Classroom

Chrome Apps for Document Cameras

We want to inform you of an important change regarding the use of Ipevo and InSwan (Documate) document cameras in our district.
Google is deprecating support for Chrome Apps, which means the current apps many of you use to operate your document cameras will no longer function reliably or at all in the near future (or already). This affects both:
  • IPEVO Presenter/Visualizer Chrome Apps
  • InSwan Documate Chrome App
To ensure continued functionality, please begin using the new web-based applications provided by each manufacturer. These apps work directly in your browser—no installation required—and offer similar features such as zoom, rotate, annotate, and video recording.
 
If you need help transitioning to the new web apps or have questions about compatibility, please reach out to the tech department. We’re here to support you through this change.
Thank you for your attention and cooperation!