ILTS Technology Specialist (223) cheat sheet

OSI troubleshooting order: start at Layer 1 (cabling, power, link lights), then Layer 2 (MAC, VLAN, switch port), Layer 3 (IP address, subnet mask, gateway, routing), then upward; a device with a valid IP but no gateway reaches local hosts only.

Private IPv4 ranges: 10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12, 192.168.0.0/16; APIPA 169.254.0.0/16 means DHCP failed. Use ipconfig /release then /renew (Windows) or dhclient (Linux) to retest.

DHCP DORA sequence: Discover (client broadcast) → Offer (server) → Request (client) → Acknowledge (server). A scope must exclude statically assigned addresses; reservations bind MAC to IP.

DNS resolution order on a Windows client: local host file, DNS cache (ipconfig /displaydns, /flushdns), then configured DNS servers. A record maps name to IPv4; AAAA to IPv6; CNAME aliases; MX mail; PTR reverse.

Ping tests ICMP reachability; traceroute/tracert reveals each hop and where packets stop; nslookup/dig queries DNS directly; netstat -an lists listening ports and established connections.

Wi-Fi security ranking: WPA3 > WPA2 (AES/CCMP) > WPA (TKIP) > WEP (broken). 2.4 GHz gives longer range and more interference; 5 GHz gives more channels and throughput but shorter range.

Backup types: full copies all data and resets archive bit; incremental copies changes since last backup (fastest backup, slowest restore); differential copies changes since last full (slower backup, faster restore than incremental).

Ticket priority rule: impact × urgency. Escalate when a fix exceeds the technician's authority or the SLA response window; document symptoms, steps taken, and resolution in the ticket before closing.

SAMR levels in order: Substitution (tech swaps a tool, no functional change), Augmentation (functional improvement), Modification (task redesign), Redefinition (previously inconceivable task). Substitution/Augmentation are enhancement; Modification/Redefinition are transformation.

TPACK intersects three knowledge bases - technological, pedagogical, and content - plus their pairwise and triple intersections; effective integration sits at the triple intersection, not in technology knowledge alone.

Bloom's revised taxonomy order: Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, Create. Technology tasks should target the upper levels (Analyze and above) to justify the tool's use.

Universal Design for Learning has three principles: multiple means of engagement (why), representation (what), and action/expression (how). Accommodations change access; modifications change the standard.

ADDIE model phases: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation. Evaluation feeds back into Analysis for revision; formative evaluation occurs during development, summative after implementation.

Flipped classroom moves direct instruction to pre-class video and reserves class time for active application; success depends on accountability checks for pre-work and reliable home/off-campus access.

Formative assessment informs instruction in real time (exit tickets, polls, quizzes); summative assessment measures mastery at the end of a unit. LMS quiz analytics and item analysis support both.

Digital citizenship topics typically cover etiquette, safety/security, digital footprint, copyright and fair use, and cyberbullying; fair use considers purpose, nature, amount, and market effect.

RAM types: DDR4 and DDR5 are not interchangeable; modules must match the motherboard slot key and generation. ECC RAM detects and corrects single-bit errors and requires chipset support.

Storage interfaces: SATA III ≈ 6 Gb/s; NVMe over PCIe is far faster; SSD has no moving parts and better shock resistance; HDD offers lower cost per GB for bulk storage.

RAID: 0 stripes (no redundancy), 1 mirrors (50% capacity), 5 stripes with single parity (survives one drive failure), 10 mirrors then stripes (survives one per mirror pair).

Windows domain vs workgroup: a domain uses Active Directory and centralized authentication (domain accounts, Group Policy); a workgroup uses local accounts and per-machine security databases.

Group Policy Objects apply in order Local → Site → Domain → OU, with the last applied winning; use security filtering and WMI filters to scope GPOs rather than deleting them.

Patch management cycle: inventory assets, test patches in a pilot group, deploy in waves, verify installation, and document rollback. Deferring critical patches raises exploit risk.

Virtualization: a hypervisor (Type 1 bare-metal, Type 2 hosted) runs VMs sharing host CPU, RAM, and storage; overcommitting resources causes contention, so monitor host utilization.

Asset lifecycle: procurement (standard image), deployment (imaging, tagging), maintenance (updates, warranty), and decommissioning (data sanitization per NIST 800-88, then disposal or resale).

CIA triad: confidentiality (encryption, access control), integrity (hashing, versioning), availability (redundancy, backups). A control addresses at least one leg; identify which before choosing it.

FERPA protects education records and gives parents/eligible students inspection and amendment rights; directory information may be disclosed only if the district has given notice and allowed opt-out.

COPPA requires verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information online from children under 13; school consent can cover educational use but not commercial resale.

CIPA conditions E-Rate funding on an internet safety policy, filtering/blocking of obscene or harmful images, and monitoring of minors' online activity.

Authentication factors: something you know (password), have (token, phone), are (biometric). MFA requires two different factor types; two passwords are not MFA.

Phishing defenses: verify sender domain and links before clicking, never reuse credentials, report suspicious mail, and rely on SPF/DKIM/DMARC to authenticate sending domains.

Least privilege and role-based access control: grant the minimum rights needed for the role, review permissions periodically, and revoke access promptly at separation.

Data classification drives handling: public, internal, confidential, and restricted tiers each specify encryption, retention, and sharing rules; encrypt PII at rest (AES-256) and in transit (TLS).

Needs assessment precedes purchasing: gather stakeholder input, audit current inventory and skills, define measurable outcomes, then compare options against those outcomes.

Total cost of ownership includes hardware, licensing/subscriptions, training, support, and refresh cycles - not just purchase price. A 4–5 year refresh cycle is a common planning baseline.

Professional development is most effective when job-embedded, sustained, and coached rather than one-shot sessions; follow-up coaching and peer modeling improve transfer to classrooms.

Project management basics: define scope, schedule, budget, and stakeholders; a scope creep signal is unapproved additions to deliverables; use a RACI chart to assign responsibility.

Change management: communicate the why, identify champions, pilot with volunteers, gather feedback, then scale. Resistance usually reflects unclear benefit or inadequate training.

E-Rate provides discounts on eligible connectivity and internal connections for schools and libraries, tied to a technology plan and CIPA compliance; applications follow a competitive bidding process.

Acceptable use policies should define permitted use, privacy expectations (no expectation of privacy on district devices), consequences, and annual acknowledgment.

Evaluation of a technology initiative uses baseline and post metrics (usage logs, assessment data, surveys) and reports to stakeholders; without a baseline, impact cannot be demonstrated.