musical computers

It appears to be true that the nComputing pci cards do NOT fit in slim desktop computers. The good news is that the company that sold our school this configuration is going to make it "right." Now it is just a matter of figuring out the computer rotation that will give us the number of stations we need, without the need to buy additional PCI cards. I may teach math, but I'm getting a headache thinking this through without a pencil in my hand. I think that the solution here will be to make this a math activity for my 7th and 8th graders. I will post next on how this assignment was received by the students. Let me know if you would like a copy of the lesson plan. Just the thought of doing this is cheering me up!

A minor roadblock

How to get five computer labs up and running for the after school intervention program. Our school has decided to use ALEKS for our Math Intervention program. To get the most out of the resource, students should spend at least a couple of days each week using the program in the computer lab. The problem is, we have 2 computer labs and 5 Intervention classes. We use Ncomputing x550 in the two labs that we have, and in the school library. I began the expansion of the computer setups in the library. We moved the tables around, disconnected the 11 computers already set up, and began to assemble the 11 new monitors, Ncomputing x550 cards, mice, keyboards and vga connections. Thank goodness we have a librarian with an eye for aesthetics  and a Principal willing to pitch in and help get the job done. I'm afraid that I would have given up before I even started without them. Thank you Marilyn and Ed.

Everything was going along perfectly - until we ran into a roadblock - the computer ordered to use with our pci cards was too narrow to hold the full size cards. This is important information that the company that sold us the equipment should have been aware of. They are going to make this right, so that's why this is a "minor" roadblock. With budget cuts to education so deep, this could have been a major setback for us. We are lucky - this time. I hope this post alerts others, interested in using virtual computer setups, of the need to make sure that the case is large enough to hold the cards. It will take about a week to get the new equipment. I guess this will give me some extra time to work on my training program for my student "techies" on google apps.

What Am I Missing?

Yesterday, I began to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Today, I'm frustrated. I thought that I was a good student, and pretty good at following directions. What did I miss? I submitted my request for a certificate of completion for my Google Apps on-line training - after spending at least 12 hours working on the lessons - and was denied. That wouldn't be so bad, except there is no explanation of why, or what I missed. It appears that the only way I can rectify this is to go back and do the whole thing over again. One good thing came out of this, however - I now know that it isn't a good idea to recommend teachers try to go through training on more than one app at a time. Slow-but-sure is wins out. If I have found myself lost in the middle of all this, I can imagine how frustrating it will be for non-techie teachers if not guided correctly - slowly and patiently. I'm going to put my students through the training before I make this available for the faculty. I'm hoping that I can find where I went wrong as I go through the process with my student "tech-squad." I have always learned best when explaining the process to someone else.

I See the Light!

Yes, there is a light at the end of the tunnel! After 5 years of planning and researching the various ways available for educators to incorporate technology, I have only scratched the surface. I have kept cost and ease of maintenance at the forefront of any recommendations and decisions. One solution appears to rise above the rest - Google Apps!

The most difficult part of the task lies before me - rolling this out to the educators and students at Woodland Hills Academy. Training a group of students to help with the transition will make a difference. I have set up a help desk to get teachers accustomed to using the Internet to get help with hardware, software, and networking problems. This site is maintained by one other teacher and myself. I am certifying students as they demonstrate ability to address some of these problems. Once certified to perform a particular task, they can then be sent out to assist the teachers. Some of the tasks they can be certified to perform are,  provide Google Apps training to teachers and students, update software (operating systems, anti-virus, java, adobe, etc.), troubleshoot Internet/Intranet problems, and connect peripheral equipment (printers, doc cameras, projectors, digital tablets, etc.).

I am trying to keep all of the resources "Google-friendly." I'm finding that isn't too difficult. The one problem, however, that keeps popping up is the inability to run flash-based programs on iPod/iPad devices. We don't have the funds available to provide computers to all of our students. If we want our students to collaborate during the school day, they need to bring their own wi-fi enabled devices. That can also prove to be problematic due to the fact that we do not have wi-fi access at school. Teachers who wish to allow Internet access to their students during class time need to purchase a router or access point to set up for their own and/or student use. I hear that the school will be wired for wi-fi within the year. Keeping my fingers crossed!

This past week I have been going through the Google Apps Training. There are many wonderful resources assembled by Google just for this purpose. Knowing this information has already been put together and is readily available gives me hope that this upcoming roll-out is manageable.