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Teachers Get Desktops Instead of Laptops

03 Nov

Teachers in Okaloosa County, Florida are getting all their laptop computers replaced with desktop machines. We’ve all pondered the idea of mobile laptops for teachers that they could use at home or at work and have full access to install programs and be responsible for backing up files on, but what are the benefits?

From a technology staff stand point, we don’t really care. Apple has finally created desktop iMacs and laptops that are easy to open and maintain. iBooks have 44 screws on them to remove the harddrive or optical drive; today’s iMacs have an easily removable glass pane and a few screws and MacBooks are also a few screws from removing the bottom cover to access all the easily removeable guts. Sadly, budgets keep us from buying the newest and greatest for all the schools at once. So I’ll be keeping my hex wrench and screw driver readily available.

From at data view, mobile laptops are a nightmare. Without joining them to a network server, we can’t be sure all a users files are backed up. They are easily stolen, left at home, dropped and attacked by cable-loving pets. In a county with 23 schools worth of teachers, I couldn’t imagine troubleshooting computers that I didn’t know what the base installed software/operating system was, assuming we also gave teachers free reign over their laptops like NETS*T programs do. When desktops break, we hook two computers up together and “clone” them from one another, solving 95% of software/operating system issues, leaving user data untouched thanks to a server.

Do we also need wireless access because of the nature of a laptop to be moved? I don’t think so. With no cheap solution to building wide wireless access, we struggle to keep up with 20% of a building’s faculty armed with ipods and laptops by installing . iPads have also been adding to that problem.

But is the problem really making the choice for teachers instead of offering it, maintaining the network for desktops and only doing troubleshooting and repairs for laptops without data management? It’s an interesting debate to follow, for sure.

Link: Okaloosa County Teachers
Link: Apple Store: Mac
Link: Teacher Laptops v Teacher Desktops on EduGeek.net

 
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Posted in Computers, For Teachers

 

Google Docs Improvements Coming

12 Apr

Keep an eye on Google Docs. It’s about to get overhauled with a better word processor, faster spredsheets, a collaborative drawing tool. It should be live now if you click on http://docs.google.com/settings on the ‘Editing’ tab.

 
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Posted in Digital Kids, For Home, For Students, Google

 

JESS3 / The State of The Internet on Vimeo

02 Mar

JESS3 / The State of The Internet on Vimeo on Vimeo

via JESS3 / The State of The Internet on Vimeo.

 
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Posted in Online

 

Getting The Newest Technology In The Classroom

15 Feb

I’ll be the first to admit, if being on the technology staff isn’t proof enough, I love new technology. I like the advances that technology makes and what it allows us to do easier or more of. I like that we can do things we normally don’t do or do it in places we usually don’t. I think in the name of technology, almost any new product is an investment in the greater good for us all.

But what about teachers? We spend millions of dollars on classroom technology and even have staff dedicated to looking at new technology, evaluating it’s usefulness in the classroom and even creating sample lesson plans to use with it. We are digital salesmen. We see a valuable experience in something and practice it, offer it, and teach it.

One has to wonder what the saturation point is or if there even is one. Is it correct to think that too much technology isn’t a problem but on a case-by-case basis per teacher? Is it up to the teacher, administrator or IT department of any business or school to decided how much technology is right for getting the job done? Does the saturation point constantly move as new technology is adapted to?

I quickly evaluate someone when I talk to them and decided if I should introduce a new technology to help alleviate a problem. Is the person I’m talking to more worried about getting the job done at that moment or trying to figure out a way to do the job better? How do they react when I bring up a new website tool or piece of equipment? Do they ask me if there is technology to fix the problem and if there is, how many steps does it add to their routine?

And what about the human element of learning or teaching by computers? How does that affect students relationship skills or work ethics? If a child can always create a slide show presentation because the tools are easy to use, how will that student cope with not being able to consistently produce equally comparable results when using household objects to create the science project they need to turn in. The direct analog of computer tools (glue, scissors, paper, markers, etc.) are never as easy to use as the font menu or cut / paste in PowerPoint. Will the student and parents be less able to work on a project together if the student is used to using Google to find out how to do things on a computer instead of being able to communicate an assignment and their ideas and plans to a parent to get the science project built?

 
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Posted in Digital Kids, For Students, For Teachers, offline

 

As Computer Use Grows

04 Feb

This is an illustration/comic that is floating around the internet. It was in response to the geeks of the world being unhappy with Apple’s new iPad, a new gadget that we all had our eyes on since rumors of a tablet PC coming out of the Cupertino computer maker’s offices. It was not a tablet at all, but a big iPod lacking in capability in our eyes. But I want to discuss a different aspect of this graph: geeks that repair computers vs computer end users. In my case, the Technology Department of Rockingham County and it’s administrators, teachers and students.

Empathy

What is important for someone like me, an IT professional, to understand is that this graphic is 1) very much true and 2) in need of a solution.

As the number of computer users continues to dwarf the number of IT professionals/geeks/nerds/etc, we need to understand that not everyone will not only know as much as we do but also not WANT to know as much as we do about computers and being a “power user”. We are becoming the car mechanics of computers. You bring us your problems, we fix them, we send you on your way. But is it my duty to just fix them or should I also try to educate you as to why it broke or how I fixed it?

In my job, there are two types of technology staff, Computer Resource Technicians and Instructional Technology Resource Teachers. Both of these jobs have this same quandary. One sets up, repairs and maintains computers and networks and the other shows people how to use them and implement them in their classroom to make things better. We both have opportunities to make that geek circle, our proud container, bigger. Encompass more users. Educate the masses. But what if you don’t care.

Personally, I want to make it a challenge to myself to educate you on how your computer works and why it’s doing what it’s doing (whether good or bad) so you won’t feel helpless or completely lost. Confusion is embarrassing and uncomfortable. If I take my car to a shop, I don’t want to be fleeced with services and parts that I don’t need. I want to protect myself. It’s part of why I took the time to learn how to change my own oil (or let my father teach me against my will) and look up on the internet how to replace my alternator when it goes bad and to know what parts I’m seeing under the hood so I can tell someone if something looks funny.

So excuse my forwardness when I stumble on my own words to make what I do a little less confusing for you. Have patience with me as I have patience with you. You can tell me it makes a knocking sound and your mouse stops working while I explain to you the parts inside your printer or that your wireless mouse lost it’s bluetooth connection. All we can do for each other is ask questions back and forth and try to solve the problem together. I’m not trying to impress you with my computer jargon, I’m trying to impress you with caring.

 
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Posted in Uncategorized

 

Google Wave and What It’s Good For

14 Oct

This morning I got an invitation to try out Google Wave. It’s a new collaboration tool that goes far beyond anything online today. To say that it is like anything we currently use would be doing it an injustice. But also, it’s not for everyone.

Google Docs is online collaboration for word documents, spreadsheets and presentations. It’s contained in those abilities. Google Wave is more open to being a completely editable form of communication. If you send me an email in Wave, which itself is called a ‘wave’, I can respond to your wave (called a ‘blip’), edit your wave, upload pictures and movies to it, add other people to see it and all work on it together. Work on what? Anything you want.

The apparent obstacle in this “preview” that I’m in is that only people with Google Wave accounts can see or email each other. I have a separate @googlewave.com email address, but it’s pointless for me to try to use this with anyone else.

To get a better understanding about Wave, here is the Google Help page about communicating in Waves.

Google Waves Best Use Cases – Wave – Lifehacker.

 
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Posted in Digital Kids, For Home, For Students, For Teachers, Google, Online

 

Being a Teacher for a Day

10 Oct

Monday is our third annual Your Day At School for teachers in RCPS. For the second time, I’m teaching a class on Google Docs, an online product I use so much and feel so passionate about, it made me want to stand up in front of a classroom and talk for two 100-minute classes.

Last year we were plagued with Firefox problems and teachers not having pre-signed up to Google Docs accounts that we ran out of time. Hopefully this year, with a stipulation in the description of the course for accounts, 100 minute classes will be enough to share this powerful tool with teachers. I’m a little disappointed in the number of teachers that actually made it into the class, but with so many classes being offered and my class being a double block, maybe I’ll get lucky and get some walk-ins and latecomers. Since it’s a tool that any teacher can use, math to foreign language, I hope that no one will be bored with the content.

And maybe this year I won’t pace the floor so much and ramble on.

 
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Posted in Uncategorized

 

Google Moderator – Letting The Audience Drive

30 Sep

I just found Google Moderator.

Basically, it’s a tool for letting people at a meeting, in a classroom and even before an event/class help you, the speaker or moderator decide on what to cover in as your subject matter.

Before your lecture, you could give out the link to your “series” and they can make suggestions about what they’d like to hear about and then vote on each others suggestions (including your own!).

Of course then, during the event, you can let people suggest and vote live while your on stage or in front of your crowd. And by showing the series screen on a projector, they can all watch the topics be created and be voted up and down.

This would be really handy before conferences, staff meetings, subcommittee meetings and open forums or town hall-style meetings.

This is one of Google Lab’s creation, so it’s not a full fledge product.

 
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Posted in For Teachers, Google, Online

 

Quick Google Docs Update

29 Sep

Google has been busy this Summer, updating features on Docs just in time for the new school year. Adding an equation editor to Spreadsheets, subscripts and superscripts to Documents as well as translations services.

Also to note, Google Sites (their webpage buider/hosting site) now supports posting Docs to your website as well as Calendar, Maps and Picasa (photos). Create a webpage and post a presentation, a photo album or a custom Google Map in minutes.

Here’s mine.

And be on the look out from Microsoft’s version (hey, they’re not ALL that bad) of Docs called Office Live. I’ve just barely scratched the surface with it, but as long as it’s free…

 
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Posted in For Home, For Students, For Teachers, Google, Online

 

Digital Kids – Blogging

21 Aug

Dr. Fenn showed an interesting video at the end of her convocations today for the county employees. It was about letting kids experience the freedoms they have with new technology at school in a way that educational and “cool”. Things that they are already doing at home for fun have been a constant brick wall to break through for teachers.

The video listed a bunch of technology very quickly without any real way to use it. Hopefully, this blog will act as a sort of conduit for that.

Let’s take, for instance, blogging. Kids are blogging all the time but there are two fundamental problems with how they are doing it now. First of all, they are doing it on unprotected forums like MySpace and even Facebook. They need to be taught how to write in public spaces like that, especially high school kids who will accidentally divulge personal information. They need to be taught about internet safety in a way that won’t scare them away from having an online presence.

Secondly, they need to have a purpose to what they are writing about. “Homework” is probably the most uncool way to make kids use technology. It’s a quick, false front that they see through right away. Instead, have them talk about “homework”. Professional bloggers cover things like current events to bring viewership and $$$ to their site, but what makes blogs personal and, honestly, worth reading is when they detail their experience doing what they’re doing. A group of JMU communication majors and food lovers started a blog called JMU Eats. It is pretty successful and they probably got a grade for it (though they didn’t advertise it if they did). Today’s internet is built on common interests. You just have to help the kids find theirs first.

There is also a local community center online HburgBlogs.com where students can see other local blogs.

 
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Posted in Digital Kids, For Students

 
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