Category: Blog

My district uses Computrace — note I am a teacher tech and am not at any decision level at all, and I am relating what I've been told by the powers that be.

I've been with my district 17 years, and over the years, I've seen various lock down devices.

The first set of computers in my room were bolted to the tables with a very long bolt that had to be undone with a special device if you had to work on the hardware.   I've seen computers glued to various types of  lockdown pads and combinations of security chains.   

All of these had some common problems — techs had to have a special device to unlock the security devices before they could work on them, usually requiring different keys or wrenches.

BUT the computers were still stolen, often theives would take the whole table with the computer(s) and monitor(s) still attached and detach them at their leisure.

All that changed when we started issuing laptops to teachers.  They all had CompuTrace installed on them and I remember one of our adminsitrations relating stories about how the laptops were found — one even involved in a child porn case, investigators found the alleged pedophile in the hotel room where the suspect was hiding out.

All of the district computers are now protected with Computrace or the like.  The laptop I am working on right now has one, and you know it when you go into the System setup — it tells you.

Monitors are so cheap, they don't worry about their theft, they just send out new ones.  We buy in bulk so get a better deal. Same with mice and keyboards.

In March, I will have had this tablet notepad for two years.  LOVE IT, but it was getting slow and old. 

I decided to load Windows 7 Ultimate (oh, and it had Windows XP on) last night and see what it was like. 

I've gotten on the DISD software to work, VPN, Groupwise, etc.

I still don't have the volume buttons working, but I don't have the latest drivers, had to download new software for the ATT aircard, but it's working now, and

I'm loving my tablet again!

Thanks Microsoft, and I'll probably be buying another copy of Windows 7 from Journey Ed, though I could load the Professional version for free.

First, tried Windows 7 on the Gateway — didn't work.

Put it on the Think Pad last night.  So far, loving it.  Only thing I don't have on it is Novell, I have a client installed, but wasn't able to use the VPN to get to our Novell Server, I'll try again and look at our settings.  Went from XP to WIndows 7 since the district doesn't trust Vista.  I'll either have to downgrade to the professional or pay $100 for the Ultimate.

I want to figure out how to turn off their automatic login — I hate that, stuck with their B "N" when I could have my own picture.

I still have some Lenovo drivers to find and load, but it's looking good.

I feel the same way BUT my problem is that I am the only person in my school, so I have no one to collaborate with.  I have to go to professional development off site for that.

We had something called "Job Alike" and it was great because it was broken up into 1 hour presentations and we took turns sharing what worked.

Hate working in a vacuum! 

Quote

Why I'm Jealous of Teach for America Teachers | Edutopia
I don't mean to whine, but I'm feeling neglected. For all my questions about the eventual impact on education with Teach for America, I find myself a little pouty that TFA teachers get all this professional development, and I don't.

So I upgraded my HP Pavilion Slimeline to WIndows Ultimate (64x).  Bought a wireless USB port from a guy off Ebay.

Stuck it in, didn't need drivers, just needed the Wireless key.

SWEET!

http://keepass.info/

Has two versions, I've been running 1.6 for a while, and switched to version 2.09 — I am not sure I like version 2.9 having some auto type problems, but I'm going to give it a few days.

Things I like about it

• can put the database and run it on my phone.
• can put it on my sharepoint server
• can run it on a thumb drive
• can keep up with the upteen million passwords and I don't have to.  Will also make me more secure.

This is cool. I don’t think my list has ever been this small, I can manage it!

via blogs.msdn.com

This looks like a really cool idea.

And the code all works!

Loving it.  I think it's really Vista Service Pack 3 or 4, and it's a shame we have to send Microsoft money to make Vista work.

It's as good as Windows XP.  More on that later…..

Anyway, I have a MSDN high school membership thanks to Alfred Thompson (@alfredtwo).  I downloaded Windows Professional a couple of weeks ago and installed it on my "test machine".  That machine has Office 2010, and a bit of other exotic software I'm playing with.

I got a copy of Windows 7 Ultimate with my WIndows 7 Launch Party kit (yes, I was a host).  I installed 4 gig of memory on the gym pc ($80.00), and put Windows 7 on it.  I think that's my oldest desktop but I'm not sure, it's pretty close between it and the test machine.

So I love Ultimate so much, I went out to Journey Ed (favorite place to buy software, and they are a stone's throw away.  Bet you I get the product on Monday unless I have to send them proof of status, then I'll get it Tuesday).   That copy is costing me just around $100.  So that's not bad.  I'll put the product key in for this machine and active it when I get the software.

By the way, all three machines are at 4 gig.  All are running 64 bit software.

That's been a problem with the school stuff, but Windows 7 fixes that.  It has an XP virtual machine, and I love it, because that software doesn't have to be in my face.

I've got the school software, links, and passwords all tucked away in that virtual machine and I don't have to have it in my face unless I want it.

That is COOL!

Shouldn't say that, as it will change right away, but I finally did two of the nasty jobs I've been putting off.

One was cleaning out a Portable — it wasn't as bad as I thought — only three pieces of equipment were bad, so the equipment removal form was easy, especially with Jeremy, my tech support kid helping.

We also need to move a computer from one part of the building to the portable, which I dreaded by Jeremy also did all the heavy lifting.

The second job should have been done by the teacher herself, it just involved removing two switches that had about 12 cables a piece.

I couldn't pull out the electrical cords, she had her file cabinet in the way, and I wasn't about to move it OR have the tech support kid help.

I also left the "speed bump" and the cables behind and told her I took a knife to mine, which I didn't have at school.

I have some little tasks to do but they aren't bad.