Sims Lesson Monitor+PDA's + How do you do it?

[tosca925]

From the end of the month everyone will have to use Lesson Monitor for their registration on the hour every hour. This is fine in 90% of the school as all classrooms a have net points and all staff have laptops.

 

Problem area...P.E..! I am sure this subject has been covered before but i need help. Its been suggested that we use PDA in P.E and drama areas. We need to install a couple of Wireless AP's to cover th areas in question.

 

 

How do you deal with this situation and hourly electronic registers? Does lesson monitor have to be done live via the PDA or can it be synced from a cradle a couple of times a day?

[meastaugh1]

We're in the process of doing this too, as we soon will be moving from session to lesson e-reg shortly. Instead of going the PDA route, we've acquired some eeepcs and setup RDP sessions to our terminal server for SIMS access. It seems to work well in testing, just waiting for a PE teacher to pilot it now.

[kxv2020]

Instead of PDA's I suggest you get some tablet laptops and install Sims.net on that!! That way you have the full functionality of SIMS.net at a greatly reduced price. I also suggest that you get all staff to use Lesson Monitor 7 - from either the focus menu or the Lesson Monitor Icon on the toolbar or their timeline on the Sims.net homepage rather than v6 as it is far quicker and offers far greater functionality. Edited January 17, 2008 by kxv2020

[comedydave]

We have just piloted this. And had loads of fun *smirk*

 

It is out intention like yours to get it onto PE Teachers PDA's and put an outdoor wireless point on the wall of our office facing the astroturf.

I ended up in a 4 week support call with Capita, trying to iron out the connection and database bugs. So all I can say is good luck.

It turned out to be the fact that we run sims in such a way that it takes your login credentials from windows. This causes login faults on the PDA.

[Guest blacksheep]

Havent got to doing it yet..

Got Sims LM working ok on laptops via wireless

 

Had got PDAs (like a year ago) and the software (HP IPAQS) but had to wait nigh on a year for the county to allow me into the school admin server! Although we have sims support! Need to install some seperate addon utils and mod the database and users etc. (Im not even a system manager on the system).

 

Still debating whether im going to bother considering all the hassle I have had with county regarding this so far.

[TechMonkey]

We bought tablets for ours with a WAP in their office. Works just about but they tend to use them as laptops rather than tablets. Thinking of going over to a few EEEEEEEEpcs either with full XP (I know I know!) or the RDP.

[Frazer]

I tried PARSql on some Fujitusi Pocket Loox 720's a while back which was 'ok', but we are now about to move to Lesson Monitor.

 

Are there any specific requirements to run it over a PDA?

 

Will 802.11b be sufficient? I seem to remember back when I last looked at PDAs there were very few 802.11g PDAs.

 

What spec are the PDAs you guys are currently using with Lesson Monitor?

 

If your average PDA will be fine, ill probably look to getting the replacement to the Loox 720.

[jenny_urey]

On my own school experience using any type of Electronic lesson attendance system whether it be SIMS, PARS, Bromcom....for PE especially, I'll be honest and say that my findings are - how can I say this - the issue isnt with the hardware or software; its getting PE teachers to do it! Seems to be more of a man management issue than IT issue.

 

Over and out quite quickly

[Kyle]

its getting PE teachers to do it! Seems to be more of a man management issue than IT issue.

 

 

Exactly the same from my experience as well.

[Guest blacksheep]

Seems to be more of a man management issue than IT issue.

 

They probably want you to go over there and mark the class for them if they are like some of the ppl here! Ok I best shutup now ..

did you mean lan managment lol .. but yeh I know exactly what you mean

but I dont care anymore if they cant be bothered then I suppose ill get the blame I usually do! Had a PE teacher telling me how the laptop system is just plain 'crap' etc. the laptop is always going flat. Turned out that she just needed to charge it!! FFS It dont go all day!

Then I had another issue with the signal being so bad that it wouldnt work, so I tested it and the signal was not great but it still worked where they were using it. So I put up another transmitter (was testing something else) and told them. They went quiet but later on I switched that transmitter off and moved it but the signal is still ok over their area!! lol more 'man' managment issues.

I find some of the teachers just need to give them some 'attention' then the apparent fault goes away

Edited February 8, 2008 by blacksheep

[StewartKnight]

I've just installed SIMS on an eeepc and it works great, wasted £250 on a pda 1st though!

[Guest blacksheep]

I've just installed SIMS on an eeepc and it works great, wasted £250 on a pda 1st though!

 

Already spent:

IPAQ hx2490 = £219 x 5 = £1095

5 Licenses PDAs = £1000

 

Still no PDA usage whatsoever!

 

Think they will be sucked up by SLT to do notes on (I might get one )

 

I can rapidly recoupe Eepc purchases just from the license fees!

Edited February 8, 2008 by blacksheep

[StewartKnight]

Thats what I thought! I can't believe the pda licence costs!

[bossman]

4 Toshiba Tecra Tablet PCs conected via Cisco 1130 APs fibred through 3550 24 port cisco switch back to main core switch works a treat been running 6 months now with no problems.

 

Teachers not only take lesson registers every hour but can use like a desktop so can do lots of other tasks.

[antoeknee]

Capita have said a new version of the Mobile software will allow off-line registers and then sync when the PDA is dropped into a cradle.

 

Suppose to be due May

[thornuk]

The picture of a PE teacher running around a field clutching a tablet PC (you can't leave them around - at least not round here !), whilst refereeing a match or supervising several groups of pupils just isn't realistic. The whole point of PDAs (or more correctly these days HHCs "handheld computers", as they can do practically anything a desktop PC can) is portability = do the register, put it in your pocket or belt clip, ignore it. Many of the front line models now have wifi built in. Most run MS Office software, either directly or in emulation.

 

There are two possible hitches: (1) whether SIMS produce a module for them (I'm open to correction on this, and would love to know), (2) small font size on small screen.

 

For what it's worth, I've used a Palm T3 (without wifi) for 4 years for registration (not SIMS linked, but as Excel files, which directly copy to the laptop/desktop) and (apart from the street cred of being the only teacher on the staff to use one) it has opened up many more opportunities than simply logging who's there or not.

 

PeterB (Cheltenham Kingsmead School)

[Arpitbhargava]

Dont know if this conversation is old. But we have bought lesson monitor recently and i have bought some eeepc and trying to install winxp pro but wireless is not working on the eeepc as i cant the driver the model which i am having is eeepc 900.

 

If you know one than that would be of great help.

 

Arpit

[wishyboy]

Hi All, We too are looking into the PE issue and have just got the new PDA Mobile software (v4.0) from SIMS. We have installed both the server and PDA software with ease, however, we cannot login with PDA. Call logged with SIMS, but will keep you up to date with progress.

 

First views thou look good.

[the_quick]

I had nothing but trouble with it.

 

Now I have 1 PDA running it, but only in offline mode. On WiFi no one can log on to sims mobile, on active sync no problem. So we first to sync and than give it to teacher. But sync takes ages to do.

Marking attendance can be bit strange, not always keyboard will allow change mark from / to N for example.

 

Have no clue why WiFi does not work for LM Mobile when it does work for internet browsing etc. Asked question about it and was told that something is wrong with my wireless.

 

Not really a huge fan of this solution

[aliaspeter]

Hi All, We too are looking into the PE issue and have just got the new PDA Mobile software (v4.0) from SIMS. We have installed both the server and PDA software with ease, however, we cannot login with PDA. Call logged with SIMS, but will keep you up to date with progress.

 

First views thou look good.

 

 

Hi,

 

What PDA are you using for Lesson Monitor?

 

Thanks

[mrbeckett]

We've just ordered 7 PDA's, 5 for PE and two spares, (Ipaqs). Two have arrived, the rest wont be here for another month.

 

We're going to install SIMS Mobile onto them, another local school already has and they said it can be a bit fiddly to get going, but once it's up it's good.

 

I'll let you know how i get on, when i get round to it.....