SIMS in the classroom

[timbo343]

There are plans to roll out SIMS to classrooms for electronic registration. Has anyone rolled this out? If so, how do you go about managing teaching staff that leave their computers logged into SIMS either while teaching a class or when they leave their computer unlocked?

 

We had a company ring us up the other month saying that they have managed to sort this issue out, but we didn't catch their name.

 

Please let me know.

 

Thanks

 

Tim

[Jamman960]

We rolled it out a while ago, I setup the screensaver to activate after 30mins of inactivity and require a password to unlock.

 

I've since had to ditch that idea because some members of staff are too lazy to log themselves off in the staffroom - in the end every pc in there was locked more often than not. Its not so much of an issue for us here as the pupils aren't old enough to mess around with it although it does make me cringe when I visit rooms at lunch and find the pc's logged on with sims loaded up and the projector being left on... bloody teachers

[Stuart_C]

how do you go about managing teaching staff that leave their computers logged into SIMS either while teaching a class or when they leave their computer unlocked?

 

 

This idea made me chuckle...

 

Seriously though it's somehting I have wondered. I have thought about deleting a large section of one of the shared network areas (backed up obviously!)from a machine I have found left on then providing the logs to prove that teacher did it. My second, only marginally more constructive idea was if I found anyone to change their login script to automatically log them out after 40 minutes (1 lesson) using the shutdown command.

 

The problem with thigns like that is that whislt it sounds like a good idea there are always problems. For example if they put on an hour DVD and the computer logs them out half way through as the computer has been "inactive". Also the exampes sited by Jamman960 are fairly likely in any school. Perhaps allowing staff to lock their machines might be the best compromise. It lets them secure machine without them having to wait for a login/logout. Sorry it's not that helpfull and answer.

[kmount]

how do you go about managing teaching staff that leave their computers logged into SIMS either while teaching a class or when they leave their computer unlocked?

 

Educate them rather than find a technical solution to a non-technical problem.

[jcollings]

We've had SIMS in classrooms for a couple of years now and to be honest we don't have technical solution to the issue. We have trained all staff to lock their PC and to be fair most of them manage it. SLT are very behind this and do give people who don't lock machines a going over.

[User3204]

... in the end every pc in there was locked more often than not....

 

We had the same issue, but then we amended the GPOs. If you look up loopback processing, you can have a policy applied to users but based upon computer OUs.

 

We have two user policies:

1. for the staff laptops, which locks after 35minutes;

2. for the staffroom computers, which logs off after 35minutes - To do this I found a WinExit screensaver from somewhere;

 

Our lessons are 50 minutes, so I should probably done that, but I was compromising, as I initially wanted 15 minutes.

 

The staff complain that when they show a DVD through their laptops it locks after 35 minutes, but I tell them they will just have to move the mouse every so often, as it's a data protection issue.

 

 

And I hid the "screensaver" tab, because I'm a git.

[Richie]

We have been running SIMS for electronic registration since the beginning of this term. Most staff use a laptop through wireless. They have had their laptops a good while now and are in the habit of keeping them with them. A few staff do use classroom teacher pc's but they are the only teachers in the room and kids aren't allowed in without the teacher (usually computer suites)

 

Main thing is to educate your teachers

 

I did notice as I walked down the corridor yesterday that 3 teachers out of the 5 room s I passed were doing register while connected to their projectors. This should also be pointed out as a data protection issue since Lesson Monitor can display information about students listed on the register (ie. medical info or reasons that they might be absent)

[dezt]

We have the same problem here, all you can do is get on at SLT about the problem. We just tell them that kids could walk up to a PC still logged into SIMS and find out any data on other kids or members of staff if they wanted to.

 

It doesn't work though, we still get people leaving PC's unlocked, at least they are out of SIMS though.

 

We can't have a screensaver come on after 35 mins, we get complained at about how disruptive it is when the screensaver comes up during a dvd...

[User3204]

We can't have a screensaver come on after 35 mins, we get complained at about how disruptive it is when the screensaver comes up during a dvd...

 

Three words: Data Protection Act

 

Check out the links for Information Handling documents that BECTA has just produced, linked on this site somewhere.

 

Tell them they can have a machine to do the registration, and another (or another use account) to play all the Powerpoint/DVDs they want, if they object to this.

[Steven_Cleaver]

I have a similiar problem although I don't allow access to SIM's in classrooms, we use PARS for electronic registration and staff are always leaving machines logged on. I have tried trainning, Alt+Ctrl+Delete Lock and tried informing them in the Bulletin but I have to be honest about had enough and have again informed them in the Bulletin this week, next week I am going to inform them that if I find a machine logged in and no one in the room I am going to disable the account.Then they will have to come and see me and explain why they left the machine logged in.

[KWestos]

Hi

 

We have recently rolled sims out to every class with electronic registration. I have imposed a 5 minute screen lock - which does not please everyone, but hey ho! Also, I have told staff if they leave their machine unlocked when they leave the room - I DISABLE THEIR NETWORK ACCOUNT - simple. Now everyone dislikes me but if kids did mess with sims, who spends the next few weeks establishing whats been changed - me and my technicians.

 

Do what you feel is right, it's probably the most important area of your network, the sensitive data in sims.

 

We had a school nearby where kids had been going into sims for months - what a huge problem - nightmare!

[FragglePete]

We rolled out SIMS this year for Elec. Reg and all going well so far.

 

The whole screen saver thing has caused a few mumbles, but have set it to lock at 30 mins. Stuck to my guns on this one and muttered Data Protection, etc.

 

We haven't enabled AD Authentication within SIMS so each teacher has to log onto the network and then log on to SIMS seperately. The result is that teachers usually close SIMS after the register is done.

 

Most of our Projectors have a 'freeze' facility, so most staff freeze the screen before bring up SIMS to take the register so personal data isn't being viewed by the class.

 

Machines are tightly locked down and controlled with GPO's and CSE Workspace which controls which Icons are available to what users and what machines. SIMS mapping to S: drive can't be made unless a member of two security groups along with that particular drive actually hidden.

 

So far no major issues, only really with Laptops that are logged in out of range so no mappings are made during the logon script, so I wrote a script that checks for network connectivity, create the Mapping (S: Drive) on the fly and launch SIMS.

 

Pete

[SYNACK]

I tried training the staff and gave that 6 months where I was very vocal and obvious about the training and what it was for. After very little improvement was shown from this effort I set the machines to lock after 10 minutes, there was of course the usual outcry to which I and the SMT responded to by reminding them of the whole 6 months that had to get it sorted themselves. This worked well as it puts the blame right where it should be, on the teachers who could not be bothered doing it themselves.

 

We usually get the teachers to play DVDs through Windows media player which prevents the computer from goint to screensaver while a media file is playing. Luckily none have realized thus far that the lockout policy could be defeated by having music playing continuously in the background

[kingswood]

We have been running SIMS in every classroom for years. I have been where I am for 4 years and we were running it that way for at least a year before I started. Teachers also have SIMS access on their laptops for rooms that don't have a "set" computer (PE and obscure areas like drama).

 

The *only* issues we have are with staff leaving machines logged in (there are ways around this obviously) and letting students take the register or allowing them to use the stations for normal work!

 

By far this is the minority of staff, but it's still a case of constantly educating the educator about the ramifications of staying logged in or letting students access all that confidential data...some actually listen

 

When all is said it's actually very functional and an obvious evolution to have SIMS available in every room. There's no point in centralising all that data that can be looked at through fairly powerful reporting features in SIMS itself and not having it available to people.

 

Paul

[S1MSMAN]

We have recently started the rollout of SIMS in classrooms. We do not map the a sims drive for the teachers, but edit the local connect.ini to point to the server. This has worked well so far, until we put out the latest upgrade. Only the admin machines with the mapped sims drive automatically upgraded. The classroom machines have an error of incompatability. How have other authorities dealt with this?

[dhicks]

We do not map the a sims drive for the teachers, but edit the local connect.ini to point to the server. This has worked well so far, until we put out the latest upgrade. Only the admin machines with the mapped sims drive automatically upgraded. The classroom machines have an error of incompatability. How have other authorities dealt with this?

 

I ran SIMS over Terminal Services - saves you having to map a drive on workstations and lets you set a 3-minute (or whatever) screensaver timeout on the TS session without locking the whole computer.

 

--

David Hicks

[jenny_urey]

I have a similiar problem although I don't allow access to SIM's in classrooms, we use PARS for electronic registration and staff are always leaving machines logged on. I have tried trainning, Alt+Ctrl+Delete Lock and tried informing them in the Bulletin but I have to be honest about had enough and have again informed them in the Bulletin this week, next week I am going to inform them that if I find a machine logged in and no one in the room I am going to disable the account.Then they will have to come and see me and explain why they left the machine logged in.

 

Hi Steve ... have you spoken to support lads about 'time-out' options? May be something we can do....?!? jen