mb2k01

Last year was my first time and ended up making the long journey from Cornwall (although I actually flew!) alone. This year I'll be attending and bringing our Headteacher which should be fun (part sarcasm / part serious!) How about we all agree to wear edugeek namebadges inside the venue so we can spot eachother?!

Hmm. I don't agree with the first lines of the article about them being the first school to do this - we've paved the way to work this way for months but not yet published anything (in fact, I'd be unlikely to publish anything - it's just an extention of the learning experience, not a news feature!) The concept is simple - most pupils have them but are told they can't use them, yet they can use/borrow laptops, cameras, netbooks, microphones, tape players, cd's etc etc - when a high percentage of all of those resources are available on most phone handsets these days. There will always be a potential negative when anything new is proposed, but if you make sure you're doing it for the right reasons and educate instead of restrict, then it should minimise any problems.

I've been almost completely Stone for the last 4 years or so. Only a handful of minor issues to report (had one issue with buttons on cases which they sorted for us straight away). I did go though a couple of server hard drives (RAID setup and hotswap so fine for me), and again they came out to swap the first, and let me have the second one when I assured them I was fine to do it myself and save them a 100+ mile drive(!) so no real issues with them. I think in the climate we're in at the minute all businesses will be scrambling to keep costs down. If it turned out that perhaps they had re-sourced their build items I wouldn't be suprised - but as long as it's still backed up by their 3 or 5 year next business day warranties I don't mind. For me they're still much better than the major alternatives out there (although, I am keen to try out Simon at CP on my next mini purchase to see what all the fuss on here is about! You all can't be wrong! )

Have you tried giving it an alternative static address to the one you're normally trying? Your static range and dhcp range don't have alternat gateway or dns addresses do they? Out of interest, when you assign a static address and then turn the screen off and back on again, does it loose it's static address and go back to dhcp?

If I've understood the above correctly I'd say that your DNS or Gateway servers should be checked! Have a look on the DHCP server and make sure that whatever DNS and Gateway are specified are the ones you are using when you input the static details

I remember on our MagicNet software there was something in settings which we had to change to allow permenant changes to the OS / HDD (basically before I figured that out programs would be removed / settings lost etc everytime I turned the machine off!) Do those screens have a small embded version of XP installed in them? If the Magic Info software is similar to MagicNet and the screens have XP I'd recommend plugging a keyboard in the back and crashing out of the Magic software to make sure the network is set up the normal way in Windows.

Not a downside, but potentially still useful... I'd definately recommend the Samsung NC10 or NC310 - they feel much more solid and have a 98% full size keyboard (or maybe slightly higher - can't remember specifically!) I have one for personal use and don't have a problem with my fingers typing at normal speed! Although they come with 1GB RAM in one slot you could consider upgrading to 2GB - you might find a reseller willing to do this for you, or you might have to do it yourself.

I have two - one which came with the professional MagicNet software and the other with the basic version. I have to be honest - I hated both version of the software and got to the point where I now don't use it as I couldn't get it to a reliable stage to pass over to someone else. As sad as it sounds, we have resorted to PowerPoint viewer being installed on the screens and having a ppt file configured to run on startup! I've just about finished a web-based digital signage solution which I'll probably start to make more use of instead of the ppt files when complete.

I use Policy Patrol Enterprise by Red Hat Software. The latest version (6) has a lot of improvements compared to previous versions. I've used them since version 4, and found them a lot better compared to GFI Mail Essentials which I was using before that.

Hi Mossj, Your code pretty much got me there - massive thanks! The code I eventually used was only tweaked slightly: This code has enabled me to move forward with a web-based digital signage solution for the school which can be completely local. Many thanks

A shameless bump, in the hope someone can solve my headache! (If it helps, I can create a playlist that autoloads by using Microsoft Expression Encoder - this would be perfect if I could get it to loop, but can't see where/how to do it either in the program itself, or the HTML / PHP that it outputs?!)

Hi All, Does anyone have an example of code that I could insert into a HTML document which would allow me to embed a playlist / selection of LOCAL media that would then loop the playlist when it reaches the end? I managed to get this kind of thing working with a YouTube playlist using the following code, but unfortunately our Internet connection makes it impossible to progress with as the playlist videos are continually buffering or crashing out: If anyone is able to help turn the above in to something which replaces the YouTube playlist with local media on a continual loop I'll be very grateful!

Hi Chris, I'd be happy to be listed, although being in Cornwall may well limit the possibility of being called up! [Edit] I'm actually full time, but have been known to undertake additional work during holiday on a sepeare self-employed basis [/Edit]

I'm not familiar with Student Placements, but as it sounds to me like finance is the issue a Modern Apprenticeship post might be a nice compromise for the school? There are obvious financial benefits to the school instead of paying on a mainscale, but you also know that a Modern Apprentice is there because they are hungry to learn and keen to get a foot in the industry. You might also find that your Local Authority has a Modern Apprenticeship programme operating where they may fund a percentage of their salary instead of the school funding 100% (Our LA fund 50% of our Apprenticeship salaries). Admittedly you might not find an apprentice that can go straight in and perform intermediate / high level tasks, but they should have enough background knowledge to learn quickly and soon become an asset. (If you happen to find a strong candidate you can always approach the Headteacher again towards the end of the apprenticeship and seek to employ them) I can't speak highly enough of Modern Apprenticeships - I've even developed a rolling programme with our local college to offer NVQ2 placements each year (this gives us flexibility in our staffing, but mainly gives a chance to someone who needs / wants it)

Definately a step in the right direction, although reading the article I wouldn't assume it's cloud based - it says it would be easy to upgrade to the full version which makes me think it might be software based but run adds like the ones displayed on Live Messenger?

Although you say your AV is fine, is it Symantec Endpoint? And if it is, are you an upgrade or two behind the latest version? We had something along these lines a while back due to Endpoint

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Same here. I had the same thing the other day with the answering machine thread attachment Edu issue or SWGfL? - I've tried various proxies and no luck on any! (IE 8.0.7600, Win 7 Pro, SWGfL - also tried on Win XP with same browser)

Interesting point raised on the LA support - i would be HIGHLY suprised if ours did, in fact I would go as far as to say 99.5% sure they wouldn't support us, or want us to head in that direction. To a certain extent that doesn't bother me - as long as Serco offer support themselves and are reliable

Honestly? Your initial reaction is completely valid! Outlook users can have two calendars open side by side, so that gives an instant overview of your calendar and the school calendar? While you can make a calendar more accessible (sharepoint / other web-based route etc), I doubt you are going to get a solution robust enough to satisfy your deputy head's needs - not more than the Outlook route anyway? (Of course that's just the two of us having a similar opinion, others might reply with something much better and prove me/us wrong!)

Hi Witch, We operate in a similar way to others here - on entry to the school (year 7 intake, new starters etc) parents are given a letter which allows the use of their childs image. We break that use down by offering a tick box for local newspaper, in-school publication, internet etc. The results of the letters are held centrally and referred to by anyone wanting to use a childs image. Seperate to the parental permission we have an informal policy where we do not list full names of pupils - we only ever to refer to them by first name. Our letter is fairly basic, but if you would like a copy feel free to PM me with your work address

Thanks guys - both very interesting reads. @Rob - What are the specifics behind your two disasterous years? @Tim - The positives you mention are almost exactly the reasons I am looking at the possibility of moving. Did you experience any major negative points during the transition?

Hi All, Have any of you moved from Capita SIMS to Serco Facility? If so: What made you move? Do you regret it? Has it worked out cheaper to the school? Do you have any other comments / suggestions to a school that might be looking to move?! Many thanks

I'll be attending the user training in the not too distant future and working on a primary / secondary transition project. (The primaries don't have a VLE while the secondary has Moodle) The key issue for the secondary school is that it's doesn't turn in to an "either / or" battle. Moodle is the chosen VLE, and Merlin must support intergration or it won't suceed. The other major thing that Merlin must deliver is the parental reporting side of things. If they nail that and offer us a reliable parental reporting system that also links to Moodle then they'll be on to a winner. If not, it probably won't be used.... a bit like the SWGfL Portal wasn't!

Is it just me, or is the zip file corrupt? (Tried on XP and Win 7, using Explorer and WinRar!)