SteveB_NI

Oh my! If only I didn't have a phone!!! I wish. My computer spec (don't have time to find details out at mo) is seriously poor but it does the job... I have 2 monitors on it though which is fantastic for my web design work. I use my own laptop for a lot of work these days anyways.

Completely unhelpful but I'm addicted to Wii Fit I don't think it weighs you too accurately, but some of the activities are actually fun in a warped sense!

That would drive me completely mad. I HATE being restricted from areas of the school during 1 of the few times I actually get a chance to sort out things.

Computer: Work Desktop Desktop Res: 1280x1024 x 2 (2 monitors) Wallpaper: Personal Photo - Kinbane Castle Ballintoy Co. Antrim (Antrim Coast Road) - AKA my 2nd home Theme: Win XP standard Running Apps: MS Outlook + RM Management Console Desktop shortcuts to both DC01 + 02, Application Agent (for each workstation) and RM Shared Documents.

Well, I'm just back after just over 2 weeks holiday, so playing catch up at the mo. Got a good bit of my list done in July (and also had a full week off then too!) so it's not too bad. Progress has been hindered though due to cleaners stripping + re-varnishing floors in the labs + classrooms So far got the following done: 2 laptop trolleys + contents checked, cleaned, profiles deleted, images created + restored as appropriate Old computers removed from areas throughout the school & stockpiled for disposal Wireless access points located throughout school to reduce need to connect laptop trolleys in certain classrooms Additional 40 laptops set up & fully updated & awaiting allocation into laptop trolleys Technology department computers (inc. croc. clips & pro. desktop etc) set up & printers allocated Web design work started for a partner primary school Still got to finish up sorting out laptop trolleys etc before I start on my fun project... setting up a technician support system for myself including inventory management (got the barcode scanner etc ready for go!) and an ordering system for toners + other consumables. Want to teach myself some more Flash + PHP as well. Teachers in this week for A-level results day too :censored: lol!

We are almost already 1/2 way through our summer holidays Out of 3 full weeks gone so far I've had a week off... was back Mon 21st and after this Fri will be off for another 2 or so I love using most of my hols during summer... don't see the need to take much time off the rest of the year. Saying that - back on topic... I loved hearing the final bell go at the end of term & hearing the pupils run down the corridor for the last time for ages.

Being as special as we are over in N.Ireland the pupils finished on the 27th June and won't be back in school until 1st September (I used to love the long summer while being a pupil & to be honest I may as well still get them due to the relaxed atmosphere in school during summer). I was gonna make a thread quite recently about the amount of teachers who are STILL coming in during the summer! I have a job list which I made myself for summer (I never get a list of jobs as such to do by any member of management but I always am proactive enough to prepare one myself) I can't get into half the damn rooms as the cleaners are in stripping the floors! Once a coat of varnish or whatever is applied I can't walk on them for the best part of a week

I was going to make a thread laughing about this but you saved me the bother I recently phoned Dell to ask them to send us a number of replacement laptop keyboards - as we are covered under accidental damage the helpdesk operator asked if we had any other problems such as plastic casing damage, DVD-ROM damage etc- I thought this would be a good time to mention I would appreciate some replacement rubber dots (covering the screws) which had been pinched by students from around the laptop displays. Cue 15mins or so on hold as the operator attempts to find the part number for the rubber dots lol! Anyway - I asked him for quite a few as I plan to smarten the laptops up again over summer.... They were delivered a number of days later - 1 very large jiffy bag containing 1 small rubber dot well wrapped up!!!! They sent us 6 or so I think so 6 of these jiffy bags landed on my desk. Remember - these dots cover 1 really small screw top - so you can imagine the size! I was hoping for maybe a whole sheet of rubber dots or such like!

I purchased a piece of hardware for work (graphics card) but it unfortunately is not compatible with the intended computer. I can't really organise a return via the admin staff who deal with orders as she is on leave so I'm trying to deal with it myself. Has anyone got an actual telephone number for Dabs - preferrably for returns? I can't deal with it online as we have too many orders through Dabs for all of the departments in the school. Thanks in advance

I seem to remember it happening before but the actual power connector had been damaged - this time all the leads are ok. Thing is... with us being over in N.Ireland Lapsafe send us the parts via courier and we fit them ourselves as otherwise an engineer will have to be sent across I think Suits us fine!

Our Lapsafe trolleys (the 30 laptop model) have a number of green lights which stay on even if a laptop is not connected (should go off) or even if a battery-dead laptop is connected in (should go red). Anyone experienced this & know of any remedies? Thanks, Steven

I have been asked in the past to go collect costumes & props for a school play, and collect the school xmas tree! Not to mention endless calls to go to the bank for non-technician related money, post office for non-technician related parcels etc! I keep getting asked for Tip-ex in my office though by teachers - I love informing them that my preferred form of Tip-ex is the backspace key

I get round the kids not moving out of the way by just ploughing through bags / whatever they leave in my way, and informing crowds of people that the trolley doesn't stop. That's usually enough to scatter them when a 30 laptop capacity lapsafe is heading their way. doors are a complete pain though

Probably my constant requirement to push a laptop trolley (or quite often 2 in quick succession of each other if booked in 2 different places at same time).... I quite often find my day is like this: Period 1 - Move trolley 1 & 2 Period 2 - Move trolley 1 Period 3 - Move trolley 2 Period 4 - Move trolley 1 Period 5 + 6 - Charging (thank goodness!) etc etc. Pain! Another thing that I don't like is being approached by teachers to do photocopying, or complaining about it not being done - it's not really my job, I'm an ICT Technician, but I often get confused by staff as being a reprographics technician!

We have 4 full laptop trolleys for sale here... includes 20 laptops (on average - depending how quickly I can get them fixed & returned to trolley). Best offer wins

I can't really help re. damage as we're lucky here that the pupils & teachers respect the equipment but I can offer advice re: movement of the trolley. We are about to implement a policy of encouraging staff + students to move the trolley themselves - I have done it myself for the past year but now we have got 4 trolleys on the go this task has become impossible to do alone. The policy is this: 2 trolleys to remain centralised within 2 departments at either end of the school - these are moved & accessed by the relevant technician / teachers. 2 general trolleys (the heaviest Lapsafes) are to be released from their secured store in the morning by myself & taken to their first booking of the day (regardless of whether they are not being used until noon, 1pm or whatever). Teachers + students as appropriate move the trolley from then on, until the last period of the day. (teacher checks the online system & identifies where the trolley is to be collected from). I then return the trolleys to the store for overnight charging. I have kitted each room out with an extension lead & a network cable extension to prevent the trolley having to be wheeled "through" the classroom, instead it simply sits just inside the door of the classroom. This minimises disruption when the trolley is being collected. I have attached signs in the classrooms indicating the laptop trolley connection points & also provided adequate instructions & signs on the laptop trolleys. I will let you know how this movement policy works over the coming weeks if you wish

This irritates me... the one thing I want to do in my job here in school but am not allowed to, and you want to outsource.... sorry couldn't resist!

I must be in a minority here.... I have never actually got annoyed at the fact I have to go to work on a Monday, in fact in just under 2yrs in my current school I have not minded going once. 0 days off sick either, and still manage to carry holiday across to the next year. I'm sad. Weekend was good thanks - got the car cleaned today, and shopped on Sat, so I feel I've done something this weekend. Oh yeah, and also worked on website for work today too.

Sitting wearing a bright t-shirt & jeans at the mo - I usually vary between jeans & combats - although wear a suit when working at events etc.

Appointment booked already and its over 3 months away? Crazy! Are the waiting times really that bad over in the mainland?!

Banned here under C2K reign --- Access to this webpage has been denied URL: http://www.clubpenquin.com/ Reason: This website has been categorised as "Games". --- Even if it wasn't banned, I'm sure we would add it to the block list anyways.

I worked in a school during my work placement year as a basic ICT technician & my jobs included the following: Toner replacement + ordering Workstation maintenance - checking keyboards + mice etc Fixing printers (including re-networking the printer as appropriate / new installations) Producing an inventory of the school computer equipment - including workstations, projectors, peripherals etc) Producing documentation to support teaching staff / pupils Setting up equipment for presentations - e.g. laptop required + data projector Re-imaging machines as required Producing network cables (yawn!) I took it upon myself to re-condition old computers, produce working workstations & increase the network capacity in a certain run-down department. I also taught myself programming etc when I got a spare moment. Following the completion of my degree I now work as a slightly more senior technician - the basic jobs I done before in placement really did help & I'm sure a junior technician starting out would be grateful of your help & guidance Russ. I had a placement student in for 3 months or so just recently - they preferred the hardware side of things & didn't concern themselves much with the software side which as we all know is an even greater part of our work. Without sounding disrespectful I found the student didn't seem to go find the work, it had to be brought to their attention - which took up my time continually assigning them jobs to do. If I had someone totally pro-active and willing to work pretty much without constant direction it would be a God-send! The main thing is tho - I never asked the student to do jobs that I would not do myself - I stressed that to them right at the beginning and all the way through. Sorry for going on!!

Whilst I like those signs I find that the majority of workstations I diagnose as being faulty / under maintenance are whilst I'm out and about - and notice it coincidentally. Therefore the usual out of order sign for me is a A4 page folded in 2 and placed underneath a monitor with the words "Out of Order" written on it - nothing special but saves me carrying signs or relying on them being left in designated areas. I really must try the wet paint sign idea though!

We have about 100 laptops - including 11 or so that are available for overnight rental by sixth form students. In the past year I have had to get 3 keyboards replaced + 1 support call due to the display disappearing (plug had a slight kink). We are lucky here - the pupils respect the equipment & look after it really well. Obviously there are some exceptions but we closely supervise these ones.

RM Geek April Fools day is in good shape here too then I see!