hallb15

I actually spat coffee all over my desk when I read that! Sadly, we have returned from Disneyland - I can probably find a photo of me stood next to the LEGO R2D2 if you really want!

I agree with @3s-gtech it sounds like permissions, as some people can and some can't access the drive.

YESSSS! I'm so glad I came into school today and read this... Honestly, I'm a little worried at how happy this has made me - even more so than when I saw the 'life size' R2D2 made out of LEGO at the LEGO shop in Disneyland...

I've always had good experiences with HP support. You get what you pay for and that's why I'll always recommend HP and spit on Fujitsu!

We use class dojo here. Its not enforced though, so if a teacher doesn't like it they don't use it. However it is on our portal page and those that do use it, swear by it!

+1 for the Hubsan X4. Its cheap, replacement parts are cheap and easy to get, and its loads of fun.

I might have said Netgear UTM if they weren't pulling out of the market and ending support next year. NETGEAR Support | UTM9S | ProSECURE UTM Firewalls But I think a smoothwall device could be all you need. I don't use smoothwall though so I'll let someone else confirm or shoot me down in flames!

Definitely try it on a different laptop. Is it an old SB580? Sounds similar to a problem I had where it would calibrate and work for about an hour then get progressively worse until it didn't even recognise the pen touches. Had to replace the board in the end.

+1 for the Satcure website. You'll find everything you need to know on there. http://www.satcure.co.uk/tech/satmeter.htm

It can also drive further on one charge than it can fly. From experience with my X4, there's less chance of it completely trashing itself when the battery dies if its already on the ground at the time!

On a vaguely similar note: How cool does this look? https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2017062404/b-unstoppable

It would take a long time to ingest all of Rum... Welcome to the Isle of Rum - Small Isles, Inner Hebrides, Scotland.

Welcome - always good to see a new member of the Yorkshire clan!

As @witch and @HarryMonkey said - been working in schools for several years and been through many Ofsted inspections but not once been asked anything. We are due an inspection anytime soon and the general consensus is that it will be before the end of term as the new framework comes into effect in September.

I use Adobe Premiere Elements - its way better than movie maker and Pinnacle (at least it was but I haven't touched pinnacle for several years so it may have improved) Its more expensive than Serif though...

Sorry, I wasn't very clear. I was trying to keep it concise but I'm not very good at that either!

You'll definitely need more RAM, although this is easier to add later than, say hard drive space. We're in the middle of our virtualisation process and like you I've just read as much as possible and filtered out the important stuff. Take advice from suppliers if you have a good relationship with, who take the time to understand your requirements and not just flog you whatever they get the most kickback from. I got ours from @VeryPC - I think Ed there probably builds servers in his sleep. But you've probably already have a preferred supplier in mind. For the host I've got an HP ML3 350p G8 with dual 6 core Xeons and 64GB of RAM. I'm using Hyper-V. As others have said, there's no reason not to as its free, does the job, and is well supported. I'm backing up to NAS using Altaro which is simplicity itself and very reasonable for up to 5 VMs. Once our transition to virtual is complete, I'm going to put Server2012 Hyper-V on the best of the old servers to use for backup in case the main server fails. I'm hoping that day never comes, but its always best to be prepared. You'll need several NICs so that you can assign them to individual VMs (you can also team them to enable load balancing) for our host I'm using a 4-port nic. Keep an eye on what's out there, but in reality a year is a long time in IT and things will have changed a lot by the time you come to placing the order. Keep asking questions on here and everyone will keep chipping in their thoughts so that when the time comes, you'll be able to order with confidence.

Mmm, best type of cake, most suited to a 127 mile canal trip? I don't know. Answers on a post card to... @Joanne - eating anything that's been in the canal is not a good idea

One of the main drivers behind this push on tablets was assessment without levels and recording evidence. We'd had a trial of 2Build a profile in Early Years with staff using iPods and it proved very successful. We trialled a Windows tablet and a couple of androids as well as iPads but the iPad won largely due to compatibility with 2Build a Profile AND classroom monitor. The concerns about not being able to access files on the school network, lack of flash support, printing, projecting onto smartboard were either ruled out or addressed whilst we had the trial tablets in school so we knew what we were up against. These are additional devices, not intended to replace the desktop PC in the classroom. We're going with AirServer on the classroom desktop PC for those staff that do want to mirror their iPad on the projector. We're an Office365 school so will be using that for collaborating on documents, shared calendars etc... In time, we expect staff to discover more uses for the iPads, but initially this is all they are expected to use them for. I should point out that we haven't actually received the iPads yet but the order has been placed and the leasing agreement is being drawn up.

Happy Birthday - I'm getting a cake for lunch to celebrate. Anyone in the Leeds area up for a slice?? Meet you in Morrisons in 5...

Those modular ones are Tech connect. Techconnect - They should fit in the trunking - you may or may not need a dry wall style back box. I usually get bits and pieces like this from AVPartsmaster or CBCComputers or as part of a larger order with the projector and speakers etc. from VeryPC.

Its the same with iPhones too...

Or just stick it in the netlogon folder...

After lots of research we've gone with iPads. For us this was driven by the need for a device which worked with Classroom Monitor AND 2Simple's 2Build a profile to which we already subscribe. You need to be perfectly clear what 'they' are expecting the mobile devices to do. Something as seemingly simple as printing a document can be a nightmare to implement, especially if you have any sort of print management system already installed. Here's a few other important points to consider - there will be lots more questions that are specific to your requirements of course How will you manage apps - who pays for them and who controls what can and can't be installed? How will they access their files on the school network when not in school? Do they need to project onto a smartboard or other IWB? Accidental Damage insurance What if they are lost, how do you protect sensitive data that may be on them? Buy or lease? Is your wireless infrastructure up to the job if you suddenly add a load of tablets into the mix? Do your research and present it well and you should end up with a suitable solution that works for the staff and for you. Get in touch with some suppliers and request demo units - its the best way to show what the devices can do and what their limitations may be when in your school environment.

@VeryPC_Ed knows his stuff when it comes to servers. Looks like a good spec - please keep us posted how you get on with it.