Gibson335

I know this sounds like a typical IT Crowd suggestion, but have you tried restarting the new switches? We had some similar problems which led us to believe were switch-related, and with my Networks for Dummies hat on I tried Step A: Restart Device. Worked a treat.

We've had a TS for SIMS access only for almost 3 years now and we have never had more than 6 people use it at the same time - from a staff of well over 100. We worked on the same 20-30 user baseline when assessing specs, but it's never got anywhere near.

It just made me laugh - you have to assume that was the intention. Certainly didn't shock me, neither did I find it revolting. And I wouldn't have complained, though I do think it's a post-watershed advert. The dog's look of surprise was more realistic than the actor's. Not a good ad, though, and you have to wonder how many people had how many meetings and still decided that was OK.

Thank you. Is it wrong to admit I laughed?

I'd actually like to see that - just so's I could feel violated by it. There can't be less thought put into advertising a product than there is for perfumes...essentially the same advert for the past 20 years, just with slightly different words.

I love the ad where the aggressive daughter storms in to the room and demands her dad signs the 'fession' - for Haribo I think. Loved the Citroen robot dance, too. Can't stand the Go Compare man, but you can't forget him either. An odd one is the Dulux one where the parents paint the room bright yellow and their older son leaves...are Dulux trying to tell us they produce a paint so awful it drives people away??? Some ads are so awful you have to wonder how they got made.

How many business ICT Depts, I wonder, have to manage and support in excess of 100 pieces of software?

Thanks. I've been through the forums, but they're a nightmare - I think I was just looking for some fellow Edugeekers to offer some sanity! Cheers.

I agree there is a difference, and I agree that one aspect of that difference is that we are expected to carry out a whole variety of roles and functions that might not happen in a similar size company. We have to remain flexible, albeit within a structure - some people see working in ICT/IT in schools as an easy option, but the pressure can be enormous and the expectation out of all proportion.

Even though I wouldn't personally be interested at this stage of my career, I think it's good that this pot is getting stirred again. I think most of us can come up with a tale or two about how our employers and other staff seem to view ICT as a necessary evil, and us with the pointy tail and horns, and I'm not convinced that investment in our professional development is high on the list when it comes to budget priorities. But perhaps some of that does stem from apathy, although again I guess that depends on where you see yourself in 5-10 years time and why you want the recognition in the first place. Are we ICT Professionals, or are we ICT Professionals in Education? And is there a difference?

Has anyone deployed ProTools across a Windows network? If so, would really love some pointers on stations setup and how issues such as storage were overcome. From what I've read, we're lookin at dual HDDs, one partitioned, ProTools stored on one part of the partition, audio files captured to secondary drive. Just wondering how this works in practice rather than theory! Also, how did you backup your audio files? Cheers.

Les was a tubby kid who had bags of enthusiasm and no talent...my dad stuck him in goal...the rest is history. Became disillusioned with the game long before his early death.

Depends what you mean by famous, really. I met the entire band Toto in 2006 I played football with Les Sealy I met the Chelsea squad in 1970 I played in a school band with Iron Maiden's Steve Harris I played in another band with Alan Murphy, ex Level 42, Go West, Kate Bush, Mike and the Mechanics I met Ramsey Campbell, Michael Marchall Smith and Brian Lumley (authors) at a book signing But no royals, no actors...except maybe Ray Winstone.

When 'selling' to SLT, it's always good to mention savings. So, for instance, we were running 12 servers, and by the time our current transition is completed we'll have a SAN and 2 physical servers. If you were on a 5 year cycle of replacement, then you have an immediate purchase and re-purchase saving. But the big 'sell' at the moment is energey...and we'll reduce 24 PSUs down to 6, which is an energy saving on hardware, not to mention potential savings on cooling. No matter what you plump for, always introduce savings and never forget energy costs.

Yes - heard often decades ago, but not in recent times. Mind you, I'm a bit particular about what we call things. I am not a fan of having a 'Team GB' in sports...for me it's Great Britain or nothing. Old school I suppose. Or just old.

Yes, 'touching base' to see how we can work together 'going forward'. I personally love the ones who say they are 'catching up' when I know I have never spoken to them before, so what would we be 'catching up' on? And when they say 'We agreed I would call you back at this point' I enjoy telling them I would not have agreed to any such call. I know they all have a job to do, but I hate the outright lies, and I can certainly live without the sales speak, thank you very much. Mind you, a very nice chap from Nigeria mailed me the other day with what looked like a decent offer, and all I had to do was provide my bank details...I don't want to rip the bloke off, what with him being a Prince, but some people are just asking for it.

Ideally, you will have an AUP in place, which will document this, together with some reference to potential consequences. However, in addition to an AUP you also need a SLT who will actually do something when staff ignore the AUP and install software anyway. Good luck with that!

Is anyone out there running ProTools on a PC network? If so, I'd very much like to pick your brain. Cheers.

If I never hear the phrase 'We are here for teaching and learning' again it will still be too soon. This is the catchall, get-out-of-jail-free phrase that is meant to act as our Kryptonite. Yes, we know. Yes, we're aware of the reasons why we are here. But 'teaching and learning' isn't everything in our game, because behind the shiny tools at the front of the class is the machine that keeps it going. The ICT Support team is part of that machine, without which schools simply couldn't keep going - whether that team is provided in-house or via outsourced service management. We are not a small cog, if anything we're the spokes, reaching out across the wheel. When it comes to the techs, many of them bring their own inferiority complex through the door. I insist it should not be this way, and try to drum it into them that they are a major part of what enables the school to function. That we, too, are professionals. Does an 'us and them' culture still exist? Yes, at least it does in the two schools I've worked for. But there has been a great deal of change over the years. In secondary education, at least, we have moved away from the notion that an ITaware and willing teacher can successfully run a network, but that's because networks have become bigger and more complex and more wide reaching. Teaching staff are coming around to understanding that we are not (all) a bunch of people who didn't have anything better to do and so somehow ended up slipping into IT and then slipping into education. I think we may still be a way off being fully appreciated for the work we do, and for the influence we have, but then perhaps many of us may not fully appreciate a teacher's contribution beyond the walls of their classroom. As for being a member of the 'support' staff, well the word suggests subservience more than is intended I feel, and it certainly doesn't bother me. I work on the basis of treating people how I am treated by them. So the snotty ones get my professional service, whilst for the nicer ones I'll go the extra yard as need arises. When it comes to 'us and them' I just keep in mind that which one we are depends on who is telling the story.

I have a 20 metres breaststroke certificate if that's any good.

Speak for yourself!! No, I know what you mean. Hard to pretend you're dynamic when you reach this age. My qualifications were gained at my previous school and helped earn me my job here, but there comes a point when you ask why you're continuing to study and go in for exams. I put in my time learning new things, I keep current. It might be an issue if I was looking for another job, but I'm not. I also started on Novell 3, then it was 4 because of the GUI, and you had to make the step up from NT4 to 2000...frankly, there's more to life now. Plus, my internal hard drive is full and slow and all the defragging in the world isn't helping!

We're taking the single flat network plunge next summer. At the same time we're introducing a different, and much larger IP range to address future demands. A fair amount of work, but a nice project to get my teeth into. The last link in a 3 summer development plan.

Used to have both MS and Novell qualifications. Have not kept them up since Windows 2000 server and Novell 4.11. Too long in the tooth to bother these days.

I have this idea for pre-sliced bread, but I don't think it will catch on.