DrBeaker

Along with the "spare" projector remotes?

Maybe a daft question - but do you have a spare/IT Testing device for testing it all works as expected? Otherwise if it's all 1:1 and no spares, how do you test out any issues without having one for IT purposes.

I got asked today why the toner in a printer gets empty when something is printed - because you're using it.

Any particular recommended brands, from experience etc? Is the PC on the domain as usual? Are you on wired or wireless network for it?

Does this not take the onus off the student to be responsible and save their work though? As they go into adult life, no-one is going to do their work for them. Never quite understand this. Is not saving the work the same as scribbling over the exam paper?

It's 2022. 2022! Someone now 18 would have seen XP, Vista, Windows 8/8.1 and 10 OS's Older folks would have Windows 2000, XP etc. So this excuse of "I'm not very good with computers" is wearing a bit thin in 2022. I'm sick to death of hearing it myself. Time to learn, or get out.

Rate Epson highly for quality, reliability etc. Customer service is better than most, still not great but OK Killer feature for us in multiple roles.... Was the Quick Corner on them. Replaced countless ones with Epson's over the years and our replacements in the summer as part of a big bit AV upgrade program....were Epson's. Only issue is the sourcing the replacement remote controls when the teachers lose them!

Spent a lot of time (mainly my own) looking, testing and trying different ideas of getting the content updated. Always comes back to someone updating it in the Xibo CMS itself. Only other one is embedded Google slides etc as the best way. Looked at Canva recently but again it's a create and export, then upload etc to Xibo unless you're cloud-based. Just seems people want these things, but no-one wants to do the hard work it takes to actually update the damm things.

How did you get content owners to actually manage and update the content? Don't want this to fall back on IT to do as we have enough to do as it is. AFAIC it's not up to IT to do this. We don't send the newsletters out, so why would we manage the content when we don't create it.

We only did it in a few rooms due to some TVs being purchased that weren't any good or interactive. Bit of a bodge and staff feedback isn't positive. They don't like the dual screens. However that was the best workaround without replacing them. But I didn't buy the TVs, someone else did and they're not what was needed.

We've seen in only the 3rd week of the new term alone, the impact covid is currently having on staff, students etc. God knows what's going to happen know. We'll wait a few weeks term for the govt U-turn.

See I'm kind of fine with that stuff. I would however expect someone who holds a degree, to be able to determine if a computer is powered on or off via the glowing green LED light is glowing or not.

The irony of this is back in the first days of classroom amps etc.... They all had plugs for microphones via the amp. I've NEVER seen them be used and with interactive TVs that's no longer an option.

We've done what we can, if they weren't interested, fair enough I get it. But they've got to meet us halfway as we can only say next time we can't do that again due to lack of interest and can't say they weren't offered help (which they often claim).

Thing is I've ran sessions for staff before for drop-in/ask me anything (IT-related) sessions before. WiFi, logons, how to do this etc. I've had 1x taker in all that time and they only attended the one. That time could have been better spent. So I'm note sure how we move this forward overall. You've got to meet me halfway. It really does seem we're dammed if we do and dammed if we don't in this field.

A pleasure to participate in a mutual interesting debate! Absolutely agree. We often find though behind the scenes to so speak in IT support: 1) Despite the above, we're not listened to by SLT and others. See # 7. 2) Our recommendations are "too expensive" and rejected. Despite the fact we've done our homework etc before you got the recommendation - Our recommendations are based on numerous factors, analysis and costings including TCO. Cheaper solutions are than forced upon us others which don't work properly, IT get the blame, IT get a bad rep and IT have no motivation to go out on a limb for anything in the future. It's a negative cycle. 3) Contractors do a shoddy job and run off. IT are left to fix (even when sometimes we didn't organise said work) and IT get the blame in the interim. See #2 4) People get involved who have no skill or expertise to make technical judgements and results in mistakes being made that IT wouldn't make. See #1 and #2 5) Shoddy 3rd parties are chosen with little quality service or customer support, the decision based solely on costs on a spreadsheet. Not actual real-world costs. So when the catering system goes down just before lunchtime that only offers email support for problems, as that's all you wanted to pay - IT get the blame, see #2. 6) Our recommendations for equipment lifespans is often ignored. Purely due to costs on a spreadsheet, see #2. 7) All of the above and as a result he qualified and experienced IT technician doesn't get paid a decent salary for the amount of work or valued appropriately, and so moves on somewhere else that does.

IT support get very little training on anything... at all, not a whinge, just a fact. A bricklayer, electrician, plumber etc aren't expected to go home and "do it in your garage" to learn and improve their skills. e.g. One place IT were supposed to know about AV stuff which is a completely different skillset (and payscale) So yes - as a result of that, a lot of us IT folk probably do get a little bit narked when the excuse gets trotted out of "I've not had any training" by certain teachers who pretty much stamp their feet, cross their arms and say 'I'm not doing it', just like a toddler. I can see it from both sides however the frustration. You're asking us for help on things we've had no help on ourselves, but you've come to us as the "experts". So we can't do our jobs properly because we haven't had any training either - it comes full circle. Not a nice position to be in is it? The other thing is time - we don't have time to do our own actual jobs due to ever increasing workloads and reduced staff/resources. The more we're spending 'training' (another role with a completely different skillset and payscale) the less we're actually doing our own jobs and I guarantee you someone is going to complain about something not being done. So the other side, is a result of that - there's no motivation from the IT team to actually help you here either. Do you blame management or the culture or something else?

If I can't find it - either CPC, Lindy or Startech have it. I never even thought of doing this - what a good simple idea! Between velcro, sticky pads, custom wood brackets nothing that looked or felt that nice to have installed.

In 2022 .... basic computer skills. 1) i.e. I mean not having you ask me "how do I do that?" when I ask you to 'maximise that window'. It's 2022. Not 2002 anymore. Leave the rest of the IT and techie stuff to us, we know what we're doing. 2) We're there to empower you to do your job better, with more reliable, robust and faster IT systems. NOT to do your job for you. It's very often misunderstood by a lot of educational people. Everything else they can learn to their own needs.

Another reason is this - 1) I find if I ask for things from an IT improvement perspective, I don't get them e.g. DVD player for a classroom. 2) If that very same request comes from one or more teachers, I get what I asked for (see 1 above) i.e. the DVD player for the classroom. No logic to it and very contradictory but isn't that schools in a nutshell?

One thing is don't reward their bad behaviour for not logging tickets or podging the ticket queue. Had one today ask me whilst in the middle of a scheduled job, how to show them how to do something whilst I was working on a deadline. Nope sorry ask one of your colleagues (how to use a Smartboard, that's training, not technical) or log a ticket and we'll get to it. Hand-holding as well is a No-No.

Yes please I'd be interested. My mantra is the content creation shouldn't lie with IT.

Apart from Windows installs etc I rarely use them myself. Cloud or NAS nowadays.

I always enable verbose/detailed logon messages. Very useful to IT and improves the perception to the user the computer is actually doing something.

How do you get power and data to the middle desks?