Marc_EduTech

Because of this issue, I resorted to being the key holder, and all laptops trolleys were booked via the room/equipment booking system. All staff signed a receipt of delivery/collection, and notes were to be made of any defects. Options for the teachers to sign the laptops out to students, so they knew who had what. My technicians, as part of their proactive IT suite checks, would include giving the laptops a physical once over to ensure all was fine. Any issues, quickly traceable back to whichever member of staff had the laptops last. This did initially require us to then move the trolleys back and forth, however I ended up implementing a system whereby the trolleys were issued to areas to minimise the impact on our department. Accountability is the key. Teachers are rarely issued with it when it comes to IT kit, so force their hand. Don't like the rules, don't sign for or get the kit. SMT will fall into line with it too.

I opted for a few of the Carrier 40 units from Lock n Charge in my previous school https://www.lockncharge.com/eu/products/carrier-40-cart/ Takes a little while to cable manage the chargers, but once in is incredibly neat. They may look flimsy from the stock images on their website, but far from it. Given the stature of the units, they're far easier to shift around a school than a lot of the taller options on the market, as the centre of gravity is low on these, and the wheels were very sturdy. I was given a test unit for a couple of weeks, which I'm sure they'd allow you to do to if you were so inclined.

Complete AVAYA setup, managed predominantly in house, however maintenance contract with Charterhouse Voice and Data. Couldn't recommend either highly enough!

Out of curiosity, those of you who have committed to going down the SSD route, what drives have you gone for?

Morning @witch Have you checked the config to see if the switch is currently enabled for PoE on those ports? I've had it previously where I had enabled this function and forgot to save the config (Doh!), and then found the switches had been restarted for some reason, effectively losing my changes. Our 3Com PoE switches have a little grey button on the front of the device that allows you to cycle through the state of connectivity. One of this shows if power is being requested and functioning through the ports by displaying a solid green light. Hope some of that is of use [emoji4] Marc

We've had a few different iterations over the years, however have settled on one that provides most login details (Network/Email/MIS/Telephone), and then some FAQ style info. From there, we throw a couple of introductory emails out so they are the first they see in their mailboxes, which provide some instruction on logging support calls, and details on how to access the intranet and our user guide/wiki. I must say, this year the packs have really hit staff well, and we've seen a dramatic reduction of calls logged at the start of the year, when compared to similar times of previous years. It's certainly a worthwhile exercise.

Tempting...tempting...

Nice one @ICTDirect_Dave! (Also, sorry for the confusion!) Definitely up for doing this again next year; just need to remember to keep an eye on my squad!!!!

@Admiral208 - alas, no [emoji16]

Morning @Liam, I've always found our most effective method is to make the training about things the staff are interested about, rather than identifying the need for them. Quite often when we identify the need, it's because it would make our life easier in terms of support, but they see little benefit. I recently conducted a training session that was all about "How can we help you?", and the aim was to open the the floor to staff, and allow them to guide the session. It was amazing how by following this method, the staff were more open to attending, and also more open to discuss their issues. I found that often other staff already had answers to the questions that were asked, and it made us all realise just what a wealth of knowledge was readily available throughout the school. Since, we've had far fewer training requests for the day-to-day things, and we're able to focus our attention on things that we were previously distracted by due to insufficient staff knowledge. Hope this answers your question at least a little [emoji4] Marc_EduTech

Totally with @jim_potter on this. Exact same setup and found zero faults. I download and setup the admin side of things, and pass everything else onto the Exams Officer. Works a dream! Marc

Right there with you @tekins. Started listening to these a couple weeks back, and I'm on episode 34 at the moment. Brilliant find; absolutely loving it!

With all this being said, are there any truly useful features that the watch provides that you just couldn't live without? A colleague of mine has just shelled out a fair sum for one of these, and I just can't see the point...

Hi @DGardiner, We're currently utilizing SyncDocs (Syncdocs is Google Drive sync and backup with multiple accounts and end-to-end encryption) across our network, which appears to be working just fine for this process. Still requires synchronization, but the process is pretty quick. Potentially worth taking a look at, although I know it doesn't answer exactly what you're after. Marc_EduTech

We've currently got a mixture of Canon and Konica devices which work perfectly well with the Papercut system. The Canon's are varying in age, and so some do require rather frequent engineer visits (once every two/three weeks). These require add-on kits to allow proximity card functionality, with a rather clunky Papecut touch screen and card reader. I'm assuming Canon provide inbuilt versions, but our copiers aren't compatible. The Konica devices are relatively new (last July), however I can only remember one instance of having an engineer on site to repair anything. The proximity reader is inbuilt to these copiers, and works a charm. I'd assume other companies operate the same system too, however the Konica's are able to report back to their head office, and toner/staples etc are automatically ordered/delivered within appropriate time. Having said that, ours isn't working at the moment...