>
>
>I have been directed by our admin team to do everything possible to
>repair the computer without re-imaging the unit. This leads to hours of
>work done on a single computer and I need to make the case that this
>request is not feasible with hundreds of notebooks dropped off for
>software service the first week of school. The notebooks are student
>owned and not managed by the school as directed by our admin team.
>
Our notebooks are also student owned, but I really think this directive
shows how little the admin team understands what is going in in the help
desk. Can you get one of the administrators to spend a day with you? If
not, can you track what you do for a day and show the documentation to the
team?
>
>
>How long does your school work on software issues before you re-image
>the computer?
Less than one class period, similar to Robin. Often less than that
though, if the help desk tech or manager can tell that it will take longer
than a period to resolve a problem. The techs are wonderful at reading
students though, and responding to the situation at hand rather than just
relying on a blanket policy. In other words, repeat (ie experimental)
customers move pretty quickly to the re-image process, while a distraught
student on a deadline will get more sympathetic instruction in "how to
avoid this next time."
One thing that helps tremendously, we partition student hard drives into a
C and D drive. Students and faculty are taught how to save all their
personal files to the D drive, which is the default save space for all our
installed software, and where "my documents" is located. So, they have to
actively seek to change this in order for their files to be located on the
C drive. We also provide directions for such things as setting up iTunes
to save to the D drive as well. When a laptop is re-imaged, only the C is
overwritten. Voila!
Of course, we still recommend network backups for school work and flash
drives for personal backup in the event of a complete hard drive failure.
It seems that about 80% have to learn this the hard way though, including
adults.
>
>Would you recommend a fifteen to thirty minute repair before image
>policy?
>
Absolutely.
Good luck. I can't remember if she included this topic, but Pamela
Livingston (who is still active on the listserv) literally wrote the book:
1-to-1 Learning: Laptop Programs That Work It might be worth looking
through it or even contacting her through her website (she consults) if
your administrators are influenced/impressed by outside expert opinions.
Full disclosure--I met Pamela at the Lausanne 1:1 this summer and was
really impressed after attending her session.
Sarah
The principal goal of education is to create [individuals] who are capable
of doing new things, not simply of repeating what other generations have
done.
Jean Piaget
Sarah Hanawald
Greensboro Day School
5401 Lawndale Drive
Greensboro, NC 27455
336-288-8590
shanawald@greensboroday.org
>
>
>
>
>
>
>Thank you,
>
>
>
>Jason Hyams
>
>Director of Technology
>
>St. Agnes Academy
>
>
>
>
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