So far, the process of pruchasing and installing technology has been a breeze. There have only been a couple of “glitches” and I think they are worth pointing out. This is after all, a learning experience, and all of my chosen products do not come with a bow and automatically work. It takes a lot of work to get everything running correctly, and I have certainly never had this much technology to use, let alone set-up.
My main issue has been the Apple operating system. The very first thing that I did with all of these amazing new laptops was to install the new Mac OS X Mountain Lion operating system. Because we purchased the laptops before the new system came out, but after June 11th, we were eligible for the free upgrade. The only thing that I had to do was, register the devices and then fill out an online application for each device. It was not that complicated, but it did take some time.
The next step was to install the Apple Remote Desktop 3.3 software that we purchased to enable me to manage all of the laptops in the class.
Issue #1: Apple Remote Desktop 3.3 will not install on the new Mountain Lion. So, I then had to download the latest version of Apple Remote from the App store. The upside to this issue is that the new Apple Remote 3.6. After 16 hours at school, the Apple Remote Desktop 3.6 was working and all of the Mac Airs were synched and set-up. Other than the above mentioned tasks, the only other thing to get accomplished in that 16 hours was the basic set-up of the iPads.
Issue #2: Getting everything connected was not a cake-walk, but we made it work. WARNING for future winners: Be prepared for wireless issues, they are going to happen! Wireless is a wonderful thing, but it can get complicated especially when you are using a county server.
Issue #3: Perhaps the most disappointing of all issues; we ordered the top-of-the-line Promethean 500 Pro with the extreme short throw projector. Super exciting! The guys from Central Knox came to install the equipment and it seemed like everything that could have gone wrong, did! First, the walls did not have studs in the right places, so this took some ingenuity on the part of the Central Knox staff. Problem solved, board up, and then…it has to be taken down. The board that we got is brand new, and works differently than previous models, so it has to be set-up differently. Finally, the board and projector were up and looked awesome and the only thing left to do was calibrate and OF COURSE it would not calibrate. After more time spent trouble shooting, we decided the problem was that Promethean has not updated its Mac software compatibility since Snow Leopard, which makes Promethean not just one, but now two updates behind. So, my new iMac is basically useless with the new Promethean products. We had to get an old PC desktop to get the Promethean working. However, after researching my problem on the web, I did find that there is a solution and that is the software Parallels. This software system can be downloaded from the Internet and will allow me to run two or even three operating systems from my iMac. I will download Parallels 7 for Mac, install Snow Leopard, and probably Windows as well to make everything work from the iMac.
The guys from Central Knox were at school tonight until 9:45 PM. That is dedication! So, amount of time spent at school today…13 hours. Tasks accomplished…board up, Active Expression Voters registered. I also got some of my technology management set-up as well, for example a system for taking devices in and out of charging station (homemade).
The only other suggestion that I have for anyone setting up a classroom like this is to think about everything that you are going to need: surge protectors that have enough outlets, cords, connectors, and adaptors. I thought about some of this, but certainly not all of it and the costs can add up.
Technology is an amazing tool in the classroom, I am spending a lot of time setting up, but I know that it is all worth it. It is a great way to learn. Just like in life and school some of the greatest lessons learned are the most challenging. It is important to me to make the most out of this and use all of these products to their full potential. Despite the complications, I feel very good about all of the purchases that have been made.