Computer Tags

September has managed to run away with my life.  If I thought August was a whirlwind, September definitely takes the cake on busy.  This month our school has been focusing on deploying laptops and getting the school to a one-to-one position.  My classroom has gone from 10 laptops to 20 laptops.  When my students walked in the next day there was lots of squealing and excitement.

What makes it a little more difficult for me is now I have to keep track of computers and how they are functioning.  With ten laptops it was hard enough when students told me what was going on.  Last year I started out putting a post-it note on a computer that wasn't working, but sometimes I couldn't remember what students told me was wrong or I couldn't remember which computer they told me.

Of course, simple solutions are the best! Number the computers.  Seriously.  How did I not think of that? It took seeing someone's blog where they had tagged their computers or iPads or some other technology.  Sorry, I don't remember who it was or I would give credit.  It was a simple fix for the problem I was having.  Everything is numbered and labeled in my class.  I really didn't think about putting labels with numbers on my computers.  Now students can tell me which number computer is having the issue so if I can't take care of it right away I can write down the number and the problem and look at it later.

Of course, if I'm going to label things it has to be pretty. I practically live in my classroom some days and I don't want to be surrounded by things that irritate me or don't look pleasing.  I'm in love with these frames from the Workaholic NBCT.  They are adorable and I use them for so much right now. Plus they come in lots of color variations. I fit about 12 on a page and my name is above the number.

Pesky Computer Cords

I mentioned in an earlier post that our school is currently moving towards one-to-one for students and laptops. This is great for me because it reduces sharing issues and my students can do independent projects with less management.  Plus, if a computer isn't working it doesn't disrupt my class as much.  Before when a computer had an issue it meant more students at a single computers, students moving, arguments over who was doing what, and so much more.  You know how one minor problem can spiral into a bigger issue.

Now I have twenty laptops, but with twenty laptops comes lots of chargers, cords, and having to store those cords.  Laptops on desks means their cords need to be around the desks. That means students have to be able to move around them.  Well this isn't the prettiest solution, but it works.  The cords aren't in the way and my students aren't tripping on them.

Our janitors and maintenance staff had these little thingy-ma-jiggers (yes that's as good as the description is getting).

They have a sticky back so all you have to do is peel off the back and stick it on.  You can also use a screw in the middle and screw it in to give it more stability. Then you use a zip tie and run the cords through.  It is super simple and easy.  It doesn't look gorgeous, but it is done and I don't have issues with it. Woohoo!