Re: I'm the new Technology Teacher

[Betty Dawn Hamilton <bhamilt@TENET.EDU>]

> 3.  Be the technology resource teacher for our school: troubleshooting,
> fix up the Apple II lab and keep it going; preview, order, install, and
> promote new software, and ... whatever else comes up, I suppose.

Shellie, Congratulations!  My first bit of advice (I haven't done it
satisfactorily yet), is to set up some kind of system for keeping track
of software diskettes and CDs.  This sounds like a small job, but as I
have discovered, it's not!

We have a networked computer lab (new last year) and all of the programs
for that lab are supposed to have original diskettes with them even
though the vendors installed them.  We also have all kinds of different
programs for different computers scattered throughout the library.  That
means more and varied software.  That also means driver diskettes for
peripherals, diskettes for networking, diskettes for installing CDs,
etc.

Some we have site license for so we can use them for either a limited
large number or everywhere; others are standalone versions.  That means
records need to be kept on which machines have which kinds of uses or at
least *how many* for site license purposes.  Oh yes, you also need to
keep up with the manuals for all of those different programs.

Then ... you need backups of all of the diskettes.  Everything needs to
be secure because we've already had one CD stolen and someone is always
coming and asking, "May I borrow your Windows diskettes or your
WordPerfect diskettes?"  They just don't realize that they can't use them
because we've already installed all of the sites we've paid for!  Then
you have to say NO -- and some get huffy.

Well, as I said, I haven't really organized all of this yet and it has
mushroomed.  I began with one small brown box that I put the installation
and automation diskettes in and dropped them in my file drawer behind my
desk.  Then I had to go to a file drawer in the workroom (not quite as
secure); then I had to find additional space -- so, you guessed it --
everything is there, but I have to HUNT for it because we may need it
only once every year or so.

Now that's not a very good librarian -- but some day "when I have time"
I'm going to figure out an efficient way to keep up with all of this!

Betty
bhamilt@tenet.edu