Lap+Tops

Use this page to share information about the lap tops:


 * Tips for Classroom Management of Lap Tops:**

A reminder to PC users: the default is to have the wireless adapter shut down to save battery power. This can be changed by going to the View Available Wireless Network (right click wireless icon in task bar), select Change Advanced Settings, select Configure for Adapter, and it is under the Power Management Tab!

This is a copy of a list of keyboard shortcuts for the Lenovo lap-tops.

This is a hard copy of the manual for the Lenovo R61 teacher laptop, lots of answers here.

These are some ideas I recieved from the PA CFF Coach listserv:

This was created by another coach in the state. Worth looking at.

1) Assign every student a laptop number and they will be using that laptop every time they are being used. 2) Students must carry the laptop closed with 2 hands. 3) Have a sheet where students can report anything wrong with their computer. 4) Make sure the laptops are flat on the desk when they are being used. 5) As a teacher you should be able to stand at a location in the room where you can see all of the laptop screens at once. 6) Students not correctly using computers will be given other work. 7) Assign numbers to your chairs that correspond to numbers of the laptops. 8) Absolutely no food or drink around the laptops. 9) Be sure to check the laptop before closing it. If a pencil lays on the keyboard, the screen will shatter when you close it. 10) When you shut down a laptop, do not close the laptop until the screen goes black. 11) If a student does not log off and the computer goes to sleep. You will need to log in to "this computer" as the administrator using the password I gave you. From there you can shut down the computer.
 * other ideas include**

A good idea passed around today - **assign your kids a numbered lap top**. If you have five classes, then five kids will be assigned to each lap top. When something turns up "broken" on lap top #15, you will be asking five kids what happened, and not guessing at who had that lap top the day it broke.

Along the lines of tracking laptop usage - you can **tape a note card to the top of the laptop** and have the students sign and date the card everytime they use the laptop. Instead of tracking down 5 students you only have to find one student. I would still assign laptops to make it easier to track what the students are using the laptops for (checking internet usage in the History). Eric 11/9/07

Remember that the computers have **different settings for different users.** If student #1 loads a shortcut to Excel onto the desktop, it won't be there when student #2 logs on. The computer remembers different settings for different users. If you want shortcuts on the computers, you will need to have each class load them individually once. After a student loads something to their settings, it will always come up for them.


 * Sound -** The laptops have sound volume control buttons on the top left side of the keyboard. They are silver. The first one from the left mutes sound, the second turns volume down and the third turns volume up. They all have pictures of a speaker with a slash through it or an arrow next to it.


 * Problems encountered thus far/troubleshooting:**

1) Before anyone can log on to the computers, make sure that your access point **(the D-Link) is turned on** and is plugged in to a network cable.

2) When the students log on to the lap tops, make sure they are **logging on to the "southerntioga" domain**, not "stsd" and not "this computer".

3) If the lap top logs a student on, then stays in **"hour glass mode" for longer than normal**, it may be frozen. Press ctrl, alt, delete all at once and a window will open. Choose to shut down, then restart the computer and try again.

11-09-07 I have found that if you allow the computers to go to sleep (especially by closing the lid) the connectivity will become limited and students will not be able to use the Internet or access their network folders. However, if you have the students actually **shutdown the laptops between classes** this problem is avoided. It's an extra step, but it saves you from having to restart a bunch of them after trying in vain to access the network.


 * 4) Trouble with the wireless connection?** Sometimes the computers are disconnecting from the wireless connection yet showing that they are connected, follow the steps below to refresh the connection at all THREE points. They can be stubborn.

1) Make sure that your wireless box (the d-link) is plugged in to the wall for power (should have green lights on).

2) Make sure that your ethernet cable (from the wall that usually runs to your desktop computer) is plugged in to the d-link.

3) **This seems to work quickest, turn this switch left than back right (off to on)** Each laptop has an "on/off" wireless switch. The switch is on the front of the computer (as you look at it) on the left underside. The switch should be slid to the right (a picture of a computer with curved lines around it). To find this switch, lift the computer up by the front and look at the left corner. It is kind of underneath the top. I found this switch by clicking the blue Thinkvantage button on the top left corner of the keyboard. Within that menu is a help tab. From there I searched wireless radio and found an entry for "location: wireless radio switch". If you would like to see the picture from that help page click this link and it will show you where the switch is: It is #4 in the picture of the upside down computer.

4) While holding down the blue "Fn" key (bottom left corner keyboard key) press F5. A wireless radio window should open. In the center make sure under status it says "on", if it says "off", press "turn on" to the right of it. If a window opens that says turn on hardware wirless radio, refer to step #3, then repeat this step. Sometimes to refresh if it says on, turn it off then back on.

5) Sometimes the computer needs to refresh its connection to the d-link. In the bottom right corner of your computer screen is a list of icons. Find the picture of a computer with curved lines to the right of it. Click on it. Next click "view wireless networks". Select the top network on the list (this should be your room number). On the bottom of the window click "connect" or "disconnect". If you clicked connect, you should be good to go. If you clicked disconnect, next on the left of the window click "refresh network list". Wait for the list to reload. Click the top network (your room number) and at the bottom click "connect". You have successfully reconnected to the wireless d-link. You should be good to go.

6) Sometimes the laptops are connecting to the wrong wireless (across the hall) and getting a bad hook up. In the task bar click the wireless icon, click view wireless networks, then on the left, click //change the order of preferred networks//. Make sure your room is at the top of the list. If not, be sure to change the order. This is often the trouble with an uncooperative computer.