3.5 Basic Troubleshooting
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Candidates troubleshoot basic software and hardware problems common in digital learning environments. (PSC 3.5/ISTE 3e)
Basic troubleshooting software and hardware problems are an everyday occurrence for me as a teacher known for technology usage in the classroom. The ISTE Internet Lesson Plan artifact (ITEC 7430) directly identifies steps in which to take to promote the best possible trouble-free lesson. Even though one can prepare for everything imaginable, something new always seems to pop up and block the lesson from occurring without incident.
The lesson required the use of a laptop cart and student Google Apps for Education accounts, which typically do not cause any issues, but in this case, there were two issues that were brought to my attention that needed immediate troubleshooting. One of the computers would not connect to the wireless. The easy fix was to just restart the computer and that fixed it without further issues. The other issue was a login being blocked. The student and I typed in the correct password multiple times, however, when I looked at the extremely long hyphenated login email address, I noticed a comma where a period was supposed to be. Once the email was corrected, logging in proceeded without issue. I have found that in some cases, a simple restart will solve a problem that does not make any sense. I have also found that in most cases, students will not type their login slowly which creates login issues. I was happy to have two simple issues corrected with two simple solutions.
The school recently purchased a few Chromebook laptop carts for teachers to check out for instructional purposes. These Chromebooks are the first at our school, and I was able to get my hands on a Chromebook before anyone else as I knew this new operating system (not Windows) may confuse some people – no start menu, no “My Documents” and so on. After playing around and doing some research online, I was able to create a Tips for Chromebooks for teachers. The document was then printed out, laminated, and then attached to the Chromebook laptop carts for teachers to use and review with their initial checkouts. It is better to be proactive than reactive when it comes to technology integration with non-technical individuals.
I learned that students will always have login issues no matter the fact that it was written on the white board, in their agenda, and spoken directly to them, multiple times. This will never be a resolved issue, but understanding what the causes of the problems simplifies the solution time frame. The only thing I would have done differently would have been to email the tips to all teachers first so they would have access to the document before checking out the new Chromebook laptop carts. Even though this is not my responsibility as a classroom teacher, I have taken it upon myself to be our technology leader until we hire one (this is a direct hint here – out in the open this is – let’s make it happen).
By being prepared to troubleshoot the student issues, I was able to maximize my instructional time with my students. I was also able to assist teachers with the new Chromebooks which in turn, assisted all of the students in their classrooms. The impact can be assessed by the lack of helpdesk requests our tech support person received in regards to the new Chromebooks.
The lesson required the use of a laptop cart and student Google Apps for Education accounts, which typically do not cause any issues, but in this case, there were two issues that were brought to my attention that needed immediate troubleshooting. One of the computers would not connect to the wireless. The easy fix was to just restart the computer and that fixed it without further issues. The other issue was a login being blocked. The student and I typed in the correct password multiple times, however, when I looked at the extremely long hyphenated login email address, I noticed a comma where a period was supposed to be. Once the email was corrected, logging in proceeded without issue. I have found that in some cases, a simple restart will solve a problem that does not make any sense. I have also found that in most cases, students will not type their login slowly which creates login issues. I was happy to have two simple issues corrected with two simple solutions.
The school recently purchased a few Chromebook laptop carts for teachers to check out for instructional purposes. These Chromebooks are the first at our school, and I was able to get my hands on a Chromebook before anyone else as I knew this new operating system (not Windows) may confuse some people – no start menu, no “My Documents” and so on. After playing around and doing some research online, I was able to create a Tips for Chromebooks for teachers. The document was then printed out, laminated, and then attached to the Chromebook laptop carts for teachers to use and review with their initial checkouts. It is better to be proactive than reactive when it comes to technology integration with non-technical individuals.
I learned that students will always have login issues no matter the fact that it was written on the white board, in their agenda, and spoken directly to them, multiple times. This will never be a resolved issue, but understanding what the causes of the problems simplifies the solution time frame. The only thing I would have done differently would have been to email the tips to all teachers first so they would have access to the document before checking out the new Chromebook laptop carts. Even though this is not my responsibility as a classroom teacher, I have taken it upon myself to be our technology leader until we hire one (this is a direct hint here – out in the open this is – let’s make it happen).
By being prepared to troubleshoot the student issues, I was able to maximize my instructional time with my students. I was also able to assist teachers with the new Chromebooks which in turn, assisted all of the students in their classrooms. The impact can be assessed by the lack of helpdesk requests our tech support person received in regards to the new Chromebooks.