Recommended Computer Lab Procedures

Recommended Computer Lab Procedures

RECOMMENDED

COMPUTER LAB

MANAGEMENT IDEAS

SCHEDULING: Set up a schedule so that teachers can sign up classes for lab time.

TROUBLESHOOTING: Have your technology committee work with Computer Services (CSC) and Instructional Technology Support Specialists (ISC) to develop a basic care and troubleshooting manual for your labs. (See “Basic Care and Troubleshooting Procedures” at the end of this document.)

WORKSTATION PROCEDURES:

  • As a staff, develop a seating chart for each class or a workstation sign-in procedure so that problems discovered later can be traced to the student who used the machine last.
  • Teach students how to use either the classroom or lab log-in, depending on whether they need to save their work to the classroom H-Drive.
  • Have students turn off the monitors whenever you need their full attention (for example, when the teacher is giving directions or showing a demo).

INTEGRATE TECHNICAL TERMS: (Link to computer vocabulary quizzes and dictionary)

Teach computer vocabulary as you do projects and lessons (for example, “Go to the desktop and click on the icon for Internet Explorer.”)

RESPONSIBLE CARE:

  • Teach students how to treat the equipment with care. The best way to do this is to model careful treatment yourself.
  • Create a procedure where each student looks over their workstation prior to the start of their session. Students should immediately point out any problems before beginning their work.
  • Establish a short list of rules and consequences for lab use. Create large posters of these rules and consequences and hang them in the lab. Make sure you have agreed-upon STAFF rules as well as student rules!

(Links to sample rules from other schools to get ideas for your own rules:)

SAVING DOCUMENTS: (Link to Tutorial)

Teach students to log in to the classroom account before they start working on documents that need to be saved.

Always save to the H-Drive! Instruct students how to navigate to the H-Drive folder where you want them to save their work.

  • Classroom folder on H-Drive
  • Individual folders set up by teacher for each student

Let students practice giving their files short but descriptive names that will help them and you locate their work later.

  • Make sure students understand “Save As” (used the first time you save a file – this is when you name it and select a destination folder) and “Save” (to update and save changes and additions as they continue to work).

Basic Care and Troubleshooting

Turning on and shutting off your computer.

  1. Turn your computer on by simply pushing the power button on the processor.

Shutting down

  1. To shut off your computer click Start then Shut Down, then be sure the circle next to “shut down the computer” is selected, and then click yes. Some computers will power all the way down by themselves and some will say “It is now safe to turn off your computer.” If you get this message, push the power button on the processor.
  2. Leave the monitors on. They will automatically switch to an energy saving mode. By leaving them on, the internal tubes will last longer.

Trouble shooting

  1. What to do when your computer is locked up:

1st.Try and close the active program by clicking on exit, or on the “X” that appears in the upper right hand corner of the program window.

2nd. If that doesn’t work – hold the Control and Alt keys down at the same time.

Now tap the Delete key once.

A window will open up in the middle of your screen. All of the programs that you are currently using will be listed inside the box. If one of them says (not responding) after it, that is what is tying up your machine. Select that program by clicking on it once. Now click end task. That should free up your computer.

If that doesn’t work, repeat Control + Alt + Delete and click on shutdown. This will shut down your computer completely and you will need to turn it back on.

  1. Printer Problems

- DON’T BE CLICK HAPPY- When you send something to a printer it is stored in a queue until the printer prints it. If it doesn’t print and you click print again, and again, it just lines up in the queue. This could mean that once the printer starts working it will print a million times.

- Check to see if print job is in the queue. You can do this by double clicking on my computer, then on printers, now double click on your printer. A window will appear that lists the current print jobs in the queue.

- Be sure that the printer is turned on and all cables are plugged in.

- Now, you can delete your print job by clicking on them once and pressing the delete key.

- Once the queue is empty, resend the print job and see if it prints. If not, then empty the queue again. Shut the printer off and the computer that it is attached to it. Restart both.

- Resend the print job. If that doesn’t work, empty print queue again, then restart your computer.

- If none of those things work, ask your building technology liaison for assistance, or call the Help Desk (795-5324)

- If the printer has stopped printing, shut off the power to the printer. Carefully open up the printer and remove stuck paper. Look closely at the paper to see if any small pieces might be left in the printer. Carefully remove any small pieces.

- Close printer and turn it back on.

- Clear the print queue.

- Send print job again.

- If it continues to jam, ask your building technology liaison for assistance, or call the Help Desk (795-5324)

Adapted from

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