Managing Multiple Devices

Just for kicks, I wanted to share with you all one little tiny techno device that has really made my life a lot easier of late.

I was browsing Pinterest one night as a treat between graduate work assignments and stumbled across this adorable USB hub shaped like a little pot of tulips.

I immediately pinned it to my "WANTED" board. 

As luck would have it, one of my family members saw the pin and gave it to me for Christmas. Sweet! 

Many of you may be using these little hubs already, but this was my first one. Okay, it's true that I like it because it looks like a pot of tulips...but I LOVE it because of the added convenience it brings to my use of various technology pieces throughout the day. Now I can keep my printer, scanner, barcode scanner, digital camera/video camera, and a multitude of other devices connected at once, whereas before it was a matter of figuring out which item to unplug in order to use its port.  

Offline Circulation

One of the coolest features of Atriuum is that even in the rare event that the network goes down, we can continue to manage circulation by using the Offline Circulation tool. This is an incredible piece to our circulation system because it means we never have to go out of the business of putting reading material in the hands of students and teachers who need them RIGHT NOW (isn't it always RIGHT NOW?)! :)

In order to use this feature, you have to download the application. To do that...

1. Log in to Atriuum and go to Administration and then click the link for Library.

2. Click Downloads, and scroll to the bottom section titled Utilities.

3. Click Offline Circulation Setup (Mac or Windows, depending on your machine). This is an executable file (.exe), so you will want to click Run or Open (not Save). From this point forward, I'll be listing directions for Windows machines, since that is what most of us are using. If you're on a Mac, well...a)You're awesome, b)You're on your own, and c)You can probably handle that. :)

NOT that all my Windows peeps aren't equally as awesome, of course! 

So anyway, up will come this installation wizard. Click Next. 

4. Select your installation destination (just click Next). 

5. Select Start Menu Folder (just click Next). 

6. Select your target icons. (Just leave everything as defaulted and click Next). 

7. You are now ready to install. Click Install. 

8.  Click Finish. 

9. Okay, just one more step and you will be ready to roll. Now you must configure your server settings. To do this, click File and server settings.  

Everyone's server name is the same: library.jefcoed.com

Your library name should be the extension you see in your Atriuum after library.jefcoed.com: (Ex: mine is library.jefcoed.com/norhes, therefore my library name is norhes) If you need help with this, I would be happy to assist you. 

Your user name is what you use to log in to Atriuum. 

Your password is what you use to log in to Atriuum. 

And Ba-da-Boom. You're in business!!! 

iPad or iPhone setup

*This post was written by Jennifer Anders, the librarian at West Jefferson Elementary School.

As the Tech rep at my school, I am asked on a regular basis how to set up Jefcoed email on an iPad or an iPhone. Here is a quick setup guide you can use or forward to your teachers and coworkers. This is, however, unique to Jefcoed.

Step 1: Click your settings icon.

Step 2: Find the Mail, Contacts, Calendars Tab and select it

 Step 3: Select Add Account.

Step 4: Select Exchange.

Step 5: Enter your personal information.

Step 6: Enter Server name and next. 

Step 7: Wait for it to run setup, and you’re finished! If you get an error message, go back and check your information. If that doesn’t work, make sure you are using your most current jefcoed password.

And enjoy! 

Troubleshooting Basics (6th edition)

*Today's post is from a series by Dion Station, school librarian at North Jefferson Middle School. 

The printer doesn't work?

If the printer will not print at all, you need to determine if the printer itself will not work or if it is not receiving a print message from the computer.

1.  Many models have a built-in self test option which allows you to print a test page by holding down the feed button for a few seconds.  The power button will begin to flash and a test page will print.  If the printer self test fails, your problem is with the printer itself rather than the printer cable or computer. Should this occur, you should contact a technician.

2.  If the printer self test prints, the next step is to have Windows print a test page.  Click on Start, Settings, Printers, and right click on the icon of the printer with the problem (See Pic 2, 3,4 below).  Select properties and press the Print Test Page button.  If the test page fails to print, make sure the printer cable is firmly seated in both the computer and the printer.  You should also check the ends of the printer cable to make sure that none of the prongs are bent.  If the test print fails, or if the print consists of nonsense characters or a few characters printed over many pages, you need to uninstall then reinstall the drivers for your printer.

Paper feed problems and jams can often be resolved by using paper which conforms to the specifications provided by the printer manufacturer.  On ink jet printers, the rubber rolls which pick up each sheet can sometimes become coated with paper residue which decreases the friction.  Cleaning off the residue can sometimes solve paper feed problems.

Special Note

If your ink jet printer is making a banging or grating noise, you need to clean two areas of the printer.

1.  Some models of ink jet printers have a gray colored narrow plastic film which extends almost the whole width of the printer just behind the rod on which the print head travels.  If this film gets dirty, the print heads can have problems determining where it is and can crash against the end of the printer.  Use tissue or soft cloth to clean this strip.

2.  The printer head moves across a rod that can also become dirty.  With the printer power on, raise the front of the printer and clean the rod with a paper towel.  Put the front of the printer back down and turn off the printer.  This time when you lift the front of the printer, the printer heads will move across the rod.  This will allow you to clean the part of the rod that was covered when you cleaned it the first time.  If you spray the paper towel with WD-40, this will do a better job of cleaning the rod. 

As the printer gets older, it may become necessary to perform these two cleaning jobs at least once a week.

Troubleshooting Basics (5th Edition)

*Today's post is from a series by Dion Station, school librarian at North Jefferson Middle School. 

The computer starts up in "safe mode"?

At times your computer could develop a problem which causes you machine to boot up in what is called "safe mode".  The easiest way to try and solve this problem is to run a "scandisk".  

1.  Click on Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and Scandisk.

2.  Place a check on "Automatically fix errors."

3.  When Scandisk finishes, reboot your computer to see if this fixed the problem. 

4.  If the computer still boots up in the Safe Mode, click on Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and Disk Defragmenter.  If you receive the message "You don't need to defragment this drive now," continue with the process anyway. 

5.  When Disk Defragmenter is finished, reboot your computer to see if this fixed the problem. 

6.  If the computer still starts up in safe mode, you need to contact a computer technician.

Troubleshooting Basics (4th Edition)

*Today's post was written as part of a series by Dion Station, school librarian at North Jefferson Middle School.

The mouse doesn't work?

Check to make sure the mouse is still properly connected to the computer.  If the mouse has been disconnected, you may have to reboot your computer.

Like the keyboard, the mouse pad is sitting in the open most of the time getting dusty, wet, slimed, or anything else that happens on your desktop.  The mouse (if you are using the kind with the rolling ball insert...an infrared mouse would be immune to this) then rolls over whatever has collected on the mouse pad and gets inside, gumming up the works.  To clean the mouse pad, wipe it off occasionally with a damp cloth or get a new one.

You also need to clean your mouse regularly, as often as twice a week.  If you turn your mouse over, you’ll notice a round ball with a cover over it.  This cover can be twisted off and the ball will come out.  Roll the ball on a clean, lint free cloth.  Then take a look at the rollers inside the mouse.  Take tweezers, a screwdriver, or even your fingernail to scratch the dirt and lint off the rods.  Next, you should look inside the mouse and clean out any other dirt or lint that is hiding in there.  Finally, replace the ball and twist back on the cover.

Troubleshooting Basics (3rd Edition)

*Today's post is written as part of a series by Dion Staton, the school librarian at North Jefferson Middle School. 

The keyboard doesn't work?

1.  Press Ctrl + Alt + Del (all three keys at the same time) to bring up the Task List.  Select any program that says "Not responding" and click the End Task button.  Repeat until all tasks are ended.  Check periodically to see if the keyboard will work.

2.  Check to make sure the keyboard is still properly connected to the computer.  If the keyboard has been disconnected, you may have to reboot your computer.

3.  If all else fails, then turn the power off.  Wait a couple of minutes before turning the computer back on.

Special Note

One of the dirtiest parts of your computer is the keyboard.  Regular cleaning will help keep the keyboard working properly.  First, blow compressed air through the spaces in between the keys to remove dust and lint.  If you shake your keyboard upside-down this will also remove some of the particles.

Another keyboard problem that could occur is when you turn your computer on and you get a message that no keyboard was detected or you get into Windows but are not able to type.  Remove the keyboard connector for the CPU, examine the pins in the connector to ensure they are straight, and then reinsert the connector.  Also, check and make sure the mouse and keyboard connectors have not been switched.  If the keyboard still doesn’t work try connecting, another keyboard that you know is working.  This will determine if you need a new keyboard or if you have a CPU problem.

Troubleshooting Basics (2nd Edition)

*Today's post is written as part of a series by Dion Staton, the school librarian at North Jefferson Middle School. 

The computer is completely dead?

Check all the connections, the cables between the CPU and the monitor and all the electrical cables.  Check the wall socket or surge strip to see if they are bad (sometimes a surge strip will have good and bad outlets).  If you have a green light on your monitor but not on your CPU, then there is a problem with your CPU.  If there is a green light on your CPU and not your monitor, then you have a problem with your monitor and your CPU may be fine.  If you have another monitor that you know is good, the quickest way to test is to put another monitor on the machine and see if you get an image on the screen.  If you have a light on both the monitor and the CPU, check the pins of the data cable between the monitor and the CPU.  A single bent pin can cause an image problem.

The usual problem is that the power cord or other cord has been pulled or bumped loose from the connector. Just because it looks like it is plugged in does not mean that it is, many times unplugging and re-plugging the cord will fix the issue.

Troubleshooting Basics

*Today's post is the first in a series by Dion Staton, the school librarian at North Jefferson Middle School. 

Troubleshooting Basic Computer Issues

I often am asked what you do when teachers have computer problems. And the answer is, truthfully I inhale deeply, and ask one question, “Have you restarted the computer since the trouble began?” This one question actually solves about 50-60% of all computer issues in my school. But what if that does not work? What do you do?

Well here is my basic process and some thoughts behind why I do these things. They are very basic and easy to perform and they get to the root cause of 80-90% of computer issues in my school. So take this for what it is: a very basic troubleshooting guide. I hope you find it helpful. 

The computer locks up and/or is acting weird?

1.  If a computer is frozen and will not respond to any commands, you will need to press Ctrl + Alt + Del (all three keys at the same time) to bring up the Task Manager (See pic1 below).  Select any program that says "Not responding" and click the End Task button.  Repeat until all tasks that are not responding are ended.  If this does not work, turn the computer off by holding down the power button for 10 seconds, wait thirty seconds, turn the computer back on, and let the computer start up again. Likely 60% of computer issues can be fixed this way.

2.  Just as stated above “When all else fails, restart!”  A majority of problems that occur while you are using your computer can be fixed by shutting down the computer and restarting.  Applications sometimes don’t release memory like they should when they are finished.  The end result is your computer locks up or acts really weird.  When you restart, memory registers are cleared and most everything is reset.  This fixes a lot of problems.

Special Note

It doesn't hurt a computer to leave it running all the time.  However, using the computer for long periods of time causes small problems that can build into larger ones.  When Windows restarts, it fixes most of these small problems.  Restarting the computer periodically while working can help reduce the risk of glitches causing big issues later on which seem worst than they are.