Teaching with Tablet PC\'s » Hardware Issues

Day three – projection disasters again!

Andrew French — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:37:08 +0000

SO the projectors failed completely today so I never got the lecture up and running electronically. I gave an old fassioned chalk talk, which worked well. I love doing the chalk thing!! So simple, so elegant, so easy to do.

It is frustrating when I see the potential of the technology, but when something goes wrong, all I see is the flaws. We gotta get this sorted. I need consistancy and Faith that the technology will work every time.

Here is my hypothesis, the router is getting overheated in some way or collecting rf current which craps it out. It seems to work for about 90 minutes total before crapping out, then it has to be turned off and allowed to cool, before it will work again. Today, two professors used it, the first one from 9:10 to 9:45 before crapping out. She shut it down. The next prof had it turned on at 10:15, and it ran until 10:55, before crapping out, I tried to log in at 11:05 and if never would start. I let it sit for 10 minutes, still nothing. . . . I tried it this afternoon, and it started!!

Hmm!!

What I ended up doing is record a condensed lecture with audio after class and saving that on my computer to send to students later on.

Day Two – Better!

Andrew French — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:27:25 +0000

We distributed the tablets last night nad the student had all the typical hardware issues; some could not log on, some had not appeared inteh class roster and had to be added manually, others had tablets that failed or crashed, but after about 30 minutes most of those issues were solved. It was really cool to see the technophile students and the novices all getting into the tablet, using it writing stuff, playin with ink colors. I left with a great feeling about the project!!

The projector issues are still there, fortunately, we had not problems, the restart worked and I had little difficulty, though the n-1 projector failed to project n-1, but I think I made and error in the routing software.

Post Day One – a bit of a disaster

Andrew French — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:15:37 +0000

So, everything I did Sunday was for naught. the technology completely failed today, no projection, therefore no DyKnow presentation, to say I am frustrated is putting it mildly!! Turns out the K-4 Projection control device and software is flawed, because it controls 4 things and we have only three, they kludged something to fit into the fourth slot to allow the system to work. Only problem? The kludge failed resulting in a flashing screen that prevented us from being able to set the K-4, so we could not communicate with the projectors!! *@#$%!*@#$. Un-@#$%-ing believeable!!

Our IT Folks and the sub doing the work have found a “solution” which will have to suffice until they get a better “kludge” into place. Get this; Power down the entire rack, wait 30 seconds and power up. it should force the reset of the K-4 and “you should be good to go.” Only question I have? How often will this happen in a 50 minute class period? They don’t know!

Pre-Day One

Andrew French — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:08:06 +0000

Oh Man!!! The interface with the projection system is software driven, very confusing. I feel I need to learn a technology dance in order to get the projectors and multiple screens to do as I want. The DyKnow multibord is really cool once you get to know how to use it. Writing a special subroutine to engage Launcher and Receiver programs in the proper sequesnce simplified things a lot.

Multiboard lets you project the current slide (n) on one screen, and a second slide (n-1) ona second screen. Downsides? You have to have two computers to do it (one for each screen). We also wanted to run Monitor on the podium screen, a 24 inch monitor, so that means three computers. Other Downside is that Launcher sends you directly to a lecture, which means you start your session immediately,a nd you cannot toggle to start audiorecording your presentation. A a result, as of now, is I have to decide between multiboard and recording my lectures. . . kind of a bummer!

Our Podium and rack system as we have it now is two tablets on the podium, running lecture content (Projector 1) and Monitor (Podium Monitor). The rack Computer runs the n-1 slide (Projector 2). of course, we haven’t figured out how to use the tablet in tablet mode for the monitor Tablet (it flips the Podium Monitor so it is upside down ;oP. I ran through everything Sunday Night all seemed to work, we even set presets for the K-4 Controller system. All is good!! Excited about tomorrow!!

Hardware is here!!

Andrew French — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 02:04:19 +0000

Well, two pallets arrived this afternoon!! Pictures of the stuff are will be included for your viewing pleasure, once I figure out how to do that. Pallet one had the cart, pallet two had all the hardware.

Let me just say the amount of cardboard “needed” to contain all our components leaves me worried about our environment. . . The pictures say it all. I mean, the extra styli were packages individually in a box that was 2″ x 2″ x 6″!! the styli are actually 3/8″ diameter x 5″ Wow!!

The pile of cardboard after breaking down flat was like three feet high!!

We unpackaged on the loading dock and put everything into the cart and wheeled it up to the IT department. I am going on vacation tomorrow, so I took one to “play with” while gone, the rest will be checked by IT staff to make sure they work.

Hardware to arrive tomorrow!!

Andrew French — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 21:24:22 +0000

We just got the call from Yellow Transportation that they will be delivering our computer equipment from Hewlett Packard tomorrow!! IT made it clear that they would need to be here by 3pm. There are 2 pallets (750lbs). On these two pallets are:

Here’s what we are expecting:
21-TabletPC computers
1-Bretford laptop cart
1-24″ Monitor
1-Projector
1-Wireless Access Point
1-large format printer (24″, I think)

After we inspect the contents of these two pallets we will have to spend some quality time with IT getting software installed (as an image). I am hoping to “play with it” while on vacation this week (leaving Wednesday). I am also hoping its arrival will signal the college to get our supplemental order going, which has the classroom electrical upgrade, software, and extra hardware (10 tablets and monitors).

Kinda wish there was a DyKnow users manual. . . . I wonder if I could download it. . .

HP Hardware

Andrew French — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 19:50:46 +0000

The HP Grant is giving Albion College 21 Tablet PC’s, a 24 inch monitor, a 24 inch printer a cabinet to store them all in and some other hardware to make them all connected. HP also provided $20,000 in cash to be spent on things like software, infrastructure and events to pubicize the Implementation of the Grant. Albion College and its IT leadership have ponied up additional funds to match the grant so that in three years we will have 40 or so Tablets for the classroom. Thank You, Donna, Royal and Troy!!

Troy has approved $40,000 this year to allow us to buy ten additional tablets, to pay for chemistry software and DyKnow Software, which will be our presentation software platform, and to add electricity (40 outlets) in our Lecture space in Norris Hall at Albion, so students will not have to rely on computer batteries to work in class.