Help+Desk+Report+and+Reflections

**Help Desk** On June 19, 2012, I went to the Intermediate School to assist the tech team headed by Matt Murray, the District’s Media Technician. Their summer duties are monumental; the District is replacing 1500 aging computers with new MacBook computers as well as bringing the high school to a 1:1 student to computer ratio with an additional 500 computers. To get the computers ready for the new school year (2012 – 2013), they will be imaging the new MacBook Pro laptops.

Imaging or cloning a computer is the process of configuring a computer’s operating system (OS), software, and other components via a network from a master copy or server for quick installations on new computers (MobileTechComputing, 2012; PC Magazine, 2010). The imaging process identifies the laptop with the school network so they can remotely troubleshoot problems if they arise, remotely locate laptops if one is misplaced, and for backup purposes. The process involves unpacking the new laptops and assigning them to a mobile cart, which holds 32 devices. Each laptop is labeled (inventoried) with the cart’s assigned name, a computer number from 01 to 32, and a UPC code. This is now the name of the computer. The computer’s inventory data is entered into each laptop’s System Preferences’ Sharing file. After the naming process comes the binding process in the Directory Utility. Once this is completed, the laptops are connected to the District’s network. Since 32 computers are being imaged simultaneously, the last step takes about 2 hours. After this, the newly imaged computers are loaded into the mobile carts. During the 2-hour wait, the next set of 32 laptops is labeled for inventory and to get ready for naming and binding. The techs also ready mobile carts for the new laptops by removing old wiring and replacing them with new. Each day about 3 mobile carts or 96 laptops are processed.

I assisted the Media Technician to access additional inventory information by readying the laptops. He remotely accessed “serial numbers, airport IDs, Ethernet IDs, CPU and other important information. This allows us to keep better track of what kind of technology we have in the district and allows us to track a laptop in case it is lost or stolen” (M. Murray, personal communication, June 25, 2010). **Reflections** This activity fulfills the requirements for
 * I.A. Identification, selection, installation and maintenance of technology infrastructure, and hardware and software applications for school administration and instruction including:**
 * Implementation and maintenance of interactive information systems, the Internet, distance learning technologies, and networks
 * I.B. Integrating technology into curricular planning and instructional design including:**
 * Access and use telecommunications for information sharing, remote information access and retrieval, and multimedia/hypermedia publishing

The activity was to “assist in addressing help desk request remotely to troubleshoot and maintain software user accounts.” It fulfills the PDE requirements by installing and maintaining the technology infrastructure for instruction (I.A.) and integrating technology by getting the laptops ready for information sharing, access, retrieval, and publishing (I.B.). The process of imaging computers was a new experience for me. Matt Murray, the Multimedia Technician, took time to explain and show the steps to me. By participating in the imaging process and preparing the laptops for school use, I gained practical experience in what goes on behind the scenes to prepare the District for new laptops.

**References** PC Magazine, (2012). //Cloning software.// Retrieved from [] SearchMobileComputing. (2012). //Ghost imaging//. Retrieved from http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/definition/ghost-imaging