Module 10 Progress Report

I worked 40 hours this week, bringing my total hours for the quarter to 360.

This week was packed with tasks, and honestly, it’s hard to keep track of everything I did. There’s never really a set list of things to tackle — issues pop up randomly, and I handle whatever comes my way.

I started the week with 28 more laptops that needed either the DRC testing software reinstalled, Windows updates, or a full reset. After that, I helped a teacher at the other high school who was having Wi-Fi issues. I suggested using a USB-to-Ethernet adapter to hardwire her computer for a more stable connection. She wasn’t a fan of that idea since she wanted to keep using her external keyboard and didn’t want to be "tethered." I explained that it was either this or continue dealing with Wi-Fi drops until we could figure out what’s going on in that room.

Later, I teamed up with our tech specialist to troubleshoot a middle school projector that wasn’t displaying anything. Aside from the rack being coated in what looked like a decade’s worth of dust, we discovered the issue was similar to what happened at the high school — but this time, it was the receiver that failed instead of the transmitter. Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do for now except wait for Dimensional to come back and replace the part. Strangely enough, we still haven’t received an invoice from their first visit or a bill for the part they gave us.

I’m starting to feel like a lot of our tech is on borrowed time. Most of it is 8+ years old, and failures are becoming more common. On top of the middle school’s issue, an Extron device at the district office also died — likely due to a power surge from a recent outage. Our tech reps keep asking why we don’t have an upgrade cycle for this equipment. The truth is, while we do for some things, the answer is almost always the same: there’s no money for it. 

There won't be any updates for a few weeks as I transition into my last quarter, so see y'all then!