Prepping for PARCC

In light of the upcoming PARCC exam, Mr. Gbaguidi had us help set up computers in the various tech labs. We simply logged into each computer and updated the Test Nav application. Even though the PARCC exam will be taken on student's Chromebooks this year, we made sure that tech lab computers were set up in case students needed it for the test. During this task, we discovered that two computers would not connect to the domain. The problem was that the Ethernet cable for these computers were either missing or broken. Intuitive thinking allowed us to update Test Nav on one computer before temporarily using the same Ethernet cable for the two without a functioning one. We will most likely finish all preparations for PARCC testing by next week, all in hopes for a smooth testing period.

Blinking Amber Indicator

This week we performed more basic tasks including replacing ink cartridges in printers and repairing broken Chromebooks. On multiple days, we replaced ink cartridges in faculty rooms, the media center, and guidance offices. A lingering problem Mr. Gbaguidi has noticed throughout the year is the overuse of printing as faculty members quickly use up the school's ink supply. While repairing Chromebooks this week, we encountered one with an unusual problem. When Chromebooks fail to turn on, we usually don't struggle when fixing it. All we have to do is reset the battery cable and plug it in. However, this easy fix didn't work for s this time. After troubleshooting, we noticed that the LED indicator on the side of the Chromebook was flashing amber. This means there was an actual battery problem that we could not fix ourselves with the resources in Mr. Gbaguidi's office. The next day we sent out the Chromebook with flashing amber LED indicator along with other faulty Chromebooks to the Dell Repair Depot.

Completing Repairs

Austin Kim & Timothy Reid

This week we worked to finally fix Mr. Hall's laptop. The charging cable was already replaced when we got to his office so we opened up the laptop and reconnected all the wiring. This allowed the laptop to begin working again. We finished off the week with fixing some Chromebooks. We also opened up a few of the Chromebooks that were sent in by students and opened up the back of them using screwdrivers and prying tools. We reconnected the battery and used the charging port to force the Chromebooks to boot up.

GaHyun Yoo & Gene Lee

This week Gene and I focused on sending out Chromebooks to Dell Tech Support. We received three Chromebooks this week with different issues. The first one had some screen damage due to the student closing the Chromebook with a pencil in between the screen and keyboards. The second had keyboard issues. Lately, we have been getting a lot of Chromebooks with keyboard issues. We are unsure if there are problems with the Chromebooks themselves or if the students aren't taking care of them. The last Chromebook had battery issues so Gene and I opened to unplug the power cable and connect them again. Besides sending Chromebooks for repair, we also got four back which we delivered to students.