CAFE Technology News 4/15/15

Headphones 

Several headphones have been placed on the U-shaped tables in the labs recently.  They have been piled on top of one another and tangled.  In the last 2 weeks, I have untangled 16 headphones and only 3 were actually broken.  When a student states that his or her headphones are not working, please check a few things before just grabbing another set and throwing them on the table.
1 - Are they complaining because the pads are missing?  I know this is uncomfortable, but the headphones are still in working condition. 
2 - Is the ear piece hanging or dangling?  This can be fixed by simply sliding the ear piece back into the main headband.
3.  Is there no sound?  If you have listened to the headphones and determine there is no sound, please unplug the headphones from the back and plug them back in.  This fixes the issue 90% of the time.

Thank you for helping with keeping our headphones manageable.  Also, please advocate for headphones to a be a requirement for students next year to your SIT representative.  Multiple schools in the county have this requirement (all with varying economic demographics) and as technology continues to become more prevalent in the classroom headphones are going to be needed more often.

iPads for Checkout

iPads are available for checkout once again!  Woohoo!!  We currently have 14 iPads for checkout and will be adding 4 more in the next couple of weeks!  You can checkout the iPads using the Computer Lab and Technology Sign Up form in Google Docs.  This link has a lot of ideas about integrating iPads into the classroom. 

Get More Technology and other Classroom Needs Through Grants

Fund for Teachers is a great resource if you are looking for grant opportunities.  If you need help writing a grant, I am more than happy to help just contact me to schedule a time to begin the application process.