Network Down! Plan B Suggestions?

[Joe]

I thought I was over-prepared for my debut as Computers & Technology teacher at our Grade 3-6 school. One teeny eventuality I managed to overlook -- what happens when the network goes down?

Today, a power surge brought our net down for almost two hours. But, by dumb luck, it hit during a rare paper-and-pencil lesson on bits and bytes for my fifth and sixth graders.

Do you have any emergency punts you've used in the past or have ready to go?

[Jennifer P]

I recently made laptops/notebooks out of file folders and laminated them...the kids love them! We play bingo on them and practice our typing. Or the kids create their own laptops with a couple sheets of paper and markers/crayons.

[jyhawkfan]

Love the bingo idea....but, how did you play bingo? Wouldn't everyone bingo at the same time b/c you are calling the same letters and everyone has the same keyboards?

Really needing to work on ideas b/c our server keeps going down. :) Thanks!

[Joe]

Thanks, Jennifer. I will be having students color legal-size keyboards soon. What do you call out during the Bingo game?

[Jennifer P]

I call out the keys that we are working on...like today I did the touch pad, screen, keyboard (or any special keys), enter key.... or I write down computer words on the white board and they have to take the bingo chips and spell the word...ex: mouse...bingo chip on b, i, ....so on.

[Amanda Paige]

One day we were having Internet issues when I had 1st grade. Luckily I had gone to Youtube and KeepVid and downloaded a video. This one happened to be Where the Wild Things are but I did a few others yesterday, just in case. Then after we watched the story they went to TuxPaint and drew their own wild thing. Then we did a "wild thing walk" and walked around to look at each others creation. I think I actually saw this idea on another thread on this site.

[Steve Lee]

My computers are all networked to a Windows server. I have created a non network  local  account on the machines. An account named "Student" that logs users into the local machine without any need for a network connection. Then I have several programs like math blaster, Timez Attack, KidPix, jumpstart 4th grade, Pivot animator, etc that can all be played without any network connection.

[Joe]

Thanks, Amanda (and Steve, below) for your smart ideas. Unfortuntunately . . . In its wisdom, my district has eliminated the Elementary Technology position that I created and built. Students were doing amazing tech things and could even type with two hands! Not a dime was cut from the athletics budget.

[Michelle Renner]

Imagine--not a dime cut from the athletic budget--sounds familiar!

[Joe]

Thanks, Amanda (and Steve, below) for your smart ideas. Unfortunately . . . In its wisdom, my district has eliminated the Elementary Technology position that I created and built. Students were doing amazing tech things and could even type with two hands! Not a dime was cut from the athletics budget.