The WGP College ICT Experience

Whangaparaoa College Leavers 2010

2010-12-06T19:30:00.005+13:00

So, you don't know what happened?

Read ALL about it here..

http://wgp2010.co.cc/

New year..

2010-01-23T11:53:00.005+13:00

As the new school year approaches, I start to wounder if the standard of ICT teaching has been raised to expectations. With the welcoming choice to leave school and study elsewhere, its gonna be interesting to see if we:

A. Get Taught, not DIY style teaching and
B. If the teachers understand what they are doing.

These are factors that I expect in any school, and just did not find them in 2009.

Let the year start!

Some Updates and A (Semi) Major Breakthrough! :-)

2009-06-11T15:52:00.003+12:00

Hello, Long time no post.

I have still been working on random things, mainly to do with the GetBusi proxy. I would love to access sites that are supposedly 'Kidstimewasting' gmail? Clearly not.
After requesting access to gmail, and no response, we came up with a method to access gmail at school. After studying GetBusi for ONE lesson, I found a very funny thing...(Not saying what it, as the ICT "Pros" may stop it...) This funny thing will allow you to access SOME sites that are blocked (Gmail for one) and even allow you to use them when you have no quota! :P

So, recap...
- Use internet on some sites with no internet quota!
- Access some blocked sites

Now To Present..... The WGPC Laptop DeCrapper!

2009-03-31T17:56:00.007+13:00

So... What does this program do?
Well, It gets rid of that very annoying "Please Wait" window And will remove the WGP ICT License agreement from showing up every time you log on or switch users!

How Do I Use It?
Just run the "WGPC Laptop DeCrapper" program and follow the onscreen instructions. Basically just press enter twice when the black box comes up. (VISTA ONLY!)

Where Do I Get It?!
Download HERE
Or, It may be finding its way around school ;-)
Megaupload link here (The one above is best)

Please Leave a comment if this worked for you! Thanks!

Another Rant...

2009-03-02T19:03:00.004+13:00

So, my feelings for the rest of the year...
I think that we are not gonna be learning much that online tutorials can't teach us, especially if the teacher does not know anything about Dreamweaver CS4, and again, especially if the teacher has taught him/herself via online tutorials. I would like to see some proof of specialized education with the programs that we are learning. I.E, the Adobe CS4 applications that we were *required* to buy. (The Adobe CS4 Web standard), Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Flash, and Contribute.

I still have had no information on what the end product of this course will be I.E no information on what are target thing is that we are creating. I realize that we are doing work now for our portfolio. From what I have figured out, we are creating a website.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How to get onto GMail at school (Fully Legal As Far As I Can Tell...)

2009-02-10T17:19:00.003+13:00

So, School has blocked the use of gmail. I think that is wrong, Here's a way to get around it, Legally... Found by James D, Tutorial by Will T

Step #1
Goto igoogle here: https://www.google.com/ig

Follow picture guide! (Clicky ;-) )

More Rants.....

2009-02-10T16:52:00.006+13:00

Well, During my ICT lesson on monday, we actually used our $3.500 laptops for the first time in the class. And, today, I used it, BUT I was low on battery, but no spare plug nearby for power... There was power points sparsly spread around the back, But im sure there is not enough for everyone, Especially sat where I was. Where are the floor points like the library? I thought there would be a dedicated room for ICT. Not needing to move to find a power point!....

To top it off... A few of the class (Including me) Had actually done what was expected of us and finished our Homework! Only to find out that lesson, the people who had not done what was expected of them (to do their homework), had that lesson to do it...Leaving the people who had done it, nothing to do (If you count putting your homework onto your blog/wiki a lesson...then we had work)... We were actually asked to help the ICT people do their jobs that they are paid to do..!! Do we get paid to help? No. But I would have done it if I was paid $450 for around 2 hours work, sure! I thought we go to school to learn stuff, Not to help people with their full time jobs...?

Just give us more work, Don't slow us down just because the people who don't do their homework slow down the people who want to do well...

Laptop Config Price....

2009-02-05T22:17:00.001+13:00

I think that the laptop configuration price is a little too much. If the student themselves had to pay for the laptop's cost, it is around 45 hours of working...

Well, to say that the laptop configuration took 2 days, I'm not surprised that they're charging $450 but to say we're paying them to fix other problems with the network, is bad. They apparently started on the laptops after they fixed the other network problem, thus doing the laptop configuration in one day.

I think that $450 is a very steep price for the service we received, I would hope for some discount, and a VERY detailed Break-Down to see if it WAS actually worth $450. I'm a little annoyed at the WGP College ICT agreement message popping up, every time I turn on my laptop, What was the piece of paper we signed when joining the school? Do you think anyone actually DOES read it?! Hahaha, No-one does, So remove it from the Local Group Policy you installed on our laptops...!

Yea...

Internet Quota...

2009-02-03T16:57:00.000+13:00

So, At our school we get 30mb per week!
Nothing.....

So, If your in Information Technology, I think that we should get a lot more. If your doing a 'Web Search' for tutorials, that 30mb is not gonna last 5 mins.

School's Recommended Laptop is on Bordline Recommended Specs for CS4

2009-01-30T18:36:00.000+13:00

Hahahaha, When my copy of CS4 Master Collection came, I read the requirements and realized that the school's own recommended laptop, The HP 6730b Doesn't even meet them/ On borderline. I'm sure this will not stop it running, but it's funny that the school recommends this laptop.
Proof:

Source 1
Source 2

Long Loading Times? Please Wait?... Temporary Fix

2009-01-30T18:05:00.000+13:00

So, Ever since you have had your laptop configured, Have you noticed long load times? Well, Currently it takes 1:14 JUST for the 'Please Wait' Message to go a way. (Not including other times , eg. BIOS loading etc, JUST the Please Wait message.) Well, With James' Temporary Fix, It takes the 'Please Wait' Message down to around 10 seconds!

What Am I Waiting for during the 'Please Wait' Message?

Well, Your waiting for your laptop to find the wgpcollege network and make sure its group policies are up-to-date. It takes so long because Windows Vista's network time out time, Is too long.

How Can I Shorten The Time?

Well, IF your laptop has a button to disable the built in Wi-Fi card, Its simple, Just turn the card off. This brings the time down to a more reasonable time, 10 seconds, Still not perfect, But a LOT better.
I'm not sure IF the school's recommended laptop, the HP 6730b Actually HAS a hard switch to do this, This is why I don't get laptops that don't meet the recommended system requirements for software we are meant to run at school.

So....

2009-01-28T17:40:00.001+13:00

I have finally got my laptop back, configured and all ready for the start of the year. 1 Day late, about half a fuel tank less, and very annoyed.

See other posts....

Rants....

2009-01-28T16:41:00.000+13:00

First laptop order date was BEFORE info regarding buying our own laptops was confirmed...

First lot of order forms:

Info was wrong... Ive never herd of a product called "Adobe Production Premier Pro"
Very Confusing...
What happens if Ive already got a mouse, laptop bag and insurance....I dont want to have to buy something Ive already got.
Info changed Regually
The School's ICT Laptop Programe site and order forms are very confusing...
$450 For Configuration!!!?!?!?!!?!?!?
Perswaded people to buy through the school. Made buying your own sound scary, Not-so-tech-savy people will therefore go through the school, PAYING MORE THAN IF YOU PURCHASE THROUGH ANOTHER SUPPLIER.......

OPTION 3 – Purchase your own from another supplier – NOT RECOMMENDED

Whys it not recommended!? Because the school/NewEra aint making a profit!? Hahahaha, Its A Joke.

More To Come

Configuration Story...

2009-01-28T16:15:00.000+13:00

Day of Config:

$450, 1 Day. 2-3 Hours Work

Tuesday 28th January Story:
I take my laptop into school in the morning (9am) , Leaving my interest in watching the laptop setup process. I was told that the NewEra ICT tech’s will be starting setting up the laptops in around 1 hour. I decide to go home for the hour, leaving my phone number for someone to ring and tell me when they start the Laptop Set-up Configuration process.

About 4 hours after (1pm) I still have received NO phone call, no indication of anything. I wait.

At 4:30PM I decide to go to school, expecting my laptop to be configured and ready to take home, what do I find? No-one to be seen around the ICT Suite! I go to the office, to ask what is happening with the laptops, and find out the NewEra technicians have left for the day! I ask for the key to get my laptop, after about 20 mins, I get access to my laptop for me to take home.
Soon after, in the car, I realise a sticker on my laptop saying “Bluescreen”, I try to boot up but as predicted, I get a bluescreen. This is not NewEra’s fault (I don’t think). But it was a very good job that I DID get my laptop back. I spent that evening fixing it, ready for the following morning.

Problems:
1. No phone call notifying that they have started the laptop configuration.
2. No phone call notifying that they were having problems.
3. NO Phone call notifying that the NewEra technicians had left, and the laptops were to stay OVERNIGHT (No Notification!)
4. No one could tell me what was happening at the office.
5. Yes, the blue screen error WAS my laptops fault, BUT where the hell was my phone call saying that they couldn’t boot it!? They should have phoned me up and told me! So, IF i didn’t go and get MY Laptop and find out that it had an BSOD, what would they have done!? Just handed it back to me, when everyone else’s had been configured, and said, nope, we didn’t do it because we couldn’t get into it...Where’s the communication!?

Wednesday 29th January Story:
9:30 am, Took it into school. Dropped it off, Showed them my fixed laptop. All good. (Yea Right). They say they are doing something before they continue with the laptops (Why bring them in if there doing something else?) And was told they will be configured at around 12, but come and pick up at 2pm just to be sure.
Received an email saying that the laptops would be done and ready....

*******************************************************
3:07pm phone call
At the time of writing, Just got a phone call that its ready, Will continue writing.
********************************************************
By 2pm and pickup is 2-4pm. Luck they finished. The, what, made the 5th deadline!?...

After getting home, I immediately, image the HDD, (Ive not even turned it on!) so Ive always got a backup. Then there's no risk of having to pay another $450 if summat goes wrong....

My New XPS M1530

2009-01-26T17:21:00.000+13:00

I just got my new Dell XPS M1530.
Way above the spec for the recommended school one, But I'm a power user....

4 gig RAM
2.5 Intel Centrino Dual Core
Nvidia GeForce 8600GT (Not too bad actually)
500 gig HDD
Vista x32 Ultimate (Need x64)

Pics: