(mailed and posted)

Hi, Katie, thanks for your report!

It's always problematic when school computers get on a non-CPS wireless network.  They will /seem/ to work, for many purposes (general Internet browsing), but will fail when trying to use CPS-internal services or sites, or connect to the school fileserver shares, and the like.  So it's real good that you are alert to this, and able to fix it up.  

Those slow downloads for the updates, were those over wi-fi or the wired ethernet?  This is probably stating the obvious, but if there's any way to separately get the files themselves via a reasonably fast connection then load them on a removable storage for installation to other machines, that might speed the process.  OTOH I suspect there is something wrong with the network all over that building, and not just the wireless -- it's just too slow! -- and we ought to again discuss t with Mr. Tolbert and see if CPS would send somebody out. It might just be how the plugboard was configured up in the MDF room.

Headphones for the lab is a good idea; getting them would probably go through Ms. Johnson and Ms. Allen.  

BTW, today Sara and maybe Shaz will be meeting with principal Ms. King to discuss Moodle as a platform for organizing Professional Development courses and materials at Dumas.  Are you familiar with Moodle?  You might let Sara know if you're familiar with it and want to be involved.  [Supposing that it gets adopted.] 

Welcome back and thanks again,

  ==Mitch