Backup

We all know how important it is to have a backup. But here is one I have been hit with twice now - OK I get it.

The power went out on us yesterday and the battery backup on the wireing closet died sooner than we thought it would. When the power came back on, our main router had lost/scrambled its settings. Luckily, we had an old router we could throw in to keep the school running while we rebuild the main router.

Backup is not just software. Have a backup plan for minimal networking also: mode, router, switch, etc.

When do you tech software and when do you tech skills?

When is it appropriate to teach a software package because it is the industry standard vs. challenging students to figure out multiple software packages? I will typicaly install Gimp and Open Office on computers and sometimes hear "shouldn't we be using the standard programs"?

Here are some thoughts on that:

• It's more important students learn how to figure out software than learn a given package.
• The software will change and evolve by the time the students get in the workplace anyway.
• I want my students to be comfortable using these tools for the long term. I don't want them feeling that they have to use the expensive commercial program if there is a valid open source alternative available such as Gimp vs. Photoshop.
• The only time I could justify the cost of the commercial software is at the high school level.