Internet Safety at Home

I wanted to take a second to inform you about a FREE service on the internet that can help keep your family (not to mention your computers) safe. It's a product I've used in my home for approximately a year and have been very happy with it. It's called OPENDNS and is very easy to implement on 1 or all your home computers.

Here is a list of what it can do:

• it speeds up your internet connection (it gets kinda complicated to explain but you should notice a speed boost)
• You have the option to:
• Apply several different filters/blockers including 7 different types of adult sites.
• allows you to prevent computers from accessing inappropriate material.
  
• Block and unblock specific sites
• You could block facebook 1 week then unblock it the next
  
• Block "phishing" sites (will help protect your identity)

ALL THIS FOR FREE!!!

Here is a funny video that OpenDNS has on their website. It answers a lot of questions most uses would have... (or you can click this link and go to their website to view it)

As most of you know by now the district purchased it's second mobile lab. It will work much like our first lab has but has several enhancements.

Here are a few of them:

• Instead of 26 laptops the second lab has 30 Lenovo Thinkpads (formally known as IBM thinkpad) available on the cart.
  
• Instead of having to unplug the power adapters from the cart when the laptops run out of power the second lab has 30 extra batteries included with it.
  
• these batteries plug in like a power adapter and should last for an additional 6 to 9 hours.
• This cart has 26 mice w/ retractable cables and react much faster then the ones on the first lab.
  
• all you have to move the mouse is about 1/2 inch and your pointer will travel across the screen.
  
• With all the enhancements the cart is MUCH bigger and heavier then our first one.
  
• This cart REQUIRES at least 2 people to transport it.
  

This lab is now ready to use. As with the first lab this one can be reserved first come first serve using our "Google Calendars" and everybody should have it.

Thanks,
Andy

FYI: if you've been trained on the first lab please plan on about a 2-3 minute re-training to cover some of the new items on this cart.