Hello, and welcome to the partial list of project pages for the UIUC engagement with Teen Tech Team in East St. Louis, IL.  For their official website, please visit http://www.eslarp.uiuc.edu/view/teen-tech-team.aspx

Time: 3:15 -3:57

Attendance: Everyone and Martin

Content: See Technical Documentation

Summary: Talked about the site visit on Sat. July 18, 2009. Also, discussed required software and preferred operating system.

I hope things are going well on your end. I’m sending along some of our notes for you to take a look at. We have included what tasks will be done by us and what tasks will be done at the Church prior to our arrival. Right now we are planning on coming down to E. St Louis on the 17 or 18 of July. Once we’ve confirmed a specific day we will let you know.

We have begun reconditioning the computers and testing the hard drives. We’ve also been talking a lot about what to install on the computers. Our plan right now is to use Linux Mint. It’s a free operating system that comes with most of the drivers and plugins already installed and ready to go. It comes with a Firefox, and several other solid programs that we felt would meet the needs of a learning lab. If you’d like to read a bit more about Linux Mint, check out their website: http://www.linuxmint.com/about.php.

Also, could you forward this info along to your pastor. We would like to get his feedback as well.

Thanks so much, we’ll be in touch soon.

Questions:

• Will teens be available Friday, July 17th to work and Friday August, 31st?
• Has the Pastor given the go ahead to switch the lab rooms?
• Will the Teen Tech Team be able to move the current computers into the other (smaller) lab room prior to our arrival with the computers (July 17/18)?
• Will the Pastor be able to install additional workspace (countertop) prior to our arrival with the computers (July 17/18)?
• Would the Pastor consider installing track lighting above the work space in the community lab (larger room) and if so could he have it completed prior to our arrival? If not, perhaps it could be completed by our next visit (July 31)?
• Do we want to network all of the computers to the 1 available printer?
• Do we want to have computers in the community lab save to the NAS(not sure if that is the right term)?
• What type of Internet will be available?

Location Gethsemane Church

Uses of space:

• Personal computer use
• Computer education
• Outreach
• Storage
• Computer Recycling

Space needs:

• computers
• cooling/heating
• Networking equipment
• Posters – educational and rules/tips
• Table
• White board
• Shelving/ cabinets
• locks, security
• Tools

Priorities

• Create a computer lab for 10 computers.
• Teaching Teen Tech Team how to set up and maintain the lab.

Ideas:

• Turn the smaller room into the video editing studio lab, and make the big room the Community Computer Learning Lab.
• Moving the current computers to the smaller lab
• Installing counter top space (ask Pastor) enough for 10 computers
• Ask pastor if track lighting could be put in above computers
• Posters with internal and external parts of computer

Measurements of big room:

• 192 x 169 inches
• Countertops are 24 inches deep

Measurements for small room:

• 138.5 x 140
• This doesn’t include the doorway space created by the closet

We communicated with one another via email about our handouts as well. Rather than copy all these emails, I’ll just restate that we made a total of seven handouts as a group.

Handouts 1-2: Web page evaluation
3: Effective Internet searching
4: Google Search Tips
5: Topic Analysis Worksheet
6: Helpful links for searching the web (other than Google)
7: Business links

Hi folks, attached is the layout of the Teen Tech main room with electrical outlet locations. Yes we can put the printer that you guys got for lab. We have a table and I agree we could place it by the main desk.

Regarding your need to know the IP address and subnet mask of the Teen Tech Center in order to configure the printer that you are
providing…I will refer that to T and/or Mike Adams and get that answer to you.

Again thanks for all your assistance.

Don

Response

We just finished building the cables for the computers this morning. So we thought we’d touch base and ask you to set aside a few items for next week: we’ll need 3 powerstrip/surge protectors with at least 6 plug-in spots each; also 3 6-ft.long extension cords. with 3-prong compatibility. Hope things are going well for you and we’ll see you next Friday!

Response

Great job. I’ll pick-up these items tomorrow and set them aside for Friday.

We are excited!

Don

This is the Teen Tech team UIUC branch writing to you with a quick question.

When we are setting up office on your computers for the first time, we get a  prompt to ‘register’ under an email address for future updates. We tried to use your email, but we could not pick a password because it appears you already have an account under you att.net address. Do you want all computers under a more generic ‘teen tech’ address so others can update software with a generic
password? if the teen techs already have a group account email, we can use this, or we could set up a new email/password and enter this new information. Just let us know and we will get this gone!

Response

I would be great if you guys could set up a new email/password
and enter this new information. Of course just let us know email and
password.

Thanks so much
Don

Response

Just for your records, I have created an email account for the team. It is teentechteam at gmail dot com, password is xxxxxxx. We will register software on your computers with this email. More updates soon!

Here’s our weekly update We have installed some software onto the new computers: SeaMonkey (Webpage Editor); Quicktime (with iTunes); RealPlayer Basic; Rhapsody (Media); Adobe Acrobat; Firefox (Browser). Of course some software was provided by Dell: Roxio (Media Creator/CD Burner); Microsoft Office Suite 2007. We have a laser printer for you as well; HP 8000 series (used). It’s fairly large – about two and a half foot square. Think about where you might want this placed? We were thinking about possible placement in the crook of the L-formation of computers. We may need an additional small table to set it on. Or we are open to suggestions. We need to know ahead of time, so we can prepare the correct cable length.

A few other questions: still need to know about electrical sockets – how many? and approximate placement? ; we are also going to need to know the IP address and subnet mask of the Teen Tech Center in order to configure the printer we are providing.

,Just to provide a quick update: We ordered and received the six new computers. They are what we discussed when we visited you- flat screen monitors, (IS IS INTEL 4) mini-towers with windows Vista. We fired one up last week and all looks great! In the following weeks we will be checking all the computers and installing the latest updates- we will most likely be sending you an update email every week from here on out, along with any questions we have for you.

This week, we wanted to touch base and verify that the layout discussed during the last visit will still work for you and the teen techs? The layout we had discussed was the L-shape formation starting to the left when you enter through the door from the garage.

We will start working on the cables and such for the new computers next week. We also needed to make sure there are appropriate electrical sockets and power strips/surge protectors for the six computers. It’s my understanding that we will provide the cabling for the computers but not powerstrips. In fact, if you could remind us where the electrical plugs are in that area of the room, that would be a great help.

I have attached a copy of some of the pics we took to help visualize the space from our last visit. We thought you might like to have them. Also, we were wondering if you would mind sharing the EXCEL chart you made for the room space? We really thought that was a great way to chart the space and was “easy on the eyes” as well!

We hope you are doing well over there, we are excited to bring the new computers in and get them up and running, along with a few other additions as well.

Response

Hi Team, this is great news about the new computers. Yes the layout is the same. I will stop by 5103 Bunkum today or Thursday and capture the Open Office Spreadsheet…I couldn’t open it in MS Excel. This will give me an opportunity to locate the electrical outlets.

I assume that you are going to mail the pictures, because there was no attachments to your e-mail. The pictures probably would have been too big for my in box anyway. From the look of the combined groups of folk and the quality of the photographer….I have no doubt that the photos are…”EASY ON THE EYE”.

Thanks for all you do! Please pass on high fives to all for me.

Don Holt