It's been a while !!!

Kala mai (Sorry). It has been a while since I blogged. Been very very busy. Summer came and went. Now we are about 3 weeks into the school year and so much has happen since my last posting. Technology wise, a lot of changes here at HLC. We received some new tech equipment and implemented new Linux Servers in each class. The Operating Systems (OS) on those servers is Edubuntu running Thin Client networking. Last school year, 2 of the 6 classes were piloting the Linux system and the feed back from the students was great. They learned how to us it quick and enjoyed the cool features and benefit. On the other hand, as the tech administrator it was a nightmare, it is a complicated process to set up, operate & maintain, but still possible. It just takes longer to do certain admin task then it does on other OS. Regardless, we still decided to extend it to the remaining classes, especially since Linux is a FREE open source so the price is right up our alley. Therefore, summer was overwhelmingly busy due to us having to set up all the new servers & thin client terminals. On the old peer to peer network I had to literally back up, update, maintain, etc each computer one by one. On the new system, when operating correctly, I should be able to do those task only once on each server and it would be applied to every account. I am really hoping this will help up in the long run. We are now running 3 different type of OS at HLC, Linux, Windows and Mac. Each system comes with its own benefits and challenges. Keeping up with all this tech can be challenging.

One major goal accomplished this summer was the implementing a junior tech program. I offered an intense tech course to a small group of HLC students. That summer course was design to train students on basic skills and knowledge of technician duties. They gained knowledge on hardware, software, networking and equipment handling. Upon course completion student became official Junior Technicians for the upcoming school year. So, now we have more assistance in the Tech department and I see it as a win, win situation. The Jr Techs gain skills, experience, and credit where as HLC gain more tech help. I LOVE IT. We now have 8 Jr Techs and they enjoy being part of the Tech team. They are experiencing the benefits and challenge of a Technician. Jr Techs continue to train with me and look forward to accomplishing their next goal which is to build their own personal computer and be able to take it home. COOL!!!!!!

End of the School Year

It has been a long time since I posted. The past couple months have been chaotic at Hakipuu Learning Center. The end of the school year is always a busy time for me. Trying to keep up with all the Tech duties along with assisting staff and students with tech issues can be over whelming but very fulfilling. I enjoy working with others but sometimes have a hard time finding enough time of the day to accomplish everything I want and need to complete.


I am proud to say our senior student class succeeded and was able to achieve the credits they needed to graduate. Every senior project was awesome. They worked very hard and did a wonderful job sharing their project with everyone at school and on Hoike (presentation) Night. The quality of the project improved tremendously this year. Every senior student used some type of technology to help show case their awesome project. It is so rewarding to see how our students grew in educational skills and knowledge. Each of our seniors gained tech skills necessary to pursue their future goals.


HLC Class of 2008 graduated this year on Saturday, May 31, 2008. Graduation ceremony and reception was held at Paliku Theater on the campus of Windward Community College in Kaneohe, Hawaii. The ceremony was beautiful, meaningful, and wonderful. The graduates performed couple songs and shared heartfelt speeches for us. The reception was fun and joyful. A lot of leis, balloons, signs, music, and ONO Hawaiian Food we shared. What a wonderful day that was.

CONGRATULATIONS

Class of 2008!!!!!

Video Archive

This video was made by students of Golf PE class. It was made to thank SDGA for teaching basic skills of golf. Thanks Rob & Senior Students of SDGA!

Project Foundry Profile

Project foundry is a web base application we use to track student credits and projects at Hakipuu. It has a profile feature that allow us to build profile pages and share what we want on the net. So far, no one at HLC used this feature because it was not need. This year I would like to give our senior students the option of building their profile, so I am in the process of familiarizing myself with it by building one for the Tech department. I doesn't seem to be as building friendly as other application I used to make webpages, but it is usable. I am still in the building stages but it is viewable right now. The url address is super long so I snip it and made it shorter. http://www.snipurl.com/hlc_events

Pics from Camp

Here's some of our pics from camp. Had a lot of fun and worked very hard. We hiked, swimmed, played, raced, worked, learned, ate, and much much more. We all had a great time and appreciate the opportunity to get out and learn. At Hakipuu Learning Center we say, "MAKA HANA KA 'IKE" which means, "Learning is in the doing" and that is exactly what we did at camp.