10 Ways to keep your IT team happy in the new school year
I first published this post a year ago, but figured as a whole new year was here waiting for us I’d reshare. I have a feeling it’s going to be a good one, I’m looking forward to it…
1. If you’re new, come and introduce yourself. Even if you don’t need anything. Actually, especially if you don’t need anything. Always nice to meet people that don’t ask for a laptop/iPod/iPad/moon on a stick in the second sentence. This could probably work for existing staff too- I did have a good holiday, thanks.
2. If you can, book equipment for your lessons well in advance. We can do short notice but it’s easier if we don’t have to. I’m sure you all do your planning earlier than the night before right?
3. Before bringing any loan equipment back check that it’s all there. That includes that weird cable that came with the camera you weren’t sure what to do with so left on your desk.
4. If you need a website unblocked let us know before the lesson you will be using it. We don’t block much, but it’s always worth checking if it’s something new. And by before I mean more than the minute before.
5. Don’t just keep all those vital documents on your memory stick. They break more often than you would think. After 9 years I’m getting used to seeing the reaction of staff after telling them that all their reports/planning/dissertations are gone and I worry that it is starting to reduce my capacity for sympathy.
6. Backup your laptop before you bring it in for upgrade/repair. I know we can do it for you, but taking a backup of your 20Gb iTunes library that appears to mainly feature 80’s pop is probably a little out of our remit.
7. At the end of a lesson in an IT suite ask your students to leave workstations in a tidy state and check for any lost/damaged equipment for you. It saves you doing it and means we find out about any problems sooner.
8. Do you actually need to print that?
9. Tell us about your ideas for new techs projects- we’ll be able to help. As a team we are here to support the ideas, if you have a good one we can worry about the how.
10. Drop in with cake occasionally. We like it. For our external partners, carefully packaged cake will post no problem at all.
Happy September everybody 
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