LIS 451Introduction to Network Systems

Team Members:

Paula Adams, Fiona Griswold, Emilyn

Larsen-Ferree, Joe Lenkart, Carolyn Maille-

Petersen, Mary Ann Ribelin

One Group, Two Sites

Restoration Urban Ministries

Champaign-Urbana

Second Chance Shelter

East St. Louis

Second Chance Shelter, East St. Louis, IL

• Non-profit, faith-based

• Family shelter

• 90-day program

• Goal: provide self-sufficiency through

computer training, parenting skills,

counseling, financial management

• Residents working toward obtaining

employment

Restoration Urban Ministries, Champaign, IL

• Non-profit, faith-based

• Provides transitional housing for families

• Requires residents to attend 6-8 wk. classes on self-sufficiency, etc.

• Offers substance abuse recovery and job training

Preparations

Two Sites, Similar User Needs:

•Basic computer skills

•Job training

•Word processing

•Internet skills

Components:

•Six computers per site

•Linux Mint vs. Edubuntu

•Firefox web browser

• community resource, career &

educational websites bookmarked

•Educational & office software

Second Chance Installation

The space

Cleaning

Old equipment

Wiring

RUM Installation

The space

Cleaning

Old equipment

Wiring

Problems & Solutions

•Problem: access to inappropriate web content

•Solution: installed OpenDNS

•Problem: computers crashing

•Solution: Walker wrote program to clean up desktop/hard drive daily

& created three accounts with different privilege levels

•Problem: saving user documents to hard drive

•Solution: use Google Docs and provide tutorial

•Problem: having someone consistently available to do administrative tasks

•Solution: remains a problem

•Problem: unable to acquire Internet access

•Solution:

• SC: ran wiring from admin office to computer lab

• RUM: acquired wireless signal, but unable to connect to Internet

– still investigating problem

Lessons Learned

Flexibility a necessity

Group split along project lines

Evolving group dynamics –discovering individual talents

Feeling conflicted – desire vs. availability to contribute to both sites

Training –formal vs. informal

Site leadership issues – SC director leaving, RUM director indecisive

Expectations – idealism vs. realism

90-day stay doesn’t allow for in-depth computer learning

Lessons Learned, cont.

Necessity of leaning on

team members

Prioritizing “To Do” list ,

e.g. timeline differences

Thinking on your feet

Making use of

resources (e.g. Ricky)

Sustainability issues

Learning to let go

Our group would like to thank Martin and Walker for their tireless and unceasing dedication, and Martin, in particular, for his “magnetic personality,” which cost Second Chance a computer….So long, and thanks for all the Pirtles!

Thank you

Ellias Graydon

9 lbs. 5 oz., 21 in.