Rejecting the Link......

We have a program in our classrooms at school called NetSupport. It links all the student computers to the teacher's computer and allows me to see from my desk what is on every student's screen. Not only can I see when one of them is playing Solitaire, I can take control of his/her computer and click out of it. I can blank all the students' screens if I have something I need to announce to everyone and want to get their attention. I can take a screen shot of a student's screen if what I see is not school appropriate or represents off-task behavior. I love bringing those screen shots out at parent conferences.

NetSupport also allows me to shut the computers down all at one time every afternoon. It's a lot more effective than begging the students to shut them down themselves, and it's easier on my back than going around and shutting them down individually.

Some of the connections have begun to show some quirks at this point in the year, however. Today when I shut the computers off, I got the message "gibberish gibberish gibberish 9118-14 has rejected the link." The 9118-14 refers to computer #14 in my room. Why my room number is 9118 in a school with 5 classrooms is a mystery to me.

I've decided, though, that rejecting the link might be a convenient phrase to have in my repertoire.

Hubby: What's for dinner?
Me: Sorry, I have rejected the link.

Student: Dr. Bragger, can I have a retake on a quiz?
Me: No, I am rejecting the link.

Random Red Cross volunteer: Can I sign you up for the blood drive this month?
Me: No, I have decided to reject the link.

Hubby's relatives: Can we come swim in your pool and track water onto your hardwood floors and traipse upstairs to use the bathroom?
Me: Sorry, we are rejecting the link.

Computer: It's time to change your password.
Me: I'd rather reject the link, thank you.

Gus: Arf arf arf arf arf (I want a treat and to go outside).
Me: Too bad, I have rejected the link.

Blog readers: Can we please have a blog topic that is not nonsense?
Me: Sorry, I have rejected the link.

Update THIS......

I do not appreciate being bossed around and held captive by my computer. Shouldn't I be the one who decides when to install updates? And if I restarted it, don't you reckon I was in the middle of something? I wasn't even playing paintball this time. I was trying to grade some online assignments.

Now I'm stuck with "Please do not power off or unplug your machine. Installing update 6 of 8." It has been that way for about 20 minutes, and I'm terrified of defying it. So please forgive me for any gross missppellings. That comes from blogging with my thumbs on my Blackberry. There goes my post about my cycling buddy Larry. The pictures are on the computer that I'm not allowed to power off or unplug, lest some nuclear weapon be launched at an innocent country.