Guest Keen Posted December 8, 2007 Posted December 8, 2007 Hi My adviser told me last week that I can download the e-profile on the main office computer and then put the info on a memory stick and use it wherever is best for me and that I just need to update the main computer regularly! However I had been told in the past that this was not advisable as the info can corrupt easily! Does anyone have any words of wisdom? Thanks in anticipation!
Guest Posted December 8, 2007 Posted December 8, 2007 we have the e-profile in the main office and its a pain trying to get on the computer. I tried to download it onto the E.Y.U. computer but need to be part of the administration team to ok this so have to wait till wednesday which is also our afternoon nativity day. why is life so complicated. I actually downloaded it at home and put it on my computer and then take it to school and it goes onto my memory stick ok (so far).
Guest Posted December 8, 2007 Posted December 8, 2007 (edited) I have had a bad experience in the past when I downloaded the eprofile to my memory stick and as you say it did corupt the file. However, that was about 2 years ago so not with the latest version of the e-profile (is it 2.5 i think?) so perhaps the newest version will be ok. In our LA we have a research and information department who you can ring and they will answer any questions and talk you through any difficult things - could you perhaps contact someone like that? Just had a quick check on the website http://schoolsportal.suffolkcc.gov.uk/schools/FSP/index.htm and it does say that they reccommend using pen drives/memory sticks and that the new version of e-profile supports this so I would presume that you will be fine. Something I realised from looking at that website is that now when you hover the mouse over one of the statements it comes up with examples. What a helpful feature - I remember last year having to have the child's records and the profile handbook with all the examples of each point to refer to for some of the less clear points. Edited December 8, 2007 by Guest
Lorna Posted December 9, 2007 Posted December 9, 2007 Where can you download the e profile from... As yet I only fill it in at the end of the year but would like to satrt using it throughout the year but I don't want to have to stay in school to do so. Thanks L
mundia Posted December 9, 2007 Posted December 9, 2007 Hi Lorna, you should be able to get the eprofile from the link Ariel gave earlier in this thread. Keen, Ive been using a memory stick for 3 years to transfer data and never had any problems. I always kept a master copy at home in case we had any problems at school, which last year we did so I was glad to have done that! I would suggest though that you decide on one place to update the profile ie at home OR at school just so as to keep tracks of where the most up to date data is. Always remember to back up too then if you anything does get corrupted you still have the original.
Steve Posted December 9, 2007 Posted December 9, 2007 Hi - Lorna you can find a link to the eprofile download site in my pinned topic here. Keen, I think the important thing with any mobile data and program storage is that you take regular backups. That means that if the data you've input that sits on your datastick does get corrupted you will only have lost the work you did since your last backup. I'm sure John Russell will have the definitive view on this, however! Edit: Ah, overlapped with mundia. There's some experienced advice for you!
mundia Posted December 9, 2007 Posted December 9, 2007 I would be tempted to say great minds think alike......
Lorna Posted December 9, 2007 Posted December 9, 2007 Thanks for that.... I saw the link Arial put in but assumed that was for Suffolk not just the generic software. Thanks again Lorna
Guest Keen Posted December 9, 2007 Posted December 9, 2007 Thank you everyone for your speedy replies - this is really great news. I am off to order a memeory stick just for the e-profile this will make life so much easier!!!
Guest Posted December 11, 2007 Posted December 11, 2007 Mmmmmm........ an interesting thread and some valuable comments. Perhaps I could just add a few thoughts ............ Transferring eProfile data was always a nightmare with floppy disks - although they were better than cassette tape (remember back that far??) they were notorious for generating errors and the software was not very helpful at providing error messages that were meaningful. The latest version with specific support for other data drives (and it doesn't have to be a memory stick) is a move in the right direction. You need to be aware, though, of (1) data protection issues (2) security and reliability of data transfer So, taking these in turn: (1) pupil data should be stored on school computers ONLY as it is the school that is liable under the Data Protection Act. It should not be stored at home unless you have specific permission from someone in authority at the school and that this person is aware of how and where the data is being stored. If you have any questions about this you should approach your LA for further guidance. Recent events in the news should focus the mind here!! (2) memory sticks (and even floppy disks) are small and convenient devices for tranferring data between computers. It is their small size that makes them vulnerable to loss. In addition, if they are being used on computers at home there is increased risk of these devices being affected by viruses, which can then be transferred on to the host machine at school. You therefore need to ensure that if you are using memory sticks on your home computer that the computer is adequately protected from viruses and other intrusions. The school should already be ensuring that all computers have adequate protection and that it is kept up to date (this applies at home as well, of course!). Bearing all that in mind, the way in which eProfile data is collected and organised in school depends on the size of the school and how many classes data is to be collected from. It also depends on how data is to be sent to the LA. In Birmingham, for example, all schools send data via EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), which means that data is sent electronically in an encrypted format. This is the preferred strategy as it is both quicker and more secure than sending data in any other way. Data is collected in eProfile on the machine in the office from which it will be sent by importing the data from teachers' computers using the "Import from another eProfile" option. It is important to remember that any data imported will overwrite anything that exists and that there is no warning!! So always keep a backup and say YES when you close eProfile down and you are invited to make a backup copy. eProfile backups are dated, but also remember that if you close the software down more than once on any day later backups will overwrite the one already stored for that date. If you have a secure school management network it is possible to set up eProfile to work on a network, though this is not a recommended strategy by the software writers. It does, though, eliminate the problem of transferring data between machines as all the data is stored on the server, which is, of course, backed up nightly (isn't it??)!! Complete loss of data is rare, but remember that all disks will fail at some point in time so, if you haven't backed up your data for some time, please do it now (from the voice of experience)!! Regards John Russell Birmingham
Guest Keen Posted December 13, 2007 Posted December 13, 2007 John this is excellent advice and I do see the point of protection when using home computers. I have a school laptop and this will be so much easier than having to make arrangements with the office staff. Thank you.
Jester Posted December 20, 2007 Posted December 20, 2007 John just about sums it up there. There are so many flaws in the FS e-profile, I was told only to put it on one computer as the information does not transfer easy. The biggest flaw imo is that we are unable to put pre school on there as they don't have UPNs. I have e profile on one laptop and so that is where it stays.
Guest Posted January 8, 2008 Posted January 8, 2008 John just about sums it up there. There are so many flaws in the FS e-profile, I was told only to put it on one computer as the information does not transfer easy. The biggest flaw imo is that we are unable to put pre school on there as they don't have UPNs. I have e profile on one laptop and so that is where it stays. I wouldn't go so far as to say eProfile was severely flawed - there are certainly ways in which the software could be improved and handle data more efficiently. This is why I have been working towards finding alternative strategies in CMIS and SIMS.net admin software. The former is now available and hopefully SIMS.net shouldn't be too much longer until I have a more complete solution. In the meantime eProfile is probably the most efficient way of collecting and transferring FS data and it certainly gives an up to date picture of pupil progress to all who have access to the data. We all need to be careful about the transfer of data and its security. Personally I'm just waiting for the next missive from the Govt about what data teachers can actually have access to!! Regards and a belated Happy New Year to All John
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