Parents
Welcome to the Mac Lab
Thanks for checking in. Please Watch this Video | QuickTime required (Free)
Other free plugins you’ll need Adobe Reader | Adobe Flash Player |
0910 Mac Lab Policies and Expectations
Your time is valuable so I’ll try to keep this short and to the point.
Two Primary Pages | Grades | About Me | More Information | Blog | Students |
Early Mornings in the Mac Lab
The lab is open between 6:00 and 6:15 each morning. I’ve discovered that I am able to accomplish more by working at home before coming to school. (And my wife is much happier that I don’t leave in the middle of the night any more.)
About Grades
An ever growing number of students present me with daily, weekly, or bi-weekly grade reports to fill out. You should know that these reports may not accurately reflect your child’s progress in the Mac Lab. The reason, is that we are project-oriented in the Mac Lab. Small, incremental measurements have little relevance in assessing individual progress. The goals in the Mac Lab are long-term. Quite often a student will not truly start to blossom until the second semester. Students are learning a myriad of skills and techniques that quite often surpass college-level work. (I know this to be true because I’ve taught the introductory graphic design course at Cuyamaca College, am on Platt College’s Advisory Board, and have over 25 years’ experience in the field.) We use industry-standard software — the same as the pros use — and we learn to apply those skills in an ethical, professional manner. All of this takes time. Please take the time yourself to view the movies on this page in order to understand the way the Mac Lab works. It’s not your ordinary classroom, but then again, neither are the results.
Mac Lab Saturday School 0910 — 18 Tentative Dates — 7:00 am to Noon
Oct 10, 24, Nov 7, 14, Dec 5, 12, Jan 9, 16, Feb 13, 27, Mar 6, 20, April 10, 17, May 1, 22, June 5, 12.
For more information, explore the site or head over to the Students page.
Student Websites
The initial Websites are NOT impressive! It will take a couple of months for these to begin to fill out.
-
Rebooting the Mac Lab
Though this is first and foremost a Website to support and promote my high school students, people from around the world seem to have found it of some use as well. Should you find something of value here, please pay it forward in a manner of your choosing. Should you wish to help the kids in the Mac Lab, please watch this movie and/or consider donating from this page.
New Mac Lab Links
Valhalla High School | GUHSD | Skocko | FAQ
Students | Parents | Educators | Visitors
Tutorials | Grand Central Linkage | Link Lines
Mac Lab 2.0 | Mac Lab Studio | Inspiration
Email from Around the World | Forum
How it Began Scroll to bottom of page
09/10 Classes: Digital Arts | 3D | Multimedia
The Mac Lab Needs Your Help:
ROP has updated 31 of our computers. We need to raise $18,000 to purchase the remaining 14 to round out the lab as we average over 40 students per class. Mike and Rochelle Joplin (the kind family behind the Valhalla Foundation) have graciously offered to match the first $6,000 so we'll be two-thirds of the way there once we raise the first $6k. You may donate directly to the Foundation (choose Mac Lab from the Booster menu) or via Pay Pal from this page. All donations are tax deductible and the tally will be kept on this page. Current total is $3,850. On behalf of the students who will be using these computers over the next three years, thank you for your generosity. 
