locking down the desktop

[David Trask]

btabor <btabor at btownccs.k12.in.us> writes:
>Students can save to their individual network folders if they need to save
>something.
>They are cluttering their desktops with "stuff" that they do not need at
>school (non educational).
>I'm wandering if a deep-freeze type script would be the best way to go.
>Any thoughts?

I'm a little curious about this as I too am a teacher....K-8 550
kids....each child here has their own login....all stuff is on the server.
 As for their desktops...I encourage them to change their wallpaper,
themes, and so forth.  Why?  A sense of ownership...it's THEIR desktop. 
We don't have people telling us what our own laptops should look
like...why should we be doing the same for kids?  We can teach them what's
appropriate and what's not, but as for the actual content....so long as
it's not lewd or whatever....it's not really my concern.  Now...IF your
kids are using a shared login and do not have their own accounts, then
that's a little different (and the first problem you need to solve...they
should each have their own account...for your sanity).  You can have a
script that will either "scrub" or replace the Desktop every evening as a
cron job.  Each morning you'd have a clean desktop although anything
previously saved on the desktop would be gone....forever.

David N. Trask
Technology Teacher/Director
Vassalboro Community School
dtrask at vcsvikings.org
(207)923-3100