IT folk that work in schools...earn a tenner!

[zoomee]

I've been working in IT for over 20 years (sometimes in schools). Got 2 young kids and whilst I always have the latest gadgets, I've recently taken a completely opposing stance to IT and young children.

The effects of IT on my kids have been mostly negative - Lack of attention spans, lack of communication skills - it all adds up. I got rid of my tablets, and left them with one PC (a laptop closely monitored with keylogging to help protect them) and a games console which is only allowed on weekends.

Don't get me wrong IT is great, but I feel at the moment (for young kids that is) they should be learning like we did when we were at school. I remember my maths teacher always asking us to put away our calculators, making us work things out manually THEN allowing us to use the calculator for the tougher questions later AFTER we had all understood how to do it manually. I feel as if there is a tad too much reliance on IT these days - just look at kids' handwriting these days! lol. - anyways enough of the old man ranting

On the positive side of IT in schools - I really like the ideas that some other schools here in Kirklees have - some put all homework on the web, use IT to allow parents to pay for stuff, we can even monitor exactly what food kids have eaten at lunchtime not just the menu etc - its great for us parents. Governors will lap up anything which will make the school look more modern etc.

- Moving away from using paper (to post stuff out) and to maybe email as an idea? - most if not all parents have email accounts these days.

- any efficiency gains that by implementing an IT system can cut down admin costs? That will get the governors interested for sure!

- Introduce coding?

- Smartboards if you ain't got them already? (if your school ain't already got them its probably time to upgrade the one archimedes PC they have lol)

Man I could go on all day lol. If in an amazing coincidence you decide to use an idea just donate it to a charity of your choosing dude. gl hf

PS - A lot of schools here migrating to Office 365 - takes away a lot of cost and reliance on IT staff - be careful though, thats a double edged sword for you!

 

[RDM]

iPads, iPads for all.

Not this.

If you are going to look at tablets then go for Windows tablets so they can integrate into the school network easier and they can run any software that a desktop can.

Rather than iPads for all I would suggest Windows tablets for SEN and for those PP kids that don't have access to a computer at home.

If your curriculum has moved to Comp Sci at KS4 and KS5 look at having at least one dedicated Comp Sci lab, have all computing lessons in there and have you more powerful kit there.

Make use of open source IDEs where possible so students can install them at home at no cost.

Choose languages carefully, Python is popular at KS3/4 because it is reasonably forgiving and there are a ton of resources available.

Only consider cloud services if the school net connection is robust enough.

Presentation wise the usual stuff:

Tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, tell them what you told them. Set the ground rules about questions from the start (at the end or during).

Don't have slides full of text that you read, your audience can read or they can listen, not both.

If using PowerPoint/Keynote make it visual but don't animate the hell out of it! Use a single, short, professional transition between slides.

Make notes about what you are going to speak about but don't write a script, it will sound stilted.

Slow down, you will speak faster than you think if nervous.

Practice it several times before delivering it, make sure the timings are right.

Present to your entire audience not just one person.

 

[rickjames]

I work in a 3-13 independent, although soon to be a university

- HAVE A ICT USE POLICY AND BE STRICT WITH IT. Make sure it gains approval of everyone at SMT.

- Get students on your side. Open up a working/study group with a select few representatives on what they would like to see to enhance their own learning. Listen to any suggestions they come up with and consider them carefully.

- Make sure resources are accessible to all, whether that be laptops, iPads, Chromebooks. Manage deployments properly whatever the device.

- Have someone keep tabs on your VLE constantly. Not only will it prove to be valuable resource for staff and students (homework, research etc) but it offers parents a chance to see what they're doing.

- Make sure the curriculum is relevant, and lessons are being taught! We have a large instance right now of ICT lessons being skipped purely because the teacher can't be bothered/other stuff. This is partly down us not having a Head of ICT this year because of a poor recruitment drive and it shows.

- Get in touch with other schools around the area, see what they're doing with their ICT infrastructure. It's always good to see someone else's approach before diving in at the deep end and make decisions you only soon wind up regretting.

Can I have £10 please?

 

[Elitejungalist]

Office365 definitely. Many kids don't have office resources, having access to them would enable them to become more proficient with the software helping them in their learning and in a future workplace

This is a great idea, as not everyone can afford to buy Office.

Also ask students, what IT subjects they would like further training on that is not on the general cirruculum.

Such as database design, general PC repair, website design etc.

 

[Deleted member 11679]

I've been a Computer Science teacher for eight years. Forget tablets, they're not that useful. Forget Raspberry Pi's, they're time consuming to set up and offer little for most over having Python installed on the school network.

My advice? Google Classroom and Google Drive. We've implemented this as a department over the last two years and now the whole school is on board. I see Google Classroom as literally a revolution in how we deliver courses to young people. Cloud based learning which is much more innovative and dynamic than say Moodle has given us so much power to collaborate, share and deliver resources to our students.

That would be my advice.

 

[Selekt0r]

- Introduce coding?

This! It makes me die that 30 years ago we were taught programming (mix of BASIC and also fairly 'hardcore' stuff like Assembly Language) but today's 'ICT' courses barely qualify as a secretarial skills course

 

[dlite]

If it's older children then I would have a section on how to look for hosting, how to engage a company to build a website for them and how to be clear in their own mind what that website should do.

A few children may go into IT as a career but a far greater number will go on to work in companies, or start companies themselves, what aren't directly IT but will need an online shop front.

Most people never need think about hosting. Companies they might be starting, but that is about something else.

Stupid question, but have you tried asking the students themselves? What works well and what could be better... since they're the ones who are using it? Might get some interesting results back. Most kids are pretty switched on these days.

Very few students have ideas about what is required in work environment.

The effects of IT on my kids have been mostly negative - Lack of attention spans, lack of communication skills - it all adds up. I got rid of my tablets, and left them with one PC (a laptop closely monitored with keylogging to help protect them) and a games console which is only allowed on weekends.

I remember my maths teacher always asking us to put away our calculators...anyways enough of the old man ranting

It is not the fault of IT as such. It is like saying that pencils are bad because kids only draw tanks killing enemies with them. It is just that for kids, the most useful applications are social networking apps.

IT is just a tool. Kids don't need the same tools as we adults at work do. They have absolutely no use for Outlook at school. They are not scheduling meetings. They don't mass-email clients. They don't give out presentations en-masse (once a semester) so teaching about powerpoint templates makes little sense to them. They don't gather datasets that'd warrant the use of excel and it's statistics functions.

Maybe it is more a problem of school instead of the tools?

What would you do to develop ICT that would benefit students

Form groups of 3 or 4, let everyone in the group write an essay with Word. Once these have been written, teach them how to email the .docx around as attachment and how to use words Review-functions and how to accept / incorporate the change requests etc. into the document. Let them fix each others essays like that.

Teach them how to use outlook. Not just to send & receive email, but how to search people in address book, how to use calendar functions to create recurring meetings with classmates etc.

You would be surprised how many people have actually difficulties sending attachments in their emails and using basic functions of word etc.

edit: But also remember to emphasise that this is about learning to use the tools. Not the foundations of IT as such. IT is much deeper naturally, but it makes no sense to teach low level stuff to most people. Just like it makes no sense to teach quantum physics to most people.

 

[PurplePhoenix]

What I find with schools is they Like to spend money on the front end and not the back end. However they do not have the money to do so!

Best thing to do is create a plan to keep your network running. Have spare equipment and a good back up in place. The whole tablet/ smartboard etc is only helping the students if the staff know how to use them.

 

[Blackbadger]

Teach Netiquette.

It is the biggest failing of so many attempting to communicate online.
It may not be quite the suggestion you were looking for, however in my opinion such knowledge will last a lifetime.

 

[Cat_J]

They don't give out presentations en-masse (once a semester) so teaching about powerpoint templates makes little sense to them. They don't gather datasets that'd warrant the use of excel and it's statistics functions.

I did statistics at school and actually ended up using excel to do some of it. Would have been nice if it was taught as part of the course. No idea if stats is still an option in schools now anyway, was a maths tag on subject as I remember.

 

[pfaulkner]

At my academy we have around 250 desktops, 250 laptops, 100 thin clients, iPads, iMacs, Raspberry Pi's and a few other bespoke systems in use.

As on tech there i'm looking at new technologies and moves away from traditional hardware, but it depends on the teachers themselves and how good / bad your students are.

There are some many cool gadgets and kit out there but its all about taking a risk, demo's and trials are great and a big help in deciding the best route to take.

 

[Diagro]

One thing you can do.
ignore any computer science teacher, they think because they teach it that they can do t

Oh how they are so wrong.

 

[Lakeland]

Computers that log on in seconds, not minutes - this very simple point is massively overlooked. I have known some computers to take over 10 minutes to log in. 30seconds should be the target.

How to use computers effectively - not ict lessons for spreadsheets. Navigation, copy/cut/paste/document control/software installation/problem solving etc.

Sign up to an e-learning platform, Google, edmodo, showbie etc.

Create a moodle type learning resource.

Create a scheme where able teachers assist other teachers who have poor computer skills. This same scheme could have staff 'request knowledge' and those able could help. Maybe something as simple as a mini forum.

Allow able teachers to take some burden off network staff, reset passwords, profile issues etc - these must be the bugbear of network staff and even semi competent teacher would be able to sort this out.

When someone asks for a bit of critical (and free) software to be installed, don't take two years to do it. Oh sorry, that was a rant

Ipads are good but they are very expensive and can create a big distraction. Personally I would prefer to see students with 13" laptops that are powerful enough for CAD software and maybe some light video editing work.

Feel free to get in touch if you have anything you want to run by me.

 

[RDM]

One thing you can do.
ignore any computer science teacher, they think because they teach it that they can do t

Oh how they are so wrong.

15 years as an analyst programmer at enterprise level prior to becoming a computer science teacher. I think I might have some idea how to both do it and teach it...

 

[Hellsmk2]

15 years as an analyst programmer at enterprise level prior to becoming a computer science teacher. I think I might have some idea how to both do it and teach it...

Programming is nothing to do with infrastructure, so no.... no you don't.

You don't hear brain surgeons claiming to know how to do heart surgery.

 

[RDM]

Programming is nothing to do with infrastructure, so no.... no you don't.

You don't hear brain surgeons claiming to know how to do heart surgery.

I started as a systems analyst/programmer then moved to the infrastructure team. Whilst certainly not as specialist as some of the guys I worked with I have at least a passing knowledge in WinTel servers, network architecture, DNS, SQL and even a little AD.

I certainly know more than the IT techs at our school, though they will obviously have more knowledge of the schools network having worked there longer. They also know more about Citrix as I haven't worked on that technology in the past.

If I recall Diagro and was making a sweeping statement about all IT teachers, while many are struggling with a new curriculum with limited experience or training there are plenty that do.

 

[Aldav]

Zoomee mentioned that O365 can be a double-edged sword. So can any internet-connected PC. Make sure the kids are thoroughly grounded, in an age-appropriate way of course, in both risks as well as advantages, and in personal computer and online security. Given the degree to which modern kids will be IT-exposed, give them the awareness of the risks, and the methods and tools used to proect themselves. By which, I mean everything from how firewalks work, to virus defences, to online predators like child grooming.

These days, just like we have always needed to nag kids about brushing their teeth, so we need themto have one eye on personal IT security, etc.

Oh, and as someone else said, should this be the £10 idea, donate it to a fund for something at the school.

 

[Deleted member 66701]

Collaborative learning is a big thing now - research how you can leverage your existing infrastructure to promote it and look into ways your infrastructure can be extended to improve it.

Good jumping off point :- http://www.journeytoexcellence.org.uk/resourcesandcpd/research/summaries/rscollaborativelearning.asp

Programming is nothing to do with infrastructure, so no.... no you don't.

Harsh - the skills for both are trasnferable and being good at one usually means you'll have an aptitude to pick up the other relatively quickly. I'd rather have someone like RDM teaching my kids IT at school rather than a "theorist".

You don't hear brain surgeons claiming to know how to do heart surgery.

I think you'll find many brain surgeons operate on all types of organs, including hearts - or do you think brain surgeons just sit around for weeks waiting for a rare brain surgery to come in? They may specialise in brain surgery, but that's not the only surgery they do.

 

[Hellsmk2]

Harsh - the skills for both are trasnferable and being good at one usually means you'll have an aptitude to pick up the other relatively quickly. I'd rather have someone like RDM teaching my kids IT at school rather than a "theorist".

I disagree - you won't see infrastructure techies switching to programming overnight, unless they have already spent years learning the language. That works the other way too.

I would never try to tell a programmer how to do his job. Unfortunately, the other way around seems fair game, as I've had many times over the decades. Too many assume the infrastructure side is easy & simple (they can build a home PC after all!).

I do agree that I'd rather see someone with a background in programming teaching at schools though. The IT teachers in my day could barely spell computer, let alone teach us what they could do.

I think you'll find many brain surgeons operate on all types of organs, including hearts - or do you think brain surgeons just sit around for weeks waiting for a rare brain surgery to come in? They may specialise in brain surgery, but that's not the only surgery they do.

Let me rephrase that then - you wouldn't want a general surgeon doing the work of a neurosurgeon. Would you be happy as a patient with a brain tumor knowing a general surgeon was going to do the work? You wouldn't...

 

[Diagro]

Ok. Let me say this.

You have experience in that field, yet decided to become a teacher.
A teacher who is paid far worse than someone (with the godlike experience of IT) in the IT field would get paid.

Why move to teaching when you could get paid more elsewhere? Unless you simply wanted to teach teens who just don't care... Yea didn't think so.

I had a large post written, but removed it because it may get traced back to me at work.