ICT Support for Primary Schools – more than just a technician.

A question we are often asked is how are we are different to the incumbent IT handyman, local one stop computer shop or lumbering IT support team. It’s a great question because it goes right to the crux of what we are about as an organisation, and, what is lacking from so many IT outfits nowadays.

Firstly, it is important to understand the challenges primary schools face:

• ever-changing curriculum objectives or how to achieve or monitor them
• increasing requirement to combine ICT with other subjects
• an ICT network (servers, desktops, laptops, netbooks) the size of a small to medium sized business but without the budget to afford an IT team or department
• an increasing reliance on ICT to support basic functions
• lack of trained IT specialists

The solution – how do we best tackle these challenges?

Initially, the solution to answer these challenges (like any business challenge or requirement) has to be designed, which during our early days we sat down and completed. Technically it’s adapted and changed since then but 5 core stages remain:

1. Discover and fix – an important phase that involves learning and discovering about the technical landscape and what is trying to be achieved in the school. In addition we identify if anything needs to be urgently fixed and do it.
2. Plan – together we put together an all encompassing plan that supports curriculum objectives and provides a solid foundation of support
3. Develop - we look for ways in which to further develop how and what ICT is being used
4. Review – as an ongoing process its important to take a step back and review progress and direction
5. Support - provide a clearly communicated method of supporting all the activities and steps above

What this means is we become a pro-active force for supporting curriculum objectives rather than a purely reactive, and rather typical technical support role.

So, if you’d like to apply a bit of this in your school, give us a call and we’ll discuss your individual requirements or visit our sub-site www.primarytech.co.uk

As usual this section of our site gives you a brief view of what we’ve been up to during a specific timeframe.

Corporate customers…

Our most noteworthy project was a web development project for a public sector organisation. By pure coincidence we continue to expand our portfolio of survey / reporting applications. Project highlights include

• fast turnaround from project go-ahead to completion (10 days!)
• multi-user/tiered system built to enable easy further enhancements
• based on PHP, MySQL and Linux technology

School customers…

April can often be the time to put into action well-made-plans as new budgets become available. This year it has been dominated through the deployment of mobile learning, particularly through the use of netbooks. A typical deployment project involves:

• Working with ICT Coordinator and other staff to plan out how the equipment is going to be used, to maximise the benefit for all
• Ensuring reliable school-wide access to wireless network
• Re-imaging netbooks (most only come with Windows XP-Home)
• Testing and deploying on-site
• Handover and training with teachers and TA’s