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ICT - Networking and Communications
Learning the lessons from ‘old’
technology can benefit schools
T
he start of a new academic year is an exciting and appropriate use policies is often ignored. Whilst
time that usually heralds a raft of product understandable, oversights such as these can create
launches and new technologies with the potential to significant barriers in the use of facilities with the
greatly enhance curriculum delivery and student knock-on effect being cost overruns and a lack of
engagement. But in their enthusiasm to embrace the impact upon standards.
latest technological advances schools can sometimes There are classrooms across the country where the
forget to reflect upon the impact of technologies of interactive whiteboard is used as a digital display
new terms past. Even the most analytical of school because the teacher hasn’t been trained in how to
leaders can be so seduced by the technology that make it interactive or where laptops are abandoned
they lose sight of the need to consider its impact in cupboards because parts
on standards and achievement and the total cost of can’t be sourced. As the new
ownership. term develops and the
In many cases the motivational impact of temptation to introduce new
introducing gaming technology or the extended technologies becomes too
learning opportunities provided by Netbooks and great to resist, make sure
Virtual Learning Environments will be enough for that your school isn’t one
many schools to justify the investments made in of them.
them. A school may be confident that they have Carl Gilbertson.
embedded the concept of ‘total cost of ownership’ Director, MGL
into their approach to ICT but it is still crucial for It’s important for schools to be aware when
them to update their thinking around the considering new software that the costs involved can
trianglertwww.mglworld.com
components that contribute to it. Any teacher who be just as significant as those associated with trianglert0151 473 5975
has experienced the use of Netbooks in their class introducing new hardware. At MGL we have worked
will understand that their use is fundamentally with a number of schools who underestimated the
different to the use of laptops. This means cost of introducing a Learning Platform. The cost of
that as well as the raw cost of the technology, software, infrastructure and training is usually
re-training needs to be factored into the investment successfully factored in but the cost of updating and
equation along with data storage and battery producing content can be underestimated and the
charging facilities. cost of embedding the VLE in marking, assessment
22
www.education-today.co.uk October 2009
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