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Teachnology

Ann Logan brings glad tidings of help with technical support and details of the government’s plan to level the playing field for children without computer access at home.

Technical support is at hand!

Technical problems are a continuous pressure on teachers’ time and energy. You won’t be surprised to discover that over half of all teachers battle with a school printer every month, while half find that their classroom computer lets them down.

You may be surprised to hear that there is a solution. The Framework for ICT Technical Support (Fits) has been a well-kept secret that has already saved the education system some £40m. It has done this by helping schools take a proactive approach to technical problems.

Fits is a collection of best practices from support providers across the UK. It is designed to build teachers’ confidence in using equipment in the classroom. It does this by helping schools’ technical support staff prevent problems before they happen. This also stops teachers from getting too involved in technical support issues.

Fits offers guidance on:
• developing a service desk that offers a single point of contact between teachers and technical support staff. Here, teachers can get help, log incidents and learn how to use software.
• managing incidents by helping technical support staff diagnose and resolve issues quickly
• finding solutions to those persistent problems that never seem to get fixed
• keeping data secure.
The guidance isn’t prescriptive, so you can adapt it for your own needs.

Government agency Becta has launched Fits as an independent, not-for-profit organisation. It has a register of approved trainers that can take your school’s support staff through the guidance material and help them obtain a recognised technical support qualification.
www.thefitsfoundation.org

Hook up with Home Access

Home Access is the government programme helping children in English schools get access to technology at home to support their learning. The programme will benefit over 270,000 households by March 2011 and is initially targeting families with children in Years 3 to 9 inclusive.

Parents apply to a central body for a Home Access grant. They can use the grant to buy a computer with internet access and relevant support from an approved supplier. Parental control and anti-virus software are pre-loaded on to every machine.

Families interested in applying for a Home Access package can do it themselves starting this month. If they wish, schools can play an active role by managing the process of ordering packages on parents’ behalf.

www.becta.org.uk/homeaccess


My ICT favourites

Sarah Hann teaches Year 5 and is responsible for teaching Spanish and French across Key Stage 2 at Oaklands primary school in Yeovil, Somerset.

Favourite gadget
Using the computer microphone to record what the children say as part of a lesson affords an additional way of recording their work.

Favourite hardware
The new SMART table, from the makers of the SMART board, allows children to work collaboratively on whatever task the teacher sets them. The table is touchscreen so all children can take part at the same time and work together to solve problems.

Favourite websites

ngfl.northumberland.gov.uk
Northumberland Grid for Learning has a wealth of fun interactive resources for use in the primary classroom and beyond. The interactive traditional stories and activities such as The Three Little Pigs are available in French, German, Spanish and Italian and bring the tales to life.

www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/words/grammar
BBC Skillswise has perfect one-off lessons for upper KS2 to revise basic grammar rules through worksheets and interactive activities. The site offers printable work and answer sheets so there’s no need to spend ages preparing worksheets of your own.

www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing
Dance mat touch typing is ideal for the ICT suite for pupils to perfect their touch typing skills. Suitable for a variety of ages, and fun, this is an ideal activity for a teaching assistant to use as it requires no marking or preparation. The children are able to work independently with very little guidance.


Which websites, software and gadgets help you most in your professional life? Email your favourites to teacher@nut.org.uk by Monday 25 January. If we publish them you’ll receive a £10 shopping voucher courtesy of Countdown – see page 44 for details.