Infrastructure

(Note: These notes currently pertain to primary schools)

What Equipment?

A class needs enough equipment to be able to use Digital as a natural part of teaching and learning (so in-class, ad-hoc use), for group-work and occasionally for whole class work.  Storing pupil work in ‘the cloud’ through j2e (part of Hwb) simplifies things greatly, as a pupils can access and save their files from any device.

• In-class use.  Every class should have a few iPads available so that work (often non-digital) can used as a starting point to:
  • Capture – take a photo or audio recording of the work using the j2launch app.
  • Motivate – apps like Tellagami motivate pupils to engage in activities such as reading and writing.
  • Extend – apps such as Explain Everything can be used to allow pupils to build on a simple piece of written work for self-evaluation and a range of differentiated outcomes.
• Group-work.  Collaborative work often involves joint research or editing of documents.  My personal opinion is that text-based activities are most easily done using a physical keyboard, rather than an iPad on-screen keyboard (I’m also not a fan of ‘bluetooth’ keyboards, which in my experience are fiddly).  Consider having a number of PCs in each class, perhaps as part of a ‘Digital Zone’, with sufficient numbers for a group.  Alternatively, many schools use laptops for this purpose.
• Whole class.  Sometimes we need every pupil to have a device – perhaps because the lesson is fundamentally digital in nature.  Some schools retain the use of a traditional PC suite for this purpose, although these can often be under-utilised and therefore expensive.  Other schools simply like to ensure there are enough iPads or laptops available to equip a class as necessary.  The trade-off tends to between flexibility (and better utilisation/return on investment) with some overhead incurred for use (pupils fetching equipment, charging etc.).

Equipment Notes

• Tablets.  At this time, only iPads are recommended.  This is simply because key apps such as j2launch are only available on iPad.
• Microsoft Surface.  For business (so Office) use, these are supreme (in my humble opinion!).  They have a proper keyboard, hand-writing recognition, are portable and run Windows, so can be fully integrated into a network.  However, the current lack of educational apps make them of limited value in the primary school setting.  For most, the extra cost over a traditional laptop is also too great at present to warrant their use as the mobile Windows option.
• Raspberry Pi Computer.  These are exciting for two reasons (at least);
  • They will feature as part of the ‘Computing’ aspects of the new Digital Framework for coding and to build computer projects.
  • They may now offer an alternative for fixed desktop PCs at much lower cost (approx. £50 for the ‘base station’).  We are researching this possibility now and hope to be able to give further guidance on this by end May 2016.
• Clevertouch Screens.  These are becoming popular despite their high price compared to a traditional interactive whiteboard.

IT Equipment Guidelines

Schools are demanding users of IT equipment and should approach purchasing on a professional basis.  This is often best done via IT Services in Powys County Council, who will procure and install the equipment for you.  IT Services do not charge an overhead for procurement or installation of that equipment.

Equipment should:

• Meet minimum specifications;
• Be replaced at least every five years as part of a planned and budgeted ICT strategy.

A couple of don’ts:

• Do not accept second hand equipment, however well intended. It normally consumes a hugely disproportionate amount of time and effort to get any value from it.
• Do not buy ‘cheap PCs’ with an operating system for home use.  Any Windows operating system must be of the ‘Pro’ variant, otherwise it will not be able to access the internet from school.

Current equipment Specifications

PCs

• Processor : Intel Core i3 (3.40GHz, 3MB cache, Dual Core)
• Memory : 4GB(1x4GB) Non-ECC,1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM
• Hard Drive : 500GB (7200Rpm) 3.5in Serial ATA
• Optical Drive : 16X DVD+/-RW Drive
• A 17″ minimum monitor is recommended
• Have headphones or speakers

Laptops

• Base Option : PCMCIA card base
• Processor : One Intel Core i3(1.7GHz, 3MB cache, Dual Core)
• Display : 35.6cm (14.0in) High Definition (1366X768) AntiGlare LED-backlit
• Memory : 4GB (1x4GB) 1600MHz DDR3 Dual Channel
• Hard Drive : 500GB Serial ATA (7200RPM)
• Optical Drive : DVD +/-RW Drive
• Power Supply: UK/Irish 65W AC Adapter with UK/Irish Power Cord
• Battery : Primary 6-cell 60W/HR
• Wireless Card : Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 (802.11 a/b/g/n)
• Webcam: Integrated webcam

iPads

• iPad Air
• 32Gb
• A rugged case (Gripcase, Kidscover..)