By 2007, all schools should have a quality network, delivering at least 100mb bandwidth capacity to all desktop computers throughout the school, with 1000Mb links between buildings.

If your school's network doesn't meet DET specifications (see DET Networks site), then the other suggestions on this page are probably irrelevant. If your network isn't reliable, the whole agenda for advancing the use of technology in your school will go nowhere. Fast.

You MUST have a quality 100/1000Mb network as the basic foundation of any technology-based activity in your school.

All new network installations in local schools MUST be warranted for a minimum of 15 years, and be installed by a certified installer (see NSW Dept Commerce 2067 Installer List), to DET specifications (see DET Networks site).

Are your school's Campus Distributor (CD) and Building Distributors (BD) 100/1000 Mb switched hubs?

Do you have 1000Mb uplinks between buildings?

Does your network meet DET specifications?

Do you have a manufacturer's 15/25 year warranty on your network?

Do you have an accurate drawn plan of your school's network?

Do you have performance test results for your school's network, provided by the installer?

Once you have a solid, certified network, you can provide reliable access to a central data storage area for all school personnel - both teaching and admin staff, and students.

This central storage area is known as a File Server.

The type of File Server you use, and how this File Server is setup and accessed by staff and students depends to some extent on "local conditions" - the size of the school, staff expertise, etc.

For more info about file servers for your school, contact your local Technology Adviser.

Do you have a Central Storage Area on your network?

Is it easily accessible by ALL staff and students? Is it secure?

Endeavour to have a consistent desktop interface, operating system and application software on every computer throughout the school.

With hardware and software upgrades released so frequently, this is often easier said than done. However, the DET computer rollout and software licencing has made this goal achievable, as older machines are "pensioned off".

Software Update (Mac) and Windows Update (Win) make the automation of this process much easier, for the OS at least.

Tools such as CarbonCopy Cloner (Mac OS X) and Altiris (Win) are useful for the time-saving "replication" of entire hard disk images.

What differences exist between computers in different parts of your school?

Do all computers have the same "look and feel"?

Does your school have a procedure for the "turnover" of out-of-lease computers?

OK - it is a commercial product. But it is a great product developed by ex-DET people, and it is now installed in nearly 50% of schools in the state.

It costs money, but in my humble opinion, it is worth it!

A SENTRAL server links data from OASIS to any workstation (Mac or PC), providing access to Library and Admin records in a user-friendly, web-based format.

A SENTRAL server also provides options for automated backups of your school's file server, Internet proxy services, and a range of other network services including DHCP, DNS, network testing and Web Content Filtering, along with a Web Calendar, as well as Intranet and File server space for small schools without a dedicated network server.

SENTRAL now also includes various Student Assessment and Student Welfare modules.

Best of all, it just works - straight out of the box - with remote support provided by the SENTRAL technicians.

Check out the SENTRAL web site for more details.

Before we can formulate a plan (or a map), we need to know:

- where we are now;

- where we want to be in the future;

- why we want to be there;

- when we want to be there;

- who is going to help get us there!

Once we have defined that information, our work in developing a plan, or a map, is a lot easier.

I have posted some documents that might help this process at my School Planning Links page.

 

Also remember to keep the whole technology "thing" in perspective - this is only one area of a whole school plan, and it is supporting the overall needs of the broader school curriculum.

 

Do you have a school technology plan? Is it workable? What are your real goals?

Is your technology plan linked to your school plan?

Do you have a "Plan B"?

Does your plan include the opportunity for positive personal achievements for school staff?

Do you evaluate/review your plan regularly?

Is your plan more than just "another piece of paper"?

The implementation and development of your plan needs a manager.

Rather than appoint a "computer co-ordinator" (which is no longer a suitable title) a teacher (or teachers) at your school should to be identified as the Learning Technologies Manager(s) and have access to the resources to explore, experiment, implement and model the use of ICT to support the school curriculum.

An LTM (or ICTM) must have the interest, the time, and a budget, which permits them to:

- attend regular School ICT Co-ordinator meetings

- keep abreast of Regional DET rollout initiatives;

- keep abreast of, and engage teachers in, relevant Regional ICT Workshops;

The LTM should not be expected to be a technical expert in all areas of the school technology infrastructure, but needs to be able to develop and maintain contacts in the DET & the commercial world who can provide support where necessary.

It is a good idea to spread the planning load across various interested personnel and groups within the school. (What happens to your plan if your key people move from the school?)

Does your school Learning Technologies Manager attend Regional ICT Co-ordinator meetings each term?

Does your school Learning Technologies Manager have a budget to implement/experiment with the latest technologies in the classroom?

Is your Learning Technologies Manager able to "model" the use of technology in the classroom? Do they have access to the resources to attend PD courses which support this?

Are the technical issues in your school supported by DET or commercial providers (where appropriate), to free the LTM to be able to focus on the implementation of ICT in the school?

Once your"foundations are in place, and a manager is appointed, we can encourage both teachers and students to become active participants in collaborative projects.

A school Intranet is an ideal medium for this, providing a web-based, online publishing and information sharing environment for all members of the school community.

A vibrant and well-maintained Intranet is a powerful learning tool which supports many different aspects of the school curriculum. In many schools this is already setup - it just needs some content from the school community.

The development of an Intranet site inevitably leads to the provision of a school Internet site, providing access to the wider community. (See Wazza's Web Publishing Page.)

Do browsers in your school default to the school's intranet web site?

Do students in your school have their own intranet publishing space?

Do teachers in your school use their own intranet publishing space?

Is your Intranet site (and Internet site) regularly updated, and relevant to the needs of the school?

Once the foundations are in place, we need to consider the day-to-day impact of this infrastructure across the school.

All new syllabuses expect the integration of technology in the curriculum (hence the need to have technology planning embedded in the school plan, rather than as a standalone item).

We need to ensure that the necessary resources (hardware, software, personnel, T&D, etc) are available to support these syllabus requirements, in a way that provides equitable access to all teachers and students, in all KLAs.

It is important that school Professional Development planning provides an opportunity for all staff members to become familiar with new technologies, both personally and in their own classroom context, while also providing opportunities for others to experiment at the "leading edge".

Some questions to consider when planning PD for 2007:

Are teachers in your school encouraged to use technology for their own PD - ie access to a digital camera, etc.

Do teachers in your school have the opportunity to "adopt and adapt " technology for the personal/professional use?

Are teachers in your school comfortable/familiar with the use of technology supporting the curriculum in their classroom?

For some KLA Internet integration ideas check out the CAP Online Modules and the DET Curriculum Support pages. For some skills review documentation see Wazza's Planning Links.

Share your school's successes with the broader community through the universal web medium.

Information about publishing school web sites is available at Wazza's School Web Publishing page.

A list of local schools' web sites is available at the Shellharbour Regional Office site.