UPDATE
Back to School 2015 marketing@stonegroup.co.uk
The Classroom of the Future – What will it look like?
stonegroup.co.uk @StoneComputers
THE IT SKILLS GAP PAGE 06
5TH GEN - A BETTER WAY TO LEARN? PAGE 14 2 0 1 5
ISO 14001
8 REASONS TO GET YOUR CLASS BLOGGING PAGE 22 ISO 27001
ISO 9001
Registered
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Environmental Management
Information Security Management
Quality Management
CONTENTS COVER STORIES
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THE IT SKILLS GAP
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THE CLASSROOM OF THE FUTURE
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8 REASONS TO GET YOUR CLASS BLOGGING
Jay Abbott gives us the lowdown on the shortage of skills in IT
What will it look like?
5TH GEN
A better way to learn?
Why blogging can benefit your students
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THE IT SKILLS GAP
FEATURES
E-SAFETY
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FROM THE EDITOR Get the lowdown on what’s packed inside Update STONE NEWS IN PICTURES Take a look at what we've been up to YOUR E-SAFETY TOOLKIT Helping you prepare students for the realities of the virtual world
YOUR E-SAFETY TOOLKIT
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED The Computing curriculum one year on
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NEW TOOLS FOR THE CLASSROOM FROM ACER Devices perfect for education
CASE STUDY: THE JCB ACADEMY We team up with Acer to help provide a 1:1 notebook solution
FREE AV AUDIT Helping you achieve your vision for your next AV investment
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CASE STUDY: THE JCB ACADEMY
BACK TO SCHOOL UPDATE 2015
FROM THE
EDITOR It’s that time of year again…yep it's back to school and back to reality! In true Stone fashion though, we’re hoping to help ease you back into the new school term gently. So, we’ve spent our summer working on the latest version of Update to bring you some fascinating reads on the latest developments in the tech world and explore how they're set to change the future of learning. I think we’d all agree that the future of tech is an intriguing subject, and what’s even more interesting is how this is going to impact education, your students and you. So, we’ve developed a thought-provoking read founded from Microsoft’s Productivity Vision (https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=w-tFdreZB94). In this article (page 12), we discuss where Microsoft believe tech will be in the future, how it will affect how we all learn and how you can start to equip young people for tomorrow’s world. With security and e-safety still a hot topic for many of you, we wanted to help alleviate some of the stresses and strains associated with ensuring complete safety for your students and your educational environment. We’ve put together an e-safety toolkit of resources (page 10) to help you prepare pupils for the realities of the virtual world, while also providing a safe environment for them to learn. Keeping in line with preparing students for the virtual world, we speak to Jay Abbott who tells us all about the skills gap in IT and more specifically within IT security. With new threats, weaknesses, vulnerabilities, problems and attacks being discovered every day, it's vital young people are equipped with the right tools to be able to tackle these challenges and shorten the skills gap in today’s society. Jay tells us what it's all about and how you can help your students develop the skills and experience needed through the Cyber Security Challenge UK (page 06).
If you would like to receive future editions of Update, then please subscribe to our mailing list today through marketing@stonegroup.co.uk
Tired of trying to get more out of your students and getting nowhere? Well, we just might have the answer. With Intel’s claims that their latest 5th Gen processor can improve productivity and performance by up to 4%, we look a little deeper into the stats to find out if what they say is true and get your taste buds tingling for the new wave of Intel processors (page 14). Let’s put it this way, if what they’re saying is true and if 5th Gen is actually half as good as the previous generation processors then Intel may just be on to a winner! If that’s not enough for you then there’s plenty more that we’ve packed into Update. So why not sit back, have a brew and take a look for yourself…
Happy reading! Missed the last edition? Don’t worry – you can access the content whenever you like at www.stoneupdate.co.uk.
Daley Robinson, Group Marketing Director 08448 22 11 22 marketing@stonegroup.co.uk
marketing@stonegroup.co.uk stonegroup.co.uk @StoneComputers
Current and past editions of Update are available to read online at any time on your favourite device. 3
UPDATE
STONE NEWS IN PICTURES After a successful year and a busy summer here at Stone HQ, we thought it would be nice to give you an update of some of the things we’ve been up to including events, new partnerships and even award wins!
Customer Forums at Stone HQ – April Two successful days held here at Stone HQ for schools, colleges and universities themed around the future of education technology and looking towards 2020. Fabulous speakers included Dave Coplin - Chief Envisioning Officer for Microsoft and Jay Abbott – Managing Director of JustASC.
Charity Golf Day at Brocton Hall Golf Club – May Our annual charity golf day this year benefitted NSPCC and Katharine House – a Staffordshire-based charity providing free hospice care services to people with illnesses that can’t be cured. A fantastic day of golf followed by a three-course meal, entertainment from magician Paul Martin and a charity auction helped us raise an incredible £2500 on the day alone.
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BACK TO SCHOOL UPDATE 2015 Stone Win Corporate Recycler of the Year at the 2015 National Recycling Awards - June After picking up Electrical and Electronic Recycler of the Year at last year’s awards, this year we were thrilled to be awarded Corporate Recycler of the Year, gaining further recognition for the incredible hard work and dedication of all our employees.
New Partnerships In 2015, we’ve made some key new partnerships and strengthened existing ones, and are reaping the benefits that they can offer to our customers.
Toshiba – NDNA
Microsoft CityNext
Acer Platinum Synergy Partner
Tegile
New Accreditations This year we’ve also attained and retained some fantastic accreditations that help us serve our customers better.
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UPDATE
THE IT SKILLS GAP
Jay Abbott gives us the lowdown on the shortage of skills within the IT industry and why it's more important than ever for students to develop these skills, helping to close the gap and keep us all secure... Somewhere around the dot com ‘boom to bust’, IT became less attractive as a career prospect and a gap started to appear in the talent pool. This is reflected in the wider skills shortage the country is facing across engineering in general, but technology skills seem to have taken a particular beating!
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Worse still is the shortage in skills within specific disciplines of technology such as cyber security. Security, being intrinsically linked to an IT skillset, wasn’t even really a career of sorts until recently, so the talent pool didn’t exist. Even now, it’s pretty thin to say the least. This issue is compounded by the explosive growth of an industry that demands these skills. The ‘Cyber’ industry, which seems to have sprung up overnight, is growing at a significant pace. New threats, weaknesses, vulnerabilities, problems, and attacks are being discovered every day. New technologies to defend companies are invented every day, and the skills needed to defend an organisation’s technology and keep it secure from mischief or malice are few and far between.
BACK TO SCHOOL UPDATE 2015
SO WHAT IS THE WORLD TO DO? QUITE SIMPLY, WE DO WHAT WE DO BEST. WE INNOVATE. About five years ago, a wonderful lady called Judy Baker, OBE, went to the USA to meet her good friend Alan Paller, President of global security training and development organisation The SANS Institute. He challenged her to address the skills gap in the UK through the use of innovative competitions. Upon Judy’s return, she did just that, bringing together some significant brands in the industry and seeking to co-opt the right people into the cause. I was one of those people, and due to my background in IT, gaming and security was duly named “Director of Technology & Chair of the Competitions Board”. A grand title with the remit of “just make it work!”. This band of experts and collection of brands was duly named the Cyber Security Challenge. Our first year saw over 4000 people participate in a number of competitions designed to challenge and test their skills within the field of cyber security. The first round reduced the number of players to 300, who competed in a number of semi-finals to become part of the top 40 to play in the 'master-class' grand finale. In terms of the players, our only criteria is that you must be a UK or EU citizen residing in the UK, and not employed in a cyber security role. The first year saw candidates from 16 to 60 register and make the cut, with backgrounds as diverse as is possible to imagine. Our first winner was a postman. As a former IT helpdesk person, he was sick of the IT industry and turned to the Post Office as a way of getting out of the house while he re-assessed his career options. Needless to say, after winning our first year of competitions, he was snapped up by Royal Mail Group and put into their Group Vulnerability Assessment team. I believe he is still with them five years later, and very much enjoying his new career in cyber. More importantly, you don't actually have to win to experience the benefits. Of all the people that have made it through our competitions and played in one of our finals over the last five years, over 50% of them are now fully employed in cyber security with great career prospects and a good salary to boot! That’s how you solve the skills gap - by changing the employee engagement model. So far I have talked about the core challenge and its candidates, but we have, over the last two years, expanded our reach into the schools and universities area.
competition is open to teams aged 12-19 and can be led by an adult in the community, such as a scouts or guides leader, a member of a local organisation looking to mentor a new generation or even someone who runs an after school club in coding or security. What’s really interesting is that we’re finding talent in this age group that are more than capable of going up against the competition in our core programme! And about half of entrants in this age range are girls, which is a real positive to see. We’ve even recently employed some of these young individuals to develop games and competitions for us. Many of our young competitors are now considering careers in cyber. David Suriyaarachchi, a Centurion finalist from the KEGS Young Engineers Club team said:
“I was able to have the experience of being a system administrator and learn the true value and how much of an issue cyber security is. I am considering a career in the field now.” For universities, we are focusing more on the development of skills and experience. This year saw the introduction of Insight Camps funded by the Cabinet Office and delivered in association with universities. These are intensive training courses that offer hands-on experience, careers advice and qualifications in cyber security. We will also be introducing a new mentoring scheme later this year, which will help to boost the experience and guidance for newcomers to the industry – keep your eyes peeled for more info. We see the most diverse range of people cross our paths, with a varying level of skill and experience. And that’s what the challenge is ultimately about. It’s not just the technical skills that are important either, it’s the personality and ‘soft skills’ that make someone a fantastic employee. The competitions themselves are a sorting mechanism that allow us to understand the talent pool and present it in the best possible way to employers in the industry. All of our competitions allow the players to demonstrate their talent, and are created by our sponsors, who are big names in the cyber industry and recognise what skills will be needed. Of course we do give prizes, but they are ‘career enabling’, so they are usually training courses or educational in some sense (honestly, a Parrot AR Drone is 100% educational!). If you want to know how to get involved and take part in any of the challenges get in touch by e-mailing marketing@stonegroup.co.uk.
Working with our sponsors, we have developed lesson plans, competitions, and grand finals for our schools programme and are just working towards the launch of the next round (registration’s open now). We’re also working with the younger generation outside of the school environment with our new competition, co-hosted with Northrop Grumman, called CyberCenturion. This
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UPDATE
A Year of the Computing curriculum September 2014 marked a massive curriculum upheaval in schools across England and Wales, when ‘Information Technology’ was scrapped in favour of ‘Computing’. Now, students as young as five are being taught to recognise technology as a useful tool for more than just gaming. With a hefty emphasis on programming skills, the aim is to demystify an area that even many adults find intimidating: the internal, behind-the-scenes workings of the programs and apps we use everyday. However, this change has tasked many teachers with littleto-no experience in computer science to teach concepts such as abstraction, algorithms, and data representation.
One year later, here’s what we’ve learned from their experience. Coding is a hugely valuable and transferable skill – it helps children to articulate and think logically. We code to organise and present data in meaningful ways, channelling our creativity to solve problems. We want to let kids be the creators, not just consumers of programs other people have made. Logical thinking, persistence, communication, can be applied to any subject area and every part of life. Educational Twitter chats are a safe place to ask for suggestions and discuss the best teaching tools. Here are some of the insights we found: abstract computing concepts can sometimes ccMore be explained best away from the computer. E.g. practical modelling. feel the new Computing curriculum means you ccDon’t have to completely start again and ‘throw away’ some of the great ICT curriculum content that you have no doubt been developing across your school.
cc
Don't wait for conditions to be perfect, or for that new batch of classroom tablets to arrive. Just jump in and take action today.
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this as an opportunity to develop your own ccSee knowledge about computing and to learn to program, if you’ve never had the chance before.
“Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, professionals built the Titanic.” response to the new national curriculum for ccInComputing being introduced last year, a plethora of new programmes and teaching resources were released. making apps or services that teach children ccCompanies to code have been releasing lesson guides and other teaching material to help.
“Never be afraid to know less than your students.” “Computer science, it’s actually nothing to do with computers.” students do the clicking – don’t take over the ccLet keyboard or mouse to demonstrate a point. group work – coding in the real world is often ccEncourage done in teams, so it's good to allow children to take on different roles in collaboration to increase production. out resources and activities that will enable ccSeek students to create something real. Programmers do not sit down and code for the sake of programming, but are always working on a project with a unique objective. This will help them make the connection that programming involves using a computer to create physical and impactful changes. Coding to solve problems shows students how they can use computer science to help make our world a better place to live. coding through computational thinking first and ccTeach foremost, with a syntax-based approach coming later. to hackathons, where you get to mix with ccGo programmers from around the country, and see what other people are developing.
BACK TO SCHOOL UPDATE 2015
Useful Resources Scratch - www.scratch.mit.edu
Scratch is a digital toolkit developed at MIT’s media lab, primarily aimed at children aged 8 to 16. It’s a new type of programming language with no prior knowledge of complex computer languages required. The layout is more accessible because of a simple graphical interface, allowing programs to be assembled like building blocks. Objects and characters are animated by snapping together different actions into stacks, without worrying about obscure punctuation and syntax, as in most programming languages. A very strong element of Scratch is that it allows kids' digital creations to be shared on the site. Users can watch others’ creations and borrow materials from other projects as raw materials for their own, allowing them to learn from each other. Another plus is that Scratch can be downloaded for free, and installed quickly and easily, with minimal system requirements. Students can then start learning by viewing video tutorials online and practicing what they’ve learned. Unfamiliar with coding? The saying goes that if you become a teacher, by your students you’ll be taught. Set up an account online and start learning yourself.
Code.org - www.code.org
Resources available through Code.org alone are amazing – offering live chat/Skype sessions with professionals, workshops, and curriculum content that teaches coding at an introductory level and in an engaging way. Code.org provides a social aspect to coding, often focusing on connecting computer programming to realworld concepts students already know and love. The website itself provides a quickly-changing set of logic puzzles and coding activities, often centred on popular games or pieces of pop culture.
HacketyHack- www.hackety.com
HacketyHack is a learning environment for programming, targeted at kids but suitable for everyone. The interface makes many things effortless, and the guided tutorial is a fantastic way to take a child through a series of tasks, while still giving them incentive to experiment.
CodeMonkey - www.playcodemonkey.com
An engaging online game which teaches real computer programming skills to children aged 9 and up. Intuitive, bite-sized lessons are taught in a real programming language called CoffeeScript, similar to JavaScript. Students help a monkey catch bananas by writing lines of code to control him.
Move the Turtle - www.movetheturtle.com
An app for iPhone and iPad which teaches children as young as 5 the basics of programming. Through using the Logo programming language to complete tasks, students will get familiar with the concept of loops, procedures, variables and conditional instructions. They'll also get the opportunity to discover how to use graphics, spatial orientation and sound in programming, as well as creating and implementing their own ideas.
Tynker - www.tynker.com
A set of online courses providing a complete learning system for programming. Through interactive exercises, guided tutorials and fun creativity tools, pupils can learn how to build their own games and apps. Tynker also includes a dedicated area for teachers, allowing you to create and manage classrooms and lesson content for students.
Lightbot - www.lightbot.com
An app available for both PC and mobile devices that encourages children to solve puzzles using programming logic. Junior coding puzzles are available for children aged 4-8, as well as more advanced programming puzzles for children aged 9 and above.
Final Thoughts We hope that you get chance to try out some of these resources. At the end of the day, it's going to be up to you to invest your own time in learning. Practice is key.
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E-Safety Toolkit
E-SAFETY
The Internet is an incredibly useful tool for students, enabling them to communicate and discover information anytime, anywhere. However, constant immersion in technology doesn't directly result in responsible use. With regular headlines in the press about the dangers of inappropriate content and cyber-bullying, e-safety is such a topical issue that Ofsted now includes it as part of their inspections.
As Peter Wanless, the CEO of the NSPCC, puts it: “Keeping children safe online is the biggest child protection challenge of this generation.” The presence of always-connected devices in students’ pockets means that relying solely on a firewall is becoming increasingly impractical. To ensure safe usage, it makes more sense to focus on teaching proper online conduct. But how do you prepare pupils for the realities of the virtual world, while also providing a safe environment? And, as technology evolves at a rapid rate, how can you be sure that your materials remain up to date? With these challenges in mind, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of e-safety resources to see you through this school year. 10
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If you haven’t already, check these out! ~~ Childnet - www.childnet.com
A non-profit organisation working to make the Internet a safer place for children. Guides for Key Stages 1-4 provide a starting point for teaching e-safety to meet the requirements of the new curriculum.
~~ South West Grid for Learning - www.swgfl.org.uk
A founding member of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety. A selection of online safety resources, including cutting-edge e-safety research and top tips for social media.
~~ Internet Watch Foundation - www.iwf.org.uk
An organisation working with the Internet industry, police and government. Functions as the UK hotline for reporting criminal online content, and offers a best practice guide in accordance with the latest legislation.
~~ Thinkuknow - www.thinkuknow.co.uk
An education programme from the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre aimed at young people. Also offers a range of free educational resources for professionals working with children – including their ‘toolkit’, a downloadable set of interactive lesson plans.
~~ Know IT All - www.childnet.com/resources/kia
Award-winning resource for primary school staff, including animations and video tutorials covering a range of e-safety issues.
~~ NSPCC - www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/
Leading UK children’s charity to fight child abuse. Tips to help keep children safe on the Internet, and an online introductory training course for safeguarding children online.
~~ E-Safety Support - www.e-safetysupport.com
Online service that offers you everything you need to know to deliver outstanding e-safety practice and keep pupils safe online. Resources are created by teachers with a passion for e-safety issues, including lesson plans, assemblies, and guidance.
~~ Parenting in the Digital Age - www.pitda.co.uk
Part of a new programme called Digital Families, with information and activities for schools to run, brought to you by the Parent Zone. The training is designed to enable schools to deliver their own online safety strategy that involves parents, in helping children to stay safer online.
If you're looking for a solution to allow you to manage and monitor your network effectively and keep your students safe online - we can help. Call us on 08448 22 11 22 or e-mail marketing@stonegroup.co.uk for more information. 11
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The Classroom of the Future – What will it look like?
We’ve all indulged in the daydream of what technology will look like in the future. We’ve all imagined ourselves in a world that we’ve seen in films – where people carry around ultra-thin glass mobile phones, and can throw content onto seemingly any surface with a flick of their finger. In a video launched on their ‘Microsoft for Work’ channel, Microsoft bring this vision for future technology and ask us “How could emerging technologies transform the way we get things done 5-10 years in the future?”. The video tells of the story of a young academic and her journey to finding a job with an ocean research organisation. Throughout the course of the video, she interacts and collaborates with others via a range of pioneering technologies.
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The technology itself reflects the latest trends in the industry’s vision for the future; wearables, ‘bendable’ devices, ultra-slim tablets, and large interactive surfaces. Essentially, the theme is technology becoming a part of the world around us, a part of who we are. And although your attention is drawn to the cool looking tablets and the big interactive ‘walls’ and tables, it’s the underlying potential of this technology and the way people are using it to interact, work and learn that really makes an impact when you sit and think about it. The video shows a "real world" example of how such technology could be used practically in learning. The young researcher is connected to a classroom as she goes on a dive, sending information back to the students and answering their questions in real-time. They’re able to use footage – seemingly captured by her goggles – to find a sting ray, which they can then touch on-screen to get more information. They’re also using other devices elsewhere in the classroom to analyse samples and sketch what she’s seeing.
Take a look at Microsoft’s vision of the future yourself - https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=w-tFdreZB94
BACK TO SCHOOL UPDATE 2015 All things considered, some of the concepts shown in the video aren’t a million miles from where we are now. Students can receive lessons from experts outside of the classroom using programs like Skype. You can sit in a coffee shop and collaborate with your co-workers from your tablet, and you can probably even order your cup of tea. What is different about the world in this video is how seamless everything is, and how effortlessly the technology is built into and can interact with our surroundings. Augmented reality plays a significant part in the story. People in the video are able to project overlays onto real-life objects to gain more information on that object, or they can create models from scratch and scenarios in which to test out ideas and concepts. You can see straight away how beneficial this would be in the classroom. Being able to get instant feedback from your surroundings and learn more about what you’re seeing, as well as creating and interacting with a virtual 3D object or setting and carrying out tests, creates a level of engagement that can provide a truly enriching learning experience. For example, a student in a science lesson could create a virtual plant based on something they saw in a live lesson from a researcher
in a rain forest and test out the effect different weather conditions has on it. We’ve explored the potential technologies and concepts like virtual reality and Internet of Things for education in previous editions, but it’s seeing everything working together that’s inspiring. This kind of technology could create a world in which students from primary school all the way up to university will be able to truly bring the “real world” into the classroom and benefit from seamless connectivity and technology that transforms their learning experience. If the possibilities posed in this video become a reality, it will completely reinvent the way lessons are delivered and received. Students will be able to connect with other students, teachers and people of interest from all over the world in order to gain insight on subjects they wouldn’t have been able to get from a text book – or even online resources. Being able to interact, communicate and collect information about the world around them whether at home or in the classroom will expand their opportunities and capabilities in ways we might never have imagined.
What we can learn from future-looking content like this is that it’s not just all about the technology; it’s about how we use it. These devices will give us extremely powerful tools – it’s imperative that we use them properly and to their full potential. As with any technology, integration into education requires a serious rethink of the status quo. The fact of the matter is, a lot of this technology (or at least, formative versions of it) is already available for teachers to experiment with in the classroom, and some of it isn’t even that expensive (we identified some inexpensive IoT devices in last year’s summer Update). So we’re challenging you to be the innovators and transform learning, so you can be ready for the classroom of the future.
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UPDATE
5th Gen – A better way to learn? What if we told you that you could get 4% better performance out of your students in every lesson? You’d probably think it was some sort of joke! Well the proof, as they say, is in the pudding. And according to Intel, the latest 5th Gen processors will provide an incredible new standard of performance compared to the previous 4th Generation, that’s versatile yet secure enough for a thriving classroom – wherever that may be.
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BACK TO SCHOOL UPDATE 2015
How so? You may ask. Well, here are a few stats that we think might just get you a little bit excited about the next wave of Intel processors:
Delivers productivity and performance levels up to 4% better and 2.5x faster!
Up to 24% better graphics performance – allowing students to produce greater quality 2D and 3D images using software programmes to deliver a next generation artwork experience.
Supports 4K resolution to provide stunning, clear visuals – perfect for lessons where detail is key so students can look deeper at what they’re studying, be it atoms, plants or planets!
Up to 50% faster video conversion which is particularly useful for students taking Media Studies, helping them to develop, edit and complete their media assignments quicker.
Battery life lasts up to 1.5 hours longer – so if you want to take your class out for a lesson you no longer need to worry about taking an extension cable too!
We’re led to believe that 5th Gen is compatible across all platforms, so whether you’re out on a field trip using the latest 2-in-1 or tablet device; or your students are working on their graphics projects on a desktop – you’ll get the same experience no matter what. I for one, am looking forward to getting our R&D guys trialling this first hand across our devices to see if Intel really do live up to their claims and deliver a truly next generation computing experience. Based on the latest stats from Intel, these next generation processors are designed to deliver enhanced graphics and increased performance better than any previous generation processor. They claim that the improved capabilities and security features of the 5th Generation processors can mean big things for you and your students whilst delivering the best user experience possible – how will that reflect in the real world? I guess we’ll soon find out. If rumours are true, then you’re set to be equipped with a more natural and immersive learning experience for you and your students, from wherever they learn and with whatever platform they choose – delivering the foundation you need for great user experiences today and in the future. You wouldn’t get that with 4th Gen now would you? Or so we’re told. The impact of 5th Gen processors remains to be seen, but should it be half as good as the previous generation processors then Intel may just be on to a winner. Will it live up to our expectations? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
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Case Study The JCB Academy: Stone and Acer help to provide 1:1 notebook solution
Background The JCB Academy is the first of a new concept of school in the UK. They offer 14-19 year old students the opportunity to take a technically-oriented, fulltime course of study. They specialise in subjects that require technical and modern equipment - for example, at the Academy they deliver a high-quality engineering education that incorporates the use of both IT and business skills. The JCB Academy is supported by Staffordshire, Loughborough, and Cambridge Universities, amongst others. The JCB Academy’s curriculum and learning techniques are unique. By integrating technical and vocational elements with the national curriculum, students can use state of the art facilities to put learning into practice. Students at The JCB Academy start at the age of 14, studying the basic GCSE subjects of Maths, English, Science and ICT, alongside more modern, hands-on learning experiences. With the focus being on vocational application of skills, students are also given financial training and taught how to set up a business. Nevertheless, this progressive 21st century approach to education has some very traditional values at its heart; the Academy places huge emphasis on self-discipline, good behaviour and team work.
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Situation Interactive technology is at the heart of learning at The JCB Academy. Each student is provided with a laptop for their own use, and with a wireless network extending across the entire campus, much of the learning makes use of the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). After students receive their personalised learning device in Year 10, they keep them throughout their time at the Academy. By the time they reach Year 13, the laptops are 4 years old with heavy student usage and need replacing. The JCB Academy annually go out to tender for 200 laptops as part of their 1:1 scheme so that each new intake of Year 10 students are provided with new, high-quality devices. By the time that Dan Tooth joined the Academy as their Senior Technician, the 1:1 scheme had already been running for two years. Although the first cycle of laptops were procured through us, the latter involved a different vendor who did not meet the technician’s expectations. Dan comments, “When I began working at The JCB
Academy, they had experienced nightmare service from the laptop vendor the previous year. Prior to this, the Academy had worked with Stone, and their tailored service had set the bar high.” Dan has now been at the school for just over two years. In the aftermath of the unsatisfactory service, he has chosen us as their preferred supplier on both occasions. We have now supplied laptops to three year groups at the Academy overall. In relation to the Academy’s specific device requirements, Dan explains, “In a laptop, we were looking for a combination of things. Most importantly, a lot of the engineering work that the students complete on their devices needs a certain spec in order for it to work effectively. We generally require at least an Intel® Core™ i3 processor or equivalent, although, for the spec, we’re not too fussed in terms of brand. The performance is more important. We need to be able to install our software onto the laptops; everything from 3D design software, to Office, to Adobe Creative Suite.”
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UPDATE Solution In order to meet their requirements, The JCB Academy go out to tender every year to find the most suitable and up-to-date device for their new students. After being dissatisfied by the other hardware provider, Dan’s team of technicians had a few companies showcase their current range of devices. We were among these suppliers and known by The JCB Academy to provide exceptional service. Out of all of the companies that presented, only two were able to offer the Academy the specification that they required; out of the two remaining, only we could also supply the appropriate size. According to Dan, “Their laptops came in at a very competitive price. In the end, the Acer devices proved to offer the perfect blend of value and performance.” Being partnered with Acer meant we were able to provide The JCB Academy with 200 of the Acer TravelMate B113 commercial notebooks. The TravelMate B113 was the perfect choice for the Academy for a number of reasons. As a company committed to delivering high-quality devices to students, Acer have designed the slim and powerful notebook with the aim of making learning a more engaging experience. Slender yet robust, it is an excellent
everyday learning companion, fitting into students’ backpacks without weighing them down and outfitted with a Windows 8.1 operating system. Its six-cell battery can achieve more than seven hours of battery life, so students can avoid needing to recharge in the classroom where only a few power outlets are available. The notebook is designed to meet the needs of school IT departments as well as students, as an easy to manage, budget-friendly product. It comes outfitted with Acer ProShield Manager, a suite of essential security and management tools, allowing IT managers to protect critical data. Acer’s B113 was the ideal fit for The JCB Academy because it matched their required spec exactly. The Academy needed their wide scope of design software to function seamlessly on the laptops; this is catered for by the notebook’s performance – powered by Intel® Core™ i3 processor. Portability was also key for the Academy, making the TravelMate B113’s 11.6” ComfyView display a highly valued feature. The screen also has an antiglare matte surface, reducing mirror-like reflections and improving viewing in the bright light that classrooms are notorious for.
Commenting on the practical benefits of the 1:1 Acer laptop scheme, Dan says,
“The main benefit we’ve noticed is that marking is so much easier when it’s digital, because a lot of students tend to struggle with their handwriting. Having the laptops also means that they can jump straight on and pick up where they left off with their work, rather than wasting time hunting through pages and pages of disorganised writing. “I assume that the next tender will follow a similar spec, because of how successful the scheme has been so far. In the future, we may explore the possibility of a more up-to-date processor or better battery life, but the choice comes down to cost more than anything else – and Stone and Acer delivered supreme value for us with no compromise on quality.” 18 stonegroup.co.uk
BACK TO SCHOOL UPDATE 2015 Testimonial Dan concludes,
“After our previous experience, one of the key things we were looking for in a vendor was good service and support. The service we’ve received from Stone has been incomparable. Their engineers come on-site so we get the benefit of speaking to them in person, and we can tell them exactly what is wrong. Having a single point of contact with our account manager as well means that they have developed an excellent understanding of our exact needs and requirements – they then work efficiently to meet them as best they can. This sort of experience adds so much more value to the already competitive pricing. “Our relationship with Stone has been strengthened even further because they have consistently provided a very speedy service, making the deployment of new kit a much less time-consuming process. Basically, the support is brilliant, and we are proud to have chosen Stone as our supplier.” 19
UPDATE
New tools for the classroom from Acer As an Acer Platinum Synergy Partner, we’ve teamed up with them to bring some great offers on two of their brand new devices perfect for education.
Acer Aspire Switch 10 E A versatile 2-in-1 perfect for school and everyday use • Easy Click 2-in-1 device • Versatile four modes design: touch, type, view and share • New Snap Hinge ™ 2 for even faster transformation between modes • Sophisticated textile pattern on top and rear covers • Up to 11 hours battery life – so your students can keep working through the school day • Dual web-cams
from
£230 ex VAT
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Specification
+ + + + + + +
Windows 8.1 Pro Intel® Atom™ Processor 2GB Memory 64GB Storage 2MP Front and Rear Cameras 10.1” Display Weighs only 1.2kg with keyboard
BACK TO SCHOOL UPDATE 2015
Acer TravelMate P236-M A 13.3-inch notebook that delivers robust productivity, security and reliability •
802.11ac wireless for fast connectivity
•
Slim, stylish and perfectly portable
•
Non-glare Acer ComfyView display
from
£377 Specification + + + + + +
ex VAT
Windows 7 Professional Up to Intel® Core™ i5-4210U 4GB Memory 500GB Hard Drive 802.11ac 13.3” HD Display
E&OE
UPDATE
{8 Reasons to Get Your Class Blogging}
The classroom is going global. Using the power of the Internet, educators everywhere are creating a worldwide community to collaborate and share ideas. Possibly the best discovery since the snooze button, the concept of educational blogging has emerged as a trend because of its potential to truly engage students in learning.
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BACK TO SCHOOL UPDATE 2015
Here are 8 reasons to give blogging a seat in your classroom this year. 1 Interactive Platform
5 Academic Improvement
2 Active Learning
6 Inclusion
A blog is a platform for your students to express themselves to the world. When given the freedom to showcase their ideas to an authentic audience, it generates a sense of genuine pride in their writing. The knowledge that their work will gain indefinite life beyond dusty classroom shelves is a hugely motivating factor. They’ll also benefit from additional feedback on their work through interacting with interested readers in the comments section.
Blogging is an activity that keeps students motivated, engaged and on task. Just like a journal, it requires them to reflect on what they’ve learned. Using technology to create content and not just to consume will allow your students to put their learning into practice and engage with material in a more meaningful way. By encouraging them to pursue a topic that they’re passionate about, they’ll take a more active interest in their learning and are more likely to retain their newfound knowledge.
3 Enhance Knowledge
Creating blog content is a great opportunity for students to learn more outside of lessons. As they research the topic to support their point of view, and read and comment on other blogs, they’ll be increasingly exposed to a variety of educational material. Enhancing their subject knowledge will ensure that they come to lessons with a deeper understanding of the topic, and with a greater sense of ownership over their ideas.
4 Digital Citizenship
Within the authentic setting of a blog, your students can learn to be responsible members of an online community. From the safety of the classroom environment, they’ll gain an understanding of the cyber safety issues associated with having an online presence, as well as the responsibility of writing for a public audience. This can help them to make informed decisions on netiquette in future non-classroom situations.
Through blogging, your students’ written skills will improve as they employ language principles to what they are doing. This is a cleverly sneaky way of getting them to practice their writing in a way that they’d enjoy, without it being too formal or pressurised. The skills they acquire will then transfer into formal writing assignments, including a sense of responsible journalism from the practice of backing up their views with evidence from credible sources.
Even the quietest student will share their views more willingly online than they would do in person. Blogging gives every student a voice with an equal opportunity to be heard, helping them to build confidence in their thoughts and opinions. The ability to make use of text, audio, video, or images in blog posts means that students of all abilities can get involved.
7 Connecting with Parents
There is only so much time to get everything across at parents’ evenings and open days, but a blog can provide parents with real-time access to their child’s learning. It opens a window into daily classroom life, both to deliver important information and to showcase what students have been working on. It’s a great way to encourage the connection between school and home, and to make parents a part of what is happening in the classroom.
8 Assessment
Blog posts are often in a chronological archive, making it easy to keep track of how a particular student’s literacy skills are progressing over time. You can see what they’re learning and how they’re doing, and commenting makes it easy to provide feedback on whether they’re communicating effectively. It’s also useful to discover any questions or difficulties that they may be having prior to lesson time, so you can plan in advance how to help them.
Happy Blogging! 23
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