The use of ICT to support all subject areas within schools is now seen as common practice but although purchases of such equipment is becoming a more regular task it is still entered into with much trepidation. Visiting such shows as BETT can send shivers down the spine of any decision maker-experienced or not, with over 700 stands to explore it is easy to miss or overlook essential devices which could really enhance the academic and pastoral excellence of a school. Becta published key points in April 2008 which have gone a long way to keep decision makers on a success purchasing path.

It's a simple question - and one that doesn't have an immediate answer. If a teenager simply doesn't want to do the homework and has no worry about the sanctions that schools are allowed to give, what can be done?

Kendata Peripherals has introduced a new version of its SEMS software utility to work in conjunction with its recently launched ScanAnPro forms processing package.

Schools are currently facing the prospect of a substantial escalation in their energy bills. As IT facilities represent a substantial proportion of this cost, it is no surprise that energy efficient "green" computers are being looked at seriously.  It is into this new energy conscious environment that an energy efficient, high performance computer called LoCO2PC has been launched by Akhter.

LapSafe® Products are a trusted brand within the education sector and a name synonymous with technology and quality.  As the original innovator of storage and recharging cabinets LapSafe® provide managed solutions for mobile ICT in the classroom that have been designed to suit the needs of the modern school.

How do you engage pupils of the Internet age? It can be challenging enough in the classroom but what about sharing information on a wider level within school?

Absolute Software has announced the availability of geolocation tracking for Computrace. The solution complements Absolute's IP tracking capabilities by allowing IT asset managers to track GPS-enabled laptops in the field to within 10 meters (33 feet) and view reports on their location using Google(tm) Maps technology.

Stockport College is set to become the UK's first 21st Century ‘College of the Future' with Carillion IT Services commencing work on an innovative £1.4 million contract with the college.

Providing timely and useful information to parents about their children's school experience can help to improve learner achievement. Research has consistently shown that children achieve more highly when their parents talk to them about their school work and their wider experience of learning. Technology can inform and enrich this engagement by enabling parents to access information about their children's attainment and progress, attendance, behaviour and special needs when and where they want.

Unless educational institutions or their managed service providers begin to regain control over the vital data increasingly located outside their traditional IT infrastructure, the valuable evolution towards flexible working may be short lived, insists Philip Sansom, Senior Vice President, Kaseya UK.

Mind mapping is a graphical technique of taking notes and visualising thoughts. By providing a radiant structure to place key words around a central image using colours, pictures and drawings, it offers a complete overview of a particular subject.

Daikin UK has recently announced the completion of its industry leading Sky Air Inverter series, offering the education industry cost-effective and energy efficient climate control solutions for their premises.

With all the doom and gloom regarding the global ‘credit crunch', large organisations should think of the strategic cost savings that can be made in this economic environment.

Kennet School is a dynamic and ambitious 11-18 co-educational comprehensive school, serving the population of Thatcham and the surrounding villages.  A Technology College with specialist status in Performing Arts and Languages, the school has 1720 pupils and 250 staff.

The government has made no secret of its plans to get every child online at home by 2010 in order that they can make effective use of school learning platforms. But the problem remains that a large number of families cannot afford the technology necessary to join in. In addition, there are concerns that the technology that already exists in schools is not being used effectively enough.

The National Skills Academy for Financial Services is the new standard for excellence in training and skills education in the financial sector. The first of four nationwide Academy locations to go live is a shared development between the City College Norwich and local businesses based in the college's St Andrews House site in the city centre. To enable effective communication throughout the site - a vital consideration in any modern facility - City College Norwich, which manages the Norwich Academy, installed Digital Signage equipment from leading UK manufacturer, ONELAN.

A new desk system for schools

Akhter Computers plc, who has supplied PCs to schools for three decades, recently launched their first IT desks. The Desk8 system was designed in the UK, to help schools keep their PCs secure. The move into desks is in response to a need that schools have for a value for money IT desk system that is robust, flexible and secure; with tidy cable management. Desk8 has been received with some enthusiasm by schools.    

The award-winning South Yorkshire e-Learning Programme (SYeLP) is celebrating seven years of positive impact in Sheffield.

Customer service is at the core of the company and many of our staff members have been at Sound Performance over 10 years. This means that not only do our staff have a high level of training but they are also experts in their field. We are passionate about the work we do and care about getting it right for each and every customer.

The government expects all pupils to have access to a “personal learning space” by early next year. In years gone by this might have meant a desk or a corner of the dining room table, what it means in today’s digital era is a cyber space, where lessons can be downloaded, blogs uploaded and messages posted on virtual noticeboards.

Considering a VLE Solution
As the 2008 deadline nears for all schools to provide access to e-learning resources both in and out of school, the race is on to select the Virtual Learning Environment solution both for today and the future.

John Ruskin College, a sixth form college in Croydon, is rolling-out a pioneering online personal assessment tracking solution, called eTracker, that it believes will revolutionise the way in which all of its 1,200 students can monitor their individual progress against their personal targets.  The college anticipates that eTracker will become a motivating influence for the students, helping to improve performance both academically and pastorally. Equally important, it will help the college support their individual needs and aspirations. 

Teachers of pupils at Key Stage 1 to 3 can now measure a wider range of pupil knowledge and skills capabilities with the new Goal online interactive assessments for mathematics and ICT from Education Development International (EDI).

For anyone in charge of a school there is the worry that something that should have been done has not been done, and that at any moment the inspectors could descend on the school and find this glaring omission. 

Maximise the benefits of your new learning platform with cutting edge curriculum content and games from Birchfield Interactive (BETT Show stand L5).

The South Yorkshire e-Learning Programme has concluded a two year project where 240 Sheffield families who may not normally have the means to engage with technology were provided with a computer, printer and broadband Internet connection in their own homes. The project also facilitated e-learning workshops and courses, giving families the opportunity to learn together at home.