Well done Josh!
This week at LapSafe® HQ we’ve been celebrating the news that our Trainee Marketing Assistant has been nominated for not one, but two, apprenticeship awards.
Our very own Josh is one of only five finalists in with a chance of taking home the title of IT Apprentice of the Year, having been selected from 100 learners. Josh is also competing for the coveted Malcolm Bridges Award that recognises an exceptional young person that has excelled beyond expectation.
Josh was nominated by his learning assessor for the ITEC Awards, a ceremony that will celebrate the achievements of those enrolled on IT training schemes over the past 12 months. The prestigious awards will recognise outstanding Essex learners across eight categories, and we’ll find out on Thursday 26 April whether Josh has won the prizes.
So fingers crossed everyone, we’ll keep you updated.
Regardless of whether Josh takes home the titles, he’s a winner in our eyes! Well done Josh!
With tuition fees at a record high, universities and colleges must provide the best possible student experience to remain competitive and attract applicants.
For cash-strapped students who can’t afford their own laptops, the quality of IT services and the availability of laptop loans can have a big influence on where they choose to study. Unfortunately for some universities and colleges, the availability of librarians can limit their capacity to offer these services… queue the Diplomat™ LMS self-service laptop locker from LapSafe® Products.
The Diplomat™ LMS provides students with individual access, allocation, and deployment to securely stored and safely charged laptops or tablets using an intelligent access control system. It can store from 12 to an unlimited number of devices and has been specifically designed for libraries.
So how can the Diplomat™ LMS benefit universities and colleges?
Saving librarians’ time
Whereas manual loans require a librarian to dish out laptops or tablets in exchange for student’s library cards, the Diplomat™ LMS deploys devices to students on a self-service basis, leaving staff free to get on with their other duties. The locker can identify students by smartcard, biometrics, magnetic stripe or barcode, and can even ensure that disabled users are only offered the lockers that they can comfortably reach from their wheelchairs.
24/7 learning
The Diplomat™ LMS issues laptops to students whenever they need them, rather than just during a librarian’s working hours. This makes things much easier for students with part-time jobs or lots of lectures, who can only use the library at certain times of the day. The locker is fitted with unique SmartLine™ low voltage charging with PowaSave™ technology that automatically detects when laptops have finished charging and cuts the power to these devices to save energy.
When a student wants to loan out a laptop, they simply present their library card or fingerprint to the terminal and follow the instructions on the touch screen. Provided that the student is allowed to borrow a laptop, the locker will allocate them the most charged laptop available. The student can then go to the allocated locker bay and identify themselves again in order to remove the laptop.
If the student doesn’t do this within a set time frame, the loan will be cancelled. This means a locker won’t be left open if a student gets distracted on the way to remove it and prevents attempts to pre-register self-service laptops, which would prevent others from using them. The student can also get a receipt when they loan and return a laptop.
Security
Once they’ve finished using the laptop, the student needs to return it to the cabinet, plug it in to charge and close the door before they are released from the loan. This means that if they forgot to plug the laptop in, or don’t plug it in properly, at least the laptop will be secure – the door will be locked safe and the laptop can’t be stolen.
BYOD
The Diplomat™ LMS can also be used to store students’ own devices. This is particularly handy for those living off campus and don’t have a safe place at the university to store equipment when in lectures. If a university wants to offer students the ability to loan out laptops and also store their own technology, the Diplomat™ LMS can cater for this too.
Library management
The Diplomat™ LMS also lets students log equipment faults, view their library account balance, other loans and print receipts for these too.
Guest post: Implementing a BYOD scheme
Jon Smith is an e-Marketing Specialist at Insight UK, a leading provider of IT services and solutions.
We love acronyms in technology, whether its LAR, VDI or SAM, the latest to really impact IT service providers is BYOD or bring your own device.
Our EMEA Chief Stuart Fenton recently said “the likes of the iPad bring a really interesting dynamic to the boardroom.” As tablets and smartphones become more popular many are tempted to take their own devices into the workplace. In a recent study 69% thought tablets, iPads and other devices will be part of the business tools used.
With that in mind, many IT managers are unaware of how to implement such a scheme, below are the top 5 factors to consider when implementing a BYOD scheme.
1.) Security – The biggest consideration is security, potentially you’re opening up your network to unsecure devices. IT managers need to decide whether they protect personal devices or the network is protected at the point of connection. Quite often the devices connected are smartphone which bring further security risks.
2.) Infrastructure – Another consideration is infrastructure, can the network handle another 100 or so without slowing down and reducing productivity? Will the increased costs of server maintenance and upkeep be covered by the decrease in hardware costs?
3.) Maintenance – Just like security this poses several questions, if you do implement a BYOD scheme will employees be forced to repair their own device or will this still be the responsibility of the IT department? If employees are responsible for the maintenance of their own device will they be given a replacement if it breaks? If you don’t offer support will your BYOD scheme get off the ground?
4.) Software – Adding additional devices to your network also brings up the question of software licensing, additional licenses will be required for office software including Windows and Microsoft Office which again will require time. Money and resources for installation. Do you have cloud solutions in place such as Office 365 to handle this?
5.) Is it wanted? – The main aspect to consider before implementing your BYOD scheme is whether your employees want it. If it won’t have a positive impact on morale and the business then it might not be right for you.
For a while now, we’ve been concerned about the number of laptop thefts from UK schools, colleges and universities. Every few weeks we read yet another story about laptops, tablets and other mobile ICT devices being stolen from education establishments, but when we looked for statistics outlining the extent of the problem, we couldn’t find any.
So we carried out our own research.
Although our survey looked at just 100 schools, colleges and universities from across the UK, the results are telling: 45 per cent of educational establishments had mobile ICT stolen – that’s laptops, tablets, gaming devices, netbooks and MP3 players – in the last three years. In 2011 alone, 27 per cent were the victims of mobile ICT theft.
Here’s more of what we found:
Download: Mobile ICT theft in Education.pdf
So what can you do to help prevent laptop theft?
Firstly, don’t over react, just take care. Think about how you secure your ICT at the moment, and take steps to improve it. Choose how you store your laptops and other devices carefully – is a cabinet or laptop trolley made of wood or plastic going to be secure enough?
We’ve put together a handy ICT security poster and guide on our website, including both no cost and paid for prevention tips to help you secure your mobile ICT. There’s also a case study about how we helped an Essex primary school after they had their laptops stolen twice in two months.
To find out more about our secure laptop trolleys, docking stations and ultra-secure laptop lockers, visit our website, or just give us a call.
Thank you to all the teachers that took part in our survey, we really appreciate you coming forward.
To embed this image onto your blog or website simply copy the code between the brackets (<a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/lapsafeproducts/6985047167/” title=”Mobile ICT Security in Education infographic by LapSafe Products, on Flickr”><img src=”http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7201/6985047167_04b04cb63d_b.jpg” width=”353″ height=”1024″ alt=”Mobile ICT Security in Education infographic”></a>)
Earlier this month, we blogged our five reasons to use electronic games in the classroom. The post was so popular that we thought we’d follow up with another games-based learning piece, this time offering a few ideas on how you could use video and computer games with your pupils.
To state the obvious, using computer and video games in class is not about just sitting pupils in front of a screen. Games are great for stimulating learning, but they need to be supported by other teaching tools to ensure that pupils achieve the correct learning outcomes. You could create worksheets, hold discussions or even ask pupils to write blog posts to encourage children to reflect on what they have learnt from a game.
Amongst other things, games can be used in the classroom to:
- improve maths and literary skills, using brain training games
- create animated films or record audio, using the Nintendo DSi
- provide a starting point for educational projects
- revise content, using online quizzes
- take photographs for art projects, using the Nintendo DSi
- for exercise, using dance mats or Wii Fit during ‘wet play’
- to introduce complex topics
- to teach content, for example modern foreign languages.
St Peter and St Paul’s Primary School in Burgh-le-Marsh is one school leading the way in the use of electronic games in the classroom. The school use the Nintendo DSi in class to develop its pupils’ mental maths skills.
So how do St Peter and St Paul’s Primary School use games-based learning?
According to Headteacher Sarah Smith, “Each class use DSis to support their maths development using “Maths Trainer”. Each child has specific activities to complete, from counting objects and number recognition, to times tables and mixed questions. Every time that a child undertakes an activity, the DSi records their time and score, which the child then records on a sheet. This way, the children can track their progress in accuracy and speed.”
“We use mental maths DSi sessions to agree and measure targets, set by the children themselves, giving pupils greater ownership and understanding of their learning. These targets are also used as evidence in pupil progress meetings. We use DSis to support individual children, meaning that they can be used with all abilities and ages, including children with SEND and gifted and talented mathematicians.”
St and St Paul’s CE Primary School use the USB Charging Case from LapSafe® Products to ensure that their gaming devices are charged and ready to be used. To find out more about why Sarah and her pupils use our DSi charging case, as well as the benefits that they receive from games-based learning, download our free guide.
Video: How a UK school uses iPads in the classroom
Back at January’s BETT Show, Dr Nick Dennis, Assistant Headteacher at leading independent school Felsted School, gave a talk about how he uses iPads with his pupils.
Speaking to a group of educators on the LapSafe® Products stand, Dr Dennis explained how the iPad can be a valuable educational tool to support learning, provided that it is coupled with excellent teaching and well thought out plans.
For those of you that couldn’t make the BETT session, we’ve put together a short video highlighting some of Dr Dennis’ thoughts about using iPads in the classroom. The video also features some of our new products for 2012, including information about our UnoCart™ for iPads sync and charge solution.
If you want to find out more about how Felsted School use iPads with pupils, click here to read Dr Dennis’ blog. You could also download our free guide to using iPads in education, including information on how another UK school uses iPads in the classroom.
In the past they were just for after-school and weekends, but now video games are fast-becoming valuable resources for the classroom.
Although games-based learning is not yet widespread in UK schools, despite many championing the cause, with Michael Gove, arguing that electronic games could aid the teaching of maths and science, this may start to change.
Here are just some of the reasons to adopt games-based learning and use electronic games in the classroom:
Games boost pupil’s confidence – According to Derek Robertson from Education Scotland’s Consolarium team, games-based learning can foster pupils’ self-esteem. If pupils play a game with the appropriate level of difficulty, they’ll feel a sense of achievement and satisfaction once they’ve completed a challenge. This should motivate pupils to try their hand at a more difficult game or level next time.
Games develop pupils’ problem solving skills – Video games often require pupils to gather information to solve a mission. Games are designed to be fun and interactive, so pupils are encouraged to work through the game to complete given tasks, solving problems along the way.
Games develop pupils’ social skills – Despite newspaper reports that video games can isolate children, many interactive games actually help to develop pupils’ interpersonal skills. According to education technology specialist Katy Scott, multi-player games can encourage pupils to work together to achieve a goal and, if games consoles are shared between students, pupils will learn how to work in groups.
Games make learning fun – Games can encourage learning when pupils aren’t even aware that they’re doing so. As a result, they can be a fantastic tool to explain concepts to pupils with short attention spans and can be used to motivate learners.
Games force pupils to think – According to Derek Robertson, games-based learning develops learners’ ability to observe, question, hypothesise and test. Many games require gamers to develop a strategy; when things go wrong, pupils need to change their strategy in order to complete the game.
If you’re thinking of introducing electronic games into your classroom using handheld games consoles or tablets, you might want to check out the Traveller™ for Nintendo DSi or the UnoCart™ sync and charge cart for iPads. These solutions can help keep your gaming devices safely stored and charged ready for your pupils to use.
This post has been adapted from the LapSafe® Games-Based Learning Guide, given away at the BETT Show 2012 and produced with the permission of those quoted in this blog.
We give up…
Ever tried giving up caffeine, chocolate and carbohydrates? Well that’s exactly what the LapSafe® team are doing from now until the 8th April. It’s Lent and we’re testing our willpower by giving up our favourite things, from takeaways to biscuits, to pasta and all things sweet.
If we crumble and give-in to temptation, we’ll donate £5 to Cancer Research UK for every tasty treat that passes our lips until Easter Sunday.
So what’s Lent all about?
Lent is the period of six weeks preceding Easter. It runs from Ash Wednesday (the day after Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday) until Easter Eve on the 7th April, although some calculate the end date slightly differently.
Lent means different things to different people; for some it’s a time to give up bad habits or foods, for others it’s a time to help people out. At LapSafe®, we’re trying to do a bit of both. To find out exactly who’s giving up what, why not ask your Account Manager?
We’ll let you know how we get on (and how much we raise for charity if we don’t) in April.
Are you giving up anything for Lent?
Managing Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) in schools
ICT, VLE, ADE – us technology in education folk just love abbreviations.
Despite our tendency to shorten complicated phrases, we seem to be somewhat puzzled by our latest acronym; BYOD, short for bring your own device, has divided opinion.
Whether to allow pupils to bring their own technology into the classroom – be it smartphone, tablet or laptop – is causing significant controversy. Will BYOD help schools to save money by reducing the investment in school owned ICT? Or, is permitting pupils to use their iPhones in lessons a security nightmare waiting to happen?
Whatever your views on BYOD in schools, making the switch to student owned technology requires a well thought-out plan. Here are our ideas about some of the things that you might want to consider when managing a BYOD scheme:
What happens if pupils forget their devices?
If pupils bring their personal laptops or tablets into school, they’re likely to want to take them home again at the end of the day. How else will they finish that blogging homework?
Unfortunately, when pupils bring equipment home from school, there’s always the risk that they might not bring them back to school the following day. Even the most organised pupil can forget something when they’re in a hurry. Combine busy mornings with early starts and it’s inevitable that, at some point, pupils will leave their laptops at home by accident.
So, you’ll need to have a backup plan if you don’t want pupils to share devices. One idea is to keep a bank of computers in a laptop charging trolley in a central location so that pupils can still access a computer even if they don’t have their personal devices with them.
What about those pupils that can’t afford their own technology?
It’s a simple fact of life that not everyone can afford the same things. It’s a reality that schools deal with daily and an issue that school uniforms go some way towards tackling.
Although some parents are more than able to kit out their child’s school bag with cameras, phones, laptops and maybe even an iPad, others just won’t. Wildern School in Hampshire has created a nifty solution to this problem – a genius bar. The bar provides school owned back up devices for when pupils aren’t equipped with a particular piece of technology and is manned by staff with the know-how to support and inspire users.
If having staff loan out equipment isn’t right for your school, you could invest in a self-service locker to manage the process for you. The Diplomat™ Library Management System (LMS) from LapSafe® Products can loan out fully charged ICT equipment to students using a smartcard system, recording who takes a device, how long they’ve taken it for and whether they return it to the cabinet or not.
What about looking after pupil’s personal devices?
Even if your school uses ICT across a range of subjects, there’ll still be times when pupils aren’t using their laptops, tablets or smartphones in class. How’re you going to secure each child’s device when they’re outside in the playground? How will you keep them fully charged so that they’re ready to be used later? Smartphone and laptop batteries won’t last for a full day (yet), and simply asking pupils to leave their valuable technology in their school bags won’t please the security conscious.
To get around this problem, you might want to consider investing in a laptop locker to keep pupils’ laptops, tablets or smartphones secure and fully charged. Such lockers, like the Diplomat™ and Ambassador™, come with individual locking bays to keep valuable IT safe. The Diplomat™ can be supplied with keyless smartcard access, eradicating problems associated with lost keys.
The BYOD debate is unlikely to go away anytime soon. Whether you’re pro pupil owned IT, or think BYOD in schools is just another technology fad, one thing is for certain; managing a BYOD scheme in schools requires careful planning and a lot of thought.
Lurrrrrrrve for LapSafe® Products
Love is in the air and, at LapSafe® HQ, we want to wish our customers a very happy Valentine’s Day.
So, on the most romantic day of the year, we thought that we’d share the love and let you know just why our customers keep coming back. Here are just some of the reasons why teachers love LapSafe®:
Tess Trewinnard, headteacher at Wonersh and Shamley Green Infant School…
“I was very impressed by the customer service provided by LapSafe® Products. A sales representative brought one of each of the trolleys in the LapSafe® range to our school in one trip so that I could see which one would best meet our needs. I would certainly recommend LapSafe® Products and the UnoCart™ to other schools looking for a reliable netbook trolley. Not only did we receive excellent customer service, but the trolley is sturdy and good quality.”
Railton Knott, IT Operations Manager, at Bolton College…
“LapSafe® thought outside of the box and the staff went out of their way to help us.”
Mark Mountcastle, a teacher at St Hugh of Lincoln R.C Primary School…
“The UnoCart™ for iPads offered us all of the functionality that we required at a lower price than other trolleys on the market with a similar specification. We felt that the trolley was good value for money, and, because it bears the LapSafe® brand name, we knew that we’d be getting a reliable and robust solution. I would recommend LapSafe® Products to other schools looking for an iPad charging trolley, as not only does the UnoCart™ meet all of our needs, but the support given to us has been fantastic and very time responsive.”
Tim De Leeuw-Kent, ICT Engineer, at Sedgefield Community College…
“When it came down to deciding upon a trolley, the little details made all the difference, even down to the wheels the trolley featured. We wanted something that would last, and some other trolleys [on the market that] we looked at gave the impression that they might not last more than a year. Our Mentor™ trolleys have been fantastic. I’d recommend LapSafe® Products to any school, because the excellent quality of their trolleys and comprehensive after-sales support represent true value for money.”
Ian Rossborough from Reading School…
“It would be a far better world if all firms treated customers as you have done. Many thanks.”
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone,
Love LapSafe®
