1:1 Planning Workshop

So, we've recently had our workshop on planning a 1:1 Computing rollout.

I didn't personally have a lot to take away from it, most of the content was the sort of thing I'd heard before, but I think our teaching staff really did get a lot out of it.  Our consultant (Travis) has a lot of experience with 1:1 computing and was able to articulate the need for teachers to update their teaching to coincide with the rollout.  Also, the importance of a Learning Management System was very apparent.  The key to a 1:1 rollout is students being able to learn anywhere, anytime.  If they have a device of their own this could be in class, at home, somewhere outside in the school grounds, at a friends place or anywhere with connectivity.  The best way to allow for this is with an LMS, where lesson content is stored online and is available to the student anywhere learning doesn't have to stop when the timetabled class does.

So I guess we're going to need a new LMS, or to start taking the one we've got more seriously.

The other big takeaway from this workshop was the idea of pen-based computing.  Teachers were instantly impressed by the idea that they can use a pen on the screen of a tablet PC to annotate documents and take notes.  This was identified as a requirement for new staff computers (due at the start of next year) and the 1:1 student computers, as was the need for these machines to be the same(or similar).

Windows 8 is clearly going to be a feature here next year.  Travis reinforced the advantages to that platform, meaning that we in the I.T. Dept. had better get familiar with supporting it ASAP.

Finally, I heard a great statistic that casts doubt on the efficiency of new touch-screen devices.  Apparently research has shown that you're three times more efficient using a physical keyboard than you are using an on-screen keyboard.  So typing on a touch-screen sucks... who woulda thunk it?

UPDATE:

So it's time for a budget re-visit as a result of all this.  The addition of pen-based devices adds overall cost tot he machines themselves.  Also an LMS looks like adding a mimunum $10k as well.  The biggest budget yet just got bigger!