When I say “special” I mean a delivery so special it can’t be delivered at all!
Some time ago I started work trying to get hold of a Dell XT-3 Tablet. It’s a current model and it meets some of our requirements. I also know of another school using it in a tablet PC program, so it’s got some credibility.
That’s all great, however months have gone by since I originally enquired about getting a demo machine. After signing the required paperwork to ensure them I won’t break it, sell it, or take it to Mordor and throw it into a volcano nothing has happened.
If it wasn’t for the fact I have to keep my options open here, I don’t think I’d bother with it at all.
UPDATE:
After several enquiries and one somewhat unhappy email making it to people high up in Dell’s Australian sales team, I’ve been told I can have an XT3. Apparently it’s one they found somewhere else in the company (so not a made-to-order demo like we usually get). But I’ll take it anyway.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Chasing Geese
So, we have our first test machine for our staff machine rollout next year. The idea here is that the teachers get something ahead of the kids that sets the scene for our 1:1 program next year.
The machine sent to us was the Lenovo X230T (pictured). Interesting because it’s a traditional Windows Tablet PC form-factor with multi-touch capabilities. Available in an i5 version (which is where we’ll be aiming), it seems to tick a number of boxes, on paper at least. Probably the only issue is how well it runs Windows 8, apparently some schools have looked at it previously, and had trouble getting some drivers to work. I’ve been told by a reseller though, that they believe the drivers are due to be updated for Win 8 soon, so I guess we’ll see.
It’s been handed to one of our teachers for a look and the impression has been overall quite positive. The demo model didn’t have an SSD though, which we’d require if we were to buy it.
Whether it turns out to be any good or not, it’s nice to at least have it. It wasn’t easy to get hold of. We were originally told by one reseller that we could have it as soon as another school was finished, only to have that reseller spend weeks trying to track it down as it went from school to school, avoiding us like we had the plague. When push finally came to shove we were told that the particular demo unit had been arranged by another reseller and we couldn’t have it. We contacted said other reseller and had it in our hands within a week.
Needless to say, we won’t be hurrying back to that first reseller anytime soon.
The machine sent to us was the Lenovo X230T (pictured). Interesting because it’s a traditional Windows Tablet PC form-factor with multi-touch capabilities. Available in an i5 version (which is where we’ll be aiming), it seems to tick a number of boxes, on paper at least. Probably the only issue is how well it runs Windows 8, apparently some schools have looked at it previously, and had trouble getting some drivers to work. I’ve been told by a reseller though, that they believe the drivers are due to be updated for Win 8 soon, so I guess we’ll see.
It’s been handed to one of our teachers for a look and the impression has been overall quite positive. The demo model didn’t have an SSD though, which we’d require if we were to buy it.
Whether it turns out to be any good or not, it’s nice to at least have it. It wasn’t easy to get hold of. We were originally told by one reseller that we could have it as soon as another school was finished, only to have that reseller spend weeks trying to track it down as it went from school to school, avoiding us like we had the plague. When push finally came to shove we were told that the particular demo unit had been arranged by another reseller and we couldn’t have it. We contacted said other reseller and had it in our hands within a week.
Needless to say, we won’t be hurrying back to that first reseller anytime soon.
Friday, October 5, 2012
BYO, but not the kind I like.
This is old news now, but I thought it worth an update here on our timeframes and requirements for 1:1 and all the rest (yup, it's grown).
I've recently notified all teaching staff of our intentions for computing going forward so here's a potted version of that.
1:1 in Year 7
Identified as our best area to target with a new program (for a variety of reasons), we'll be rolling out new Windows 8 based, touch and pen enabled PC's to Year 7 next year, but not at the beginning of the year. This will take place mid-year at the beginning of third term.
New Staff Devices
It's time to do away with the old Lenovo laptops which are suffering badly from a higher than expected rate of hardware failure. We're replacing these with Windows 8 based touch-enabled devices with a pen. This will happen in December/January next year.
BYOD in 11 and 12
Our senior students (year 11 and 12) will be asked to provide a machine of their own from the beginning of 2013. They'll be given access to our network and some network resources and provided limited I.T. Support (ie. their connectivity will be maintainted, but not their PC).
They'll be allowed to bring anything, within limits. Basically, anything that has a screen-size 10" or larger and has a keyboard (and probably some software requirements as well).
LMS
We've got a sub-group of our Working Party underway investigating different Learning Management Systems with a view to selecting one and running with it in 2013.
I've recently notified all teaching staff of our intentions for computing going forward so here's a potted version of that.
1:1 in Year 7
Identified as our best area to target with a new program (for a variety of reasons), we'll be rolling out new Windows 8 based, touch and pen enabled PC's to Year 7 next year, but not at the beginning of the year. This will take place mid-year at the beginning of third term.
New Staff Devices
It's time to do away with the old Lenovo laptops which are suffering badly from a higher than expected rate of hardware failure. We're replacing these with Windows 8 based touch-enabled devices with a pen. This will happen in December/January next year.
BYOD in 11 and 12
Our senior students (year 11 and 12) will be asked to provide a machine of their own from the beginning of 2013. They'll be given access to our network and some network resources and provided limited I.T. Support (ie. their connectivity will be maintainted, but not their PC).
They'll be allowed to bring anything, within limits. Basically, anything that has a screen-size 10" or larger and has a keyboard (and probably some software requirements as well).
LMS
We've got a sub-group of our Working Party underway investigating different Learning Management Systems with a view to selecting one and running with it in 2013.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
More potential devices?
I've made a few more contacts with regard to devices for staff and/or students. Dell are in the process of finding me an XT3 (the basis of a Hobart schools 1:1 program), and Toshiba seem to think they can send me a demo of one of their M930. So at the moment it looks like I might have up to four candidates, with more to be released in a month or two.
I also have a meeting arranged with Samsung. I have to travel a couple of hours for the privilege, but they seem keen to approach schools with the promise of longer warranties supported by local service centres (that are yet to be esablished). Interesting!
I also have a meeting arranged with Samsung. I have to travel a couple of hours for the privilege, but they seem keen to approach schools with the promise of longer warranties supported by local service centres (that are yet to be esablished). Interesting!
Friday, September 28, 2012
A Touch Scarce!
With the need for a specific type of Windows 8 device for both teachers and students next year, the search has begun (okay, it began back at the Dell Roadshow, but I was really just window-shopping then) for a couple of models to fit the bill.
Our consultant from the workshop was quite strong on suggesting we contact Samsung to see what they had to offer. After some stuffing around to try and find someone to contact, I've done just that. It'll be interesting to see if they can meet our needs. They have some cool looking new Windows 8 devices available, but the big question is around whether they can provide local warranty and support at enterprise level (or better than retail level, at least).
But regarding getting hold of one of these new Windows 8 based machines to look at, there's not a lot available right now (September). I've been promised a look at a Fujitsu Q702 soon, and I may be able to get hold of a Lenovo X230T as well (which may or may not be able to run Windows 8). But other than that most of the manufacturers are telling me to wait until October 26, then they'll have something to show. That's scarily late in the year for staff PC's, which are intended to be rolled out in January at the latest.
Our consultant from the workshop was quite strong on suggesting we contact Samsung to see what they had to offer. After some stuffing around to try and find someone to contact, I've done just that. It'll be interesting to see if they can meet our needs. They have some cool looking new Windows 8 devices available, but the big question is around whether they can provide local warranty and support at enterprise level (or better than retail level, at least).
But regarding getting hold of one of these new Windows 8 based machines to look at, there's not a lot available right now (September). I've been promised a look at a Fujitsu Q702 soon, and I may be able to get hold of a Lenovo X230T as well (which may or may not be able to run Windows 8). But other than that most of the manufacturers are telling me to wait until October 26, then they'll have something to show. That's scarily late in the year for staff PC's, which are intended to be rolled out in January at the latest.
Monday, September 24, 2012
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!
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!
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
It's not Travis Bickle.
... and I need to get that out of my head, seriously.
Anyway, Travis is the name of a consultant we've engaged to help us work on our 1:1 approach. He works for a company whose primary concern is to help schools with technology programs, and has previously been a teacher and run a program of his own.
It'll be good to get some outside help, a bit of perspective, and hopefully an impression of the scale of this (for those who seem to think it's just a matter of getting some computers). It will also be good for me to get an idea of where we stand with getting the teachers (and the way they teach) up to speed. That's obviously going to be crucial.
Anyway, Travis is the name of a consultant we've engaged to help us work on our 1:1 approach. He works for a company whose primary concern is to help schools with technology programs, and has previously been a teacher and run a program of his own.
It'll be good to get some outside help, a bit of perspective, and hopefully an impression of the scale of this (for those who seem to think it's just a matter of getting some computers). It will also be good for me to get an idea of where we stand with getting the teachers (and the way they teach) up to speed. That's obviously going to be crucial.
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