IT

Girls are now outnumbered six to one by boys across computer science classes, according to new research by the professional body for information technology.

To meet the ICT needs of their teachers and learners, UTC (University Technical College) Oxfordshire enlisted the services of RM Flex, who deliver an ICT support service which offers cost savings, service benefits and best practice that partnership working provides. In May 2015, UTC Oxfordshire selected RM Education to provide their IT support and to help shape their ICT strategy.

Last year was generally considered a rotten year. Great Britain lost some of it's best-loved cultural icons. Society was politically divided… and Toblerone changed shape. For schools, September brought particularly challenging news: new regulations for school websites, and Ofsted updated their guidance to Inspectors.

You know that abject look of terror on a Primary school teacher’s face you get when you ask them to teach Computing? The one that says they would rather teach 5J for writing in an afternoon after a wet lunchtime.

In my previous article for Innovate My School, I talked enthusiastically about the huge benefits that technology such as cloud computing can bring to schools, provided that it’s used effectively to meet real and measurable needs. From a budgetary standpoint, schools can achieve better value for money and improved functionality through tools like virtual learning environments. Innovative pedagogical models such as the flipped classroom are improving teaching and learning even from Primary age. It’s a brave new world for technology in schools, and I’m delighted to see educators reaping the benefits.

The UK government has committed to investing £3.5 million in technology to support schools to adopt the new IT curriculum in 2015. While this technology investment is undoubtedly welcomed, the rapid advancement of connected classrooms and e-learning has left many teachers struggling to keep up.

Education suppliers HUE have been bringing schools to life with the HUE HD Pro, a classroom camera and visualiser that is the latest addition to their range of USB cameras. The gadget can view a full A4 page and project it onto the whiteboard via PCs and projectors, and is priced at £44.95 + VAT. HUE’s terrifically-received new device even won a Best in Show award at the prestigious ISTE 2015 conference in Philadelphia.

During my professional experiences over the last year, cyberbullying, inappropriate behaviour, access to unsuitable content, privacy and productivity are key concerns of IT executives working in education. But despite the risks at stake, a quarter of education establishments permitting access to social media admit their acceptable use policy does not address the use of Twitter, Facebook or other mainstream social media platforms.

Schools have always had a responsibility to ensure that the pupils in their care are as safe as possible. As technology becomes more ubiquitous and more central to all our lives, and as the revolution in consumer technology impacts what happens in schools, the issues have become more complex.

With 30th November marking Computer Security Day, it’s important for schools to know how to fully secure themselves against cyber-threats. Alan Mackenzie, a veteran e-safety consultant, talks us through the top 10 points school staff need to consider when it comes to staying e-safe.

Security has been a hot topic this last couple of weeks, with the most reported story being that of the website hosting live webcam streams of hundreds of devices whose account details had been hacked. The word ‘hacked’ is misleading in this respect, as it suggests a certain amount of effort by the perpetrators, however one could assume that many (all?) of those devices had been left at their default settings, including username and password.

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