ICT Innovation

[kgcs]

A idea I've been kicking about now for some weeks is approaching SLT and asking for a modest budget for developing ICT innovation in our school.

Ideally the 'ICT Innovation' budget would be there to provide a ring fenced budget available to departments to buy new kit or software that would allow teaching and support staff to be more creative in their delivery of lessons and development of the curriculum.

Now when I say modest I mean *very* modest. My ball park figure was £1000-£1500 and in a school of our size and budget the £1000-£1500 figure is tiny.

Does anyone's school here have such a budget? If so does it work for you?

Did anyone have such a budget and the project fail?

Do you think it's an idea with legs?

Any ideas on a good way to pitch this to SLT (grumbledook - what do you think?)

Lots of questions I know, but I'm quite excited about the idea and I would desperately like to see it work in my school but I thought I'd bounce the idea of you guys first.

Cheers!

[dhicks]

Originally Posted by kgcs

Ideally the 'ICT Innovation' budget would be there to provide a ring fenced budget available to departments to buy new kit or software that would allow teaching and support staff to be more creative in their delivery of lessons and development of the curriculum.

I don't quite get it - isn't that what your IT budget is for in the first place? How would you differentiate between "innovative" stuff and stuff that just kind of needs to be bought?

--
David Hicks

[kgcs]

sensible thought would normally make us think that.... but that doesn't actually happen in the school

While our ICT infrastructure is excellent we don't, in my and other members of staffs' opinion, do anything truly innovative with it.

I was thinking that the introduction of a 'budget' would a) guarantee that a sum would be available for certain ICT based projects and b) ignite sufficient interest amongst staff to be more creative with ICT

Perhaps I'm slightly biased as I'm currently prepping for my MA, the focus of which is the development of learning technologies, so i may be ploughing an idealistic furrow, but thanks for the question.

I'm sure that that particular question will be presented to me by the school Business Manager and SLT

[russdev]

Originally Posted by kgcs

sensible thought would normally make us think that.... but that doesn't actually happen in the school

While our ICT infrastructure is excellent we don't, in my and other members of staffs' opinion, do anything truly innovative with it.

I was thinking that the introduction of a 'budget' would a) guarantee that a sum would be available for certain ICT based projects and b) ignite sufficient interest amongst staff to be more creative with ICT

Perhaps I'm slightly biased as I'm currently prepping for my MA, the focus of which is the development of learning technologies, so i may be ploughing an idealistic furrow, but thanks for the question.

I'm sure that that particular question will be presented to me by the school Business Manager and SLT

We have a small amount (very small £400) which we use to buy something we wouldn't of thought about etc.

Also one year we had a large surplus we had it so that departments could bid for money and it worked very well.

So think the idea is a very good one....

Russ

[joe90bass]

I think RussDevs idea of something you wouldn't have thought of is a good one. PCs, printers, etc are going to be covered by your replacement program. I would be tempted to look at something different, perhaps software or hardware a dept would really like/need but can't afford, or perhaps something completely way out (extra curricular, etc) they couldn't justify financially!!

A key thing will be to get the dept/teacher to justify how it will improve teaching and learning, and to evaluate it's use - Management like it

[Sylv3r]

We have something similar here and have bought a microphone for each department for podcasting, Nintendo DS's, webcams for all science labs so they can project experiments onto the whiteboards (cheaper than a visualiser!) as well as other things.

I am the budget holder and either I come up with the ideas or I invite leading departments the opportunity to come up with ideas - after all its them that are going to use the equipment - I don't divulge the budget to them and just tell them to think of something they wish to do and i'll do the research.

[kgcs]

Originally Posted by Sylv3r

We have something similar here and have bought a microphone for each department for podcasting, Nintendo DS's, webcams for all science labs so they can project experiments onto the whiteboards (cheaper than a visualiser!) as well as other things.

I am the budget holder and either I come up with the ideas or I invite leading departments the opportunity to come up with ideas - after all its them that are going to use the equipment - I don't divulge the budget to them and just tell them to think of something they wish to do and i'll do the research.

this is *exactly* how I'd like to see it in my school, apart from the single budget holder part.

That aspect I'd like to see (yet another) committee / panel who would mange the budget and assess the pitches for money and tie in the innovation budget with the overall school ICT strategy

[blackcat]

I think we had money allocated for Molenet, which is an er innovative project. Or is there a separate thread on that one ?

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