HELP ME convince the governors!

[Ric_]

Just another note about MS Office... you should stress that the new version (Office 2007) is due for release early next year which means in 3 years time you should really be considering upgrading your Office version if you have't already done so. Explain how this will require added investment then.

If possible, also install the beta version of Office 2007 onto a machine (if you have one that's capable of running it!) and let them see how radically different it is going to be! Ideally you want to install Office 2003, Office 2007 and StarOffice/OpenOffice all on the same PC and do a demonstration of opening a number of documents and performing some baisc tasks. They should be able to see that OpenOffice behaves more like Office 2003 than 2007 does!

[CM786]

If they ever say they need an independent educational consultant to come in - I think a cheque to EduGeek Consutancy should be in order

I'm glad you're not throwing good computers away. I've upgraded all of our old pcs to 256mb+ ram, and for the ict suite and interactive whiteboards, put in a new motherboard.

The existing PCs in the suite are NEC PowerMates and 4 have died with PSU issues. I ended up just transfering them to normal PC cases and using a standard PSU to get them working. They already have 128Mb of Ram so another 512Mb and a general clean up I think they should be fine for the classrooms. The really *poor* stuff is in the classroom already. The old ICT Coordinator got her husband to build PCs for the school and they are just bits cobbled together (most are Duron 600Mhz - 800Mhz) but with only 128Mb of Ram. With the right investment I still think these could be of use. Got no record of if the existing OS (Win98 is even licensed!)

We also installed a wireless network and upgraded everything to windows xp. Now we have a consistant front end across the school and ICT is really used. We did all of this BEFORE putting in whiteboards.
Why not suggest they lease whiteboards next year - then they can have their cake and eat it?

Unfortunetly they have already agreed to the whiteboards - a decision I was not involved in,. To be honest when I wrote my report I wasn't expecting anything much to come of it, since I know the whiteboards will cost them serious cash, but credit to the Chair of Governors for seeing the link between buying whiteboards and needing something to run them on! He does work for an Aerospace company so is quite technical!

EDIT: And don't even try running a smartboard on an old PC. I tested it on our oldest (p450 - p700) and thought I could get away with it, until you try using the rubber! It's hillarious - the whiteboard lagged a good 5-10 seconds behind the actual rubber. I'd say the slowest you could reasonably teach with is a 1.2ghz (my current slowest), but we have 2ghz + and even that can be a bit sluggish when you've got a lot on screen.

They currently have two - one on an old Mesh PC that was bought in 2000 (now has selotape for the CD drive ) which is a Duron 800Mhz and its just very very poor.

Just another note about MS Office... you should stress that the new version (Office 2007) is due for release early next year which means in 3 years time you should really be considering upgrading your Office version if you have't already done so. Explain how this will require added investment then.

I have already mentioned how different Office 2007 looks, but the Chair of Governors still wants to stick with Office 2003 (I think because he uses it at work all the time). However I will give him a few screenshots of Office 2003/2007/OpenOffice:

I could even give each member of staff a copy of OpenOffice on CD for them to install on their home PCs so that they become used to it quickly! Surely they can't be expected to download it themselves? :P

What I would LOVE to do would be to replace the old 14" CRTs with 17" TFTs (dreaming now!) on the PCs I would upgrade. I know it wouldn't make a difference speed wise, but from a user point of view they seem to think that the PC feels faster and if it looks more attractive, its more likely to be used. In another of my schools all new PCs are black/silver with nice TFTs and the kids fight to use them! Can't see finance letting me buy those (maybe next year).....

Looking at the investment planner now - cheers mark.

[Ric_]

Just another note about MS Office... you should stress that the new version (Office 2007) is due for release early next year which means in 3 years time you should really be considering upgrading your Office version if you have't already done so. Explain how this will require added investment then.

I have already mentioned how different Office 2007 looks, but the Chair of Governors still wants to stick with Office 2003 (I think because he uses it at work all the time). However I will give him a few screenshots of Office 2003/2007/OpenOffice:

I could even give each member of staff a copy of OpenOffice on CD for them to install on their home PCs so that they become used to it quickly! Surely they can't be expected to download it themselves? :P

I would recommend a demonstration over screenshots - maybe a little video Also order a few copies of the open source software in schools publication from the Becta website. This is a very good advocate of StarOffice/OpenOffice.

Also explain that many people won't be able to afford Office at home - even at the £70 that the student version costs. If the kids cannot practice at home you are already onto a loser.

I know that I am seriously considering switching solely to StarOffice when Office 2003 reaches end of life. Buying new Office licenses for over 200 machines will cost A LOT of money!

[CM786]

I am not allowed into the meeting since I am not part of the finance committee.

However... Good News!

Got an email saying that most of my proposals have been agreed, with some additions!

Sounds great... I wonder what the additions are? I will find out tommorow when I go back in.

THANK YOU ALL...... looks like I will have an interesting summer! :P :P

[CM786]

HAPPY DAYS!!

Been given £15K to spend as I see fit! However with the extra money, I have to replace all the CRT monitors with TFT in both IT Suite money, upgrade all PCs to a minimum of 512Mb (pref 1Gb (not sure if some can support it!) and buy Office.

Yippe!!!!

[webman]

Well done

I know plenty of us could do with that sort of money... what did you bribe them with? 8)

Lucky man. Get lots of goodies with that

[CM786]

Lucky man. Get lots of goodies with that

Yeah... thinking Plasma TV and a leather recliner... :P

Seriously however.....
Just summarised all the points in this thread along with what I had said earlier. Also kept banging on about 'duty of care' while the children are on the computers and RESULT!

Yeah... thinking Plasma TV and a leather recliner...

Well if you end up spending that much with one supplier get then to chuck one in

[alan-d]

Probably a bit late now you have the cash - but have you thought about leasing?

May be of help in the short term but plan ahead and don't stay with leasing forever - it then gets too expensive

I may be able to help with some spare parts - I'll PM you.

[CM786]

I may be able to help with some spare parts - I'll PM you.

Cheers I'd appreciate that!

[GrumbleDook]

If you do go the leasing route you need to make sure you have a 3-5 year plan for funding for IT Infrastructure to make sure you will not only have the money for the lease each year, but still have some money to do the annual refresh of machines.

There is no point being given £15k to spend only not to have that next year ... and the year after.

If you do go for leases then limit yourself to a max of £7k per year (and try and make sure you have a scheme that allows for a minimal final payment fee) ... that way you still have enough to by the other bits you need too ...

PM me if you need details of leasing agents that are very good and will make sure you don't overstratch yourself (even to the point of telling you not to lease if it isn't appropriate) ...

[CM786]

GUTTED!!

After spending all last week and this weekend finding quotations and getting the best prices and setting up accounts with suppliers and making promises; I go to order today, and I am about to hand everything to the secretary when the headteacher turns round and says that she doesn't think she has enough money for all my improvements!! :twisted: 8O

Apparently she didn't realise that the whiteboards they have bought (nothing to do with me!!) have to come out of devalved capital too! Now please don't suggest buying less whiteboards or leasing etc I have tried... ops: The were seperate before. The Deputy/old IT Co-ordinator is not in either which makes things worse because she was talking about using a portion of ICT in Schools they have remaining or something like that.

Feel like I have been kicked in the teeth. espcially after getting suppliers to pull strings for me so that I can get things here for the end of the week and negotiating time to work during the summer.

This should really go in the FFS section! ARRRRRRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!

I am also ill and feeling run down to make matters worse! :?

[alan-d]

Aaahhh - the mystery of the moving goal-posts

I think that happens in every school - might even be in the JD if I look closely enough with a microscope

[ChrisC]

It really does happen pretty much everywhere....

Chris