Student Teachers in School..

[soveryapt]

you've got to remember that student teachers and NQT's are probably a bit nervous.... cut them some slack! Whilst they are at the school, they ARE members of staff, and the school has a responsibility to look after their interests

Nervous yes.. the issue is though that there isn't any requirement to provide them with the equipment and if they need equipment for their course then either they or their college/uni should be providing them with it, which on campus I'm sure they probably do, but out in the field..

I suppose the ideal solution is to treat them as you treat staff and that is what I'm asking the questions for .. currently, ok they're not all singing dancing shiny sub 3 year old machines they are the 3+ year old machines that I've just had replaced but bought keyboards to ensure the missing key problem isn't there.

Personally, I think that I'm going above and beyond my role by getting these machines back into working circulation and I guess, end of the day, this is something that I need to take to SLT/SMT and put it across as "if this need exists to provide them with kit as per teachers then we need to spend some money on new machines"

Under no circumstances would I install something that is outside of the licensed situation in the school. Obviously, if the SLT/SMT come to me and say "yes you will install all this software on their own machines" then I will ask for something in writing sanctioning the breaking of the law and that they will take all legal responsibility for such activity should the school be inspected, at which point they would probably change their minds .. lol ..

Anyway, thanks for the input so far, I think that I will keep going with the provision of the older laptops but speak with the SLT/SMT and see what they feel they want to do as an organisation to support these ST/NQT.

[timzim]

If they're doing PGCE or GTP then your school gets paid for each student teacher they train. Ask the Head for some of this money to put towards laptops for them - otherwise what else is the money for? I bet the staff who mentor them don't get to see any of it, that's for sure.

As far as putting your licenced software on their personal laptops - tell them to get real: it doesn't happen in the corporate world, only in student-lala-land (I bet not one of them has ever paid for a single piece of software for their own personal use). Tell them you'd get fired if you dished out unlicenced software to all and sundry (in truth you wouldn't, but the Head would...ooh, now there's an idea...).

[Linfit]

I would echo Timzins' view on this one. We do not currently provide laptops for our student teachers, but we have fixed workstations in classrooms for IWB's and registers so it's less of an issue anyway.

If I were asked to provide them, I would expect the funding for them to come from the monies the school recieves from the training institution for having the students. I suspect that in most schools this money is simply subsumed into the general school pot, and is rarely all spent on actually supporting the students, (or even given to the departments that host them).

[Sylv3r]

Each teaching room has a dedicated IWB computer for use by anyone with a school network account.

If our software licenses allow us to install it on their laptops, we do. Otherwise, we don't.

Same here as webman's school.

[Sylv3r]

If they're doing PGCE or GTP then your school gets paid for each student teacher they train. Ask the Head for some of this money to put towards laptops for them - otherwise what else is the money for? I bet the staff who mentor them don't get to see any of it, that's for sure.

As far as putting your licenced software on their personal laptops - tell them to get real: it doesn't happen in the corporate world, only in student-lala-land (I bet not one of them has ever paid for a single piece of software for their own personal use). Tell them you'd get fired if you dished out unlicenced software to all and sundry (in truth you wouldn't, but the Head would...ooh, now there's an idea...).

I think its about £500 per student we get here which is devolved back into department capitations.

[RinSewand]

Same as webman as well. As far as I remember - they all have their own laptops anyway, and I don't think we've had a daft request for software yet either... only time will tell!

RwD

[enjay]

Isn't it irrelevant who pays the student teachers? If the computer was bought by the school, school licences can be used; if it wasn't, they can't (Smart Notebook excepted, of course)

[nephilim]

We only allow the staff laptops on our network, any unknown MAC address that appears in our DHCP automatically gets disconnected (Including phones, ipods, netbooks and laptops), and it annoys the staff.

In terms of software, they get given a standard set when they get a laptop, and thats it. Anything else has to get vetted by myself, and if I dont like it, they dont have it. As for software on personal laptops, thats a big no no aside from Our AV Suite (which is county run and can go on any machine used by a member of staff, home or work) and Open Office.

[soveryapt]

All good responses and glad to know that I'm not alone in thinking the way I do about it .. I shall approach the head if she's in today and get her backing on what I'm doing then it's tough for whatever the teachers say (I think there was a previous tech who was "yeah, I'll install what you want on anything, it's not my money" where as I'm more "it might not be my money, but I have a responsibility to the school to ensure that we work within our purchased license agreements"

[Potato-Peeler]

We get asked this every year. Also we get the student teachers saying i have so and so on my laptop, lets say smartboard, why dont you have it here!
Our view is only school laptops get software, nothing else.

[enjay]

Also we get the student teachers saying i have so and so on my laptop, lets say smartboard, why dont you have it here!

Then point out they should uninstall it - Smart is not free to everyone, only people associated to schools which have Smart products, so unless they have a board at home, they're unlicensed.

[soveryapt]

I love one of the ones we've got at the moment asking why we didn't have SMARTBoard installed on our machines .. I mean ok, you might not know the difference, but pointed out it's because we have Promethean Boards and ActiveInspire instead .. lol ..

[StewartKnight]

No, they aren't. They don't have a contract, therefore they are not employees in the eyes of the law - and same with software licenses.

Actually your wrong, there is a contract between the ITT centre (university or whatever) and the school. All student teachers are told that they are part of the staff of the school they attend, and to behave appropriately.

Further, student teachers need to teach the lessons in the same way as any other member of staff. How are they expected to prepare lessons if they don't have the right software. Try looking at it from the student teachers perspective.

You've arrived in school, your nervous and you don't know anyone or the kids. Your given your timetable and get ready for the lesson, but you can't because the NM won't let you!

This is the kind of attitude that gives techhies in school a bad name. Instead of thinking of reasons why you can't, think of ways that you can!

[localzuk]

Actually your wrong, there is a contract between the ITT centre (university or whatever) and the school. All student teachers are told that they are part of the staff of the school they attend, and to behave appropriately.

Further, student teachers need to teach the lessons in the same way as any other member of staff. How are they expected to prepare lessons if they don't have the right software. Try looking at it from the student teachers perspective.

You've arrived in school, your nervous and you don't know anyone or the kids. Your given your timetable and get ready for the lesson, but you can't because the NM won't let you!

This is the kind of attitude that gives techhies in school a bad name. Instead of thinking of reasons why you can't, think of ways that you can!

Nothing to do with the NM not letting them. It is to do with common sense and proper use of funds not letting them. You must be in a lucky position then when you have the funds lying around to keep half a dozen laptops with the full compliment of software installed on them for the 6 weeks a year when you have students in your school.

We had 5 students this year. To ensure they had computers with all the software, we would have needed 5 laptops + all the licenses. So close to £4000 worth of stuff sat doing nothing for most of the year... Personally, I think £4k could be better spent elsewhere in the school. Every other course I know of in the country expects you to provide your own equipment. Why should a teacher training course be any different?

[ICT_GUY]

Promethean has a student edition of their software, which you can install legally. Its the same as the full blown version it just wont drive a whiteboard.

As for other software, its not worth going to jail or paying a huge fine for. Get SMT to make the decision in writing. If they tell you in writing to install pirated software report them and claim a big fat juicy reward.