ICT output specification document

[Jimbo]

It's crunch time and I'm part of the team that needs to fill out our school ICT output specification. That document gets merged with all the other LA's schools specifications and that final document, along with our strategy for change goes to the bidders.

 

My understanding is that this is a crucial document in terms of getting what we want when our building opens so I'm asking if anyone has a sample or a draught of theirs they could post?

 

(Not so I can steal ideas but to get a better idea of levels of detail and language)

 

Thanks in advance, J.

 

Oh yes, forgot to mention, we have a deadline of about a month!

[danIT]

"My understanding is that this is a crucial document in terms of getting what we want when our building opens so"

 

It would be nice to think that!

[Jimbo]

@ danIT...

 

Would you care to expand on that please?

[russdev]

Yes that document it decides what you get so yes it is?

 

@Danit

 

so cynical

 

Russ

[Jimbo]

I agree with most of the flack that BSF is taking and I fully recognise that I am contributing towards a process which will ultimately cost me my job and most likely not deliver exatly what we need.

 

However, I must play the cards I have been dealt.

 

That means for the rest of the duration of my school employment I must do a professional and thorough job and do my best to make BSF work for my school from the point of IT.

 

Weather I succeed in that is another matter, hence my ask for a look at other peoples specs...

[Grommit]

@ danIT...

 

Would you care to expand on that please?

 

He means that you can put what you want in the document but if you get it is doubtful..

[gaz350]

if you dont ask you have no chance of getting is how i see it

[Grommit]

if you dont ask you have no chance of getting is how i see it

 

So what will you be asking for ?

[Jimbo]

The following is an example of the level of detail in all sections. Sadly I'm told that we are not having IT suites which is a total joke, but if we were...

 

A set number of computers (to be defined)

 

A dedicated colour printer

 

A defined ratio of touch screen PC's. (to be defined)

 

Height adjustable desks. (we need to define heights)

 

A wall mounted minimum 50 inch touch plasma or LCD display capable of full 1080p resoultion.

 

The 50 inch touch plasma or LCD display will be wired to at least four wall mounted speakers in the four corners of the room.

 

The "session leaders" PC will have either a HD-DVD Drive or a Blue Ray player. This is dependent on which HD format wins the current (2007/2008) format war.

 

The "session leaders" PC will have the facility to be controlled via a wireless keyboard and mouse. The range of these control devices must cover the entire ICT suite.

 

All monitors in the suite will have at least a 22in display, with a 1,680 x 1,050 maximum resolution. The physical size is necessary due to the sometimes physical nature of our student's disabilities.

 

All PC's in the ICT suite will be equipped with a dedicated PCIE Graphics card which shall be considered mid range in 2011. The card will have a minimum of 512 MB memory.

 

All PC's in the ICT suite must be equipped with a selection of SEN hardware (to be defined)

 

All PC's in the ICT suite must be equipped with an integrated front facing universal card reader.

 

PC's should exactly replicate a 2011 home PC setup in terms of functionality and basic Hardware. EG CPU Box, monitor, keyboard and mouse.

 

A method of secure but accessible cable management is required to maintain a neat ICT suite and to keep wires and cables out of reach from students.

 

Each workstation must have a dedicated and appropriate storage drawer for storage of Headphones and any other peripherals.

 

Wireless connectivity of all peripherals must be considered but its implementation will depend entirely on the reliability of the technology, acceptable (needs to be defined) battery life and student usability issues.

 

Each PC will have its own dedicated pair of headphones

 

"Session leaders" must have the ability to show their display onto all other monitors and replicate their audio on the audio of all other suite PC's.

 

"Session leaders" must have the ability to show any PC's display and audio on the touch plasma or LCD display and connected wall mounted speakers.

 

"Session leaders" must have the ability to temporarily lock all PC'S displays and audio collectively or individually.

 

All PC's in the suite should have video conference facilities from a fixed camera and microphone with the option of a mobile camera with integrated microphone for the benefit of PMLD students.

 

A range of mobile devices must be able to quickly (time to be defined) show their displays on the 50 inch touch plasma or LCD display through a method of wireless connectivity. EG A teachers laptop must be able to wirelessly show their display on the 50 inch touch plasma or LCD.

 

What do you all think?

 

Can you imagine this level of detail accross all areas of IT throughout a school? I'm guessing that most decisions about what we are getting have already been made but it will be fun to wave this document around and say.."Hang on there...I asked for all this!"

[sahmeepee]

Even in 2011, there will be a large white elephant lumbering through your ICT suites with VIDEO CONFERENCING writ large across its back

 

Also, are interactive whiteboards/data projectors passé? The move to a 50" touchscreen plasma is surprising - isn't that a retrograde step?

 

What do you get instead of IT suites?

[Jimbo]

I think that having plasmas/LCD's are a step up from Interactive white boards.

 

Reasons being: No shadow, no bulbs, no maintenance or changing filters and no need to keep calibrating the IWB, better picture and future proof with full HD resolutions.

 

Current disadvantages are high one off cost (5K for a 50 inch touch plasma) where as you can get a full 76inch IWB for about 2.6 K in the southeast.)

 

As regards our IT suites or lack of them and what we get instead I have no idea. I will be fighting the idea to rid us of IT suites tooth and nail.

[russdev]

I know that new product being released soon that will turn a normal plasma screen into touch screen?

 

Russell

[Pottsey]

When they say no IT suites. Do they just mean it’s an IT suit and a normal classroom as the same time? So sometimes no computers are used. If that’s the case it might not be to bad its what we do here and it works. Depends on the size of you school I guess.

 

“All PC's in the suite should have video conference facilities from a fixed camera and microphone with the option of a mobile camera”

What’s the point behind that? Sounds like a waste of money.

[broc]

As regards our IT suites or lack of them and what we get instead I have no idea. I will be fighting the idea to rid us of IT suites tooth and nail.

 

No IT suites means mobile computing, means saving space & cabling costs, or that's at least what we are being told. It might also mean the end of courses dedicated to teaching ICT as a subject.........

 

The Architects 'vision' for my school under BSF is no ICT rooms too, and no space for technicians or network manager either! The school and LA have a 'vision' (I call it a nightmare) of 1:1 ratio of computers to pupils; you could probably achieve it in technology terms using low cost Eee PCs as long as you ignore issues like safe storage in school, technical support, power management etc etc.

 

You can have some sport with the 'experts' when you discuss Becta recommendations for pupil:technician support ratios scaled up to one device per end user knowing that the game plan is to reduce the level of onsite support in schools as part of BSF.

 

The recent TV news items about the $100 labtops in Africa will continue to fuel the 1:1 student computer debate too.

[Pottsey]

I heard a new class of PC is coming out. Called Ultra mobile PC’s.

[sahmeepee]

The recent TV news items about the $100 labtops in Africa will continue to fuel the 1:1 student computer debate too.

 

I'd love to see the look on their faces if we reimaged their PCs with the software that you get on the OLPC laptops. You can download a VMWare Player of it if you're interested.

 

The darlings might find it a tad limiting

[Face-Man]

I think the idea of the 1:1 ratio is that the students "own" the devices and can take them anywhere with them. These devices should be able to do most of the things that currently take place in an ict suit (how many lesson do I hear start with "now open word and type up...) and if the school has stock and one is faulty it can be swaped and then repaired. The students work being kept in an secure online MLE accessable from any internet enabled device.

What is unlikely to be possible from these computers is : Video editing, Powerful Music Technology and other high end applications (CAD, 3d modeling etc). Any BSF spec that doesn't allow for deicated spaces to do these things is missing a large chunk of future learning. Personally I would strip out all printers/photocopiers and say that the school has to become a paperless office after all that has been talked about for well over TEN year and if accieved would probably save the school enough money to pay for an ICT technician to keep the rest of the stuff working. But I think marking online and not having handouts would be far to much of a futuristic school for most teachers

[Jimbo]

I have had a chance to play with various UMPC's and the new Eee PC but I have not come across a mobile device that is suitable for students with severe special needs. IE most of our students. The ammount of SEN peripherals we have attached to our PC's makes for a very messy and cluttered IT suite but never the less a functional one and one that (currently) meets the needs of our students.

 

Anyway, according to Becta a wireless setup is supposed to compliment, enhance and add flexibility to LAN. To my mind at least, ridding our schools of ICT suites is a very bad idea. There is nothing wrong with making the technology mobile; as long as it's applicable to the student and proper support is taken into account.

 

Anyway, back on track...Is anyone prepared to share their IT spec document?

[marco84]

In your output spec you shouldn’t be specifying technologies, rather specifying outputs that would require a certain technology to meet your needs.

For example you shouldn’t specify a 10Gb Internet connection, you should be saying "an internet connection capable of allowing all computers simultaneous connection to the Internet with little or no obvious latency on load speeds."

By stating certain technologies you are not giving an "output spec", more like and input spec.

The output spec isn’t there for us to tell the bidders what technology we want, it is designed to be used to tell bidders what we want to achieve with the aid of technology.

Hope this makes sense?

[Jimbo]

I agree, thanks for the advice.

 

As much as I'd love to detail exactly how our needs need to be met, I now understand thats not how it works.

 

I need to detail our requirements and the MSP will decide how best to go about it. Oh joy.

[webman]

Tell them you need a citrus fruit that is round in shape and orange in colour. Will you get a tengerine or an orange?

[Jimbo]

I'll probably get a bloody banana!

[marco84]

Through BSF its more likely you would get a half complete banana, or a partially functioning banana.

[webman]

Does this seem familiar?

[marco84]

Looks about right that webman. Except every LA is getting severl tree swings costing millions of £'s