The Science Department

[Nij.UK]

Is it me or is it known that in most schools that the ICT department / Network Managers and Technicians NEVER get on with the Science departments in their schools?

 

This was the case at the last 2 schools that i worked at, and its still the same at the one that i work at now

[webman]

Science lab technicians or science teachers?

[Nij.UK]

i would say both,

 

here its more the Teachers that i dont get on with, but at the last place it was the whole department

[apeo]

Over here we do have a couple of Science Teachers that are somewhat annoying but i wouldnt say we dont get on with the entire department.

[webman]

We get on with most of them, especially the technicians as we can sympathise with them from a support-staff point of view and the demands that are put forward from the teachers.

[CyberNerd]

Is it me or is it known that in most schools that the ICT department / Network Managers and Technicians NEVER get on with the Science departments in their schools?

 

I think its you. I'm an ex-scientist anyway.... and we all seem to get along ok

[NetworkGeezer]

I dont' think it's anything in particular to do with the science department. You always run into problem where people refuse to be realistic or just dump and run.

[Norphy]

We get on perfectly well with ours. The Head of Science at our place is a really stereotypical mad scientist sort, its really hard not to like him

[Sylv3r]

I wouoldnt say the Science department here is any different to any other department. Dont have problems with any.... as they all know if they mess us about, their jobs will go bottom of the pile.

[plexer]

I have to say we get on well with our science technicians and ok with the science teachers. Trouble is the head of science is a real technophobe.

 

Ben

[Ric_]

I get on really well with the lab techs but the teaching-side of the department are a little less easy to get along with. They make a lot of requests.

 

We just fitted 7 projectos (1 in each lab), 2 IWBs and gave them 2 bluetooth tablets. They ALL have laptops. They are to have high density WiFi and a lapsafe with 30 notebooks in it! They also have approx. 20 pieces of software installed... we spent about £30k in one month on them! They then have the cheek to ask for ANOTHER £8K of software before they've even touched what they have!!!

 

I expressed my opinion and they will be receiving nothing until they prove that they have fully utilised what they have.

[tosca925]

Our science techs and teachers are ok, only problem is science have a 32 pc suite classroom and the teacher who looks after that does not give a sh** about IT so the room is poorly looked after. We complain to the head of science but things clean up for a bit thenback to normal again. We have over 600 curriculum pc's in the school and that room is the only one with graffiti on them.........!

[witch]

Here there is friction between the head of science and the IT coordinator, due to the fact that the science tech is full time and even marks work for the teachers (he is an ex teacher) and the IT tech (me!) only gets 8 hours a week because the head is a technophobe.

This causes a bit of a problem although I get on fine with the science tech

[Quackers]

I get on more with the Science department than the IT department. The head of IT is "out of touch"

[john]

I expressed my opinion and they will be receiving nothing until they prove that they have fully utilised what they have.

Sounds familar, and I bet they just order datalogging hardware without mentioning it to you then say oh this needs installing as it needs a PC to download and analyse on and then you find its the worst stuff in the entire world - Every sensor in every holder in every usb port!!!! AAARGH!!!!!!!!! Ours had a CLJ4650, it did 350 pages in 2 years 8O I soon got that moved to a location where a IJ was doing like 300 a month, I feel thats better. Ours also have a set of laptop and 1 teacher dominats them so the others feel left out and moan that they neeed more laptops, but even if we got them more, the same bloke would take them as well so each child had one in his lesson! So its a pointless game and the Head doesnt care.

[Ric_]

@john: I forgot to mention the 15 sets of data logging equipment that they also got. I arranged for this - DataHarvest stuff which works really well.

[john]

The Dataharvest stuff is the best in my opinion as I have had Philip Harris, Pasco, Data Harvest and another that I cannot remember, and the DH is the bets. I also like it as the branch of science that got them came to me and said I am ordering these, is it OK with you, now fine it was not as consultative as I would have liked, but the fact is it was before he ordered (meaning I told him to bin the Serial leads and chagne them to USB / Serial Leads straight off as the Laptops (when he can get them) don't have a Serial port), so it did work well, and just install the software and cable and away they go. We are going to get some more Dataharvest stuff for our younger children to use, thats how much I like it. Also the science staff like them.

 

The bad stuff is Pasco stuff, every probe in every connector on the PC in every USB socket - 7 probes with 3 different PC unit things, with a potential of 2 USB sockets on each Laptop and Desktop = about 1hr each new probe they get AAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!