IT provision for students other than IT suites

[witch]

Background: the school is laid out such that each year group has a separate block - 4 classes around a central area. SMT are looking to provide some sort of 'pod' of desks, tables and some form of computing for children to be able to use in the central area of each block - a dedicated area that is always available. (We would probably go wireless for the networking bit.)

I know that there are some solutions with a sort of central 'dalek' computer that sinks back into the table (link, anyone?) but I just wondered how other people managed such things. The main constraint, as always, is cost. Laptops wouldn't be robust enough.

 

I might be able to use some of my spare machines or get some cheap ones but I need ideas about desking and anything else you think relevant

[chrbb]

We have a similar area, computers are simply put on a workbench with cupboards underneath, so not ideal for sitting for any length of time, the computers in this area are cascaded down from the suite.

[bloxy]

I remember one of my schools had an area in the middle of a room set up as a computer pod, the main thing for them was the power and network they had trunking coming down from the ceiling as they wanted cabled network not wireless and the floor was solid. I remember they used bog standard machines so kids could just login to their area when they needed and get on the net. They used desks with an angle so five could be set up as a sort of circle with the cable coming to the centre.

hope this is helpful

cheers

Adrian

[nicholab]

You could use customized desk that have space for mounting stand PC underneath with monitor arm built some thing like the i-lite desk. We have desk in the language lab that folder away and they over engineered and the folding part are great for killing mouses

[richardp]

Something like this ?

 

Motorised Octagonal - Ergo Computing - Full-scale ICT solutions provider

 

Don't use them myself so no recommendation but if its the right price could be exactly what you want.

 

Richard

[K.C.Leblanc]

- idesk, the Worlds First Integrated PC Desk.

 

But you will find anything like this fairly expensive (probably around £1k per seat).

[dhicks]

The main constraint, as always, is cost.

 

I'd use second-hand 15" screens, VESA-mountable ones that you can screw to a central stand around which you place desks. You would only need one central PC if you used a multi-seat solution such as NComputing or similar, saving on costs and space needed. There's a couple of other threads at the moment where people are discussing multi-user environments:

 

http://www.edugeek.net/forums/av-multimedia-related/49079-thinking-hats-please-new-build.html

http://www.edugeek.net/forums/general-chat/48713-lackrack-ikea-server-racks-living-room-datacenters.html

 

I'd go for building the desk yourself, or hiring a carpenter to do it.

 

--

David Hicks

[Sylv3r]

UK furniture manufacturer | Welcome to Isis - Isis Concepts also offer a similar product. We looked at installing them into our new LRC but the price put us off.

[Busybub]

pod Desking Products

 

Think the quote I got on a Hexacom jobbie was about 3k though

[john]

UK furniture manufacturer | Welcome to Isis - Isis Concepts also offer a similar product. We looked at installing them into our new LRC but the price put us off.

I can recommend Isis concepts they are brilliant and such a good firm to work with I have 12 desks from them and they are great

[witch]

Thanks for all your ideas - just what I was looking for!

 

Boss will think I have really been working hard looking into all this!!