Teachers and Laptops

[glennda]

So yes it sounds like we operate with a lot of stick and not a lot of carrot but it works - the staff get the work done, annual replacement costs to the IT Department is around 8k/year and I would never ever consider limiting the staff members to just desktops in the classrooms and PCs in the staff room.

 

how many staff?

[jamesfed]

how many staff?

 

Averages between 70-80 with notebooks at any given time, another 20 who just have a desktop (admin staff ect).

[truebluesteve]

I feel I have to jump in and add my 2p as a proponent of 1:1 notebooks for teachers.

 

For the past 5 years or so we've been handing out notebooks to 'eligible staff' - eligible being staff members who aren’t tied to desks. The policy has been run on the understanding that while the notebook is in the care of the staff member it is their responsibility and that we will charge for any damages even if it is warranty replaceable.

We've mixed this policy in with highly robust (but still fairly cheap) HP notebooks (TPM, Drive Guard and enough horse power to throw any OS at them) and most of all a site wide wireless network.

Further to that we require that once every 6 months the PC spends 2hrs up in the IT office being checked over.

 

In reward staff get their notebook swapped out every 3 years with a new model with the old ones going to student use (however the increasing use of thin clients in the school is diminishing the need for notebooks).

 

Staff members regularly take their notebooks home and hook up to our VPN (which has been a huge hit since being introduced) and rarely forget to bring their notebook back in as they know the response will be - 'come back in 2 hours' at which point they are issued any old random notebook that we could find lying around.

 

So yes it sounds like we operate with a lot of stick and not a lot of carrot but it works - the staff get the work done, annual replacement costs to the IT Department is around 8k/year and I would never ever consider limiting the staff members to just desktops in the classrooms and PCs in the staff room.

 

Well I thought the decision had been made to withdraw the scheme, but I have just been told that that it hasn't.

 

One of the big issues that I do have is that a many staff treat their laptops like they would a company car, and are very blase when they get damaged. There is an expectation, I think, that they are entitled to a laptop!

[IrritableTech]

I've assisted the move from laptops to desktops in a number of the schools my team provide support to. I always think that desktop machines give a much higher standard of service for teaching and learning (that's the aim right?).

 

Usually as a sweetener, the teacher gets to keep their old laptop to take home and use. Many, after a reinstall with the basics are more than capable for the basics the teacher wants to do from home.

[IrritableTech]

I've assisted the move from laptops to desktops in a number of the schools my team provide support to. I always think that desktop machines give a much higher standard of service for teaching and learning (that's the aim right?).

 

Usually as a sweetener, the teacher gets to keep their old laptop to take home and use. Many, after a reinstall with the basics are more than capable for the basics the teacher wants to do from home.

 

Edit: Sorry for double post oddity.

Edited January 9, 2012 by IrritableTech

[glennda]

I will add we gave the laptops away to staff - installed XP (as they where licensed for it) on them and the likes of open office etc anything which is freely available.

[Gibson335]

We used to provide laptops to staff on a three year cycle. That was just about right, but obviously a strain on finances. Recent budgetary issues meant that SLT changed this to replacing them only when they were damaged beyond economical repair. Less than two years on and that is starting to catch up on us in several ways. I don't want increasingly older and slower machines on the network, so I'd rather go back to replacing them regularly or putting desktops in classrooms. However, I have to be realistic and accept that finances can't always be found or, indeed, spent wisely. Problem is, people expect a 5 year old laptop to work as well as it did out of the box. Well, 1Gb RAM was fine back then, but not much use now.

[Gibson335]

I would love us to move to a station in every class and some spread around offices. Since 2002 we have provided staff with laptops and when you are a large-ish school it becomes very expensive and hard to sustain. We moved from a 3 year cycle of replacement to 4 year, with the ones that drop off the line becoming spares, laptops for temp staff, and then on to standalones used by some tutor groups. However, I have always disputed the need to provide them, and continue to do so. I think it's interesting when you see new built academies how few of them opt for this solution. Laptops for Teachers has a lot to answer for, because whilst it provided them, it never catered for their replacements. We took the plunge before LfT, but I've yet to see a genuinely convincing argument that proves the case for such an arrangement.

[TheHawk]

The previous tech team where i am placed laptops in each room but we have now put desktops in and for the most part the responce has beeen postive as the desktops are alot faster and they looka bit more profestional. SLT & Heads of dept get given a laptop that can be used how they want at work or home. the old laptops will be offered to staff for a small contribution.

[Duke5A]

All of our teaching staff has laptops (six buildings, 250 teachers in total) and it has been a lot better than I though it would be. Accidental damage does occur, but not that often. We haven't needed to replace as many parts as I though we would either. The real kicker though is the machines just went out of warranty last month and I'm sure batteries will start dropping like flies anytime now. This is going to get expensive very quickly.

[jjohnsoncantell]

We have been running our teachers laptops for the last five years, some of them have been through five or six different users. When we upgraded them to seven a couple of summers ago we just made sure they had a good size drive and 2gb memory which for general use is ok. The only problems we have is dying batteries, psu damage, broken screens and water spills but very small number of those. But we have the dilemma of when to retire these and upgrade.. we have a few grumbles from teachers moaning about wanting new laptops but as soon as I ask them to justify why they magically disappear. the software hasn't really changed so why should the spec need to change.

[SimpleSi]

I'm sure batteries will start dropping like flies anytime now. This is going to get expensive very quickly.

My attitude is <3 years and no chance of imminent laptop replacement - replace battery - usually about £40 - value for money - I always suceeed in getting this approved

 

>4 years old - don't

 

grey area in-between

 

Simon

[Arthur]

how can a professional employer expect their workers to their jobs without providing them with the tools to do it.

Because the workers already have the tools? 99% of PGCE students I see already have their own laptop, an iPad (or both!). If they already have these before they become a proper teacher, why does the employer need to provide them with yet another computer?

 

... smartphones, laptops and other such regalia as necessities of the job. They're tools--tools that you bring to the job so that you can perform your duties as assigned. Your employer doesn't purchase a car for you but you need one to get to and from work. They don't supply you a pair of shoes, yet you're required to wear them to the office. (Source)

[round2it]

Teachers driving round in 30 to 40 grand range rovers and have the cheek to ask for a laptop.

[truebluesteve]

Well in the year since I started the thread things have moved on a bit.

 

We haven't replaced any laptops but we have offered staff iPads instead but the uptake has been pretty poor, which did surprise me a bit. All classrooms have desktop computers which are attached the IWB etc, and we are placing more in staffrooms and department offices which seems to be well received.

 

I think the laptops will die a death of a thousand cuts as staff realise that they aren't going to be replaced no matter how much they complain to their HODs! I for one will be glad to see the back of them.

[Jonah]

Our school hasn't given staff laptops for some years now - we have a desktop in every classroom and several in faculty offices, as well as remote access from home and so felt the need just wasn't there.

[SimpleSi]

They're tools--tools that you bring to the job so that you can perform your duties as assigned.

 

As a school, you decide what each worker provides - this is a decision - they can do what they want

 

My daughter goes to work in a pub, she has to wear shoes and she has to get there

 

She doesn't have to provide a top -the pub chain do - she doesn't have to take anything else.

 

This is pretty much standard practice - you get to work - your work provides you with the tools to do the job

in my previous job - I had to get to work - I then had to get up 1000ft hills - they provided me with a 4Wheel drive vehicle and a laptop and a mobile and a hard hat and overalls and protective shoes.

 

Decide what you want your workers to do and don't make them spend their own money on doing your work for you

 

Simon

[SimpleSi]

Cost of laptop - £150-£200 a year

Cost of employing teacher £20K -£40K per year

 

Simon

[TechSupp]

At my two scbools, one taken decision to not provide and the other to provide.

[truebluesteve]

Cost of laptop - £150-£200 a year

Cost of employing teacher £20K -£40K per year

 

Simon

 

I think employing a teacher probably starts at around £40k once you have taken all the other costs like pensions, NI etc!

 

I can see both sides of the argument regarding working at home. If you want staff to work at home then they should be provided with the tools. After all if they only have one computer at home then its going to be unfair on the rest of the family to monopolise it doing school work. Plus there is the whole issue of keeping sensitive data on home computers and so on.

 

On the other side there is the whole home/worklife balance thing and encouraging staff to work at home could tilt that the wrong way, even though there are probably plenty of them who would prefer to go home and work rather than stay on and complete it. An idea that has been mooted is a loan laptop scheme where staff can book out a laptop for up to a week and take it home.

[witch]

I think that you should provide the tools for the job unless those tools can reasonably be considered part of every day life now. I believe that we are at the point where you can state that a computer in the home is ALMOST a given - particularly for the sort of people who are teachers.

The school is open until 6 every night and so teachers could stay and do all their work. They choose not to, then they have to provide the tools at home.

After all, we don't provide phones for teachers, do we? And yet schools need to be able to contact their staff so you COULD say that therefore a phone is a necessary part of the job.

I have just had to lend a teacher a monitor to attach to his laptop which went wrong on Friday - the invertor or something, as the display still shows on an external monitor - and I couldnt take it off him as he needed it over the weekend.

I don't know what he thought I could do as I have no spare laptops of any description but his face when I walked in with a monitor and a VGA cable was a picture!

This is a man with two teenage girls at grammar school, and he is telling me that he only has a very old XP reconditioned computer at home? I don't believe him.

We are about to get new computers for the IT suite and FINALLY it is being mooted that we should put PCs in every classroom and sort out remote access.

 

*no one have ever bought me so much as a screwdriver

Edited May 19, 2013 by witch

[sjatkn]

We are looking at a salary sacrifice scheme, like bike to work, to allow staff to purchase a device at a slightly cheaper rate and make a saving on tax. They will not be required to use the device for work but it will be encouraged. Though from our part it will likely require us to get an RDP system working so they can connect from the guest network.

[ozydave]

We have always resisted teachers having laptops in the classroom and always had desktops. Teachers could cope with plugging in VGA etc each time they move classroom. They do have laptops which we never see again until they leave. These laptops are going to be withdrawn soon. As with most other posts we provide the tools for them to do their job at school in school time

[SimpleSi]

As with most other posts we provide the tools for them to do their job at school in school time

And how many teachers complete their work in school time at school?

 

Lets be real here please - its not a 9-5 job and the work doesn't all take place in school - a lot takes place at home.

 

If SLT don't want to supply a laptop - thats up to them

 

They are just being cheapskates and un-professional

 

Makes my blood boil!!!!!

 

#witch

if they don't supply a screwdriver - don't un-screw anything until they do i'm very suprised at you

[Ephelyon]

As with a lot of these things I think it comes down to the balance. I must find myself agreeing with @SimpleSi that staff shouldn't be out of pocket on the tools they need to work unless it can be proven that (in this case) "a laptop" is just like "a pair of shoes" nowadays... and I don't think it can. Yes, there will be those teachers who have earned good money and are advanced in their careers... but there are also the NQTs who are recently out of Uni, still paying back debt, and not in a position to blow several hundred on a portable computing device out of a month's pay packet (yes, they could save, but there's so much else to save for at that stage of life!)...

 

Having said that, I think either way the pitfall is around supplying laptops and then not replacing them in a timely manner. We have fallen into that trap here. Laptops were provided once, but some are so old that, to quote one member of staff, "I've lost the crank handle!"

 

I think some Leadership Teams (and, dare I say it, perhaps some earlier incarnations of school IT departments as well!) have failed to perceive the true nature of this "single" capital purchase! It will come back again... and again... and again... for EVERY member of staff to whom you assign one... until the end of time. Or until "we decide" it's okay to say everyone's got one anyway so why bother?

Edited May 19, 2013 by Ephelyon