jcollings

What does your IT strategy document say about where funding is needed and what kit is to be bought?

Well of the 3 companiess that I have spoken to they are all saying the same. They reckon they have had internal price indications but can't release them for schools. One did say that there is new pricing for FE colleges and that is available but not the schools pricing. If you have access to official pricing I would suggest posting it may be useful!

No - IT runs most periods here for one thing and another so we wouldn't have enough staff and nothing else would be done No -we have central IT support office which someone is generally always in so they can usually call someone up for assitance. We are happy to accept faults by email, phone call or student runner. Depending on the severity or busyness of the team we try to react instantly. See above

I've just spoken to Grey Matter to get a quote as those prices would be awesome. They are adamant that pricing for the new scheme is NOT available to schools until March. The prices that are one here ARE schools agreements NOT EES according to their man (John Lockwood?) Please don't shoot the messengar!

Ah you see I find the staff are experts at randomly pulling things out - just not so good at putting them back in. (Now I read that back it sounds worse than I imagined!)

Surely they'd have rung for IT support to dive on it for them?

And the school were meant to know it was safe how? I agree blowing it up afterwards is daft but the intial action makes sense

Ah right - I don't know the area at all. An electric folding bike (I don't even know if that exists!)

Just buy a folding bike. Pop it on and off the train each end and bob's your uncle. Seems quite a popular way of communting from what I've seen.

Blimey - I was hoping it would be a bit cheaper than £72.65! I think our current pack is around £26 per workstation so I thought they'd have doubled the cost but not nearly treble! We'll still save but not as much as I'd hoped!

You can't ride a 250cc on CBT alone. The limit is 125cc.

Yep - I do it here using a Content Query Tool webpart. I can't remember off the top of my head how I configured it but I do recall it being quite easy. Have a go and if you get stuck I'll look more closely at how mine work.

A friend of mine has just bought one and loves it too. I've setup VMware to run Win 7 as well for her and personally I think it's a lovely bit of kit - very good build quality etc. If I had spare cash and needed a lightweight machine I think I'd buy one.

Perhaps depends on the LEA but I would say it's very shakey ground at the moment. Schools becoming academies and thus moving away from LEA services, the comprehensive spending review, public sector cuts etc, etc. Certainly in our area there seems to be a feeling that the LEA will shrink rapidly as the academy model takes off more and more. A difficult one to predict and of course it depends on how much you want to move on from your current job at the moment. Personally I think I'd take a fair bit of persuading to join the LEA at the moment.

These guys are very good NetCentrix: IT Solutions

Hi I am working with some of our feeder primaries and they are interested in costings for Frog. Does anyone have a ballpark figure for a 250 pupil primary school and what you get for that. Cheers

We found the little flash tools I've attached really useful when we moved Office versions. They allow you to click on the task you want to do in Office 2003 and it shows you how to do it in 2007 Office 2003 to Office 2007 Menu Guide.zip

Pretty much windows 7 all over now. The odd XP machine left but they are being hunted down. Converted the whole campus in Summer 2010 and did teachers laptops on a phased basis for the 1st term. I can't say we've had too many problems. Staff seem to have coped with it fine.

If people are interested in sharepoint VLE solutions Phil Scanolon at SystemHost (::: www.systemhost.co.uk :::) is well worth talking to. A number of South Lakes schools are working with them to build a great hosted sharepoint environment - we're one of them and it's going very well. We're effectively helping them build a Sharepoint solution tailored for education. They are also writing SIMS webparts which will include read/write access in the near future. They are very open to customising it for individual schools and building bespoke webparts. Worth a phone call and a chat if you are thinking Sharepoint.

Surely this is the quickest way Fake Degree Certificates | How To Get A First

Yep - we use it here. The students on our marketing committee set it up for us (with some ideas about what we want it to do). It's locked down pretty tightly so it's pretty much one way communication. We also use Twitter which is connect to our facebook page now as well.

Many of the non-teaching staff here are involved in working directly with students. As IT manager I have done lots of extra curricular stuff with them over the years and done some mentoring of the odd student. To me it's a very rewarding part of my job. I'm well known by the students and have good crack with lots of them. I write and direct a KS3 production each year along with a colleague - that gets me knowing some of them pretty well. I also go on a trip with most of year 7 (approx. 220) each year and work with them on drama and outdoor activities - again often making relationships that stand you in good stead when you are back in school. I also managed to get to Normandy with some Year 8s this year. I encourage my team to be involved where possible - the kids have even set a very complimentary facebook group up about one of them! To be honest it's one of the main reasons I do IT in education - all the extra stuff and relationships with students. I'd find my job pretty boring if I couldn't do all that. If you get the chance to be involved I would whole heartedly agree with elsiegee40 and get involved. Being known by the students and getting on well with them makes life much more enjoyable.

I thought an Apple a day was meant to keep the doctor away!

Superb stuff! Excellent speech.

You should read this Delete This at Your Peril: One Man's Fearless Exchanges with the Internet Spammers : Bob Servant Delete This at Your Peril: One Man's Fearless Exchanges with the Internet Spammers: Amazon.co.uk: Bob Servant: Books I heard some extracts from it on the radio - very funny.