robertcraig

Hi Dave, PECOS was developed by a US company called Elcom. You can find out more at Elcom Purchase to Pay (PECOS) I'd say nearly all authorities in Scotland use PECOS. At the moment a number of them are looking at extending it to schools as in some authorities it's only used in certain departments. You've pretty much got to be in the catalogue for schools to buy from you however there are some exceptions. I think Welcome - Scotland Excel have a part to play in it so check them out.

a mixture of both but then I do work for them :-)

A good summary of the price increases can be found here.

The current crop of Management Information Systems (MIS) have been developed over a number of years, with each additional module adding new functionality, but also extra layers of complexity – new software to install, new hardware to buy, and time to be spent managing the system. All of which can reduce the efficiency of a school which, in turn, increase the total cost of ownership. With Microsoft announcing new increased pricing (by upto 25%) for SQL Server 2008 then that’s pretty bad news if your school MIS requires it. (and I know plenty of MIS systems that do). Unlike most other Management Information Systems currently available to schools, e1 is an entirely new product, the result of starting with a completely clean slate. It is the essence of everything that Pearson Phoenix have learned about the management, teaching and learning needs of a school. In a radical, but entirely logical departure from traditional MIS, e1 is completely browser-based –no hardware, no software –all that is required is access to an internet browser. This means that the entire functionality of e1 can be accessed by any user, anywhere at any time. The dream is now a reality.

Hi Matt, These links might be of interest and/or provide some insight into how Pearson are implementing/handling SIF. Educational solutions - SIF Pearson Solutions: Pii - Phoenix information interchange Best Regards,

Hi, I've just joined EduGeek.net and the Scottish Techs group so I thought I'd leave a quick note to say Hi :-) I've recently joined Pearson Phoenix (part of Pearson Education – the largest global education supplier) as Software Sales Specialist for Scotland so hopefully I might meet some of you at somepoint.

@robertcraig2010 and @pearsonphoenix

A report commissioned by Becta in 2009 found that 82% of parents are left 'in the dark' when it comes to their child's schooling. As a software specialist working in the education sector my organisation has addressed the subject of parental engagement by developing a management information systems (MIS) which focuses on putting the learner at the heart of the system, facilitating personalised learning in a positive engaging way. One of the main benefits of online access is for parents to view information on their child’s work and progress. The school can contact parents through the inbuilt email facility or send text or voice alerts to parents’ mobile or landline phones. At home, parents can be better informed about their child's education and participate in the learning process through access to performance data, school activities and homework, whilst their child can login to remotely engage in lessons and complete and return assignments electronically. In summary, pupils and parents can… Support learning by access to personal learning plans and schemes of work. View timetables. Use attendance and performance records to boost motivation. Receive and send homework, assessments and relevant comments. Communicate with school regarding academic and non-academic issues. Remotely access the system to aid learning anytime-anywhere. I hope this has given some insight into some of the ways technology can help enable parents to get closer to and support their child’s learning.

A report commissioned by Becta in 2009 found that 82% of parents are left 'in the dark' when it comes to their child's schooling. As a software specialist working in the education sector my organisation has addressed the subject of parental engagement by developing a management information systems (MIS) which focuses on putting the learner at the heart of the system, facilitating personalised learning in a positive engaging way. One of the main benefits of online access is for parents to view information on their child’s work and progress. The school can contact parents through the inbuilt email facility or send text or voice alerts to parents’ mobile or landline phones. At home, parents can be better informed about their child's education and participate in the learning process through access to performance data, school activities and homework, whilst their child can login to remotely engage in lessons and complete and return assignments electronically. In summary, pupils and parents can… Support learning by access to personal learning plans and schemes of work. View timetables. Use attendance and performance records to boost motivation. Receive and send homework, assessments and relevant comments. Communicate with school regarding academic and non-academic issues. Remotely access the system to aid learning anytime-anywhere. I hope this has given some insight into some of the ways technology can help enable parents to get closer to and support their child’s learning.