09 May Why it’s important for teachers to keep in touch with the latest classroom technology

Although we may not always realise, technology is an integral part of our daily lives. It influences how we communicate, socialise, connect, play and learn. Although the use of technology increases its presence in our daily lives, it would be vital to ensure the presence of technology in the classroom.  Yet there are still some schools which delay the use of imminent technology in the classroom, even though it is a valuable learning tool for teachers.

Here are a few recommendations from us as to why it’s important to keep technology in the classroom.

1) If used correctly, will help prepare students for their future careers, which will inevitably include the use of wireless technology.

2) Integrating technology into the classroom is definitely a great way to reach diversity in learning styles.

3) It gives students the chance to interact with their classmates more by encouraging collaboration.

4) Technology helps the teachers prepare students for the real world environment. As our nation becomes increasingly more technology-dependent, it becomes even more necessary that to be successful citizens, students must learn to be tech-savvy.

5) Integrating technology in education everyday helps students stay engaged. Today’s students love technology so they are sure to be interested in learning if they can use the tools they love.

6) With technology, the classroom is a happier place. Students are excited about being able to use technology and therefore are more likely to learn.

7) When mobile technology is readily available in the classroom, students are able to access the most up-to-date information quicker and easier than ever before.

8) The traditional plearning method is adjusted. With technology in the classroom the teacher becomes the encourager, adviser, and coach.

9) Students become more responsible. Technology helps students take more control over their own learning. They learn how to make their own decisions and actually think for themselves.

10) A student can have access to digital textbooks that are constantly updated and often more vivid, helpful, creative, and a lot cheaper than those old heavy books.

05 Jun What do the recent budget cuts mean for schools?

As schools in England face a squeeze on budget cuts, the real question is how does will it affect the education for schools? The Institute for Fiscal Studies has found that the average spending per pupil will drop by 6.5% by 2019-20.

The changes can be seen within different areas of the school, from staff pay cuts to the maintenance and management of the school building being neglected. Teachers have even resorted to purchasing school supplies out of their own pockets to ensure that they can teach students with basic supplies such as pens and folders.

Although the budgetary allowance is influenced through the setup of the government many schools are turning to gofundme pages to help fundraise towards certain materials needed for school budgets and development of the school individual projects. However, these may not always seem successful due to the admin and lengthy time throughout the individual setup creates a lengthy job and is dependent on the number of donations received only.

Schools are now having to face setting up classrooms with a larger number of students to reduce the cost of hiring teachers and combine two classes into one. This is already a common practice when there are absentee teachers as supply teachers cost double the amount. A lot of schools are having to hire teachers from a lower experience level in order to afford the lower salary markup.

One of the biggest sacrifices schools are having to make is the level of teaching provided to its students. With the budgetary cuts schools are unable to provide the materials and services needed for the students to reach their highest academic potential.

What are your thoughts on the latest school funding cuts? Should schools have to face these cuts or should we be able to find out through the poorer education supplied to the children of tomorrow?

16 May Classroom Collaboration and Becoming a Great Academy

On Friday 10^th June, Trusol will host presentations and discussions, focusing on cutting-edge learning, classroom collaboration and the topic of academy schools. We’re thrilled to welcome Sir Steve Lancashire as our keynote speaker, and we’re looking forward to hearing his take on the two key topics at hand.

Sir Steve always had ambitions to be a head teacher, even in his early life, and is now chief executive of one of the largest academy school chains in the UK. Guided by his keynote, and his experience with the REAch2 Academy Trust, we’ll be looking more closely at the way we use technology in our classrooms.

A Fresh View of Academy Conversion

The event will also look at a topic Sir Steve is closely involved in: the academy school system. After the government’s recent climbdown on forced academy conversion, we’ll discuss some of the success stories that support the model, and look at ways to avoid problems during the conversion process.

Our topic is ‘The dos and don’ts of a successful academy conversion’, so we’ll look at some of the most successful examples of academies today, including Sir Steve’s own organisation, the REAch2 Academy Trust. Is the academy now a tainted model, or can we collectively learn from the discourse with Nicky Morgan and move forward to embrace its strengths?

New Horizons for Learning

From tablet computers to interactive whiteboards, Trusol has deployed classroom technology that empowers students to be more flexible and creative. In turn, these new devices and techniques give teachers the tools they need to deliver more interactive and engaging lessons.

At our 10^th June event, we will be looking at the modern classroom as it is today, and looking ahead as schools continue to embrace the digital revolution. The technology that has driven new opportunities in business is now disrupting learning and teaching, and delivering hugely positive results.

Trusol is keen to look at how cutting edge innovation is improving outcomes for pupils, and helping children to grasp complex topics across the curriculum. With extensive experience in a range of educational settings, including schools in special measures, Sir Steve Lancashire is ideally placed to comment on his vision.

Find Out More:

This free, no obligation forum sponsored by Promethean, will be held at West Twyford Primary School, Twyford Abbey Road, London, NW0 7DN on Friday 10th June 2016 at 12:30 PM.

A complimentary buffet will be served on arrival and the forum will begin at 1:15 pm with an expected finish time of 3:30 PM.

To register an interest in attending this event and obtain a full agenda, please contact Zahir Butta at Trusol on 08456 121222 or email zahir.butta@trusol.com.

14 Apr Why ICT Support is More than Just Insurance

Many schools view ICT support as a kind of insurance policy for the school. You know you have to pay for some kind of support, but there’s a temptation to go for the cheapest possible option. After all, it works with car insurance – so why not ICT?

But ICT support isn’t just about reacting to incidents and requests, or getting the bare minimum to keep the lights on. It’s a key driver that supports your ability to meet deadlines, serve pupils and make the most of your working day.

Prevention is Better than Cure

If you’ve shopped around for car insurance, you might have been offered a black box policy. With these arrangements, the insurer supplies a monitor that’s fitted to your car to encourage careful driving. These companies know that it’s far better to prevent accidents from happening, rather than clean up the mess once they happen.

Similarly, in ICT, schools know deep down that it’s best to fix something before it fails, and that’s a strategy we wholly believe in. We invest time and care in ensuring that all ICT is fit for purpose, and we assess the ability of your network to cope with peak demand. If you can rely on your support provider to do this kind of groundwork, they’ll minimise the risk of serious ICT emergencies, which will undoubtedly save you time, money and stress in the long run.

If the worst does happen, your ICT team should be able to step in and help immediately. An approved garage has expertise on your car, and similarly, your ICT team should have thorough knowledge of your systems. In our experience, trusting an unprepared, unskilled ICT support team can only ever lead to more problems.

Trusting Your Provider

Cheap car insurance may look perfectly adequate on paper, but when it comes to the crunch, you might find your cover is not all it seems. Many people opt for the cheapest possible protection, only to find that the claims procedure is lengthy, complicated and confusing.

With ICT support, you need the equivalent of fully comprehensive cover. Your school needs the peace of mind to know that the support team can resolve all problems. It’s no good paying for support provision if the terms of cover are limited, because time is of the essence when the next lesson is looming.

Trusol prides itself on offering the highest standards of service, focusing on a proactive approach to problem resolution. Where possible, we’ll monitor and fix problems before you’re even aware of them. And if you do need to get in touch, we offer a one-stop-shop for all of your questions.

If your current ICT support provider opts out of fixing certain issues, or tells you to contact the manufacturer if a piece of hardware fails, that’s simply not good enough. Trusol is committed to covering every component, from the cable that connects your computer to the internet, to the servers that store teachers’ essential lesson plans. We are responsible for sorting out every ICT issue, and we won’t fob you off with excuses.

Investing in the Best

Cheap car insurance may be a headline-grabber, but there’s a time and a place for cutting corners. Your school ICT is an essential service, and your users should expect the very best.

Trusol has a team of skilled engineers standing by to answer users’ queries, and we take great pride in the high standards of cover we offer.

If your ICT support service is falling short of expectations, it’s leaving your school open to risk. Give our team a test drive, and find out how the job should be done.

24 Mar eBooks & Education

Education is the medicine that cures ignorance, and the suggestion is that the best way to administer this medicine is in ‘tablet’ form.

That’s because it’s increasingly obvious that eBooks, iPads, Android tablets or Learnpads, (made specifically for classroom use); are now a significant and invaluable learning tool.

A recent study commissioned by the Tablets for Schools charity revealed that 70% of primary and secondary schools in the UK now use tablets in the classroom.

As the National Literacy Trust (NLT) has discovered, from their extensive research, the devices make a real and lasting impact on children’s ability to receive information, and to learn from it.  The charitable organisation – whose mission is to increase UK literacy – annually tracks the nation’s reading abilities. Their 2012 report revealed that for the first time more students read on computers and electronic devises than the printed page.

Intrigued by these findings, the NLT followed up this report with their 2014/15 survey. Working in conjunction with RM Education, they developed an initiative to examine how literacy improved in schools that used tablets.

Forty schools took part in the programme, and the results were impressive!

It was discovered that using ebooks often had a huge impact on a pupil’s reading habits, along with their overall literacy. The study found that the more time a pupil spent with an ebook, the greater was their progress in reading ability.

Similarly, confidence in reading was also enhanced, with boys showing a significant increase in belief in their own abilities.  The percentage of boys who felt reading was difficult almost halved from 28% to 15.9%.

Meanwhile, the most reluctant readers participating in the study saw their enjoyment rise from 49% to 64.2%.

The idea of curling up with a good book was also shown to become more socially acceptable, with a 27% increase of students agreeing that: “Reading is cool.”

Along the same lines, schools reported a 37% decrease in the number of pupils who couldn’t find anything interesting to read.

Discussing the study results, NLT Research Manager, Irene Picton, said: “The study clearly demonstrates the impact ebooks can have on reading enjoyment, particularly for boys, and what has been established goes well beyond the novelty of a new reading format.”

She added: “It is important to recognise the increased reading opportunities that technology offers for pupils, and how it can help children who struggle to read.”

The data suggests giving children access to books in digital format increases their reading abilities and enjoyment, whether at school or in the home. This means they are much more likely to succeed, excelling in all areas of education.

In years to come, initiatives similar to the one created for the NLT study will be crucial in advancing literacy and the love of learning.

Also, it’s important to note that more than 250 schools expressed an interest in participating in the NLT initiative. Unfortunately they were forced to drop out due to a lack of technological infrastructure, inadequate Wi-Fi networks and personnel complications.

This underlines the importance of school capabilities and infrastructure. Without the necessary resources, it will be increasingly difficult for schools to keep pace with the educational demands of a modern learning environment.

The NLT study on ebooks sheds light on what can be achieved, in even a short period of time, when the right technology is combined with traditional learning methods.

At Trusol we can provide you with a range of Learn Pads, tablets or iPads that will turn reluctant book browsers into ravenous readers.

If your school wants to develop a literacy program similar to the one in the NLT study, and you need information and assistance integrating technology, then feel free to contact us.