ICT Support for Schools

With ICT expanding and becoming more complex in education, schools are now more reliant on the need for all of their systems, network and equipment to be running at their optimum performance throughout the school day.

Managed ICT support for schools is, therefore, a crucial element in ensuring the smooth running of a network infrastructure.  In larger schools or colleges then such managed support may well be in-house and that’s great, but what can smaller schools with fewer resources achieve for their ICT support.

Day to day ICT support will encompass monitoring your server’s critical life signs, such as; memory usage, disk space, backup, antivirus and a number of other checks to ensure your server is functioning at its optimum performance. Other varied requirements may include fixing network connections, replacing printer parts, returning faulty devices that are still under warranty, fixing faulty machines that are no longer under warranty, installing software, uninstalling software, maintaining or installing a wireless network, project managing a new ICT suite design, installing a new switch, monitoring software licences, procuring new equipment and so the very ling list goes on.

If you are an ICT co-ordinator, such lists of duties as above can seem quite daunting to fit into your day especially if you don’t have other colleagues to help and you probably have to teach too!  So what is the alternative?

There have, for a long time, been specialised ICT companies offering domestic and business technical support contracts and many of these companies will also now offer specialised ICT support for schools and colleges.  So excellent, get an expert to do all your jobs!  Well yes, but there is a cost associated which such services so, of course, ensuring you receive the best value is very important.

ICT for Schools

Here are some of the key ICT support elements to think about:

•    Choose a company with a good, long term track record
•    Investigate their history of support services and installations
•    Get a selection of references from other schools and colleges using their services
•    Get a feel for their innovation in new technology and how they implement it
•    Check their depth of engineering skills.  ICT can be a very specialised subject, one engineer is unlikely to know everything about every aspect of IT.
•    Do they offer a flexible approach to support cover so that you can manage the engineering hours you pay for to maximise your budget?
•    Can they offer remote support?  This can be a quick effective way of solving problems and saving call out’s
•    Check that the support contract covers all the necessary requirements for the smooth running of your network.
•    Test their suggested proposal against your future strategy and judge how well those solutions will meet your requirements in the long term
•    How efficient is their system of communication ahead of their onsite visits?
•    Will they offer you any free telephone support?
•    See if they apply an energy saving ‘green’ attitude



Regular ICT technical support visits to your school are usually a great thing, you can plan ahead your list of jobs that need attending to and know that your system has a regular pattern of suitable checks.  However, ICT equipment doesn’t always adhere to regularity and can go wrong at any time, so look for a system that gives you the flexibility to organise ad-hoc visits.  You may also (but lets hope not) have a bad term in which your needs for specialised support are heavier than usual so check that your proposed support company will enable affordable ‘top-ups’ to your time.

SchoolCare are experts in ICT support for schools in the South of England.  
Call on 0845 86 22 660 for more information.

Netbooks for Education and School Wireless LAN

Wow, wireless networks and netbooks for schools seem to be the hot topic at the moment with more and more looking at the teaching potential of mobile computers through a school wireless LAN.

So if you are an ICT Co-ordinator, where do you start when it comes to choosing the perfect combination of school wireless LAN and netbook combination?  With regard to the school wireless LAN solution, we believe that the leading solution for a fast, reliable and affordable school infrastructure, is Meru Networks.

Meru Networks has been at the forefront of technology for a school wireless LAN for some time and provide solutions for both 802.11g and 802.11n networks.  Meru wireless networks set themselves apart from much of the competition by providing a single channel solution to the otherwise complex issue of channel planning a school wireless infrastructure.

The Meru “Air Traffic Control” system means that all wireless clients have time to send their message on the school wireless LAN with excellent network efficiency. This results in 99% of data getting sent or received the first time.   

What this means for your school wireless LAN?  Meru wireless networks are easily installed, easily scaled and fast infrastructure to rival a wired network.  Less waiting to log on; less frustration at lost connection or slow speeds; all leads to both teachers and students enjoying and making the most out of what a school wireless LAN can offer.  For more on Meru see our wireless for education page.

Netbooks for Education

So you’ve chosen your school wireless LAN and now to the choice of which wireless devices to give the students?  Of course there are a wide range of laptops for education but if you have decided the greater portability (or maybe lack of available budget) of netbooks is the way to go then you have a wide choice.

The range of netbooks for education is currently very crowded with most of the leading computer manufacturers, including Toshiba, ASUS, Sony, Samsung, Dell, MSI, etc, all competing for this sector.  Despite so many manufacturers competing with their netbook designs, the current range all tend to have very similar specifications.

Most of the current range of netbooks for schools offer from an 8.9” to a 10.1” screen, an Intel Atom N270 (1.6GHz) processor, sufficient RAM, 160GB of storage and the usual USB ports, SD card slots and VGA connection for projectors or monitors.  Most will only come with XP Home (or now Windows 7) so be aware you’ll have to ensure the correct operating system is allowed for in your budgeting if you want the netbook to run on your network.

Possibly the main areas to consider when choosing a fleet of netbooks for education is the WiFi.  If you’ve just invested in a fast 802.11n school wireless LAN system, you probably won’t want to go and buy a netbook that offers the slower 802.11g standard.  The difference between g and n wireless speeds is significant with n being the new standard for the foreseeable future, so buy carefully.  Whereas n enabled netbooks were in the next price bracket a few months ago, examples such as the Samsung N130 offer fast n WiFi at a very affordable price.

Also consider battery life for the day-to-day use of netbooks for education.  Here investment in a netbook for your school that can offer all day use between charging will make a big difference to the amount of teaching time they are effective for and save more trips back to the storage trolley!.

Another manufacturer, Zoostorm, have approached the netbook market with a range of netbooks for schools especially designed for children up to the ages of about 14.  They have two main models, the Fizzbook Bang and Fizzbook Spin.  The Fizzbook Bang is a very tough machine having been designed to survive being dropped, knocked or have liquid spilt on the keyboard and it comes with a built in carry handle (so actually its probably less likely to slip out of little hands anyway).  The Fizzbook Spin is a netbooks for schools that offers a screen that revolves 180° and folds flat over the keyboard to create a tablet machine that can be used with a stylus pen for drawing or writing.  Both the Fizzbook netbooks come with a similar specification to the rest of the market (as above) although note that the Bang only has g WiFi.

So what are the pro’s and con’s of netbooks for education?

Netbooks for Education - Pro’s

•    Up to half the price of laptops so more mobile devices for your budget
•    Now available with 802.11n fast WiFi
•    Long battery life versions now available
•    Store more machines per charging trolley
•    Light-weight for students to carry about
•    Can be carried inside any bag so less of a visible threat for theft
•    Because they are small they don’t fill desk space leaving room for text books
•    Quick boot up times

Netbooks for Education – Con’s

•    Older students or adults may find a smaller keyboard harder to use
•    Netbooks do not have DVD drives (though you can connect external devices via USB)
•    Cheaper netbooks may lack longer battery life
•    Smaller screens may make some applications harder to use

So, if you are considering a fleet of netbooks for education then there is plenty of choice (but don’t expect a wide range of variety in specifications) and the range is changing all the time.  See some examples on our netbooks for education page.

RATIFICATION OF THE 802.11n WIRELESS STANDARD

With the ratification by the IEEE Standards Association of the 802.11n standard comes a ten fold increase in wireless data rates designed to help enterprise, home and public WLAN users.  The 802.11 international standard defines how to design WLAN equipment with a variety of capabilities and backward compatibility with legacy standards.

The process of ratification by the IEEE, a globally recognised non-profit body that sets the best practice levels for the technology industry, has involved more than 400 individuals from equipment and silicon providers, service providers and academic institutions from more than 20 countries over a period of some seven years.

There are currently two main standards of wireless network, 802.11g and 802.11n (standards 802.11a and 802.11b exist but are either legacy or not common in an education environment, though supported by wireless devices).  802.11n will now set the standard for the future of next generation multimedia applications and already there are more than one million units shipping every day.

802.11g networks is well established technology offering a maximum of 54Mbps throughput (though typically 20-25Mbps in a real world environment). This bandwidth is shared between all users on the wireless network. 99.9% of all laptops coming to market today will support the 802.11g standard.  802.11n networks, now the new standard for the future, offers bandwidth of up to 600Mbps (typically 540Mbps Maximum). Most new laptops and netbooks coming to market today are supplied with an ‘n’ based radio, allowing them to take advantage of this new technology.

Meru Wireless Networks - Setting the Standard of Wireless Solutions for Education

Meru Networks is at the forefront of wireless technology and provide solutions for both 802.11g and 802.11n networks.

Meru offers exciting new features such as Air Traffic Control which means that all wireless clients have time to send their message on the network and unparalleled network efficiency. This means 99% of data gets sent or received the first time as opposed to traditional wireless networks where this figure can drop to as low as 2% when multiple clients are in use. This means a fast, reliable and robust wireless network which performs that way that enterprise, educational establishments and home users now expect.

“An investment in a solution such as a wireless network is no small undertaking and therefore longevity of any solution needs to be considered. With technology moving quickly and the lifespan of 802.11g networks decreasing, investing in a technology which will be the standard for the foreseeable future cannot represent anything other than best value” says Steve Jones Managing Director of SchoolCare.

Budget constraints mean that not everyone can afford to replace their entire wired infrastructure immediately to allow for a full 802.11n wireless deployment. Meru have, therefore, introduced an intermediate solution which allows customers to lay the foundations for their 802.11n network but allowing them to upgrade their wired infrastructure when budgets allow.

Consequently, SchoolCare have found this 802.11n capable solution extremely popular amongst its education customers.

802.11n has been designed to happily support new and old laptops on the 802.11g standard meaning that schools upgrading their wireless LAN do not lose the use of existing devices.
When a school or college considers upgrading their wireless network to a fully compliant 802.11n standard, the following needs to be considered:

All switches need to support the Gigabit Ethernet standard. This may mean replacing them with newer models, eg the HP ProCurve 1800-24g Web managed Gigabit switch as a minimum.

Meru Wireless Networks offer both single and dual radio versions of their access points. Single radio access points provide superb performance and value and are ideal in situations where a laptop fleet all predominantly have similar Wireless Cards (or cards which support similar 802.11 standards).

Although 802.11n Access Points handle a mixed environment (where clients with both 802.11g and 802.11n radios connect to the same Access Point) extremely well to benefit from uninterrupted high speed throughput a Dual Radio access point is recommended. This allows 802.11g clients to connect to one radio and 802.11n radios to the other. Dual Radio access points are also required to obtain the full 540Mbps per second through put (Single Radio AP’s will offer a maximum of 300 Mbps).

SchoolCare has a long standing relationship with Meru networks and was one of the first suppliers to install and commission educational Meru wireless networks in the South of the UK. The relationship between SchoolCare and Meru spans over 3 years and encompasses a large number of installations both large and small.

SchoolCare and Meru networks have completed a large number of installations for flagship schools in Hampshire and Dorset as well as a great many in Somerset, Wiltshire and Devon.

SchoolCare are currently a Meru Authorised Partner with trained partner engineers, meaning you can be sure of First Class service. All of our engineers are CRB checked and registered and our Electrical and Data engineers are NIC/EIC and/or NAPPIT accredited.

For more information on the Exciting Meru wireless solutions then see our wireless for education page or Meru's website. 

Announcing the new Smart 685ix Interactive Whiteboard for Education

Introduced in the early 1990’s, Smart interactive whiteboards for education have now (along with other leading manufacturers such as Promethean) found there way into almost all schools in England.  With touch sensitive screens and interactive pen technology, a new dimension to teaching was born and, indeed, few classrooms in England seem to be without an interactive whiteboard now. The technology has continued to advance, of course, and the latest generation of interactive whiteboard for education has now been announced by Smart; the Smart 685ix.  The new Smart 685ix is an all-in-one interactive whiteboard will integrate an ultra short throw projector to almost eliminate shadow and projector glare in the users eye line when compared with ceiling or older wall mounted projectors.

The UX60 projector is positioned directly above the centre of the board and, Smart claim, will project ultra-crisp and bright images from only 12 inches away.  The result should mean vibrant, well defined images that students will find easy to see even with bright natural light.

The design also provides an extra 20% more space than a standard board with an aspect ratio of 16:10, native WXGA (1280 x 800) and an 87inch (221cm) widescreen.  This will give more opportunity to be inventive with teaching and also provide a platform for making video or images have much more impact.

The UX60 projector can also be connected to your network and, with its own IP address, be controlled remotely by your network administrator. Being virtually maintenance free sounds great too, with a filter-free design enabled by the use of DLP technology.  Not having to clean, maintain or replace filters will be a blessing for any ICT Co-ordinator not to mention a saved cost too.

Smart say that the 685ix will have an extended control panel to offer teachers more flexibility while ensuring that students can interact with lessons.  Teachers will be able to add multimedia devices, such as document cameras, DVD players and digital cameras, all of which can be controlled from the panel.  The extended control panel will allow access from two computers at the same time too enabling the user to switch between them as required.

The Smart 685ix will, of course, have all the usual features that teachers have become used to, such as being able to write with the digital pens, erase with your palm and move objects with your finger; all without having to use the buttons or screen menus.

So, with a three year warranty on the UX60 projector (estimated lamp life of 3000 to 4000 hours) and a five year warranty on the Smart 685ix interactive whiteboard, this new Smart 685ix is sure to find many schools keen to invest.

So, if your current whiteboards are now starting to show their age and your school is looking to upgrade to the latest generation of interactive whiteboard, the Smart 685ix could be just what you’re looking for.  Smart say that the release date of this new interactive whiteboard is due for mid-December but orders can be taken ahead of that time.

For more information and pricing details, please contact the Sales team on 0845 8622660 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it