
Newsletter No.62
If you want a consultancy visit to discuss any aspect of ICT, remember every Lifeline school has a one hour consultancy visit included in the subscription so it won't cost you anything.
Michael Gove's Speech
Unless you have been on holiday to Mars you will almost certainly be aware of Michael Gove's speech effectively scrapping the National Curriculum Programme of Study for ICT from September this year.
The full text of the speech can be found here.
It is worth emphasising that "ICT will remain compulsory at all key stages, and will still be taught at every stage of the curriculum.'
However schools are tasked with devising: "their own programme of study specifically for their school". This will give "the freedom and flexibility to decide what is best for their pupils". While this seems sensible, it is also a huge challenge for schools particularly given the short timescale.
We are therefore proposing to hold an ICT Curriculum. workshop - probably in the summer term. We see this as an opportunity for schools to share ideas and best practice. We will hopefully be able to provide one or two 'experts' to challenge and inspire.
If you would be interested in attending please fill in the form here so that we have some idea of numbers.
We are also available to assist at staff meetings and/or training days when you are devising your own ICT Programme of Study.
In the meantime we would recommend that schools actively follow and contribute to the online discussion at
http://schoolstech.org.uk/
Re: Hard Drive Prices Rise Dramatically
In the last edition we told you about the effect that the dreadful flooding in Thailand had had on the supply and price of hard drives. Although as recently as 2 weeks ago there were still problems with flooding in Thailand, the hard drive situation has settled down and most types of drive are readily available. However the prices are still considerably higher than they were before the flooding and this is now reflected in increased prices of PCs and laptops.
Dorset Schools Broadband
There is still some confusion over the change of broadband provider in Dorset from UpData to KComm. We are attending a meeting on Thursday 19th January arranged by DCC which will hopefully clarify the situation. If your school is not attending the meeting and require further information then please contact us.
Unless you have been on holiday to Mars you will almost certainly be aware of Michael Gove's speech effectively scrapping the National Curriculum Programme of Study for ICT from September this year.
The full text of the speech can be found here.
It is worth emphasising that "ICT will remain compulsory at all key stages, and will still be taught at every stage of the curriculum.'
However schools are tasked with devising: "their own programme of study specifically for their school". This will give "the freedom and flexibility to decide what is best for their pupils". While this seems sensible, it is also a huge challenge for schools particularly given the short timescale.
We are therefore proposing to hold an ICT Curriculum. workshop - probably in the summer term. We see this as an opportunity for schools to share ideas and best practice. We will hopefully be able to provide one or two 'experts' to challenge and inspire.
If you would be interested in attending please fill in the form here so that we have some idea of numbers.
We are also available to assist at staff meetings and/or training days when you are devising your own ICT Programme of Study.
In the meantime we would recommend that schools actively follow and contribute to the online discussion at
http://schoolstech.org.uk/
Re: Hard Drive Prices Rise Dramatically
In the last edition we told you about the effect that the dreadful flooding in Thailand had had on the supply and price of hard drives. Although as recently as 2 weeks ago there were still problems with flooding in Thailand, the hard drive situation has settled down and most types of drive are readily available. However the prices are still considerably higher than they were before the flooding and this is now reflected in increased prices of PCs and laptops.
Dorset Schools Broadband
There is still some confusion over the change of broadband provider in Dorset from UpData to KComm. We are attending a meeting on Thursday 19th January arranged by DCC which will hopefully clarify the situation. If your school is not attending the meeting and require further information then please contact us.
BETT Awards 2012
We were delighted that Just2Easy won the BETT award for 'ICT Tools for Learning and Teaching' with j2Webby (see Newsletter 60). Geoff Titmus and Danny Young can be seen receiving their award here.
The full list of winners is at
http://www.bettawards.com/359721
We particularly liked the Lumens
wireless version of the DC120
visualiser.
If you already have a DC120
visualiser, wireless capability is
available as an add-on.
Just2Easy Prices
Just2Easy have devised a simplified pricing structure for their increasing range of on-line tools. They are now sold in 'value packs' all of which include j2Webby - the tool that enables one click on-line publishing of children's (and staff's) creations.
First/Infant Schools have the choice of 2 packs
Value Pack 1 - JIT and J2Webby - £199 (£179.10 Lifeline)
Value Pack 2 - JIT, j2e and j2Webby - £299 (£269.10 Lifeline)
The Primary School Value Pack contains JIT, j2e and j2Webby - prices as Value Pack 2 above.
The Secondary School Value Pack contains j2e, j2Measure and j2Webby also for £299 (£269.10 Lifeline) but it is also available for Primary or Middle Schools.
Finally there are:
Creative Toolkit
j2e, JIT, j2Spotlight and j2Webby - £349 (£314.10 Lifeline)
Creative Tool Suite (all products):
j2e, j2Measure, JIT, j2Webby, j2Spotlight, j2Vote and j2e5
£449 (£404.10 Lifeline)
Small schools (<120 NOR) get a £75 discount (£67.50 Lifeline)
If you want a different combination of tools then contact us and we will get you a price.
All of the above are available with a half day's introductory training for an additional £150 (£140 Lifeline).
Find out more here.
We were delighted that Just2Easy won the BETT award for 'ICT Tools for Learning and Teaching' with j2Webby (see Newsletter 60). Geoff Titmus and Danny Young can be seen receiving their award here.
The full list of winners is at
http://www.bettawards.com/359721
We particularly liked the Lumens
wireless version of the DC120
visualiser.
If you already have a DC120
visualiser, wireless capability is
available as an add-on.
Just2Easy Prices
Just2Easy have devised a simplified pricing structure for their increasing range of on-line tools. They are now sold in 'value packs' all of which include j2Webby - the tool that enables one click on-line publishing of children's (and staff's) creations.
First/Infant Schools have the choice of 2 packs
Value Pack 1 - JIT and J2Webby - £199 (£179.10 Lifeline)
Value Pack 2 - JIT, j2e and j2Webby - £299 (£269.10 Lifeline)
The Primary School Value Pack contains JIT, j2e and j2Webby - prices as Value Pack 2 above.
The Secondary School Value Pack contains j2e, j2Measure and j2Webby also for £299 (£269.10 Lifeline) but it is also available for Primary or Middle Schools.
Finally there are:
Creative Toolkit
j2e, JIT, j2Spotlight and j2Webby - £349 (£314.10 Lifeline)
Creative Tool Suite (all products):
j2e, j2Measure, JIT, j2Webby, j2Spotlight, j2Vote and j2e5
£449 (£404.10 Lifeline)
Small schools (<120 NOR) get a £75 discount (£67.50 Lifeline)
If you want a different combination of tools then contact us and we will get you a price.
All of the above are available with a half day's introductory training for an additional £150 (£140 Lifeline).
Find out more here.




