Parents and Students want more contact - Local Company provides technology to meet the demands of today?

A local Company, Integra ICT based in Bedfordshire, review the results of a recent Education survey and discuss the technology available to improve communication in schools.

A new study by YouGov states that 67 % of teachers and 68% of parents questioned would welcome more contact. Nearly a quarter of parents would like to be able to text or correspond with teachers out of school hours. With both parents working, increased workloads and travel difficulties, parents are increasingly unavailable during the school day and often unable to attend traditional parents evening. All levels of society are becoming increasingly ‘tech savvy’ and seeking less formal forms of communication. If we are to move with the times the education sector must surely embrace digital tools and technology to both engage and inspire their students. A forward thinking College that has already embraced communication technology is New College Stamford, a 4000 student facility for 14 to 19 year olds. The college undertook an investment in its IT infrastructure one year ago, prior to that confidence in IT and communication systems was poor. The College now operates 2 wireless broadband networks, 1 for staff and a student/guest network. Access on college equipment is heavily restricted but fewer restrictions exist for individuals using their own hardware. Students have access to a Virtual Learning Environment for research and study. The college find that allowing access from students own equipment both encourages study and reduces pressure on college owned equipment. Staff members utilise the wireless network to take registers electronically so eliminating the need for students to act as traditional ‘runners.’ The College invested in a Siemens telephone system 10 years ago. Since then the system has undergone a number of upgrades however, rather than replacing everything, the supplier Integra ICT ensured that much of the “core” hardware including handsets was retained, making best use of the original investment. The latest upgrade to the system has enabled wireless working for voice users across the campus. As well as improving communication and saving time for key staff members this enhances security and response times in cases of accidents and incidents. As the technology develops it is now possible for a “dual mode” mobile telephone (which most now are) to be used as an extension on the system. This gives added flexibility, reduces costs and means that only one device needs to be carried. Consideration is currently being given to soft phones on laptops. In principle this means that all staff members including teachers can simply “log on” and be permanently connected as an extension in any location across the college. Clearly this needs to be used with discretion; however users are in control of how they manage their communication and when appropriate can simply route calls to voicemail. It’s all about giving added flexibility and proving easy ways to communicate. This kind of soft phone can be implemented for minimal cost. So how do education facilities meet the need for communication whilst respecting privacy and providing protection for all parties? Text and Email communication are two possible routes but this would need to be managed. Learner mentors are a possibility but consideration must be given to acceptable limits and the terms and conditions of teaching staff. For instance, New College Stamford is currently using a text messaging service to notify staff and students en masse of important information such as school closures, and important events in the college calendar. This is a very effective solution, but it does require that a member of staff be responsible for issuing this information. In reality the technology available is racing well ahead of working practice and available funding. Some aspects of technology however, such as video and web conferencing, do offer potential sources of income for the establishment. New College Stamford are successfully using Web and Video Conferencing to maintain communications with outlying staff in remote sites and are currently trialling presence software so staff can see when their colleagues are available for communication, whether that be at their desk, in the classroom, or out of the office. Overview of communication platforms – benefits and effect: • Internal and external phone communication. Voice mail systems accessed from both phone and PC. Recorded event and homework reminders accessible by parents and students. Reported absences • Voice recording systems, protection against abuse, litigation, training tool for new staff • Instant messaging and discreet collaboration via teacher laptops. Increases security in class and response times in case of incident • Conferencing and Collaboration, connecting in real time to teachers via the internet. Share work on screen, discuss progress, anti-social behaviour. Enhance parent/teacher relationship • Sophisticated call routing for out of hours contact – Homework Hotline. Extending the learning environment and increasing motivation • Mass notification to students and parents, emergencies and closures – email/SMS and voice mail • Video and Web Conferencing – Courses for disparate students. Virtual field trips without leaving the facility. Potential for college income, specialised subjects. Clearly there must be extensive discussion as to the far reaching effects of this technology. It is expected that the more progressive facilities will act as ‘trail blazers’ into the future. Sophisticated communication platforms will no doubt form the basis of a very different education arena. One within which disparate students studying specialist subjects across both continents and countries is commonplace. Integra ICT describe themselves as ‘enabling joined up communications’. Simply put they provide ICT solutions to clients, integrating communication systems and improving business process. Services extend from phone systems, minutes and mobile, conferencing and cabling for voice, video and data. Integra ICT endeavour to enhance equipment already in place while fulfilling their clients’ expectations in the best way possible to avoid unnecessary disposal. www.integra-ict.co.uk Tel 01767 684898 Email: info@integra-ict.co.uk

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