With students and teachers back in the classroom the temptation may be to go back to how our classrooms were before the pandemic. However, the lockdowns, bubbles and online learning has left a legacy and a very real opportunity to move our classes and teaching forward and harness all the technology that has flooded our school communities over the last year. Schools have found that they have more devices than ever before. The DfE, Wandsworth Local Authority, Power to Connect and private donations have increased the number of connected devices in our schools and our learners’ homes. With this influx of technology comes the need to review and assess the infrastructure we have in our schools, to maximise the benefit of these additional devices and the increased traffic on our wireless networks. The following points should be explored by schools to ensure that they are confident and appropriately supported to be able to sustain the exciting technology and computing boom.
Keeping Connected
Your learners have eagerly come back to the classroom and have developed a whole new set of skills. Distance learning has allowed students to access more resources, more frequently from more places. This thirst for online research and independent study can be channelled through effective teaching, but like any organisation, schools are only as good as the tools they have to teach with. The increased use of streamed video clips is one example of additional pressure and stress on your wireless network. Wandsworth Schools ICT Support can visit your school, assess the infrastructure is appropriate for the increased number of devices and the increased amount of use on your network.
One to One Devices
With the increased number of devices returning to classrooms some schools have decided that certain groups are to be taught 1 to 1 with a device per pupil. Having hundreds of eager learners all surfing and researching in one place at once puts an enormous strain on the school’s wireless network. As a school you know which classrooms and which pupils are likely to receive the devices – but have you checked the strength and capability of the connection in these specific areas? The Wandsworth Schools ICT Support team is available to visit and test your school’s wireless access points to ensure the signal strength is capable of supporting the new fantastic hardware in all areas of your school and not leaving children and staff frustrated where devices cannot get online.
Collaborative Learning
With your new connected devices learners will be working together more – sharing ideas, presenting demonstrations and collaborating on documents. These social platforms will allow teachers to be creative in the classroom and with assessments, allowing students to relay back their ideas regardless of where they are in the school. For this exciting new way of learning to succeed and for your school to grasp the potential of children studying together with devices they intuitively understand, your school must have a robust, reliable and secure wireless network. Wandsworth Schools ICT Support can provide an extensive health check on your existing network. You will receive a comprehensive report detailing how and where improvements can be made to ensure your learners and staff can enjoy the full benefit of a fit for purpose wireless network.
Wireless Service
The Wandsworth Schools ICT Support team offer a fully managed Wireless Support Service. From the initial survey, we will report on the current health of your existing network, make recommendations on improvements that can be made and where to invest your money to ensure that you have the best possible wireless network to meet your specific requirements. We are able to offer a complete school wireless network refresh, helping you through the procurement process by obtaining quotations to guarantee high quality wireless hardware that is appropriate for your schools at excellent prices. As a Local Authority team we are able to undercut our competitors and we have high quality expertise in the design, implementation and support of wireless networks. Our dedicated team of ICT professionals are at the ready to ensure that any wireless issues you experience are covered and for complete peace of mind, we will help, advise and support you through every step of the process.
