Ranger Remote Control

Thursday 03.01.08, the first day of SBT1…an INSET day. We were treated to a “talk” from the head of the IT department…

Other than the actual teachers IT has the biggest budget within the school. With devices such as digital blue cameras, microscopes, interactive whiteboards (the ones that are whiteboards and have a device that makes them interactive) and webcams to name but a few of their current supplies, suggests they are clearly in touch with current IT. However as the day progressed it became clear that such equipment has been sat collecting dust in cupboards for a while. Due to issues with fitting it in to the constrained time frame that the National Curriculum allows, and the clear lack of confidence that some of the teachers have, the expensive equipment just isn’t being used and instead is making the teachers feel increased pressure and inadequate.

The staff are advised when new equipment comes into the school and are given a demonstration in how to use them. However as they said, if they don’t use them they forget how they work and so using them becomes a mission, as they have to find time in advance of the lesson to be re-taught and sometimes it just doesn’t seem worth it.

The webcams were brought in so that children from this school could communicate with children at a partner school in Cardiff. However, a good idea that would have benefited children in two schools with a simple project has not been developed. Again this seems to be due to time constraints and lack of confidence. No one has taken a lead for their colleagues to follow.

Why is it that a majority of the teachers one comes across always seem defensive about their knowledge always saying they are “rubbish” at maths and IT? Maths is the same, it has always been the same, and there is normally one right answer, unlike English for example where it can be more open to interpretation. IT is something we all come across on a daily basis and without realising it; we are always improving our skills. However, sometimes we do need more active learning and involvement. The advances in IT have opened up so many opportunities to all, especially in the use of teaching. At my current placement few children have the opportunity to progress with computer skills out side of the classroom, it is times like this when as a teacher you are the child’s only window to improving their IT knowledge and skills, so they won’t be left behind in the future and don’t experience the anxiety and inadequacies experienced by some teachers today. It is so important to embrace the new technology even if it is difficult as much for the children’s benefit as for themselves.

The newest addition to the school’s IT department is a software package called Ranger Remote Control. I was excited to be introduced to this software at the same time as the teachers, to see the learning curve and to encourage my teacher to use it. This software will be linked to all computers and is for the LSA’s and the teachers to be able to monitor the children when the computer suite. All the computers can be viewed from the teacher’s computer. This allows them to track those computers, which have been left on, and so can easily conserve energy. It allows them to track the children’s work, by taking snap shots of the screen. Children’s work can be brought up on the projector and so work can be enlarged and easily shared for all the class to view. An important aspect of it is that individual computers can have restrictions placed upon it for Internet access. As with a situation that occurred today a child refused to do typing practice and wanted to spend his time on the Nickelodeon website, that they had been allowed to go on before the Christmas holiday. The children have assigned computers and these can be set so only certain websites can be accessed, the ones you want them to look at. If the children try to go on any other websites it informs them that they are unable to view the website and provides a list of the websites that the teacher has cleared for their computer.

I hope to use Ranger Remote Control to share the children’s work and monitor them when they are on the computers. I think it is great to see what school’s have available and are trying out with the possibility of taking the knowledge and skills to other schools.