8 replies to this topic

[S. Casebourne]

I have to write a side of A4 in order to try and get a laptop. In it I must set out:

- How I will use the laptop
- How this will benefit teaching and learning in the classroom
- How these benefots will be shared with other teachers

I know pretty much what I want to say but any nuggets that could swing it? - only 7 available and the Head's bagged one!

Any help greatly appreciated.

[Andrew Field]

OK - off the top of my head, and without any knowledge of your position / experience in the school (which can be used both ways - if you have been teaching a long time = desire to improve, if you are a newer teacher = opportunity to show my dynamic and innovative teaching).

"I feel I would make effective use of a laptop in all areas of my current postition - from an administrative together with a teaching and learning perspective. In terms of administration I can use my excellent skills to record statistical information on my pupils and develop good practice to share throughout the school. In addition to using the laptop as a source of electionic data collection I will be able to utilise the computer as a digital storage device to hold worksheets and resources to be made available to any member of the department at the touch of a button.

However, I feel my use of a laptop would be most benefical in terms of teaching and learning. If given the opportunity I would be able to enhance the use of ICT within history. Use of a laptop will enable me to bring ICT directly into the classroom. If connected to a digital projector the dynamic and amazing possibilities are endless. With the laptop I will be able to produce lesson materials at home and at school, making them readily available whenever they are required. Using PowerPoint my lessons can be transformed with videos, images, sound and animation. Developing my existing lesson techniques, the laptop will enable me to take my teaching and my pupils learning to, quite literally, the next level.

Overall, I would relish the opportunity to show my potential with the use of one of these precious but essential teaching tools. Granting me the chance to show what is possible will enable me to help the school develop a model of good practice in relation to effective use of a laptop in terms of teaching, learning, administration and resource management."

[Stephen Drew]

Wow!

This is exactly what I had to last week. Fingers crossed at the moment, the deadline is Wednesday for applications. We have five to go around so......

Here is the text of what I wrote for the Head. Obviously it is personal to me, but perhaps it would be of some help to you. (edited to remove personal references! )

Date: 1-9-02

Subject: Laptops

From: Dr

To: Sd

I would like to bid for one of the five laptops available to staff on the following grounds:

• There is already a digital projector in F7 that I use extensively for my teaching. The provision of a laptop to link to this, rather than the rebuilt desktop used at present, would enhance the performance of this expensive piece of ICT equipment.

• I keep my registers of attendance and marking on PC, and at present this is on the network. A laptop with network access from my desk would enable me to manage these better and transfer data between home and school with ease.

• There is no screen for the PC in my room except the digital projector, and a laptop would make it easier to use the set up in my lessons.

• As part of one of my department's GTP she needs to develop ICT skills. I would be able to create lessons with her on the laptop using PowerPoint etc and then she could use them in F1 with the portable digital projector that is available for staff.

• The GTP teacher would also be able to take the laptop home with her when necessary to work on ICT work, and I would be able to offer phone support in the evenings to facilitate the best use of this.

• As part of the ongoing program that the History department has to develop the intranet in school, I would be able to keep the large and extensive files that make up the intranet on the hard drive on the laptop as well as the network to enable me to work on them at home.

• I write PowerPoint presentations on my home PC that are often up to 10-20Mb in size including video and music. To be able to connect the laptop to my PC using a LAN connection and have instant transfer of data would improve the efficiency of my work for school.

• The laptop would allow me to download the sitebuilder program that I use to build the History department website and store all the pages on as I work on them to upload whilst at home or in school. This would augment my work at home on this growing project.

We were limited to 300 words, and I don't know yet if I have been successful, but I live in hope!

Obviously I am writing this already having a digital projector and already making extensive use of ICT, so it would be an upgrade option for me, but the thrust is universal. I would also echo what Andrew has put.

[S. Casebourne]

Thanks for the replies - great help!

[Dan Moorhouse]

We've just been told that we've got 6 on offer. The criteria hasn't been agreed yet but it's been made clear that we will have to apply formally. Some good ideas so far... keep us all updated please!

[Andrew Field]

For a staff of 90 (ish), we got 15. Lovely laptops though - the LEA scooped all the cash, and then bought £1 Million of Dell laptops.

From the 15, five have been given out permanently, the rest can be loaned out for specific periods of time, or booked out for trips etc.

I think this is quite a good solution.

Although probably because I got one of the permanent ones. The reason / criteria - because I design the school website. I expected to have to prove my case. Nothing of the sort.



The best thing about it is the Briefcase function. Used this with my old one, but as the new one has XP, as does our new home PC, there is an extremely fast network connection between the two, and I just book out the files I'm working on, work on them at school, then book them in when I get home. So far, works like a dream.

Famous last words though.

[Carole Faithorn]

I 'won' sole use of one of ten laptops on the basis of much the same as has already been said by everyone else:

improved administration/record keeping
ease of sharing resources with colleagues
'enhanced' lessons

etc.etc

However I did put rather more emphasis on the benefits to the pupils than anything else and I think that's what swung it for me.

[Roy Huggins]

Why not add that it can also be shared by others within your department thus maximising the school's return for value for money.

[Stephen Drew]

To share my good news with everyone:

A nondescript white envelope appeared in my pigeon hole yesterday informing me that my bid for a laptop had been accepted and I should expect delivery in the next three weeks.

More technology in F7!