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technology in schools Archives - thinkCSC

Managing EdTech Costs in Ohio Schools

By | EdTech | No Comments

edtech costsStudents returned to school in Ohio last month, and with their return, administrators are challenged to not only deliver a quality education but also to meet new edtech mandates that require technology to be incorporated into the educational experience. By the 2014-2015 school year students will be required to complete their final exams using a computer-based testing system rather than the old bubble-answer-sheet multiple-choice exams.

Technology requirements are already written into the new education standards. And while the goals of the Ohio Department of Education are laudable, implementing the new requirements has proved to be both costly and difficult for school administrators. Sourcing equipment at a reasonable cost, updating infrastructure to handle the influx of users and handling the issue of security, both on campus and off, with devices that travel to and from school has made back-to-school time more difficult.

Even when school districts are large enough to employ their own IT staffs, the burden of managing student technology needs can be overwhelming. thinkCSC has partnered with a number of school districts in Ohio to extend the ability of their existing IT staffs, to handle the growing tech demands Ohio schools are facing and will continue to face. In addition to sourcing equipment at the most competitive prices, thinkCSC offers a warranty service for schools that removes the burden of repair and replacement issues, by offering a warranty service that costs less than the manufacturer warranty and includes pick up and repair services.

As schools face looming deadline requiring them to provide computer-based testing to all students in order to meet the latest round of Ohio tech mandates, the challenge will be to do so without sacrificing the quality of the education or spending more than the school budget can endure. thinkCSC is a successful Ohio education partner and can help Ohio schools meet the challenges of the new tech mandates more effectively, providing solutions that enhance the experience for students and teachers while removing the burden from the shoulders of administrators.

Contact us today for more information.

Is Your School Ready for the EdTech It Needs?

By | EdTech | No Comments

schooltechAs a Columbus IT service provider, our goal is to do more than simply provide a one-time solution and then walk away. We want to engage in a partnership to make sure our clients receive the technology, technological support, and security they need in the most economical way. Recently, there has been a huge push to move towards one-to-one technology deployments using iPads and other iOS devices as well as to increase the physical security at schools. EdTech is the future of education. But is your infrastructure ready to handle these changes?

Because we work quite often with people in the education sector, budget constraints are always at the forefront. The struggle for administrators is that while budgets are shrinking, the tech requirements school administrators are being asked to implement keep increasing. And sometimes these devices are being deployed before the infrastructure is ready to handle them. In helping one school prepare for the purchase and deployment of 1700 iPads, we asked the following questions:

  • Do you have enough bandwidth and enough wireless access points?
  • What is the management policy you are implementing?
  • How will you use these devices to deliver curriculum?
  • How will you filter content?

Sometimes the people tasked with deciding whether to adopt these devices may not fully understand the underlying technological requirements for a successful implementation. And since most schools have limited IT staff (if they have any IT staff at all), a Columbus IT service provider can help facilitate the introduction of the technology in a way that is the most cost effective without sacrificing security. From networking to ensuring you have enough bandwidth to handle the connection of that many devices, thinkCSC partners with education providers to overcome challenges like content filtering. Have you considered the complications of filtering content on an iPad? It’s almost impossible to manage if it’s being taken off school grounds. We help schools create workable solutions to these and other infrastructure issues.