Purpose: CANCELLED MEETINGS

Audience: ICT Coordinators

Please note due to unforeseen circumstances, the following Summer Term Subject Leader Meetings have been cancelled:

Monday 18th June at 4pm - ICT Service, Godmanchester

Tuesday 19th June at 4pm - Elm Road Primary School, Wisbech

Wednesday 20th June at 4pm - Fen Ditton Primary School, Fen Ditton

Notification of any further dates will be published in future briefings.

Self-review Framework for ICT - free workshops

Purpose: Diary dates

Audience: Heads of ICT and Headteachers in Special and Secondary Schools

We are organising free half-day workshops on the SRF for special and secondary schools. An adviser will work with the subject leader for ICT, and a member of the leadership team is invited to take part for the first half or all of the session as well. The workshops will be appropriate both for schools who are in the early stages of using the SRF and for those who getting close to ICT Mark accreditation.

The workshop for special schools takes place on Thursday 12th July from 1.30 to 4.45 p.m. at Godmanchester. Details have been sent by letter. There is no charge for attendance. Lunch will be available from 12.45. Please respond by contacting ict.courses@cambridgeshire.gov.uk by Friday 30th June at the latest with the names of attendees.

For secondary schools, the workshop will be on Monday 1st October at the same time of day. Letters will be sent later this term.

E2BN Planned Maintenance

Purpose: Notice of Planned Maintenance on the E2BN network

Audience: Headteachers, ICT Teams

Please be aware that EasyNet will be undertaking planned maintenance on the E2BN network. The work planned is likely to have an impact on Internet access; please note this is during the night.

Date: Wednesday 20th June

Time: 01:00 to 02:00

Work will take place on two E2BN routers. The work should take no more than 15 minutes per router. Any internet traffic should be delivered via the other router during the update, but there is a possibility of disruption. Service is deemed 'at risk' for this period only.

CCN Network Cabling and Switch Specification Advice & Guidance updated

Purpose: Technical Information
Audience: Schools ICT Managers

With Technology constantly moving forward, Technical Services have reviewed our specification and updated our documentation. The key areas of change are around CCTV, network cabling and switches.

School builds ICT Infrastructure and Resources Brief

2.10.1 IP Camera solution recommended for Schools over CCTV

If your school is considering or planning to upgrade your existing CCTV systems, this advice and guidance document focuses on the advantages of and why Cambridgeshire schools should choose an IP Camera Solution over analogue CCTV technology.

For detailed information visit www.ict.ccceducation.net > Advice > Procurement Specification, Build and Configuration Guidance >

IP Camera solution for Cambridgeshire Schools (PDF 196KB)

Cabling Specification for Schools

For all new builds we now recommend CAT6 UTP if the cable run is less than 55m, and CAT6 Shielded if cable run is in excess of 55m but limited to 100m. The reasons for this recommendation are that cable specification will support 10Gb at these distances, and has greater bandwidth, especially now with schools introducing IP CCTV, video streaming - very high bandwidth applications. Also another advantage of CAT6 over CAT5e is that it has double the bandwidth. Please note Augment CAT6 (CAT6a) - due by October 2007, still has to have the specification ratified, which is unshielded twisted pair up to 10Gb.

Recommended specification for all new switches, upgrades and/or replacement of Schools CCN Managed and Unmanaged Switches. Pricing available online at www.ictprocurement.ccceducation.net > Quick glance price list

Detailed Advice & Guidance documents available for download from: www.icttid.ccceducation.net > School building projects >

Projector Maintenance

Purpose: Highlighting the importance of correct projector maintenance

Audience: Headteachers, ICT Teams

The following are some recent examples of problems experienced at schools where projectors have not been correctly maintained:

School A:

2 x Mitsubishi projectors sent back to manufacturer due to pink spots on lens. Caused by not cleaning filters correctly

Cost: £350.00 each

School B:

1 x 8 month old Mitsubishi sent back to manufacturer for repair under Warranty. Customer had not cleaned filters correctly.

Cost: £330.00

School C:

2 x NEC sent back to NEC for deep cleaning due to incorrect cleaning regime

Cost of: £600

Returned to customer and quality no better

The above examples are not intended as scare stories, rather to highlight to schools the importance of considering an adequate cleaning regime, following manufacturer guidelines. In general, the guidelines are as follows:

Once you turn on your projector wait at least five minutes before turning it off, to allow the fan to properly cool the unit. After the fan has cooled your projector, you may unplug it and store it as desired.
Do not obstruct the air intake or exhaust vent. Paper should not be placed on top of a projector or where vents are located.
Keep the exhaust vent at least 2 feet from any object.
If the projector is built into a compartment, wall, ceiling or shelf mount, the minimum distance requirement (usually at least 2 feet) stated in your owner's manual, must be maintained.
Clean the projector's air intake filters every three to six months - or more frequently - based on your operating environment.
Do not move your projector until the lamp has cooled (about five minutes).

If you are unsure, or feel you need assistance, please take note of the Service offerings from the Local Authority. For further information click here.

New Training Courses for Summer Term 2007

Purpose: New training opportunities

Audience: Primary & Secondary School staff in schools using SIMS

The following training courses have places available in June and July

Intro to Attendance 7 and Lesson Monitor
Post 16 Learning Aims
Course Manager

For full details and booking instructions follow the link below:

NEW! SUMMER 2007 Training Dates - Click here!

Interactive Whiteboards and Collaborative Learning in Primary Science

Purpose: Action research/CPD opportunity

Audience: Heads and Science and ICT subject leaders in primary schools

Following on from the success of similar projects over the last two years, we are delighted to be able to offer schools the opportunity to apply to take part in a research project supported by the University of Cambridge Faculty of Education and the Cambridgeshire Education ICT Service. We are seeking two teachers from each of six Cambridgeshire Primary Schools who will follow a course entitled Interactive Whiteboards and Collaborative Learning in Primary Science. Participants will be able to use their involvement in the project towards a Certificate in Educational Enquiry, if they so wish. More details and application letters are being sent to schools next week or contact sally.elding@cambridgeshire.gov.uk for more details.

Starz Project Updates and Mentors

Purpose: Latest project news and invitation to become a mentor

Audience: Teachers in schools with Starz subscriptions

First Settlers This short project is ideal for Year 5 and 6 children and links with the Multimedia ICT Unit of work as well as History. It will involve and engage pupils in a wealth of material available about the first settlers who landed in America 400 years ago. The pupils will research, present their work as a PowerPoint/ multimedia presentation and then take part in a balloon style~ big brother debate to evict members in order to decide a winner. Go to the www.starz.org.uk and log on to take part in the project.

STARZ Mentors There are just a few days left for you to consider applying to be a mentor or to nominate someone in your cluster. We are able to further develop the ICT Service mentors scheme and details were recently sent to schools asking for nominations for up to 10 teachers to promote and support the use of Starz within their own network of schools or cluster. Funding is available for this initiative along with training and support.

Schools ICT Factsheets

Audience: Headteachers and ICT Staff in Cambridgeshire Schools

Purpose: Schools' ICT Factsheets update

In January 2007 Secondary Headteachers and Governor representatives were invited to CCN meetings to discuss ICT issues which included increased bandwidth, email and remote access. Following the meetings, factsheets were produced to summarise the issues covered. The factsheets have been updated with the most recent information and are available to view on the Education Portal - www.ccceducation.net by searching for 'Schools' ICT Factsheets' or by using resource ID: 3465

The current subjects covered are: CCN and E2BN; remote access for school staff; hosting MIS Data and Systems centrally; federated access management (Shibboleth); remote access for pupils to school-based resources; the schools' e-mail system; video and web conferencing; learning platforms; the National Education Network; the Self-review Framework and ICT Mark

Headteachers ICT Conference

Purpose: Diary date - 1st May 2008

Audience: Headteachers in Cambridgeshire Schools

We are pleased to announce the date of the Cambridgeshire Headteachers ICT Conference. In consultation with the Heads ICT Consultation Group, the event has been moved from late summer term to earlier in the year. We are beginning to assemble an exciting programme of speakers and workshops, and we will be publishing details in due course.

In the meantime, please note the date in your diary: Thursday 1st May 2008.

Cambridgeshire Online Training Search

Cambridgeshire Online Training Search (COTS) is a database of training opportunities provided by the Local Authority. It can be accessed from any computer connected to the Internet without the need for a password: go to: COTS to access this service. Its powerful search engine will help you to find suitable courses. Eventually, all providers will be using this database, please check the Providers list for the services currently represented. You will already find the complete listing of courses offered by CAS, CREDS, SLS, Education ICT Service, ISSIS, Cambridgeshire Youth Work and Connexions.

ICT Service Training Courses

Please click on the link below for information on all ICT Training Courses. Look out for new courses scheduled for 2006-07.

Your school should have a copy of the Cambridgeshire Education ICT Service Training Course Programme, which will give you full details of courses available at Godmanchester and other venues. If you require a further copy for your staff room, please contact ict.courses@cambridgeshire.gov.uk or tel: 01480 376670.

ICT Training Course Information