Seven Steps to
Improving
Operational Efficiency
with
Technology-Enabled
While much has been written about the improved learning
outcomes associated with 1-to-1 computing, less is known
about this innovative learning model’s effect on operational
efficiency. But improved operation efficiency is no longer
a secondary benefit. With falling tax bases and escalating
pressure to rethink education from top to bottom, adopting
1-to-1 technology access has become a way to improve
efficiency and lower cost. This white paper explains how.
Overworked educational IT professionals, a linchpin to the success of 1-to-1 computing, consistently function in a reactive mode. This is in part due to the fact that they are supporting so many users. A single IT support staffer in K-12 handles many more users than commonly seen in the business world.1
SCHOOL IT STAFFS IN THE
U.S. ARE STRETCHED THIN
Mean number of computers per technician956 Mean ratio of students to technicians 2,401-to-1 Mean ratio of students to all technical
support staff
1,320-to-1 Do not have enough staff to plan for new
technology
57% Do not have enough staff to implement
new technologies
70% Do not have enough staff to implement
new technologies technology in the classroom
72% School has a secure remote access
system
72% School using cloud-based systems 52%
Source: “The Unique Challenges Facing the IT Professional in K-12 Education,” (2010). SchoolDude. com and the Consortium of School Networking
This white paper shows you how K-12 schools and districts can manage costs and improve efficiency across seven key operational areas as you progress toward the goal of 1-to-1 computing.
1. OPTIMIZE INFRASTRUCTURE
TO SUPPORT CLASSROOMS
Operational efficiency begins with technology infrastructure. Consider the experiences of one leading 1-to-1 pioneer: the Department of Education’s statewide initiative in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania’s Classrooms for the Future program, a statewide 1-to-1 computing initiative, transformed the way high school teachers teach and the way their students learn by equipping English, math, science and social studies classrooms with Internet-connected laptops and advanced resources. More than 12,000 teachers and 500,000 students in the state’s high schools now benefit from a 21st Century learning environment called “School 2.0.”2Review the differences in the two teaching
approaches, School 1.0 (traditional environment) and School 2.0 (the computer-powered 1-to-1 learning environment), to see the pivotal importance of technical infrastructure in this new learning model.
SCHOOL 2.0 INCREASES STRESS
ON INFRASTRUCTURE
School 1.0 School 2.0
Teacher centered Learner centered Content coverage Learning by doing Memorizing information Using information Lecturer Facilitator/Co-learner Whole group configuration Flexible grouping
configuration Single instructional and
learning modality
Multiple instruction and learning modalities to include all students Memorization and recall Higher order thinking skills
– creativity
As instructional practices became more rigorous, student-centered and relevant, demands on the computing infrastructure to support School 2.0 escalate as well.
In Pennsylvania, schools’ biggest IT challenges involved network capacity—being able to authenticate the volume of sign-ons at the beginning of class, and storing work so that students could resume assignments during study periods. In addition to extensive capacity testing to ensure the network could handle the heavy sign-on load, IT professionals set up an electronic “drop box” on the server where students could store partially completed assignments as they moved from class to class. A second operational concern in Pennsylvania centered on helping teachers gain the most leverage from the devices—a common hurdle seen in the early stages of 1-to-1 computing implementation. The state’s Department of
Education helped underwrite the cost of “hands-on” computing programs for teachers; online courses for group learning; and “instructional coaches,” computer-savvy teachers who helped their peers re-engineer their teaching methods to make the most of the new technical capabilities.
2. EFFICIENTLY BUILD & DEPLOY
CUSTOM DEVICE IMAGES
Building a device’s image, that is, loading the applications, tools and security—even hard drive encryption—needed by a specific user group, takes a mind-boggling amount of time and effort. Supporting those images over the lifetime of the device becomes more complex each time a new version of an application is issued or a security patch is distributed. And multiply that complexity every time you introduce and support a new image. The key to imaging is a form
of “mass customization,” selecting a few key user types of personas and then building standardized images for them.
Because districts and schools operate with such lean IT staffs, many are turning to automated-imaging systems to automate the process of creating custom images. Security, authentication and defense filters are built into each custom image. By specifying which images are needed by each group (students, teachers, staff and
administrators) schools then receive secure devices pre-loaded with everything each profile needs. During the lifetime of a device, you can expect a system migration or two. Usually thought of as a highly intensive process, the proper imaging approach can save time and money here as well. Over the lifetime of a device, custom imaging can save a school $179 per PC, based on research.3
3. MINIMIZE CLASSROOM
DISRUPTIONS WITH
RELIABLE HARDWARE
Consider your computing devices to be engaged in “extreme mobility” every day. Count on students to jostle, bump and drop their computers, and don’t forget to expect the occasional spill as well. To avoid the downtime that stops learning in its tracks,
Over the lifetime of a
device, custom imaging can
saves a school $179 per
PC, based on research.
you’ll want to choose durable, reliable computing devices that take everything students can dish out—in the classroom, on the road and at home. In addition to durability, look for devices with glare-minimizing screens that perform as well outdoors as they do in the classroom. Finally, rate your device choices for their energy efficiency. The longer students can go between recharges, the more productive they’ll be.
4. STREAMLINE PC
MAINTENANCE AND SUPPORT
Some schools have formed “Student Technology Teams” to handle minor troubleshooting and leverage overburdened IT staffs. These schools report that the student approach works well and frees the IT staff to concentrate their efforts on more complex issues.”Another way to stretch scarce IT support staff centers on using tools to automate time-consuming but essential tasks such as maintaining a device inventory. Programs are available that provide IT staffs with a central console they can use to automatically maintain an up-to-the-minute accurate inventory of network users.
Distributing security patches and performing system upgrades also takes a great deal of time and requires IT support to be “everywhere at once,” a feat usually reserved for superheroes. Console-based tools remotely diagnose and repair problems, such as improper BIOS settings, corrupted bootloaders and failed hard drives. In addition, these tools distribute patches and perform upgrades seamlessly. IT not only can minimize desk-side visits, but can resolve common problems quickly, efficiently and reliably.
5. PROTECT DATA WITH
OFF-SITE BACKUP
One of the most compelling operational reasons to implement a 1-to-1 computing initiative is
access to the wealth of performance-related data the system collects. This data can be critical to monitoring and measuring student performance, and fine-tuning curriculum. Finally, data holds the key to satisfying regulators’ need for accountability and transparency in documenting academic progress and areas of opportunity. As educators become increasingly dependent on this data for decision-making, it is imperative that the data be accurate, up-to-date and available. You can move data electronically and seamlessly to a secure, off-site data encryption and storage capability. Look into online cloud-based data backup services for students, teachers and staff as well. These save you from having to integrate a backup technology into your existing infrastructure or buy additional hardware.
6. TAKE A LAYERED APPROACH
TO SECURITY
Effectively securing your computing
environment requires a layered approach to security, which includes endpoint security, lost asset protection and encryption.
When it comes to endpoint security, for example, the days of protecting a computer with a
password have gone the way of the dinosaur. Today, fingerprint readers, for example, are much better deterrents. Antivirus protection is required, especially given the frequency of Internet downloads in academic pursuits.
To deter theft and protect confidential data, schools and districts should implement
encryption solutions. These protective solutions include integrated software- and hardware-based encryption, password management and fingerprint identity technology.
Hardware-embedded encryption is faster and less expensive than software-based options. When students, teachers and staff back up their work,
they can use a USB with this same FDE capability to ensure that their data remains encrypted.
Lost asset protection becomes a high-level concern when you have hundreds or even thousands
of computers on campus. However, protecting devices (and their data) doesn’t stop when students, teachers and staff leave the premises. You can set up your IT infrastructure to
automatically alert you whenever a PC that does not conform to your security standards, tries to log onto your network, or even when an authorized PC with a virus attempts to log in. You can also set up ways to lock hard drives remotely. Wi-Fi enabled triangulation serves as a highly precise tracking system for missing computers, allowing law enforcement to recover the devices, usually found in warehouses full of stolen merchandise.
7. ASSURE ONLINE SAFETY WITH
CONTENT FILTERING
There’s device and data security and then there’s online safety. Districts and schools want to keep students working online safe by protecting them from inappropriate content as well as solicitation, cyber bullying and malicious web proxies.
The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) sets out a fairly rigorous test of online safety. Districts and schools that fail to follow the CIPA regulations can lose their E-Rate financial assistance, a federal program which helps defray the cost of technology.
Look for centralized, web-based administration tools that enable IT to control Internet access and activity globally, or to segment levels of access by user group. With proper authorization, teachers can override the controls as needed. Additionally, IT staff can manage Internet access whenever students are online from any location
on or off the network. This capability protects computers from infection and students from online threats anywhere, anytime. This same level of detailed reporting can be used to validate proposed investments in technology, subscription-based content and other “fee-based” services.
AUTOMATED TOOLS STREAMLINE
EFFICIENCY
Overworked IT support staffs at schools and in districts have little time to implement and manage technology in the classroom. However, tools like the ones outlined here can help IT leaders support 1-to-1 computing initiatives and gain operational efficiency at the same time.
In these days of constrained budgets, implementing 1-to-1 computing can appear to be a daunting task. But as more than millions of students, teachers and staff will attest, 1-to-1 does more than improve learning outcomes. 1-to-1 helps IT staffs support student learning—efficiently and cost-effectively.
SOURCES
1 “The Unique Challenges Facing the IT Professional
In K-12 Education,” (2010). SchoolDude.com & the Consortium of School Networking. Retrieved August 24, 2010 from http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/html/itp/ schooldude-eschoolNews_TheUniqueChallengesFacingIT Professionals-K12Education.pdf
2 “Classrooms for the Future, Pennsylvania Department
of Education, Education Hub, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2010 from http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/ servert.pt/community/classrooms_for_the_future/475/ about_cff/202788
3 Morey, Timothy and Nambiar, Roopa (2010). “Using
Total Cost of Ownership to Determine Optimal PC Refresh Lifecycles,” Wipro Consulting Service Product Strategy and Architecture Practice, originally published in May 2009 and updated in January 2010.
