As we head back to school, the threat to education has never been higher. We can help educate, protect, and support your IT strategy.
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Ohio is reimagining K-12 schools right now for a fall return, but the pressure is on school administrators to meet mandates.
IT security for schools means controlling access to the network, training employees, and detecting threats as early as possible.
Hackers are now threatening schools, seeing them as easy targets that have yet to implement robust cybersecurity to reduce risk.
Schools must take cybersecurity seriously with layered security, network access control, training, and early threat detection for edtech.
Let’s face it: when employees can use their cell phones to do their work, they are more productive. As it turns out, so are students. And given that they can quickly accomplish tasks on the go, they are more likely to do so. Mobile is the future, and our students are the best indication of that. Schools have shifted from a no-tolerance policy on cell phones to incorporating them into learning.
Mobile is here to stay; by the end of the decade, there will be more than ten billion mobile devices in the world. And more than half of all students in grades 6-12 believe that having access to a mobile device is essential to their education. But beyond the proliferation of the devices and the desire to be able to use them, the more practical matter is that by embracing technology, we can better prepare our students to be the next generation of engineers, scientists, coders, and innovators. Mobile technology allows us to communicate and collaborate on a global scale, creating enormous opportunity for students and teachers alike.
Benefits of Embracing Mobile Tech in the Classroom
- Continuous learning. Because our students are always connected, the potential for continuous learning and unique educational opportunities increase. Students won’t be locked inside a classroom to complete their education but may be able to spend time shadowing someone in their field of interest while taking notes, answering questions, preparing a presentation or even virtually sharing the experience with classmates from a tablet or phone.
- Individualized education. One of the main struggles teachers and administrators face is having the time and resources to individualize education. But technology can make the process much simpler, allowing teachers to focus on spending time interacting with students rather than modifying lessons.
- Students can become the teachers. The generation of students currently in the classroom has quite often grown up with technology in their grasp. They intuitively know how to use it and many opportunities exist to allow them to highlight and develop their talents.
- Better collaboration. Rather than splitting your class into groups, students can collaborate on group projects with students from other schools, in other states, or even in other countries.
If your school is looking for ways to embrace technology in education, the iSchools Initiative provides support, training, and certification for students, teachers, and school districts to help them become innovative and empowered.
thinkCSC partners with K-12 schools to assist in developing cost-effective ed tech strategies. From helping schools purchase hardware and software at discounted rates to providing better-than-OEM warranties that ease the pain of managing tech in schools, thinkCSC is a proud Ohio education partner.
On May 14 and 15 at Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, the Instructional Technology Integration Partnership of Ohio (ITIP Ohio) is hosting an edtech summit featuring Google for Education. With sessions such as “Google Classroom 101” and “Preparing Chrome Books for Online Testing,” school administrators will have the opportunity to learn how to make the most of the technology that is becoming commonplace in every school.
thinkCSC will be on hand at this Google edtech event both to improve your knowledge and understanding of Google classrooms as well as to help school administrators learn how to manage their tech requirements cost effectively. With our expertise in infrastructure and security requirements, we can help you make the most of your Google classroom. thinkCSC partners with K-12 schools to assist in developing cost-effective edtech strategies. From helping schools purchase hardware and software at discounted rates to providing better-than-OEM warranties that ease the pain of managing tech in schools, thinkCSC is a proud Ohio education partner.
We are excited to have the opportunity to connect with school administrators and educators to discuss the enormous opportunity that exists in delivering edtech in a comprehensive, secure, and budget-friendly manner. If you plan on attending ITIP Ohio Summit in Sandusky, please be sure to stop by and see us. To learn more about what we can do to help your school embrace edtech safely and cost effectively, contact us.
We are looking forward to being a part of this event and hope to see you there.
Learn more about the ITIP Ohio Summit, and register now to attend.
The thinkCSC team attends the Ohio Educational Technology Conference (OETC) every year, and we’ve been witness to the explosion in EdTech that has occurred over the last decade. A computer class was once something students took for 30 minutes a day as a way to become familiar with new technology; today’s students come into school knowing and using more types of technology than any previous generation. This is changing the way education is delivered, and schools often find it difficult to keep up.
The future of education is exciting, because technology does hold the key to transforming how students learn. Rather than sitting through a boring social studies lecture, jotting down facts about myriad countries, students can go online and collaborate on projects with students in another countries. Teachers from different schools can collaborate on assignments and projects as well, and as teachers begin to embrace the value of technology, they are finding easier ways to meet all of the added requirements of documentation and testing that would otherwise be burdensome. Even parents are benefitting from the EdTech revolution, enjoying more transparency, from access to information about their children’s’ progress to easier access of school information.
For school administrators, however, each change in technology is accompanied by the stress of determining how to best implement the technology while still working under budget constraints, still keeping students safe, and still keeping data secure. It can be time consuming and troublesome for schools to troubleshoot and maintain equipment, manage warranties, or even to manage backup and recovery solutions that keep the school operational.
thinkCSC partners with K-16 schools to assist in developing cost-effective EdTech strategies. From helping schools purchase hardware and software at discounted rates to providing better-than-OEM warranties that ease the pain of managing tech in schools, thinkCSC is a proud partner in education. If you will be attending #OETC15, please be sure to stop by and see us at Booth 542. To learn more about what we can do to help your school embrace EdTech safely and cost-effectively, contact us.
As school aged children enjoy their summer break, school administrators continue to plan for a new group of students – who tend to be hard on computer equipment – which makes a hardware warranty a crucial investment to ensure a prolonged life and ROI for the school. During the last school year, thinkCSC repaired thousands of items, including a PC with a nest of mice and a laptop that someone thought was a Keurig.
The CSCare Difference
Not only does thinkCSC help schools obtain the equipment they need at the prices that fit budget constraints, we also offer CSCare – a full, better-than-OEM warranty and service for IT equipment. thinkCSC purchases from the same supplier as CDWG, so we can offer highly competitive rates for technology purchases. Our CSCare warranty is less expensive than OEM warranties. CSCare is designed to provide schools with the easiest, most cost-effective option for keeping your technology working, while in the hands of your students, for years to come.
CSCare advantages:
- Direct access to thinkCSC certified engineers
- All-in-one solution that includes shipping, installation and vendor support
- Up to 20 percent less than OEM warranty costs
- Cut repair time in more than half with our convenient device pick-up, repair and drop-off technique; in many cases, we can complete repairs on site
Read more about the CSCare difference.
thinkCSC is dedicated to helping Ohio schools meet edtech mandates and deliver the highest quality equipment and service to your students. Our experience with both small and large school districts helps us steer you away from what doesn’t work and focus on what does. If you would like more information on how we can help you achieve your school’s goals, by making wise & customized IT decisions, please contact us.
Students 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.
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