IT

The cost of learning

Many schools have spent in excess of £1 million on computing over the past decade, yet have little to show in either capital asset or gains in productivity. Ian Yorston asks why and urges a radical new approach to cut costs

The usual response to queries over IT expenditure is that IT matters. It is terribly important. And schools must be seen to be keeping up with this vital part of the curriculum. If this wisdom is repeated with sufficient enthusiasm, and is supported by a couple of smart new computer suites, loaded with Microsoft Office, then most parents will nod approvingly that all is well with this aspect of the school’s management.

The reality, of course, is rather different. The good news is, though, that it could be a great deal cheaper as well.

Most of the cost of IT can be considered under four headings: hardware, classrooms, software and wetware – the latter being a pejorative term for the people in your IT department.

I would argue that all four aspects of your IT costs are essentially unnecessary.

Hardware
As every teacher and parent will know, your students are already carrying the smartest hardware in the school. iPods, laptops, mobile phones, tablets, GameBoys: you name it, they’ve got it. Next Christmas, they’ll get another lot.

Teenagers upgrade their mobile phones every 11 months, which goes some way to explaining why their phones are considerably funkier than yours.

Of course, most schools regard this array of technology as a threat to discipline and good order, and promptly ban the lot. But, actually, this conveyor-belt of bytes and pixels is an opportunity waiting. Forget about expensive IT suites and let the students bring in their own laptops. Like the pens of yesteryear, computers are simply another commodity item.

Classrooms
Once you have embraced the bring-your-own philosophy, you will find yourself with a few empty IT labs. But, not to worry, because the hardware is now deployed where it always should have been: with the students, in their classrooms; in context, and used within the bosom of science, literature and languages, rather than within the sterile framework of ECDL and computer literacy. All that is required is a good wireless network and one internet server.

Software
One of the chief advantages of laptops is that, despite their numerous manifestations, they all share one common tool: the ubiquitous web-browser. Herein lies the key to the next big saving. The range of tools and desktop software on the web is extraordinary and available. Spreadsheets, calendars, word processors, photo-editing suites, email, music players, even video editors. These packages are available now; they’re powerful and they’re getting better by the month. What is more, in most cases, they are free.

One of the best known players in this growing field is Google. It offers a complete suite of free online tools tailored for education; you’ll find all the details at their website: just type “google apps” into your search engine. If these tools are good enough for Google, General Electric and Proctor & Gamble, then they’re probably good enough for 5C on a wet Wednesday afternoon.

Wetware
Much as we all love our growing IT departments, this new way of thinking allows us to revise our support costs downwards. With the hardware gone, the IT labs empty and the software overheads elsewhere, the need for an additional technician goes. And with the advent of the wireless cloud (a sort of city-wide wi-fi), it may even save you the trouble of having to support your own wireless network.

These four steps may sound dramatic, but they represent the inevitable endgame of the IT revolution. Just as drains and electricity were once a big deal, so wireless devices and their associated support will, in turn, become just another service. Change the way you think and the potential savings are significant. What is more, with web-based applications and truly mobile computing, you’ll deliver a better education for your students.

Ian Yorston is head of digital strategy at Radley College. He has a weblog at www.unreasonableman.net

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