NCTE (National Centre for Technology in Education)

Advice & Support

The National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE) is committed to providing schools with the most relevant and up to date ICT information and advice they need to support learning and teaching in schools.

ICT INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT SCHEME 2009 FOR PRIMARY SCHOOLS

NCTE recommendations for ICT in Primary schools

Laptop security and data protection in schools

Advice Sheets
NCTE has developed and updated a series of ICT advice sheets which are located on the NCTE website, and which cover a wide range of relevant ICT in education areas for schools and teachers.

The aim of the advice sheets is to provide clear and relevant advice to teachers and principals to help them to make informed decisions on integrating technology into learning and teaching. There are currently over thirty advice sheets, and additional advice is added and updated regularly. The advice sheets are generally structured around five important themes. These themes address the main points in relation to the topic covered in the advice sheet. The themes are:

Introduction of the topic: this section gives a brief introduction to the topic.
Possible educational uses: this section outlines the pedagogical basis for using this technology in the classroom
Technical considerations: this section explains in simple language, the relevant technical issues associated in implementing a new technology
Purchasing considerations: this section outlines the main purchasing considerations for a school
Additional Considerations: this section outlines other considerations that schools need to consider in terms of ICT planning and implementation.

Links to relevant websites: The ‘ICT Advice and Support’ section of the NCTE Website will continue to change and evolve so as to be relevant to the ICT related challenges that schools face daily. NCTE welcome your feedback including that on areas not currently covered and where additional ICT advice may be useful. The areas addressed by current advice sheets is listed below. Note these may change as advice is added in new areas. This section provides a short selection of relevant web based resource links which provide further advice and information on the topic including appropriate examples.

Computers: including PCs, Apple, Laptops and Thin Clients.

Other ICT Equipment including Digital Projectors, Printers, DVDs, Digital Cameras, Digital Video Cameras, MiniDisc Players/Recorders, Scanners, Interactive Whiteboards, PDAs, Video, Conferencing, and Mobile Phones.

Software including Educational Software and Software Licensing

Networking including What is A Network, Networking Basics, Wireless Networks and Intranets, Storage and Backup, Computer Viruses, and Securing Equipment

Various other ICT areas including the Internet, School Web Sites, Internet Safety, Datalogging, Programmable Bricks, ICT and Special Needs (SEN), Ergonomics, Health and Safety, and ICT Glossary.

Technology Integration (TII)
NCTE’s Technology Integration Initiative (TII) promotes and supports the integration of ICT into learning and teaching for schools. The initiative provides ICT advice and support to schools on a range of technology related areas. TII also coordinates the Schools Broadband Programme, which provides broadband connectivty, content filtering, webhosting, user authentication and security services to schools.

Schools Broadband Programme

The programme provides an integrated set of services to schools which includes broadband connectivity, and hosted services including content filtering, webhosting, user authentication and security services including anti-virus control and firewall. These services are managed by the NCTE working closely with the Department of Education and Science and HEAnet and are coordinated and supported by the NCTE Service Desk which is the single point to contact for schools for all broadband related issues.

Internet Safety
The safety concerns for children using the Internet have received widespread media attention. This section gives practical advice on the safe usage of the Internet that will be of particular relevance to teachers and parents. The NCTE is very much to the forefront of current thinking on the issue and is actively involved in an ongoing awareness campaign at national level called Be Wise on the Net and with a European safety initiative - Safety Awareness for Tweens (SAFT).