A sound ICT infrastructure is an essential foundation of a successful modern learning environment.
For the purposes of this discussion, the term infrastructure refers to your school’s computers, mobile devices, the network cabling, wireless access points and associated hardware that connects these devices to the network, and the application software that is used on students’ and teachers’ computer devices.
To be successful in supporting the curriculum, school ICT infrastructure development and implementation must be considered in conjunction with, and in response to, the needs of the school learning environment.
| Key ICT Planning Documents | ||||
| ICT Planning Workbooks | BYOT Planning | WiFi Network Planning | ||
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| Link your ICT plan with a whole-school plan. Identify issues, define outcomes, propose solutions, track assigned tasks, budget & responsibilities. | The device used by students and teachers should be the last issue considered when planning the introduction of a BYO model in your school. Examples and ideas. | Regardless of the best intentions, the ‘normalisation’ of online classroom activities will fail without a robust and transparent WiFi network. | ||
| Learn more >>> | Learn more >>> | Learn more >>> | ||
| School ICT Infrastructure Planning – Getting Started | ||
| Other useful documents to start the discussion and planning process in your school… | ||
ICT Planning Flowchart (pdf) A suggested overview of the school ICT planning process, setting the Curriculum component in the context of the whole-school planning process. |
Planning Worksheet (pdf) Discussion sheet for mapping school progress in key aspects of the planning cycle. |
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ICT Implementation Matrix (pdf) Where is your school in the ICT planning and implementation continuum? Where are you aiming to be after the implementation of your plan? |
TaskTracker List and track the progress of the tasks to be achieved to implement your school plan. |
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ICT Infrastructure Continuum Is your school on the path to providing the necessary hardware infrastructure to support the latest curriculum initiatives? |
ICT Purpose Improved learning outcomes should be the starting point for any school planning process. |
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Bandwidth planning |
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Does your school have enough bandwidth for students to successfully engage with online resources? (aarnet)
| Think about the requirements of the learning environment… | |
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Too often, commercial providers who normally operate in a ‘business’ environment are contracted to plan and install a school’s ICT infrastructure, with the end result being that the final product best suits a corporate administrative environment (which is in turn reflective of the contractor’s technical support expertise and preferences), rather than providing the scope and flexibility for an engaging learning environment. Let’s consider the tasks undertaken by, and the resulting ICT needs of, service delivery personnel in an office administrative environment, compared to those in a K-12 learning environment….
While the infographic below (reproduced from Jacob Morgan) is designed to highlight the environment that our current students might find in their future workplaces, it also neatly captures the structures and purposes of current K-12 school activities, along with the role of teachers and how they work in those schools (Future), in contrast to workers in a corporate environment (Past)…
Does your school’s technology infrastructure support a collaborative learning environment, focussed on progressive outcomes rather than entrenched and restrictive processes?
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| Infrastructure planning in your school | |
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| Related Reading | |
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