Department of Technology in Education - Primary Sector - Admin

Support Initiatives

Circulars / Memos

Hardware

Staff Development

Hardware

The following information is also available in the ICT Administrative Policies document distributed to Primary State School head teachers in May 2003. A copy of the full document is available in PDF format in the Documents for download section.

Inventory	Movement between classroom
Additional classes	Written-off equipment

Refer also to

Inventory

A. The school administration should have an up-to-date inventory of all hardware in each classroom, office or resource room. This includes computers (mini-towers), printers, computer monitors, keyboards, mice, speakers and microphones (where applicable), video players/recorders and converters (where applicable), large display monitors. The Department may need to consult this inventory occasionally.

B. For security and quick reference purposes, MITTS has also labelled classroom and office desktops. The number on these labels must also be included in the inventory.

Movement between classrooms

A. Computers originally allotted to a particular year group should not be transferred to other year groups unless absolutely necessary. For example, avoid moving computers from a Year 1 classroom into a Year 2 or Year 3 classroom. This will cause a lot of unnecessary hassle since:

i. Old software will have to be uninstalled in favour of the new software;

ii. Windows and desktop settings may conflict with the newly introduced software, and may function erratically or, in extreme cases, not at all;

iii. Equipment transfer may be difficult because of the different socket types of power outlets (square, tee, rounded) in the various classrooms: these will also have to be replaced at the school’s expense;

iv. Network settings will be disrupted.

B. It is therefore recommended that ICT equipment should be moved between classrooms as little as possible, and only when absolutely necessary.

C. There should never be more than four computers in any one classroom.

D. If any equipment needs to be moved, the following procedure should be followed:

i. MITTS personnel should be called to disconnect peripherals from the wall power outlets and from the mini-towers.

ii. All separate components (including loose cables) should be properly labelled by a member of the school administration.

iii. Once the equipment has been moved and is in place, MITTS personnel can be called again to re-connect the equipment and check that it works properly.

iv. Contact the peripatetic teachers in order to uninstall the old software in favour of the new titles (see Un/Installing Department Software).

If a classroom is going to be used for a different year group, the computers must be changed accordingly.

E. Note: It is not the responsibility of either MITTS personnel or ICT Peripatetic teachers to physically move the equipment between classrooms. It is the responsibility of the school administration to identify other helpers for this task.

Additional classes

A. In the case of any new classes at the start of the scholastic year, the ICT Centre should be informed via mail or e-mail with the following details in order to provide the necessary equipment:

i. The number of new classrooms;

ii. The year group/s that will be using the new classroom/s;

iii. The number of pupils per new classroom.

B. To ensure prompt provision of equipment and setting up, this information should be communicated to the Centre (ICT Stores Officer, Mr. F. Baldacchino, with a cc. to E.O. Primary ICT) by the end of Term 3 of the preceding scholastic year.

Written-off equipment

A. Occasionally some equipment may be written off by MITTS personnel as beyond economical repair. Replacement of certain equipment will have to be bought from the school funds (ex. Printer cartridges, mouse mats, dust covers, etc). Under no circumstances should written-off equipment such as old printers be disposed of by the school without prior consent by the Department. To request approval, please adhere to the following procedure:

i. MITTS will certify in writing that the equipment is beyond economical repair. The covering letter will include the manufacturer and serial number where applicable.

ii. The administration should apply in writing for the writing-off of the equipment as necessary, attaching a photocopy of the MITTS letter. The application must be addressed to the Permanent Secretary’s office.

iii. Send a copy of the letter and MITTS report to Mr. F. Baldacchino (ICT Stores Officer). This will enable the replacement process to start as soon as possible.