Northgate Managed Services, Helping to build schools for the future
16 October 2008
Northgate Managed Services will be showcasing its range of innovative ICT products and managed services designed for Building Schools for the Future on stand C100 at BETT 2009.
Northgate Managed Services (www.northgate-is.com/managedservices) will be showcasing its range of innovative ICT products and managed services designed for Building Schools for the Future on stand C100 at BETT 2009. Having successfully been announced ICT supplier to Kent secondary schools as part of the Kent BSF programme, Northgate has been working closely with Bristol, and Leicester to supply managed services to secondary schools as part of the multi-million pound BSF project.
As a leading education ICT supplier, Northgate works with schools to provide servers, desktops, laptops, networked projectors, interactive whiteboards, Apple Macintosh computers as well as an online Managed Learning Environment (MLE) and full wireless network coverage. Collaborating with schools and local authorities, Northgate ensures the ICT needs of students are met as well as the education vision of the individual schools. As no two schools are the same, Northgate liaises with the teachers and the Local Education Partnership to tailor the ICT provision to meet the needs of each of the schools, supplying them only with the equipment they need. Helping teachers to deliver personalised learning, Northgate Managed Services will be demonstrating to visitors its ‘classroom of the future’ supplied with the latest education products and resources available to schools. Teachers can experience new technologies first hand and can discuss emerging technologies available to schools with Northgate’s team of education consultants.
Available for teachers to try out for themselves will be Northgate’s online Managed Learning Environment (MLE) N-able which provides students with their own learning area with the support and assistance they need to maximise independent study and to progress in line with their own individual education plan. Accessible via the internet from any location, the N-able gives each learner their own online space to work on assignments, store work and access emails allowing them to communicate with teachers and fellow students. Teachers can continually assess pupil's work and offer as much or as little guidance as they might need. N-able also allows schools to incorporate management and administration systems in one package or place, for example pupil access and registration, as well as pupil achievements such as exam and homework marks
As well as the MLE, Northgate works closely with schools to supply them with the latest technology to enhance the learning experience for students. Because BSF will allow for even more innovative ICT to be used in classrooms, as well as providing tools to help teachers improve the delivery of education, Northgate is committed to offering schools the latest resources. Committed to ‘anytime-anywhere learning’, Northgate supplies hand held internet enabled devices and other new technologies to really enhance the learning experience. As every school is different and every student’s needs are different, Northgate creates a bespoke solution for each school involved in BSF.
John Parkinson, BSF Director for Northgate Managed Services, Education, commented: “We are delighted to be working so closely with teachers and students as part of the BSF programme to help create an ICT-rich learning environment for them. Technology is a hugely important part of education today and thanks to BSF investment, students will benefit from the latest innovative education resources easily accessible from within the school and across the community. The new schools we are helping to create will encourage and promote new styles of teaching and learning through innovative resources and modern technologies.”
With schools now becoming more aware of their eco-credentials and wanting to address green issues, Northgate has worked closely with school to address the issue of supplying energy efficient equipment. Northgate supplies equipment with lower power consumption and low noise, and to further reduce power usage ICT Technicians can monitor all workstations to ensure none are left on overnight or at the weekend. Along with educational resources, Northgate also provides BSF schools with a centrally managed printing solution which limits the amount of printers and paper used to enable schools to help control paper wastage, and maintain a ‘green’ school environment.
Visitors to the Northgate stand will be able to try out new technologies for themselves and find out more about the benefits managed services offer to schools, whether part of BSF or not. Northgate currently supplies Managed services to all 1,200 schools in Northern Ireland and is ICT supplier to the first BSF school to open it’s doors- Bristol Brunel Academy, so can offer an valuable insight into providing the latest ICT technologies to schools and successfully supplying managed services to schools.
