A belt is usually sufficient to prevent one's pants falling down. But to make sure that it will definitely stay up, an investment in a set of good braces may be considered.
In view of the alarmingly high level of crime, many schools have decided to apply the belt and braces principle regarding security in their computer rooms. What is the use of spending a small fortune on creating a state of the art facility, simply to lose it to burglars because the security measures were inadequate?
True, one may not always succeed in preventing professional criminals from violating security, but at least sufficient measures should be in place to deter the petty thief. The extent of these measures must be determined by the level of crime in the neighborhood of the school.
Every possible point where a robber could gain entry to the facility must be protected. In case these measures may prove to be inadequate, surveillance equipment must be in place to alert law-enforcement agencies of the attempted burglary. In the mean time, to prevent the perpetrator from grabbing the equipment and making a speedy exit, it would be the course of wisdom to bolt down the various components, particularly the CPU box , which is the item most often stolen.
If, in spite of all these precautions, the criminal still gets away with the loot, a good, paid up insurance policy will soften the blow.
In Khanya's experience, the most effective protection mechanism is the committed involvement of the community. When community members are actively involved in the process of creating a computer facility for the school right from the start, they are sure to assume a protective role.
Schools do well to use belts, braces, buttons, bolts and whatever bulwarks can be built to bolster the security of their precious technology facilities.
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In times past white elephants were regarded as sacred in Thailand. They could not be used for work purposes but owners had to feed them special food and provide access to those who wanted to come and worship the animals. Understandably, the expression "white elephant" is used today to indicate a nice but useless possession.
Sometimes a new item is acquired because it seems like a good idea at the time; perhaps one is overawed by its potential. This is frequently the case with gadgets. As time goes on, however, one discovers that it is not fully utilized and so it becomes a white elephant.
Could that happen to an Interactive Electronic Whiteboard (IEW)? When attending a demonstration of this device one can only be impressed by its potential benefits in the classroom. It is usually not difficult to be convinced that the cost of this teaching and learning tool is justified.
Yet, when a classroom is visited some months after the installation of the board, one often finds that it either is not used regularly, or it is used as a glorified data projector. A major reason for the existence of an IEW is its interactivity. If this capability is not exploited, what is the point of owning such a modern whiteboard? Has it become an idle idol kept as a status symbol?
There are two possible reasons for the under utilization of the IEW: either it is overrated as an education aid, or the educators are unsure about the application of its unique features in the class room.
It is important to come to grips with these issues. One cannot afford to have an expensive, interactive electronic white elephant.
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During the planning phase of a school's ICT project the importance of technology is often overstated, while the rest of the project is neglected. In the flurry of excitement to get the hardware specifications just right, and to sort out the connectivity issues, and to settle the proprietary versus open source debate, the preparations that must precede the arrival of the technology are easily overlooked.
Since schools in general were not built to accommodate computer facilities a proper environment must first be created before the technology can be installed. In some cases a room must be built. Even if a classroom is available it will need to be remodeled. All possible entry points to the room must be secured to guarantee that the technology will be safe. An adequate and stable electricity supply must be ensured. A level floor, firm work surfaces and proper ventilation are needed; and so the list continues.
Since the existing infrastructure at the start of a project differs greatly from school to school, it should be clear that careful planning is required to create the optimal environment. But this is where things often go wrong. One could become so wrapped up in the gripping details of the technology that there may be a temptation to skimp on the less glamorous aspects of mundane infrastructure.
One way to avoid falling into this trap is to employ the services of a professional project manager to take charge of the project. Never use a technical person for this task. This will prevent an overstatement of the technology and an underdelivery of the infrastructure.
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A prominent educator became increasingly frustrated with the slow rate at which illiterate adults were taught how to read and write, owing to a shortage of qualified trainers. She subsequently wrote a book containing guidelines for illiterates on how to fast track the process of becoming literate. The book was rated excellent by others in the adult education fraternity. A donor provided a sponsorship which enabled her to print one million copies which were distributed in an area which had a very high illiteracy rate.
Two years later a study was conducted which showed that the publication had no effect on improving literacy. What went wrong? It was such a good book! There was such a lot of hype about the idea! The intention of the author was so good!
The problem was that the premise on which the project was based was all wrong. One cannot use literature to teach literacy to illiterate people. "How obvious," one may react.
If it is that obvious, how is it that some people insist that e-learning should be used to train the masses of computer illiterate educators to develop basic ICT skills? They argue that electronic media could take the place of scarce human training resources.
Since there are large numbers of educators to be trained and the human resources to do so are very limited, it may appear to be a very tempting option. The premise, however, is wrong.
Regardless of how good e-learning material may be, one cannot use technology to teach technology to someone who is completely technology illiterate. It simply does not make sense.
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As a horse grows older its teeth protrude increasing towards the front. It is easy to determine the age of the animal by opening its mouth and observing the splay of the teeth. A prospective buyer will perform this inspection to ensure that the horse is still young enough to be productively used. When a horse reaches a certain age it cannot work anymore but still has to be fed and cared for.
Suppose that the horse is not purchased but is presented as a gift. There is a saying that one must not look a gift horse in the mouth. It is regarded as bad manners to perform a critical evaluation of a gift.
Should the same courtesy be displayed when a school is presented with a gift of computer equipment? Should one investigate the age and quality of computers when these are offered by a donor?
What could happen if one is too polite to examine the condition of the equipment? The school may land up with a gift that is as valueless and burdensome as an old horse.
Schools will do well to consider any gift of computer equipment very carefully. Perhaps it is brand new equipment that could be used very beneficially by educators and learners. On the other hand, it may be old stuff that has already exceeded its useful life and will only become a maintenance nightmare.
Don't hesitate to look a gift horse in the mouth and refuse an offer of technology if it looks somewhat long in the tooth.
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