Computer-based Learning Just Got More Efficient Thanks To NetOp School

As part of the UK government’s “Computers for schools” initiative, which was launched in 1997, the Woolwich Polytechnic School in Southeast London started to work with NetOp School. The initiative aims to support the equipping and networking of schools, public libraries, colleges and other institutions and is underpinned by a programme worth more than £1bn to support the government’s targets.

At the launch of the initiative the UK's Prime Minister, Tony Blair, said about digital technologies and the Internet: "Used well, they have the potential to improve achievement in our schools and colleges, to boost the prospects of British industry and commerce, to offer opportunities to all learners. The Government is investing very substantial new resources in a programme to raise standards in schools and increase opportunities in lifelong learning."

The Woolwich Polytechnic School in London, one of the leading technical colleges in the UK, is an 11-19 comprehensive school for boys. With a key focus on teaching IT, science, maths and technology, the school was not only one of the first schools in Europe to install the NetOp School software but has also been part of the development process.

The school is one of the leading technical colleges in the country and provides its pupils with a school-wide network of 340 computers, all interconnected via an NT-based server. Sets of 50 laptops are available to teachers for classroom teaching, with further plans to equip every member of staff with his own laptop.

NetOp's demo function allows teachers to instruct one, several or all students at the same time. It is also possible to show a particular student's screen to the rest of the class, and. Furthermore, the program's remote-control functionality opens up possibilities for distance learning and virtual classrooms.

Streamlining the Learning Experience
The benefits to the school are two-fold as John Abrahams, explains: "In the early days, NetOp was mainly used for class teaching and demonstrations.

"However, with the arrival of large-screen LCDs and interactive whiteboards, the emphasis has slightly shifted. Staff is now using the program predominately to monitor how people use different software and access the Internet as a learning tool.

Giving details on the educational benefits, John says: "The programme enables staff to cycle through every desktop computer, check the progress individual pupils are making and also has the ability to lock student keyboards and mice.

"Most of the students are fully aware of our need to monitor the appropriate of the net. Some however, still see it as a challenge and NetOp helps us to keep this under control, as it enables staff to see within two minutes who is following the teacher and who is not."

"From a positive point of view, this means we can target children individually in case they are falling behind which, on the other hand, means the rest of the class can carry on.

"Also, a lot has been said about overcrowded classrooms here in the UK and the urgent need to address this issue in order to support each and every pupil with their individual needs. NetOp School is certainly a step in the right direction as it allows the teacher to monitor the entire classroom and therefore combats the negative effects larger classes can have."