On the internet, you can get hold of many contacts of different firms and organisations such as a supplier for stationary equipment so they can provide the school with text books, exercise books, different types of paper and card and writing equipment and other business that can supply equipment for computers or electrical appliances such as ink for the printer and anti-virus software for computers. This will help protect the computers and keep students off websites that are inappropriate. It helps meet the objectives because it shows that Sidney Stringer are Securing the best resources for learning.
There is lots of information on the internet and can be used for research and to complete coursework or help gather information for a project. Students may not like to use the library as it may take a long time finding the information they need by searching through different books however if they are using the internet then they would not have to go through all the trouble as they can use a search engine such as ‘Google’ to find what they need making the job simpler and quicker. This can help meet the objectives as it develops and maintains a good learning programme and keeps the students interested.
If the student needs a specific book then it can also be bought from various websites and you can also compare prices to find the best deals. The internet can also be used to apply for jobs so if a person is looking for a job in teaching then Sidney stringer can create an application form for online use so unemployed people can apply. This helps meet the objectives because it shows that Sidney stringer have the best resources for learning.
The disadvantages of using the internet for staff and students in Sidney stringer are:
The students can go on harmful websites that can cause viruses to the computer and they can lose all their work and this would not help meet the objectives because Sidney stringer stated they have the best resources for students to use and if they lose their work then they have not met the objective.
There are also illegal or forbidden sites on the internet that students may not know of and if there is low security then they can be accessed so this would be inappropriate and shows that the school doesn’t show concern for the students. This shows that the objectives are not being met and students are developing their learning.
If students are socialising on websites such as FaceBook then they will become distracted from their schoolwork and it shows that they don’t have determination to perform well. This could also affect the students as not meeting deadlines and failing to hand in homework would be unacceptable and shows they are unconcerned about their education and the objectives are not being met because instead of doing work, they are talking to friends which is a distraction for them and will not have them achieve high and their high aspirations will be in doubt and unlikely to be achieved.
Playing games as many students do is another distraction and shows they are not working hard enough to achieve the best possible grades and also shows they are not determined. It shows they are not determined or motivated enough to achieve the best grades therefore; the objectives would not be met because they are not getting excellent education so Sidney stringer need to do something to stop the student getting distracted.
Students may also take advantage of the internet by copying and pasting work from websites such as Wikipedia and this shows they are not using their own knowledge to do work. This does not help the students to work to their potential also if teachers allow this to be accepted then they are not meeting the objectives of Sidney stringers academy as it shows that the learning programme or curriculum is not very good.
If students are on the internet for long time then it may make them lazy and addicted and it would not be beneficial for the school and if the students have high aspirations then it would be hard achieving them. This doesn’t help meet the objectives as it shows that the welfare of the students is not being looked after.
Improvements that could be made to the internet:
The internet can be improved by having better internet security so if the students accidently go on a harmful website the virus would not affect the computer as the anti-virus software would destroy it. If the virus did affect the computer then they could lose all their work affecting their grades in school. If anti-virus software was installed on the computers then it would help meet the objectives of securing the best resources.
Another improvement that could be made is to make the internet speed faster for the school so web pages would load up quicker and it would be easier to perform the work. Remove social networking websites and gaming sites while students are in school so they don’t get distracted when doing work on the computer. This will help meet the objectives because it helps them maintain learning programmes and helps support their aspirations.
The internet could also be updated regularly so all the features are up to date and new features could be added to the internet to make browsing easier for staff and students along with the best broadband that the school can afford however the disadvantage of this Is that the price is high and expensive which may mean that funding for school resources and trips may be limited. This would help meet the objectives because it shows that Sidney stringer is securing the best resources for learning.
The Intranet is similar to the internet however it is used within an organisation and is regarded as confidential. It is available to employees and for schools it can be used by students. It would require personal login setting to make it accessible and it contains all important and useful links that can be used in an appropriate way such as contact lists, newsletters, activities and documents. Sidney stringer school has an intranet because of their portal and it requires the login of members in the school to access the information inside it. Someone outside of the school cannot access it.
If students and staff spend excessive hours on the computer then it could cause strain to the eyes and aches to the body so they need to take regular intervals to do something else such as get some food or do some exercise. This can help keep the mind at ease and also help students and staff to work harder. If Sidney stringer can achieve this then it will help meet the objectives because is shows the welfare and health of staff and students is being preserved and supervised.
The advantages of using the Intranet for staff and students in Sidney stringer are:
The students can access their school work from home and their documents so whatever work they have saved in school it can be opened from their computer at home and this is good because then they would not have to carry on a portable device and keeps the information secure as the work of a student can only be accessed with a login. This will help meet the objectives because it shows the school is securing the best learning resources.
The portal has all the subjects that students study in school and they can also use the resources drive from their computer at home which is also useful as they do not have to come into school to collect the work. They can just login on the portal from their houses that is if they have an internet connection. This helps meet the objectives because it shows that Sidney stringer are aware of the student’s welfare and want them to achieve their aspirations.
A great feature in the portal is the email system they have and it can be used to email all members of Sidney stinger academy so if a student needs to email some work or requires help then they can send an email to a teacher. The teachers can also email students with work if they are off sick or cannot come into school for a particular reason and this is useful because it would mean that students do not have to come into school for the work especially to those who live far from school. This helps meet the objectives because it shows that the education of every child and adult is held to be of equal value in the academy.
The portal also has notice boards of what is happening in the school such as any events like reporting day or teacher training. The intranet is also safer than the internet because firstly it has a login feature where a student or a teacher has to enter a username and password and also it s not a public network like the internet where lot of information good and bad can be passed around and accessed. Communication is made easy on the portal. The information of the portal is accurate and can only be edited by administrators. This will help meet the objectives because it shows that all students must show determination to perform well and use the resources provided to aid their work.
The disadvantages of using the Intranet for staff and students in Sidney stringer are:
You can only get the work that you have done in school so you cant research other materials e.g. PowerPoint presentations for a specific subject can only be opened using the intranet also you cant get as much information on the intranet as you can on the internet because the internet is a world wide network and many computers all over the world are linked so they are constantly sharing information. This would affect Sidney stringer’s objectives because if students can’t get the information they need, it will make it hard to complete their work to a good standard meaning they are not considering the welfare of students and giving them the best resources.
Sometimes students or staff may forget their login so they won’t be able to access the intranet so if they are at home and are doing homework they can’t access their work in school as they will have forgotten their login so they will have to go back to school to reset the password. This will make the students fall behind and they may not be able to complete their homework and this could affect their grade and the school will fail to meet objectives.
The intranet is less up to date than the internet because not many people use the intranet compared to how many users there are on the internet so their may be old or incorrect information on sidney stringers portal for students and staff and it could be old or incorrect information which can get them confused. This would affect the objectives of Sidney stringer because if students get the wrong information they would not complete their work properly and therefore the education of students will be at risk.
It is harder to access the intranet because it contains more security like the sidney stringer portal page requires a login so only the members of the school with a username and password can use the portal so if someone outside the school tried to go on to the school portal they would not be able to such as parents of the students they would need the pupils login to enter the portal.
Improvements that could be made to the intranet:
The intranet can be improved by teachers adding extra work and notes onto the portal for students to do so they can develop their learning and get good grades. The portal should be made more interactive so students find it more intriguing. They could add revision games and educational activities on the portal for students to use and also they may find it fun and entertaining way to learn. The portal is quite hard to use and sometimes students can’t find what they are looking for so a search bar can be added to find whatever they need e.g. if a student is looking for a PowerPoint presentation then they could search what they are looking, for, click on the link and it will appear.
