When we’re talking about questions like this, you may think we’re biased – we offer a range of ICT services to schools and therefore our answer to whether you should ever stop your investment in such resources is going to be a straight no, right?
Whilst there’s no doubt we’d always advise organisations to have this mentality and never believe their investment should stop, there are various reasons behind this; our services are simply provided as a solution because the reasons exist.
For example, you need to understand just how valuable investing in new resources can be for all who use them.
By having the most up-to-date and student-suitable resources available, you instantly create a better learning environment and one where students want to learn.
As a result of this, students are naturally happier in the educational setting, meaning they’re more receptive to what they’re being taught and when this is the case, there’s a greater likelihood of them being more successful.
But although this may very well be true, what’s important to understand is that it doesn’t mean you have to always be buying completely new software and hardware every year and you simply have to feel confident that what you do have will result in the most impact possible being made.
What’s more, an investment in physical products might be great, but your time investment is just as necessary – take the time to review your existing resources and you may find no financial investment is actually needed at all.
Tied into this point, your ICT investment extends to the policies you operate, too. Once again, upgrading your hardware or software may be great, but it may not be necessary if you’re able to offer an alternative, with a BYOD (‘Bring Your Own Device’) policy being the perfect example.
Becoming increasingly popular in an educational setting, a BYOD policy encourages students to bring their own suitable devices into school, something that when managed correctly, can have only positive effects on the learning experience.
As a school today, ICT is becoming more integral than it ever has been and you therefore need to feel confident you’re providing the most effective ICT resources possible.
Whilst there’s no doubt this does mean your investment should never stop, it is vital to understand it’s not necessarily a financial one that’s required, as a little time spent analysing, planning and organising really can go a long way.