September 09

Award-winning Barry Island School has become the UK’s first school to implement a state-of-the-art networked ICT solution that provides all children with their own monitor, mouse and keyboard at their desks. The former ICT suite has now been turned into a new classroom for 30 additional pupils.

Recognising the importance of technology in education, and the need for the school’s ICT systems to work effectively and efficiently, the school decided to invest in a new ICT solution that met its core objectives: a low total cost of ownership (TCO); a high return on investment (ROI) and a system that was environmentally friendly, easy and quick to install.

The answer, provided by services and solutions provider, Computacenter, was LG’s Network Monitor that uses virtual desktop software that enables 10 users to share a single host PC. The software transmits divided desktop screens from the host to each monitor, allowing pupils to run any application as if they were using individual PCs.

Using the Network Monitors, the school’s teachers now have the ability to monitor each pupil’s work from the host PC without needing to go to each individual computer. By easily switching between screens, they can also showcase a pupil’s work to the entire class via an interactive whiteboard.
The cost of the installation of the complete system, including server, associated hardware/software, monitors, cables, keyboards, mice and installation service, amounts to approximately 60 per cent less than the implementation of 10 industry standard PCs.

Similarly, by implementing fewer PCs, energy consumption is significantly reduced, which feeds into Barry Island Primary School’s environmental goals. A standard computer, for example, will use between 15 – 80 watts, but with Network Monitors this is reduced to between 1 – 5 watts, potentially lowering its annual energy costs by 80 per cent.


E: marco.manzi@computacenter.com
T: 08456038997