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Designed
for Teachers by Teachers
"In
response to the Digital Education Revolution initiative,
we at PC Locs have developed a revolutionary, cost-effective and
highly functional range of products that are designed to
secure, transport,
charge
and
store
your school’s
laptop and notebook computers.
The unique design provides
secure protection for all
sizes of laptops from 7-9inch Ultra Mobile Personal
Computers (UMPC) right up to full size 17inch laptops.
Designed and priced for
schools with restricted budgets, the Revolution Range of
products feature straightforward design and maximum
protection. We are very confident that the Revolution
Range will greatly assist the roll-out of laptops in
your school." James Symons - General Manager.
TEACHERS DEBUG SECURITY
RISKS IN RUDD’S DIGITAL REVOLUTION
A band of
retired teachers believe they have solved the massive
security risks and damage bills expected when the Rudd
Government begins handing out $1 billion of free lap-top
computers to the nation’s adolescents.
After
seeing thieves brazenly targeting schools for years, former
math teacher Paul Symons set about inventing a range of
security devices for school notebook and desktop computer
labs that are now shipped all over Australia, New Zealand
and to markets as far away as Bahrain.
And in
doing so, Mr Symons may have solved one of the biggest
sticking points in the Rudd Government’s digital education
revolution (DER) plan to give laptops to all 116,000
students between years 9 and 12.
Mr Symons
said the State Governments had quickly ascertained that the
storage and security of highly-prized computers was going to
be an expensive headache – one that has already caused many
cash-strapped schools around Australia to consider opting
out of the scheme.
The NSW
Government informed principals earlier this month that due
to the expected high level of theft and damage, only half of
the budgeted $1000 a head for students could be spent on
buying the actual computer.
"Some
schools have thrown their hands up in the air, convinced
that they need to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to
build new computer rooms with 25 additional power-points,"
Mr Symons said.
"But
we’ve got the answer. We’ve developed laptop trolleys that
can secure, charge, transport and store entire computer labs
at a fraction of the cost of a new building”
The
feedback from teachers has been outstanding. Which shouldn’t
be a surprise, given that both Mr Symons and his son James –
who jointly own the WA-based manufacturing company PC Locs –
are married to school teachers. Even the company sales
manager is a former State school principal.
PC Locs
had in recent years developed a range of cutting-edge
security systems – from mobile powered trolleys to next
generation school lockers, complete with power boards to
recharge lap-tops and a central cooling system to prevent
computers overheating.
And
recently, they launch their new ‘Revolution’ range of
economical secure trolleys, designed specifically for
schools with restricted budgets wanting to access DER
funding.
"The
laptop trolleys are real-estate creators. Instead of schools
needing two or three dedicated computer labs that are only
used 50% of the time, schools can simply wheel the lap-tops
in and be set up in a couple of minutes," Mr Symons said.
"When the
class is over, they lock the computers back on the
recharging bays and store the trolley safely away. It is
neat, practical, secure and schools love the design.
Upcoming Conferences - 2008
See, touch and feel the PC Locs laptop trolleys,
project cages and flat screen trolley and see for
yourself why the PC Locs physical security products
are leading the way for physical ICT security!
VITTA Annual Conference and Expo 2008 -
Shift Happens
24 - 26 November 2008
Rydges on Bell - 205 Bell Street, Preston VIC
www.vitta.org.au
The 2008
conference theme is "Shift Happens: Technology alone will
not save us" and focuses on the frequent shifts that happen
in the educational and technological landscape and the need
for us all to adapt.
The 2008
Annual VITTA Conference and Expo provides opportunities for
educators to enhance knowledge and skills with fresh and
inspiring approaches to teaching and learning. Schools need
to be aware of the range of educational technologies,
products and services available to aid teaching and
learning.
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