INTRODUCTION

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Work integrated learning has exposed me to a variety of schools, teaching me how to adapt and work in these different environments and school cultures. I completed my 7 weeks of work integrated learning at Parktown Boys’. Parktown Boys' High School is a public high school for boys in Parktown, a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. One of the oldest and most respected schools in Johannesburg, the school is consistently rated as among the best performing schools in South Africa, as well as in Africa. The school prides itself in their commitment to the schools ethos of excellence and quality, honesty, integrity, and gentlemen conduct, tolerance and empathy, trust and respect, self-discipline, leadership, team spirit and free communication. Moreover the staff works together to ensure an efficient team and display the core values they want to instill in the boys. The school is strict in terms of ensuring that the boys conform to the rules but mostly to the core values of the school and this is monitored by the head of discipline in the school, taking them a step closer to maintaining their status as one of the best performing schools in South Africa.

Whilst at the school, I had to conduct a comprehensive survey of the schools existing infrastructure, hardware and software, as well as the inclusion of the evidence and recommendations plus a breakdown of cost implications.

 

Going about my survey.

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I will create a survey in Google forms that will help me get an idea of the schools infrastructure, hardware and software. I will select different teachers to complete this survey to see how the experienced teachers, novice and new to technological use teachers have to say about the above mentions topics of the school. The reason behind this is to see if the school caters for different teacher’s abilities to implement the use of these facilities effectively.

The school has computers in most of the classrooms for staff with internet access as well as a work room for those without, therefore, I will ask the teachers to complete the survey in their free time or during administration and I will have this done over the course of two days. I will give the teachers a shorten URL to the survey, teachers need to have a google account in order to complete this task. Once complete, I will compile a report based on the findings of the survey concerning the schools infrastructure, hardware and software.

 

REPORT BASED ON THE FINDINGS OF THE SURVEY

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School infrastructure

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The school infrastructure is great since there are facilities to help promote learning and extra mural activities. The school has three computer labs which have been divided between the CAT and IT classes for all grades. I visited the two labs to see how there were set up and they were similar to each other than the posters which are chosen according to the subject and focus in the class. Each learner had their own working station which consisted of a leveled desk, keyboard, mouse, monitor and tower were placed neatly on their desks, using the tower as a divider for each working space.

 

Hardware

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Overhead projectors

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All the classrooms have an overhead projector which is connected to the teacher’s computer and a white board. These are used by the staff and student teachers, learners are not given access to the teacher’s computer.

Conditions of computer

Firstly the school has good working computers, which are still new and modern. All the classes have a computer for the teacher and working projectors and the computer labs have air cons for keeping the room at room temperature.

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Workroom

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There is a workroom with 6 computer for teacher who need to work during their free time and it has a printer and scanner to minimize trips to the printing room for a small load which was opened to student teachers as well. There are a few old computers in some classes which suggests that old equipment is not stored well and this makes the classrooms untidy and not safe.

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Printing station

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The printing station is office to Mr. Peter who is in charge of large printing and school administration assisting the office clerks. This station is not overcrowded because teachers have option depending on their workload and there is great management because teachers must drop of their work and fetch it at an agreed time.

 

Software

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Internet access

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Learners are given access to WIFI on their computers if they are in class, there are rules to using the internet and the school has blocked some websites such as you tube to eliminate any distractions.

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Anti-virus

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Kaspersky Internet Security is nearly as full-featured, sharing a secure browser and webcam protection with its pricier sibling. The school makes use of this anti-virus and learners are not permitted to use USB’s unless the teacher has scanned them.

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Login access

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Learners are given unique login details which consist of their usernames and passwords. These are generated by the school as a security measure if the teacher needs to access learners work. The teacher has full access to learners working space and can upload next tasks and units before the class. The teacher also has access to screen casting for presentation purposes.

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Software learner’s use:

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• Windows 10

• Microsoft office suite 2013

• Google chrome

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