Time is a precious commodity in education at the moment. For example, in June, the Government in the UK announced a £1 billion COVID ‘catch up’ package to tackle the impact of lost teaching time. The plans recognise that all young people have ‘lost time in education as a result of the pandemic’. All this brings into sharp focus the need to make the most of time spent in the classroom. Those schools that have reopened have naturally had to overhaul the look and feel of the classroom, as well as the way students and staff engage with one another. And for the autumn term, more permanent solutions will need to be found.
Regain Lost Time
Our products for the education sector focus on a simple principle; spend more of your time teaching. The portable device charging and storage solutions we have built for the education sector enable teachers to reclaim more than 21 days in the classroom per year. When put into the context of school upheaval and a Government drive to reclaim lost time, that is a significant boost to teachers. A journalist at the Daily Telegraph put it beautifully in a recent piece: “When the dust from the pandemic settles, schools and universities will mop up the mess and embrace the future.” We have all seen portable devices play an integral role in keeping families, friends and businesses connected in recent months. But their significance in the classroom has been increasing steadily in recent years. Not only are they a learning aid, but also a fundamental part of modern life that students are used to.
Safety and Protection in the Classroom
The pandemic has, of course, heightened safety fears in the school environment. To assuage these fears, our charging and storage solutions have an optional antimicrobial powder coating. This silver-ion coating reduces the potential spread of infection by students using multiple devices. Social distancing, though a fundamental tactic, must be supported in the classroom. Our split deployment system and color group deployment prevent traffic jams and create natural social distancing. Measures must also be taken to keep devices as clean as possible. The single-touch deployment of our Towers reduces cross contamination, which is so critical during this time.
Charging and Storage for your Technology
As we have seen with other industries such as healthcare, technology has been put in place to make workplaces better. However, those on the frontline cannot and must not waste their time managing the technology solutions. This is why the right support structure, such as safe and secure charging and storage solutions, must be a mainstay of the modern classroom. Regain lost time with PowerGistics. To see how much time you could potentially save, why not fill out our free audit here. [post_title] => Regaining Lost Time in Student Learning [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => regaining-lost-time-in-student-learning [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2020-11-30 17:31:26 [post_modified_gmt] => 2020-11-30 17:31:26 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://edtechnology.co.uk/?p=35958 [menu_order] => 792 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [1] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 29283 [post_author] => 1 [post_date] => 2020-06-23 11:34:37 [post_date_gmt] => 2020-06-23 10:34:37 [post_content] => For schools that haven’t already moved to the 1:1 model — one device for every student — this is the gold standard all are moving toward now. The pandemic has caused us to rethink our K-12 classroom process for everything, including classroom sets of electronic devices. Applying CDC School Guidelines to deployment models and charging solutions helps ensure your classrooms are the lowest risk when students return to classrooms.
Safest Deployment Models using CDC School Guidelines for Reopening
When students stay in the same classroom with the same teacher for all or most of the day, it’s simple to coordinate students using the same devices every day. This model is most frequently used in a PreK-5th grade environment, and aligns closest with these CDC School Guidelines for reopening:
Restrict or limit mixing between glasses/groups
Avoid sharing electronic devices, toys, books, other games, and learning aids
Charging carts and other charging stations don’t always make it easy for young students to know which device belongs to them every day. Teachers often take on the responsibility of passing out and retrieving these devices, often several times per day. This increases the teacher’s risk by having to touch all the students’ devices – not to mention, teachers wasting a lot of teaching time in this process.
Safety Comes First with PowerGistics Towers
PowerGistics Towers were designed with young students in mind. The colorful shelf groups and numbered individual shelves make it easy for students to remember their designated shelf and device, such as Red 1 or Yellow 4, for example. Asking students to retrieve by their colour group rather than all at once also helps students maintain the CDC School Guidelines recommended 6 feet of physical distance. If the classrooms are larger, placing two Towers on opposite sides of the classroom further creates this natural physical distance, and speeds up deployment times. The cable management is exceptionally secure and completely intuitive, allowing even young students to correctly plug their device back in to charge. No training is required, cable management is student-proof, preventing cords from going missing, fraying, or other damage. This 100% student management feature of PowerGistics Towers naturally helps prevent the spread of germs, since the student only needs to touch their device and power cord during retrieval and return. Additionally, this student managed-approach means the teacher only needs to touch the key or lock to unlock and lock the Tower throughout the day – decreasing their risk and saving them time. But what about older grades that move from class to class?
Safe Homeroom Device Deployment Model
Many grades move from class to class, often middle and high school students. For this level, the safest electronic device deployment option to align with CDC School Guidelines has students using the same device throughout the day. This system closely resembles that from the younger grade levels. Even before the pandemic, many schools wanted students to have an assigned device for logistical and accountability reasons. They wanted to still require the devices to remain at school to charge overnight. The Homeroom model accomplishes all these needs. This model works best if the district is 1:1. During their first period homeroom, students retrieve their device that was fully charged overnight. After using this same device throughout the day, they return it to the dedicated charging shelf in their homeroom before they head home. Again, the teacher only needs to lock and unlock the Tower at the beginning and end of the day. This model provides all the same 100% student-managed benefits with the other deployment model and helps prevent the spread of germs through classroom devices.
Making Shared Electronic Devices Safer
This last deployment model is the riskiest. For schools that haven’t made the shift to 1:1 yet, students in classrooms share a set of devices. With many charging cart systems, students retrieve and return the devices on a first-come, first-served model. When thinking about preventing the spread of germs, this is the most risky, and requires the most demanding cleaning schedule to prevent. When sharing devices is unavoidable, the CDC School Guidelines recommends to “limit the use of supplies and equipment by one group of students at a time”. PowerGistics Towers can help with this, too. When students have a designated shelf for their device in each classroom, the number of students that use the same device each day and week is limited. Rather than numerous students possibly using the same device, the same five students, for example, use it every day. If a person becomes ill, it’s much easier to identify which device they used, too. The CDC School Guidelines also recommend to “clean, sanitize, and disinfect frequently touched surfaces… and shared objects between use”. PowerGistics offers a cleaning caddy that hooks to the side of the Tower, offering a dedicated and convenient way for students or teachers to sanitize the devices between uses.
CDC School Guidelines Suggest Preparation for Closures
CDC School Guidelines do recommend having e-learning/distance learning plans in place for higher risk students and in case of a future pandemic related school closures. If the classroom devices are tablets or Chromebooks with a USB-C charging port, PowerGistics can make school closures a breeze. It’s time-consuming to rip out the power bricks from your classroom charging station to send home with students. Spending thousands of dollars on a second set of charging cords is frustrating, too. PowerGistics’ USB Tower Series includes a set of USB-C cables, letting schools save the power bricks to send home with students. As an additional safety feature, all PowerGistics Towers are now available with an optional silver-ion Antimicrobial Powder Coat. This coating helps kill or slow the growth of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, mold, and mildew. Whether trying to prevent COVID-19, influenza, or the common cold, keeping students and teachers healthy is a top priority with PowerGistics. Interested in more information about PowerGistics? Contact our friendly team today for more information. Source: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/schools.htm [post_title] => CDC School Guidelines Applied to Classroom Electronic Devices [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => cdc-school-guidelines-applied-to-classroom-electronic-devices [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2020-06-23 18:53:08 [post_modified_gmt] => 2020-06-23 17:53:08 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://edtechnology.co.uk/?p=29283 [menu_order] => 989 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [2] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 25797 [post_author] => 83 [post_date] => 2020-05-11 12:30:12 [post_date_gmt] => 2020-05-11 11:30:12 [post_content] => Our Towers have:
Antimicrobial Coating available to help kill or slow the growth of microorganisms
Individual trays for single touch deployment
Cleaning caddy available for device protection
Save money, create more time for teaching and have a safer, faster, 100% student deployment of classroom technology.
Reclaim 21+ days in the classroom, per year
The Open-Door concept allows teachers to visually inventory returned devices, creating a 100% student managed classroom charging solution for students of all ages and abilities. Empower your teachers with regained instructional hours, and empower your students by teaching the important responsibility of caring for their own devices.
Versatile mounting options
All PowerGistics Towers are wall mountable, with options to transform into a stand or roller. Designed to seamlessly integrate and evolve as your deployment evolves. Mounting versatility ensures your classrooms are always future-ready.
PowerGistics puts education first
By removing the barrier to accessing technology in a classroom, PowerGistics allows classroom devices to become powerful educational tools with measurable results. Not only do teachers have more time to teach, hours of IT staff time is saved too. The patented cable management gives IT staff the freedom to move forward rather than untangle the decisions of the past. *Antimicrobial agents kill or slow growth of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, protozoans, and fungi such as mold and mildew. Antimicrobial coating available as an option with all Towers. **Cleaning caddy sold as accessory.
To find out more, call +44 (0) 1252 941 717 or visit: powergistics.co.uk
[post_title] => Protect your classrooms with PowerGistics [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => protect-your-classrooms-with-powergistics [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2020-05-05 10:39:54 [post_modified_gmt] => 2020-05-05 09:39:54 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://edtechnology.co.uk/?p=25797 [menu_order] => 1077 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [3] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 21053 [post_author] => 74 [post_date] => 2020-01-17 14:49:18 [post_date_gmt] => 2020-01-17 14:49:18 [post_content] => Any K-12 school teacher that has a set of tablets or laptops knows the educational value of technology in the classroom. That doesn’t prevent the device deployment process or device management from being a headache and time sink for teachers day after day, especially when devices aren't charged - or worse, broken. The cumbersome carts for charging and device storage are supposed to 'solve' the problem, but they actually become the problem. Those terrible trolleys were not designed by a teacher or IT leader with the teacher or students in mind. Fortunately, there is a better solution to the poorly designed and space-wasting laptop carts. PowerGistics vertical towers accomplish what no other cart, shelf system, or baskets ever could. PowerGistics vertical towers are the only 100% student managed electronic device charging and deployment system out there, saving teachers hundreds of hours of valuable time, not to mention reducing their headaches. PowerGistics towers are so intuitive, the students don’t need any training to manage their own devices. PowerGistics' open door design means that teachers can see from across the room whether the devices are returned and charging. The innovative cable management system keeps all cords exceptionally secure - no more accidentally unplugged devices that bring teachers a headache the next morning! Another way PowerGistics Towers reduce headaches is through their small footprint in the classroom. Two PowerGistics towers take up less than half of the square area than a single clunky cart. The mounting options are versatile too - choose a stationary stand, a wall mount, or a mobile design with wheels to evolve with innovative classroom layouts. “We were looking for a product that was child-friendly to use, didn’t have a massive footprint, and was also mobile. PowerGistics ticked all the boxes and gave us our custom colours, which was fantastic,” said Mr. Alex Handley, ICT school administrator, St John’s Church of England Primary School, Watford. Technology is meant to aid education, not hinder it. Let’s stop wasting teachers’ precious time and space. With PowerGistics towers, there is no longer an elephant in the classroom. Want to see how big the elephant in your classroom is? Come visit us at BETT, booth number SL21, and use our free audit tool to see how much time you’ll save with PowerGistics! [post_title] => The elephant in the classroom [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => elephant-classroom-powergistics [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2020-11-30 18:14:35 [post_modified_gmt] => 2020-11-30 18:14:35 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://edtechnology.co.uk/dashboard2/?post_type=blog&p=21053 [menu_order] => 1391 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) ) [post_count] => 4 [current_post] => -1 [in_the_loop] => [post] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 35958 [post_author] => 1 [post_date] => 2020-10-02 12:00:56 [post_date_gmt] => 2020-10-02 11:00:56 [post_content] =>
Protecting a Most Precious Commodity
Time is a precious commodity in education at the moment. For example, in June, the Government in the UK announced a £1 billion COVID ‘catch up’ package to tackle the impact of lost teaching time. The plans recognise that all young people have ‘lost time in education as a result of the pandemic’. All this brings into sharp focus the need to make the most of time spent in the classroom. Those schools that have reopened have naturally had to overhaul the look and feel of the classroom, as well as the way students and staff engage with one another. And for the autumn term, more permanent solutions will need to be found.
Regain Lost Time
Our products for the education sector focus on a simple principle; spend more of your time teaching. The portable device charging and storage solutions we have built for the education sector enable teachers to reclaim more than 21 days in the classroom per year. When put into the context of school upheaval and a Government drive to reclaim lost time, that is a significant boost to teachers. A journalist at the Daily Telegraph put it beautifully in a recent piece: “When the dust from the pandemic settles, schools and universities will mop up the mess and embrace the future.” We have all seen portable devices play an integral role in keeping families, friends and businesses connected in recent months. But their significance in the classroom has been increasing steadily in recent years. Not only are they a learning aid, but also a fundamental part of modern life that students are used to.
Safety and Protection in the Classroom
The pandemic has, of course, heightened safety fears in the school environment. To assuage these fears, our charging and storage solutions have an optional antimicrobial powder coating. This silver-ion coating reduces the potential spread of infection by students using multiple devices. Social distancing, though a fundamental tactic, must be supported in the classroom. Our split deployment system and color group deployment prevent traffic jams and create natural social distancing. Measures must also be taken to keep devices as clean as possible. The single-touch deployment of our Towers reduces cross contamination, which is so critical during this time.
Charging and Storage for your Technology
As we have seen with other industries such as healthcare, technology has been put in place to make workplaces better. However, those on the frontline cannot and must not waste their time managing the technology solutions. This is why the right support structure, such as safe and secure charging and storage solutions, must be a mainstay of the modern classroom. Regain lost time with PowerGistics. To see how much time you could potentially save, why not fill out our free audit here. [post_title] => Regaining Lost Time in Student Learning [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => regaining-lost-time-in-student-learning [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2020-11-30 17:31:26 [post_modified_gmt] => 2020-11-30 17:31:26 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://edtechnology.co.uk/?p=35958 [menu_order] => 792 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [comment_count] => 0 [current_comment] => -1 [found_posts] => 4 [max_num_pages] => 0 [max_num_comment_pages] => 0 [is_single] => [is_preview] => [is_page] => [is_archive] => 1 [is_date] => [is_year] => [is_month] => [is_day] => [is_time] => [is_author] => [is_category] => [is_tag] => 1 [is_tax] => [is_search] => [is_feed] => [is_comment_feed] => [is_trackback] => [is_home] => [is_privacy_policy] => [is_404] => [is_embed] => [is_paged] => [is_admin] => [is_attachment] => [is_singular] => [is_robots] => [is_favicon] => [is_posts_page] => [is_post_type_archive] => [query_vars_hash:WP_Query:private] => 1218e822ef4bd12e372dd060d27b3e39 [query_vars_changed:WP_Query:private] => [thumbnails_cached] => [stopwords:WP_Query:private] => [compat_fields:WP_Query:private] => Array ( [0] => query_vars_hash [1] => query_vars_changed ) [compat_methods:WP_Query:private] => Array ( [0] => init_query_flags [1] => parse_tax_query ) )
Connect with Powergistics
Powergistics
About
PowerGistics proudly designs, engineers, and manufactures portable device charging and storage solutions in Columbus, Wisconsin. PowerGistics Towers are the space, time, and cost-saving vertical solution for charging, storing and securing mobile phones, tablets, Chromebooks, and laptops, safely in one place.
With 100% Student-Managed deployment and the innovative Open-Door design, teachers save time in not managing devices. We offer a safe deployment with our antimicrobial coating, single-touch device access and social distancing deployment plan. Our Towers can hold 8, 12, 16 or 20 devices as they are wall-mounted, free-standing or mobile.
Are UV charging carts effective for classroom laptops?
As schools prepare to bring students back in the summer and fall, one item top of mind for many districts is how to keep students’ devices clean, charged, and secure in the classroom environment.
Blended learning – Did we forget about the students?
Free Education Webinar with Class
Wednesday, June 15, 11AM London BST
Join our expert panel as we look at what blended learning means in 2022 and how universities can meet the needs of ever more diverse student expectations.
