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In September of 2012, we had two schools with 600 students each.
All these students were given an iPad.
I would say that this is one of the largest projects of implementing the 1x1 tablet model
in Spain and, obviously, this involved a dramatic change in the dynamics of the school
and also methodology.
To carry out a project of this size, we worked almost eight months in advance and, in
this case, we had many open lines of work, so to carry out these lines of work we
obviously need people or experts in other fields.
I would highlight three points that UPCnet helped us or is helping us in.
I'll begin with the most boring point, which is coverage or advice on bandwidths and
networks, which is necessary but is not enough for the project to succeed.
In this case, ensuring the operation of 300 machines
is not available in domestic knowledge.
We needed a team of professionals, and UPCnet provided us with a turnkey project in which
connectivity and operation were secured.
Today, everything works perfectly and we have no problems in this area..
Nobody says anything about it, so that is a good measure of success.
The second, which has a bit more value-added, is that we have spent some time working
with a moodle platform we call iGarbí, and we needed to adapt
this platform to the tablets.
In this case, UPCnet developed an application, which the moodle operates under, that
incorporates different characteristics, specific navigation or language-specific
navigation for tablets which now is standard here at school, where we have a volume of
data, a very open and very important extensive use of groups and this is being lead by
UPCnet at the level of hosting, development, and updates.
But more importantly, apart from the technical side, I'd say that it is the advice.
Now the project has been underway for just over one year,
and we have two very important challenges ahead.
One of them is the implementation, the deployment of an e-portfolio for students.
An e-portfolio is not a feature, it is a process, since it also implies a change in the
way things are done.
And in this case, with UPCnet, even though it isn't running yet, we have started at the
conversational level, and getting advice, etc.
UPCnet is an organization which we can sit down and talk to, visualize what the future
will be like, which characteristics the e-portfolio should have, what's on the market,
what risks we run...
Therefore, as an organization, as a partner who helps us make decisions, I think their
importance has been paramount.
And the other thing we have to do, which is also outside the scope of our technical
possibilities as a school, and industry, is the integration of our ERPs, our management
systems, with classroom management applications.
This is something that we see doing one year down the road.
We believe it is absolutely necessary for a competency evaluation to be carried out
successfully, and that teachers need or requirement is that you
can assess in real time inside the classroom. And these two projects, again,
are outside the scope of what is an environment, a school sector.
Therefore, in this case we need external experience and knowledge to help us draw this
future, to visualize, to quantify and, if necessary,
to implement it or carry it out with certainty.