I'm really fortunate that the school I work in is kitted out with so much good ICT hardware that is used by every class on a daily basis.
We've got a pupil to laptop ratio of 2:1, IWBs in every room (plus the suite and TA room), visualisers in every room (plus suite and TA room), voice recorders, digital cameras and video cameras, monitoring equipment and oodles of useful software (in school and online).
However, that list above is missing one crucial item - an item that if without we'd really struggle; the network printers. All our laptops are linked to both a colour, as well as a black&white, copier, and these two machines provide essential work each and every day - from photocopying resources for lessons, to printing out pupils work they are in use non stop all day everyday.
But these machines hold a secret. One that only myself and the HT had been aware of for a long time, but that other members of staff have only just been told about. You see, there is an option on the machines to "scan". A simple four letter word, but it does soooooo much.
Pressing scan opens up the mailbox options, where all staff members are listed, and work can be scanned, and then sent directly to a member of staff on their computer.
So, "what's so special about that?" I hear you ask. Simples! - the format that the scan takes when it arrives on a users machine. It's a pdf file. Yes! we have a PDF making network printer, that allows us to take a piece of pupil work, scan it, and load it onto the website as a handy PDF for others to see.
You can see an example of what it does to word files here, as well as printed out art work here.
Beautiful!
For this reason alone, I deem the school network printers to be the unsung heroes of tech in the school. Our very own (free) PDF creating piece of kit :o)
