Headteacher’s guide to … inspiring young developers

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Tim

The Guardian’s ICT Leadership site says then it comes to the next generation of internet entrepreneurs, teaching schoolchildren how to use basic software is no way to ‘ignite passion’. Is it time to add computer programming to the curriculum?

The UK’s “great computing heritage” is being short-changed as a result of computer science falling off the ICT curriculum, according to Google’s Eric Schmidt.
Photograph: Echo/Getty Images/Cultura RF

“I was flabbergasted to learn that today, computer science isn’t even taught as standard in UK schools,” said Google’s Eric Schmidt at last summer’s Edinburgh TV Festival. “Your IT curriculum focuses on teaching how to use software, but gives no insight into how it’s made. That is just throwing away your great computing heritage.”

Is he right? Many people learn to drive a car, but do not need to be engineers, so why is computing any different? Schmidt’s comments partly reflect a generational difference. Those born like him in the 50s saw the birth of personal computers, and in the early days you had to be a programmer to do anything useful with them. Now computers are ubiquitous, the essential skills are not programming but how to operate them sensibly and use standard software.

Even if the curriculum does not require it, it is possible to squeeze in some computer science as an addition or to offer after-school clubs. There are some excellent resources, one being the Scratchprogramming language, a free download from the MIT Media Lab. Using Scratch, children create software by dragging visual blocks on the screen, with no need to write any code.

Another way to get started is by using applications in everyday use. Every web browser runs JavaScript, and there are powerful programming languages built into most word processor and spreadsheet applications.

The problem though is that the “standard software”, which does appear on the curriculum, may already be out of date. Pupils knowing more than the teachers is not uncommon and a course in Microsoft Office is unlikely to “ignite passion”, as Schmidt puts it, in the same way as the excitement of coding your own game and seeing it work.

The rarest beast – a UK PC manufacturer that’s growing. Novatech at 25.

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Tim

Novatech celebrates turning 25 with a major accolade, a record year and soaring growth figures.

Novatech was founded In February 1987 with a simple ethic of supplying high quality products at the lowest possible prices with excellent customer service. Twenty five years later and the Portchester-based company is now the fifth largest PC manufacturer in the UK and is Microsoft’s fastest growing partner. Despite the economic gloom Novatech’s Business & Education team has trebled in size, breaking all the company’s previous records for growth, new customers, turnover and profit.

Founder and MD David Furby thinks that the company is now unrecognisable from its roots as a mail order supplier of computer components. “We have come a very long way and although the majority of our work is now planning technology for businesses, we still have amazing people taking care of customers at the centre of what we do. That much hasn’t changed.”

In recent years, Novatech have won numerous awards for the quality of their products and service and in 2010 the readers of Which? Magazine rated them top for reliability and service by above every other brand. In 2011 they were ranked second, behind Apple, but ahead of every other international giant like Dell, HP and Sony, but that’s OK with the MD.

“These kinds of accolades are great but we are a very different company from any of them. At our heart, we are an engineering company that make custom-built computers for our customers’ individual needs. Businesses and schools tell us what they need their technology to do and we make sure they get the ideal machines to do it. That’s not something any other PC company can really match and that’s what more and more of them are looking for.”

Although the company grew and continues to thrive because of its expertise with gamers, David Furby points out that the vast majority of their work is now driven by longer-term projects with larger businesses in the finance, training, aerospace and education sectors.

“Our evolution to becoming a business technology specialist has seemed like a natural progression, because of our engineering prowess and our history of building powerful custom-built pcs and servers. We tend to work more closely with firms to plan the lifecycle of their IT, so that all their technology keeps pace with, and drives their own innovation over time.”

He continued, “We own the entire process from design and assembly to support and maintenance, which gives our business customers confidence that we can truly treat them as individuals. We get to know them very well so we can look after their IT and they can get on with what they do best – their own business. We have recruited over fifty new staff in the last year and they are all positions that look after our customers directly. We believe passionately that Novatech’s purpose is much more than just selling technology - It takes people to make technology work. And we are those people.”

We’re in the Telegraph 1000: Britain’s Brightest Businesses

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Tim

For those who don’t read the Daily Telegraph with their toast and cornflakes, you might like this article that lists Novatech as one of Britain’s Brightest Businesses. It does feel good to be recognised by such an august publication and by peer review.

“Telegraph 1000: Britain’s Brightest Businesses – A celebration of the 1,000 mid-sized companies which have weathered the economic storm and are set to be the foundation of the UK’s recovery.

Concerns over the health of the economy disguise the fact that thousands of businesses across the UK are growing and generating jobs. To highlight their untold story, the Telegraph has mapped out this vital section of the economy. We have identified 1,000 private and Alternative Investment Market-listed companies, from farming to IT firms; restaurants and retailers; to construction groups and professional services. Our snapshot focuses on companies and partnerships with sales of between £5m and £500m. Many are growing quickly, others are doing so more slowly, often sustained over many years. It means young gazelles sit alongside long-established companies that have found new ways to grow.

The research was compiled with the help of NESTA, the innovation agency, which identified fast growing companies, and business information specialist Dun & Bradstreet (D&B), which verified our information. The Telegraph also polled more than a dozen membership organisations, such as the Institution of Chemical Engineers, the Chartered Insurance Institute, the Institute of Physics and the Royal Academy of Engineering as well as taking nominations from readers and conducting research of companies receiving peer acclaim.

The result is a snapshot of companies that collectively generate more than £50bn in sales that have operations across the UK and that have all shown resilience during the recession and stuttering recovery.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/yourbusiness/8755546/Telegraph-1000-Britains-Brightest-Businesses.html

The Great HDMI Cable rip off – How about £1.99 for a 2m Cable?

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Paul

A bit of controversy never hurt, so when our friends over at PC Pro put up a news story about the HDMI cable scam, we couldn’t resist relaying it on to you here on the Novatech blog.

According to Kogan (a new upstart retailer in the UK) many retailers are trying to sell HDMI cables at hugely inflated prices, sometimes in excess of £100. Kogan have offered customers of all the shops selling TVs such as Currys and John Lewis, the chance to purchase their HDMI cable for just £4.

“When you buy a TV from John Lewis, Currys, or countless other high street stores, you will be offered hideously expensive accessories such as HDMI cables,” the company explained on its blog. “These cables are sold with absolutely ridiculous markups, many multiples of the actual cost of the items.”

Good point, but presumably these companies were offering superior HDMI cables or is this just a myth? “An HDMI cable is an HDMI cable,” Kogan said. “It’s a digital cable. You either get a picture or you don’t. Don’t get conned into buying a ‘fancy’ HDMI cable because it will make no difference!”

It’s something we’ve been saying for a long time, which is why our own HDMI cables are suitably priced, much lower than the high street.

But, we have decided to go one better than even the good people at Kogan, so if you have bought a TV recently from any of the high street retailers, we are now offering you the chance to buy a 2 metre HDMI cable for just £1.99 over this weekend ONLY at Novatech. (We aren’t even going to check if you bought a TV from the high street!)

Grab yourself a grand prix weekend bargain right here.

Novatech’s Top Tips to saving money on ICT for schools.

Posted on December 7, 2010 by Tim

Novatech’s Top Tips to saving money on ICT for schools.

1 Strategy & Planning

Make a detailed plan and calendar of what equipment you will need and when. Most schools refresh a lot of equipment every three years, but this is not always the most cost-effective use of budgets– savings can be negotiated with suppliers if you can show them a long-term purchasing plan.

2 Know the real cost

The price of the actual hardware is only part of the cost. What does each machine cost in power use, extended warranties, support, external and internal maintenance, staff wages and upgrades? Cheap products can be more expensive when factoring all the other areas.

3 Buy direct & buy local

Go direct to a UK manufacturer who will always be able to offer bigger discounts and better warranties and support than any middle men or purchasing contractor. Most are members of approved purchasing frameworks and their components are identical to big brand name suppliers’. You’re far more important to a local company than a foreign giant so they will go to greater lengths to look after you.

4 Question why you use a middleman

What do you really get from a specialist purchasing company and do the perceived discounts really add up as a long-term advantage? Middle men work on small margins and are unlikely to be able to offer the comprehensive and reliable support of a UK manufacturer.

5 Invest in infrastructure

The expert consensus is that wifi is the future and your networks will need to be strong to cope with so many mobile devices. A robust system that can handle multiple logons and heavy video-streaming loads is a must. This does open opportunities to reduce cabling and other hardware costs with parental contributions and grants for ‘a device for every child’ projects.

6 Finance & leasing

Why buy machines outright? Schools have perfect credit rating and huge savings can be made by leasing or even renting hardware. Manufacturers like Novatech now offer machines on a monthly payment plan that includes comprehensive warranties and support – Hardware can be factored as a monthly cost rather than a capital cost.

7 Collaborative and Federation buying

Buying in bulk increases discounts and by teaming up with other schools in clusters, as a group of secondary feeder schools or as informal federations gives radically increased purchasing power. If you’re not sure who you could team with, use online forums – they don’t have to be local.

8 Refresh

You don’t buy a new car if all it needs is an oil change and new brake pads. Think the same with PCs. Would a new graphics card or motherboard extend the useful life of your hardware?

9 Bespoke machines

Think what the machines will be used for – do all your machines need huge memory space, high-def screens and high-powered graphics cards? Manufacturers like Novatech can build bespoke machines that cut out unnecessary components to reduce unit cost.

10 Harness technology changes

The new generation of hardware has energy reduction technologies that can reduce power consumption by up to a third. Utilise energy saving software to ensure idle machines are powered down automatically and laptop charging trolleys don’t run unnecessarily.

www.novatecheducation.co.uk

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