Nursery Technology

An FYI update for everyone. Foursquare in now gaining users here in the UK. What is foursquare? Foursquare is a mobile application that makes cities easier to use and more interesting to explore. It is a friend-finder, a social city guide and a game that challenges users to experience new things, and rewards them for doing so. Foursquare lets users "check in" to a place when they're there, tell friends where they are and track the history of where they've been and who they've been there with.
You can add your own setting - here is one of ours you can even offer special offers (maybe a t-shirt or a book bag) to the most frequent visitors each month.
While it may seem like something that may only appeal to your exisiting clients, when you use the Foursquare app to 'checkin' to somewhere it shows all the other venues within about a kilometer from your location. Apps are available for Android, Blackberry and iPad/iPhone.

We have long since wondered about how to get market differentiation for our own nurseries when a potential client asks for information. One thing we thought of was a DVD.

We will be starting the project in November, currently we are evaluating software to use for the editing and DVD creation. We expect to use just a regular laptop PC as the editing station and will be keeping track of the time spent.

Currently we are looking at what content should be on the disc and then making sure we obtain all the neccesary releases from anyone who is featured in the footage.

Nursery aged children generally aren't techno snobs or geeks, they don't demand iMacs or Sony Vaios. They don't even demand an operating system, they just want to use the computer - to draw or play a game, just to use it. New PCs or Macs that can run the latest and 'shiniest' applications are expensive, but if someone just wants to 'use' a computer do they really need new?

There is an alternative to Windows and iMacs - it is called Linux and as well as being free, it is also efficient, meaning it can run on older hardware. There is a specific version of Linux aimed at educational users called Edubuntu, it even comes with a set of educational programs.

In terms of specification it will run on a 1GHz processor with 256MB of memory - think 10 year old system. For those of you with out of school programs this is a double bonus, you can use pretty much any system that you have bought over the last 10 years, or even systems that parents have donated.

There are a couple of sites that have large lists of software that run on Linux - OSALT and FLOSS

Edubuntu is fully web compliant so any online games or interactive web sites can be used on an Edubuntu system. With Flash compatability it is even more web savvy than an iPad or an iPhone.

With the widespread adoption of Wireless technology (WiFi) there are numerous peripherals that can be combined to make a flexible security systems. For example take a wireless router (no need to put it on the web, we are just using the wireless connectivity), a number of IP cameras (these are self powered with built in web servers) and any number of the new low cost tablet devices (Binatone is bringing one out at just over £100).

The low cost tablets all have WiFi connectivity with built in web browsers and can access the web servers in the cameras from anywhere in your building.

So you with each component costing around £100, you can monitor your entry door, office and four rooms for less than £1000 with minimal cabling to be run. As everything is wireless, the only connection required is power.

The cameras have a built-in SD card slot for recording still images and video. These images/videos can be recorded automatically when motion is detected or recording can be activated remotely. Recordings can then be sent via email, so the cameras can handle a passive security monitoring role out of hours, completely unattended. This could have been profoundly useful where we are based in Shropshire, there having been a recent spate of nursery burglaries.

The scope of such a system can be expanded to as large as needed, by using a private IP address range and paswords the security camera network can be kept secure from the outside. Similarly a secure gateway can be provided via DSL or other Broadband internet connection to offer remote monitoring access.

Looking to add some technology(ICT) into Pre-School rooms you could do a lot worse than the Acer Z280G. The compact form factor means it will fit almost anywhere and being an all in one you have less cables to hide. With an 18.5~ screen the Z280 provides a big enough viewing area for a group of children to work on. It has a useful 160GB hard drive and comes with Windows Vista. In keeping with the easy to connect and few cables it also has wireless networking. The system is powered by an Intel Atom processor, but with 2GB of memory offers plenty of performance for the type of 'edutainment' titles to be found in a nursery pre-school. Best thing of a though is the price of around £320. Good value, well built and stylish.

Looking for a way to enable secure access to a nursery setting fingerprint scanning (biometric)is an ideal solution.

The BioCAV 1000 is a solidly built module that can fitted to any existing interior door. The unit has a capacity for up to 1000 prints. It works by scanning the fingerprint and then using an algorithm to convert the scan to a number.

The unit takes less than an hour to fit using commonly available tools. Training for users is a simple 30 second process. It is powered by 4 AA batteries and you will want to invest in a couple of sets of rechargeables, especially if you have a busy setting.

The unit is very accurate in terms of recognition and always errs on the side of giving false negatives which means you won't get unwanted access. Care needs to be to taken when installing to make sure that the lock mechanism has free and straight motion.

Overall though with a UK street price at £250 the BioCAV offers good value and is an ideal way of adding both security and parental convenience to your setting.

Nurseries today have to use many types of technology on a daily basis in many different ways.

Firstly they need to use technology in the office environment to keep a track of their client records, run payroll and invoicing, deal with e-mail correspondence and more.

Secondly, by their remit of providing a sound early years education, there needs to be some provision of technology actually in the setting for the children to have access to.

Finally there is the need for ancillary technology based equipment such as biometric access systems (door locks and such), CCTV and other video monitoring and recording equipment.

Through this Blog I hope to bring you ideas, products, projects and knowledge. I will try and make your life easier by doing the research for you, so watch this space.