PC Passport was first introduced in 2004 and rapidly became SQA's most pupular vocational qualification. It was revised in 2007 to make it compatible with the National Occupational Standards for IT. We also took the opportunity to update its structure and contents.
Whenever major changes are made to any award, there are errors and ommisions and we've had a lot of feedback from centres about inconsistencies in the units and errors in the assessments. So, a few months ago, I commissioned Elaine Cunninghame, of Paisley Grammar School, to review the units and assessments and identify these errors.
I met with Elaine this afternoon to discuss her findings. It all seemed good, with sensible suggestions about to improve units and assessments. I should emphasise that these changes are small clarifications and improvements to the PC Passport suite of awards. It's not PC Passport v3.
It will take some time to "operationalise" these changes but you can expect to see the improved units and assessments appear in the autumn.
In the meantime, contact Hilary for anything to do with PC Passport.
Selasa, 02 Juni 2015
Brother Mobile Printers and Scanners Available at Group Mobile!
Brother Mobile Solutions offers unique, robust printers and scanners for mobile professionals. Mobile printers and scanners are extremely portable and can be mounted in vehicles or carried in a small bag. To learn more about Brother Mobile Printers and Scanners, visit www.groupmobile.com/dept.asp/dept_id=49.
Brother PocketJet 6 Portable Printer
One of Group Mobile's most popular printer is the Brother PocketJet 6 Portable Printer which is designed to be lightweight, durable, and flexible. With print speeds up to 6ppm, fast throughput, and high quality prints, you'll always be prepared to print on the go. It is compatible with most PCs, laptops or palmtops running the Windows operating system. At barely over 10" long and 1lb. in weight, the PocketJet 6 fits easily into your briefcase, computer bag, or can be quickly mounted in any vehicle or small work area.
To learn more and order a PocketJet 6 Portable Printer, visit www.groupmobile.com/product.asp/sku=1619/dept_id=49.
Brother DSmobile 700D Portable Duplex Scanner
The Brother DSmobile 700D Portable Duplex Scanner is versatile so you can scan media that is the size of a business card, up to 8.5" x 14" legal size documents — all at up to 600 dpi. Perfect for scanning receipts, news articles, handwritten notes, school papers, photos, recipes and more. The DSmobile 700D even allows you to scan two-sided documents in a single pass. The Brother DSmobile 700D is simple to use and is the perfect scanning solution to help reduce paper clutter and help get better organized.
To learn more and order a Brother Dsmobile 700D Portable Duplex Scanner, visit www.groupmobile.com/product.asp/sku=6855.
Brother RuggedJet RJ4040 Mobile Printer with WiFi and Battery
The Brother RuggedJet RJ4040 mobile printer is designed to be fast, tough, and versatile with print speeds up to 5ips, fast throughput, IP54 certification, 6ft. drop protection, and the ability to print receipts or labels with one printer. RuggedJet RJ4040 printers feature USB, serial, and WiFi wireless interfaces, a wide selection of resident and downloadable fonts, support for the major linear and 2D barcodes, optional magnetic card reader, and much more. The RJ4040 can be used for a wide range of receipt and label printing applications in public safety, field service, route accounting, manufacturing, warehouse markets, and more.
To learn more and order a RuggedJet RJ4040 Mobile Printer, visit www.groupmobile.com/product.asp/sku=6088.
For information on all Brother Mobile Printers and Scanners, visit www.groupmobile.com/dept.asp/dept_id=49, or call 866-RUGGED8.
Brother PocketJet 6 Portable Printer
One of Group Mobile's most popular printer is the Brother PocketJet 6 Portable Printer which is designed to be lightweight, durable, and flexible. With print speeds up to 6ppm, fast throughput, and high quality prints, you'll always be prepared to print on the go. It is compatible with most PCs, laptops or palmtops running the Windows operating system. At barely over 10" long and 1lb. in weight, the PocketJet 6 fits easily into your briefcase, computer bag, or can be quickly mounted in any vehicle or small work area.To learn more and order a PocketJet 6 Portable Printer, visit www.groupmobile.com/product.asp/sku=1619/dept_id=49.
Brother DSmobile 700D Portable Duplex Scanner
The Brother DSmobile 700D Portable Duplex Scanner is versatile so you can scan media that is the size of a business card, up to 8.5" x 14" legal size documents — all at up to 600 dpi. Perfect for scanning receipts, news articles, handwritten notes, school papers, photos, recipes and more. The DSmobile 700D even allows you to scan two-sided documents in a single pass. The Brother DSmobile 700D is simple to use and is the perfect scanning solution to help reduce paper clutter and help get better organized. To learn more and order a Brother Dsmobile 700D Portable Duplex Scanner, visit www.groupmobile.com/product.asp/sku=6855.
Brother RuggedJet RJ4040 Mobile Printer with WiFi and Battery
The Brother RuggedJet RJ4040 mobile printer is designed to be fast, tough, and versatile with print speeds up to 5ips, fast throughput, IP54 certification, 6ft. drop protection, and the ability to print receipts or labels with one printer. RuggedJet RJ4040 printers feature USB, serial, and WiFi wireless interfaces, a wide selection of resident and downloadable fonts, support for the major linear and 2D barcodes, optional magnetic card reader, and much more. The RJ4040 can be used for a wide range of receipt and label printing applications in public safety, field service, route accounting, manufacturing, warehouse markets, and more.To learn more and order a RuggedJet RJ4040 Mobile Printer, visit www.groupmobile.com/product.asp/sku=6088.
For information on all Brother Mobile Printers and Scanners, visit www.groupmobile.com/dept.asp/dept_id=49, or call 866-RUGGED8.
Senin, 01 Juni 2015
Introducing the Panasonic Toughbook 31
The Panasonic Toughbook® 31, also referred to as the CF-31, is a reliable ultra-rugged laptop offering the highest performance in its class along with the world's most durable design. With unrivaled ruggedness, drop shock protection (can sustain a drop from up to six feet) and certification exceeding MIL-STD-810G, the Toughbook 31 is the undeniable leader in the fully-rugged laptop computer category. Its Intel® Core™ i5 and i3 processors combined with available discrete graphics deliver desktop-class performance and greatly enhanced video and 3D graphics.
For working outdoors, Panasonic has also integrated a 1,100nit sunlight-viewable touchscreen display (available with Panasonic CircuLumin® technology) into this rugged laptop. The 13.1" XGA LCD touchscreen has a brightness range from 2 to 1,100nits accommodating both covert work in the dark, or working outside on a bright, sunny day. The screen rotates for full-circle viewability, so it can be shared easily with others.
An integrated webcam option and larger storage capacity further set it apart from the other rugged laptops. Add to this a strong legacy of six generations of rugged performance and 11 years of dependable in-vehicle docking compatibility, and you have an ultra-rugged laptop computer that will go the distance with you anytime, anywhere.
Click here to read more about the Panasonic Toughbook 31 Laptop. For more information regarding rugged mobile computing visit www.groupmobile.com or call us at 1-866-RUGGED-8.
For working outdoors, Panasonic has also integrated a 1,100nit sunlight-viewable touchscreen display (available with Panasonic CircuLumin® technology) into this rugged laptop. The 13.1" XGA LCD touchscreen has a brightness range from 2 to 1,100nits accommodating both covert work in the dark, or working outside on a bright, sunny day. The screen rotates for full-circle viewability, so it can be shared easily with others.
An integrated webcam option and larger storage capacity further set it apart from the other rugged laptops. Add to this a strong legacy of six generations of rugged performance and 11 years of dependable in-vehicle docking compatibility, and you have an ultra-rugged laptop computer that will go the distance with you anytime, anywhere.
Click here to read more about the Panasonic Toughbook 31 Laptop. For more information regarding rugged mobile computing visit www.groupmobile.com or call us at 1-866-RUGGED-8.
TCO of Rugged Computers
How much does it really cost?
Rugged mobile computers may have a higher initial price tag. However, studies have shown that rugged devices actually have a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) over time.
Total cost of ownership (TCO) is a financial estimate designed to help customers and finance managers assess both direct and indirect costs.
Some businesses tend to base their decisions to buy products on the purchase price and not on the product’s actual TCO. These businesses using low-cost non-rugged mobile computers pay a much higher price in repairs, increased support and lost productivity.
While a low-cost mobile non-rugged computer may appear to be the best bargain, the product’s total cost of ownership (TCO) is a more important consideration. That is why the majority of companies who take into account TCO, buy rugged computers instead of consumer-grade devices.
PC Passport in Aberdeenshire
I visited Aberdeen today to discuss PC Passport with a number of Head Teachers, Local Education Authority staff and SQA Co-ordinators. PC Passport is very popular in Aberdeenshire (it must be the low cost ;-) and the meeting was to discuss support materials and using PC Passport for teacher training. It sounds like most Aberdeenshire schools will be offering Passport next year. More information on the PC Passport online forum.