Texting Health Risk

A new health warning has been released this week claiming that teenagers who excessively send text messages off their mobile phones are more likely to drink, smoke and have sex.

The study was produced by Dr Scott Frank, a physician and public health expert at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. He surveyed about 4,000 high school students, aged 13 to 18, at 20 local schools on their texting and social media habits. Almost 20% were classified as ‘hyper-texters’, meaning that they send more than 120 text messages on a school day.


The results of the study suggested that taking into account lifestyle factors and income, ‘hyper-texters’ were more likely than other students to have smoked, drunk alcohol, used drugs and had sex.


Similar findings were reported for the one in 10 teenagers who fell into the category of hyper-networking - spending more than three hours of a school day on social networking websites.

Prepare yourself for the Government Cutbacks

The Coalition Government’s controversial Spending Review is being supported by a number of large business owners, and everyone, including SME owners, are bracing themselves for change.

Reducing costs is top of everyone’s agenda, but there is plenty of potential for small changes making BIG differences:

Speak to us about packaging your calls, lines, broadband and mobiles.

 Speak to us about getting better prices and bespoke tariffs.

 Speak to us about new technology that could reduce travel expenses, and potential energy bills.

 Speak to us about call management software that gives you the power to identify wasted resources.

 Speak to us about managed services.


Speak to us for a FREE no-obligation discussion about what is possible for you.


0800 092 1471

Phones and MP3 players are soon to be too dangerous for Schools

Currently, teachers have the power to search pupils for knives or other weapons. However, in a new government policy that was announced on 6 July in a written statement to Parliament from Schools Minister Nick Gibb, it was made clear that these powers were to be extended.



The controversy lies in the fact that Mr. Gibb also plans to add to the above list of items those which are considered so undesirable or dangerous that students must be forced to surrender their civil liberties and allow teachers to search them.


From the autumn this will include fireworks, legal highs – i.e. completely legal chemicals - pornography, cigarettes and "personal electronic devices such as mobile phones, MP3 players and cameras".


Whilst there does seem some obvious benefits in keep such contraband items off schools premises, there also seems to be some fairly obvious problems with such drastic measures.


Not least a pupils right to privacy, or a teacher being asked to do more than they are trained to do, but how about the teacher/pupil relationship? Surely this is one based on trust and soon to be destroyed by the need to be searched. Should the human rights argument be defeated, there is also one based in the preservation of modern technology.


As technology continues to perpetuate, should we not encourage the next generation to embrace new technology and learn to use it properly?

Adodo become Race Online Official Partners

Adodo have joined UK digital champion Martha Lane Fox in her plans to get everybody of working age in Britain online by the end of the current Parliament.  In a recent interview with the BBC she claimed that there are curently 10million Britons who are not on the net.  She also says no-one should reach retirement age without gaining experience of using the web.

We agree: So watch this space, as we use Adodo Community to help with the national campaign.

Happy National School Grounds Week!!

7th – 11th June 2010 Every year around 8,000 schools and early years settings get involved in National School Grounds Week and for many it’s a regular event in the school calendar. This year schools are being encouraged to get involved in an ‘Exhibition Mission’ to exhibit the benefits of outdoor learning by turning their grounds into art galleries.

Find out more here

George’s budget cuts!

The Honeymoon period is well and truly over as George Osbourne begins to list the first stages of the new Governments spending cuts.

They are cutting the budgets of Quango’s, delaying or stopping government contracts and projects to save £1.7 billion and hoping to save £95m through cuts in IT spending.

Whilst Mr. Osborne said that schools' funding, the Sure Start programme and spending on education for 16-19-year-olds will be protected. They are cutting the education department's budget by £670m.

The 20,000 extra university places promised by the Labour government will be reduced to 10,000. Most worryingly is perhaps the promised closure of the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA) as the government hopes to save £80m.

Becta's Schools website currently offers advice and guidance to school leadership teams on how technology can be built into teaching, learning and management, and its closing could prove detrimental to the future of technology in Schools.

This is the same technology that has proven to increase pupil attendance, parent engagement, and pupil interaction.

With further cuts planned for the not so distant future, Schools are starting to have to consider other ways to drive forward the provision of technology.

Looking for funding? Try Adodo Community!