The new school year is already upon us. The number of devices on the market for education purposes will most likely pose a challenge for teachers and decision-makers this year.
Colin Erasmus, OEM Lead at Microsoft South Africa, has provided some tips for choosing the right digital device for the classroom that will enhance and support learning.
Does it offer tried and trusted productivity?
Students are better prepared for life in the 21st century when they use a device that empowers them to be productive today to create the world of tomorrow. Before choosing a device for your classroom, ask whether it will enable your students to be as productive as possible. This means that your PC should be able to show you multiple windows of an app while you are working within two or more Word documents on-screen at the same time. Many devices on the market today don’t offer this vital functionality.
Does it integrate seamlessly with your current IT infrastructure?
Schools and educational institutions looking for a return on investment (ROI) should choose a device that will easily integrate with all your existing hardware, software and services.
Does it give students and teachers choice of input?
Before choosing a device for the classroom, ask whether it can pull together all inking experiences into one easy-to-access place. Will it allow you to turn sticky notes into smart tools or markups, share a screenshot or draw on a sketchpad? If the device you choose doesn’t allow your students to type, touch or write, then it probably isn’t the right fit for your classroom.
Will it connect to all your other devices?
Your device of choice should be able to work with a wide range of other devices that classrooms rely on daily, such as printers (even 3D printers), cameras, scanners and other similar accessories.
Does it offer the best in terms of security and privacy?
In education, the security and privacy of students are perhaps one of the most important things to consider before purchasing a device. Make sure your operating system can handle security problems, protect against hackers and safeguard data to ensure privacy.
Erasmus said that HP, Acer, Dell and Lenovo all offer devices for the classroom with power, performance and security requirements that educators, students and families can count on.
