http://www.forbes.com/sites/jennife...ell-latitude-10-over-ipad-as-official-tablet/
With technology evolving as rapidly as it has over the past decade, it seemed inevitable that tablets would eventually make their way into the classroom. Recently, several school districts decided to take the plunge and institute a 1-to-1 distribution of tablets. You might be thinking education’s old buddy, Apple AAPL -0.8%, came out ahead, but you’d be wrong. This year, Dell DELL -0.11%‘s Latitude 10 tablet, which runs on Windows 8, was the clear winner.
How was this decision made? Well, in the case of Clear Creek Independent School District, CTO Kevin Schwartz said the best way was to put the tablets in the hands of students. Several students were asked to handle a variety of tablets and judge them on a number of factors. The catch was that none of the students were briefed on how to use the tablets before entering the room. Schwartz said they wanted to see which tablet would have the easiest learning curve.
Of all the tablets offered, the students preferred the Latitude 10 because of its ease of use and accessibility. Additionally, students specifically noted they felt the Latitude 10 would best prepare them for college and the work force.
From an IT perspective, Schwartz says the Windows 8 platform provides the easiest solution for security, applications, updates and personalization. Something which is a challenge, he noted, with the iPad. Also challenging with iOS? Productivity software, which is an absolute must for education.
Clear Creek is set to distribute 30,000 tablets once the school year starts. Each student will be assigned a tablet which will remain assigned to them year after year. Parents of younger children, don’t panic quite yet: students won’t be able to bring home their tablets until 6th grade. As Schwartz said, children in grades under 6th are still learning responsibility. However, those in grades 6-12 will be able to bring the tablet home to use much as company-issued laptop.
Even though Microsoft MSFT -0.67%‘s Shape the Future campaign allowed the school districts to purchase the tablets at a discounted rate, 30,000 tablets still represents a substantial dollar amount. Schwartz assured me that the school district has numerous warranties and plans in place in event of damage, theft or fraud, including branding and tracking. Most surprisingly, though, was that Schwartz said by in large, because each tablet is assigned to students individually, most students show a tremendous amount of pride and ownership in the tech.
It’s not just about getting shiny, new technology, though. Schwartz stressed that a large part of tablet education is training students in good “digital citizenship.” This includes teaching kids the ropes of social media, something which any community manager can tell you is a step in the right direction. In Clear Creek ISD, honor roll students help design and distribute a code of conduct, while Jon Phillips, Director of Worldwide Education at Dell, stressed Dell also helps with online best practices.
Will your school district be next? Possibly. Phillips said that the most important thing for Dell is to ensure that schools are ready to implement the new technology in “the right way.” He described the decision as “monumental,” saying that the last thing Dell wants to see is a district struggle with the tech because they weren’t quite ready. Having said that, Phillips is confident that, as more and more school districts demonstrate the value of technology as an educational model, more school districts will adopt tablets as the must-have tool. Phillips also said the Latitude line is continually evolving to ensure neither teachers nor parents will have to devote too many resources to playing IT with the device.
With endorsements like this and a surprisingly low price point, the Latitude 10 could be looking at a handy sales boom come August. Right now, depending on model and options, the Latitude 10 is priced between $579 and $849.
Pretty interesting to note that when you let the students decide what tablet they want instead of the board deciding for them, they chose the Dell Windows 8 :eyebrows:
With technology evolving as rapidly as it has over the past decade, it seemed inevitable that tablets would eventually make their way into the classroom. Recently, several school districts decided to take the plunge and institute a 1-to-1 distribution of tablets. You might be thinking education’s old buddy, Apple AAPL -0.8%, came out ahead, but you’d be wrong. This year, Dell DELL -0.11%‘s Latitude 10 tablet, which runs on Windows 8, was the clear winner.
How was this decision made? Well, in the case of Clear Creek Independent School District, CTO Kevin Schwartz said the best way was to put the tablets in the hands of students. Several students were asked to handle a variety of tablets and judge them on a number of factors. The catch was that none of the students were briefed on how to use the tablets before entering the room. Schwartz said they wanted to see which tablet would have the easiest learning curve.
Of all the tablets offered, the students preferred the Latitude 10 because of its ease of use and accessibility. Additionally, students specifically noted they felt the Latitude 10 would best prepare them for college and the work force.
From an IT perspective, Schwartz says the Windows 8 platform provides the easiest solution for security, applications, updates and personalization. Something which is a challenge, he noted, with the iPad. Also challenging with iOS? Productivity software, which is an absolute must for education.
Clear Creek is set to distribute 30,000 tablets once the school year starts. Each student will be assigned a tablet which will remain assigned to them year after year. Parents of younger children, don’t panic quite yet: students won’t be able to bring home their tablets until 6th grade. As Schwartz said, children in grades under 6th are still learning responsibility. However, those in grades 6-12 will be able to bring the tablet home to use much as company-issued laptop.
Even though Microsoft MSFT -0.67%‘s Shape the Future campaign allowed the school districts to purchase the tablets at a discounted rate, 30,000 tablets still represents a substantial dollar amount. Schwartz assured me that the school district has numerous warranties and plans in place in event of damage, theft or fraud, including branding and tracking. Most surprisingly, though, was that Schwartz said by in large, because each tablet is assigned to students individually, most students show a tremendous amount of pride and ownership in the tech.
It’s not just about getting shiny, new technology, though. Schwartz stressed that a large part of tablet education is training students in good “digital citizenship.” This includes teaching kids the ropes of social media, something which any community manager can tell you is a step in the right direction. In Clear Creek ISD, honor roll students help design and distribute a code of conduct, while Jon Phillips, Director of Worldwide Education at Dell, stressed Dell also helps with online best practices.
Will your school district be next? Possibly. Phillips said that the most important thing for Dell is to ensure that schools are ready to implement the new technology in “the right way.” He described the decision as “monumental,” saying that the last thing Dell wants to see is a district struggle with the tech because they weren’t quite ready. Having said that, Phillips is confident that, as more and more school districts demonstrate the value of technology as an educational model, more school districts will adopt tablets as the must-have tool. Phillips also said the Latitude line is continually evolving to ensure neither teachers nor parents will have to devote too many resources to playing IT with the device.
With endorsements like this and a surprisingly low price point, the Latitude 10 could be looking at a handy sales boom come August. Right now, depending on model and options, the Latitude 10 is priced between $579 and $849.
Pretty interesting to note that when you let the students decide what tablet they want instead of the board deciding for them, they chose the Dell Windows 8 :eyebrows:
