WA school set to provide a digital education for the future with Windows 8 and Office 365 deployments
Sydney, Australia – 30 July, 2013 – Microsoft Australia have today announced that All Saints’ College, in Bull Creek, Western Australia, is leading the way with its 21st century technology deployment for the classroom to ensure its students have the skills required to succeed both now and in the future. This has been achieved through the adoption of Windows 8 at the start of the school year, with a full roll out expected by 2014 which will include the deployment of the Office 365 productivity suite.
All Saints’ College prides itself on its one laptop per child initiative which has been in place for the past 12 years. The school is now taking this initiative further providing a more encompassing mobile learning solution for its students that would offer both a desktop and a tablet experience on the same device.
Through the deployment of Windows 8, the school’s 500 Samsung Windows 8 devices with both pen, type and touch capabilities provides students with the ability to both create and consume content, assisting in their development of 21st century skills. This includes keyboard, pen and desktop applications to write essays, the ability to edit videos, design content for the web and digital textbook applications- as some examples. These multi-use devices are currently deployed across years’ 5, 6, 7, 10 and 11 within the school.
“Pen and touch devices are the perfect platform for our students and enable us to deliver many new exciting learning opportunities,” states Darryl Watson, manager for ICT operations at All Saints’ College. “For example through the Windows Store, new means and forms of curriculum can be accessed directly. Alternatively, a teacher can seamlessly deliver a new piece of learning technology or software to students, so that they can begin using it immediately. Having all of this on the one device is very powerful.”
Through Office 365 and Windows 8, the school is providing its students and staff with the ability to use Office applications almost anywhere- not just when connected to the school network, this allows students working on a group project to share and collaborate into one document, all from their individual homes.
Microsoft Australia’s Academic Programs Manager, Sean Tierney concludes: “The learning environment has evolved and Windows 8 is a technology that educators can now use to grow their students’ 21st century skills, help them graduate and reach their potential. Windows 8 offers students the engaging app experience they enjoy, but because they also have a full computer in the same device, those who are only using apps are left behind.”
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