TRANSFORMING EDUCATION WITH THE RIGHT DEVICES. White Paper

Transcription

1 TRANSFORMING EDUCATION WITH THE RIGHT DEVICES White Paper

2 TRANSFORMING EDUCATION WITH THE RIGHT DEVICES The traditional education model, where knowledge is simply transferred from teacher to student is being replaced by a more experiential approach where technology plays a critical role. Education has undergone a paradigm shift. Students are increasingly web-entrenched and technology-savvy. So today s teachers rely increasingly on new experiential approaches that promote inquiry, critical thinking, interaction and immediate application of new skills. This transformational approach to education leads to a clearer understanding of educational content and materials, along with significantly higher rates of retention. First popularized by David A. Kolb in his ground-breaking 1984 book Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development, it is based on the principle that people learn best through observation, conceptualization, experimentation and, ultimately, transforming the experience into knowledge and skill. In the years since, it has become clear that an experiential approach truly does improve both teaching and learning, and that technology is central to the success of both. Teaching techniques that include online resources, gamification, problem-solving exercises and social interactions, implemented using devices like tablets and convertible laptops, play a key role in this transformational approach to education. They improve the learning experience by engaging students, stimulating them and making learning fun. CONCRETE EXPERIENCE EXPERIMENTATION ACTIVE REFLECTIVE OBSERVATION 1 Kolb s Experiential Learning Cycle ABSTRACT CONCEPTUALISATION 1 Published by Englewood Cliffs, Prentice Hall,

3 TECHNOLOGY FOSTERS A NEWLY-EFFECTIVE EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION MODEL Implementing a transformative approach to education is an acknowledgement of the power of technology. It helps teachers evolve into friendly facilitators, students into inquisitive learners, and classrooms into hubs of learning. Leveraging the power and infl uence of the web, educators are using more and more cloud applications, from document sharing apps to web conferencing. Solutions like Amazon Web Services (EC2), Microsoft Windows Azure and Google Apps for Google Education have become viable options for educators seeking to enhance both teaching and learning with an experiential approach. A variety of online tools are allowing teachers to extend the learning environment outside the classroom so students can learn at their own pace. Offerings like Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) leverage the web to make learning accessible anytime, anywhere. It also fosters blended teaching methods that involve in-class instruction with online resources. Massive open online courses are changing the world of education by providing free online courses for education Implementing cloud-based solutions like MOOC, which is a particularly fast-growing phenomenon, enables a transformational approach often termed the fl ipped classroom -- instruction is delivered online while homework is moved into the classroom. This is a truly experiential approach to learning where students can watch lectures at home, at their own pace, while communicating with teachers and peers via the cloud. In class, students can use online resources to discover and experience what they ve learned with the help of the teacher. In fact, the Massive Open Online Courses market is set to see a 56.61% CAGR globally by 2018, says a new research report. Source: Reports & Intelligence 02

4 DEVICES ARE DECISIVE FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING As technology changes the way teachers teach and students learn, the rise of mobile devices and proliferation of cloud-based resources have paved the way for this new transformational approach to education making the classroom more collaborative and engaging than ever before. Mobile devices, like tablets and convertible laptops, have the potential to be game changers in education. According to a recent NMC Horizon report, students are increasingly using mobile devices to be more effi cient in their day-to-day tasks and to transform their own learning processes: Usage of mobile devices by students 60% Students anytime research 43% 40% Educational games Collaboration with their peers 33% 24% 18% Reminders and alerts related to their academic lives Taking photos of their assignments In-class polling Companies like Lenovo are building tablets and convertible laptops (a.k.a 2-in-1) that fi t the way students want and need to create and consume educational content, complete assignments, and collaborate with teachers and other students. For example: Today s powerful tablets and convertibles can easily replace desktops in schools and at home Mobile devices are easily connected and cloud-ready Digitizer pens enable students to jot down notes and draw diagrams Multi-touch screens make it easy and intuitive for students to complete assignments and navigate applications Battery technology has advanced to the point where all-day usage without the need for recharge, is possible Rugged durability is built into virtually all mobile devices 03

5 TABLETS: POWERFUL STUDY PARTNERS FOR PRIMARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL According to the U.S. Department of Education and studies by the National Training and Simulation Association, technology-based instruction can reduce the time students take to reach a learning objective by 30 to 80 per cent. Tablets are easy and fun to use, and help enhance student engagement. They help students go through more material faster, since they enable use of everything from e-textbooks to interactive and visual tools. Consider the many ways a tablet contributes to a streamlined, enhanced learning experience: Student-friendly form factor -- light and convenient to carry from class to class, and between home and school Rugged durability to take the inevitable knocks and bumps but keep on working Easy connection to the web any where a wi-fi network exists Performance to take advantage of captivating, interactive learning experiences -- videos and presentations, learning games, e-texts and more. All-day computing with long battery life that maximizes learning time With tablets in the hands of students, teachers fi nd many ways to enhance the teaching and learning experience in virtually any subject. For example: Mathematics Students can not only solve problems on their tablets, but also play problem-solving games, share the results with teachers, and even collaborate with other students. They can watch instructional videos (as many times as necessary) and study live, step-by-step examples of how a problem is solved. Stylus input makes it even simpler to work with mathematical symbols, charts and graphs. Science Tablets can support applications where students can zoom in and out of images of plants, organisms etc, to get a better view and understanding of the object. Add-on devices can even turn a tablet camera into a microscope with up to 150x power, comparable to microscopes, with the added ability to capture the micro-images. Music Recording and playback capabilities make tablets a strong tool for music teachers. Students can use them to learn music reading and even composing, or listen to music and identify the notes or the piece itself. Learning can be enhanced through game-based activities and socializing their own compositions or exercises. 04

6 CONVERTIBLE LAPTOPS: CAPABLE TOOLS FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS FROM SENIOR SCHOOL TO UNIVERSITY Convertibles give students and teachers the best of both worlds: the power of both a laptop and a tablet in a single versatile device. A convertible offers the flexibility for students to use them in any learning environment at home, at school and in the classroom. They offer many benefits, for both students and teachers, that are not available with any other devices: Digital learning and testing, with full size keyboards for all-day creating and sharing Note-taking and research in both classroom and home environments Tablet Mode for touch-enabled browsing and research TABLET TENT Tent Mode for hands-free small group collaboration 05 Versatility to stimulate students imaginations and empower inquisitive learners using virtually any cloudbased tools and resources Multiple usage needs with four distinct usage modes: Laptop Mode for assessments and assignments LAPTOP STAND Stand Mode for presentations and discussions

7 Convertible laptops offer the benefi ts of a trackpad for point-and-click speed and convenience. Plus, they have high quality screens, powerful processors and connectivity to a full range of peripheral devices. Yet many convertibles weigh less than 2 kg, and routinely run all day on a single battery charge. In today s experiential learning environments, convertible laptops are perfectly suited for a wide range of subjects. For example: Humanities Art & Design A dedicated keyboard makes note-taking and essay writing simpler for subjects such as history and literature. The tablet mode makes it easy to consume content and access Web-based resources for research. Convertibles are a useful catalyst to creativity for Arts students. The speed and power, combined with vibrant screen reproduction, make them effective tools for mastering original artwork, and for viewing, editing, and sharing images and videos using a variety of powerful creativity applications. Communication/ Collaboration Engineering Today s advanced collaboration technologies enable students to easily communicate using audio, video, and content sharing, and take advantage of social media to share and collaborate. Convertibles, with powerful networking, cameras and sizeable screens, are well suited to remote education models that benefi t both students and teachers. Engineering students can run computer-aided engineering tools and resources to develop designs and models, run simulations. They can also easily share them with teachers and other students for feedback and collaboration. Traditional laptops often lack touch screen functionality and tablets simply to do not have the performance, usability and screens needed for the study of engineering. Science Since studying biology has evolved into the use of virtual dissection models, convertible laptops have the touch performance and display quality to effectively enable these approaches. Demonstrations using video and images can be easily viewed when the device is switched to tent mode, where the keyboard is hidden and the display is propped up vertically at an optimal viewing angle. 06

8 THE RIGHT BREED OF DEVICES CAN HELP TRANSFORM EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES There are many steps in the education journey that must be taken to embrace a more experiential learning environment that promotes inquiry, critical thinking, interaction and application of newly acquired knowledge. But an often under-rated step is the choice of vendor and devices. Given the clear use cases, it s no surprise that tablets and convertible laptops are already permeating the lives of both teachers and students. However, the quality, design and technology of these have emerged as the deciding selection criteria. Educators must look for high levels of durability that aid uninterrupted learning. Devices must be intuitive, portable and powerful. And importantly, they must be backed by the support and service of a reputable technology vendor. After all, the classroom is one of the toughest places to be for students, teachers and the devices themselves Lenovo. All rights reserved. 07 May change without notice. Lenovo is not responsible for photographic or typographic errors. Warranty: For a copy of applicable warranties, write to: Warranty Information, 500 Park Offi ces Drive, RTP, NC, 27709, Attn: Dept. ZPYA/B600. Lenovo makes no representation or warranty regarding third-party products or services. Trademarks: Lenovo, the Lenovo logo, Rescue and Recovery, ThinkStation, ThinkVantage and ThinkVision are trademarks or registered trademarks of Lenovo. Microsoft, Windows and Vista are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Intel, the Intel logo, Intel Inside logo, Intel Atom and Intel Atom Inside are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other company, product and service names may be trademarks or service marks of others. Battery life (and recharge times) will vary based on many factors including system settings and usage. Visit Lenovo.com/safecomputing periodically for the latest information on safe and effective computing.