Welcome to the Modern Learning Blog Series where we explore the possibilities that school communities can achieve from adopting Microsoft Surface as the go-to for personal devices.
The modern classroom is a place where teachers and technology work together to prepare students for the demands of the future workforce. Schools’ wanting to deliver immersive and student enabled learning environments need technology and solutions that keep educators and students ahead of the curve.
Considering events over the past 12 months, the modern classroom must also be able to facilitate blended learning. The global pandemic, recent weather events including fires and floods, and the approaching flu season are all variables that contribute to a student’s potential absence from the physical campus. As such, schools are looking to leverage technology to bring the modern classroom to students regardless of where they are.
Versatility is a must.
Microsoft Surface devices and accessories provide the ultimate in versatility and flexibility for the modern classroom and beyond. Here are five ways Surface can be a teacher’s most important resource.
1. Mobility to move freely around the classroom
Gone are the days where teachers would stand at the front of the class and write everything on the whiteboard. Teachers want the mobility to move around the classroom with ease and engage their students directly. The mobility that comes from lightweight Surface 2-in-1s including the Surface Pro 7+ and Surface Go enable such movement.
Teachers can easily flip their devices into tablet mode and move around the classroom, engaging with students as questions arise or to provide 1:1 interaction during lessons. Moreover, in tablet mode teachers can highlight particular areas of interest to students using the Surface Pen, mark work with suggestions for improvement in real-time, or showcase videos that may help to answer a student’s query.
2. Ingenuity to provide engaging learning experiences
Teachers are always looking for new and innovative ways to engage their students. With the lightweight Surface 2-in-1s, teachers have a world of engaging opportunities. The devices easily plug into a projector for teachers to zoom in on particular images, highlight certain areas of focus with the touchscreen and Surface Pen, and can easily facilitate the playing of videos on a projector or Surface Hub 2S digital whiteboard.
Furthermore, with the HD camera, teachers can film classroom activities and share them with their students through Microsoft Teams. Such capability can enable teachers to pre-film a particular science experiment and demonstrate to the students the dos and don’ts of it, and then share it with them and advise they must watch it for homework in preparation for doing the experiment themselves the following day.
3. Capability to drive increased collaboration
Microsoft Surface devices come pre-installed with Windows 10, which offers schools the opportunity to embrace a wealth of productivity and collaboration tools with Microsoft 365. One app in particular that drives increased collaboration is Microsoft Teams. Students can be placed into work groups depending on certain projects or learning groups, and teachers can have authority over these groups.
Teachers can engage with students in or out of the classroom for an always-on approach to learning, regardless if students are on campus or at home. Documents and files can be shared, co-authored, and marked creating more streamlined teaching and learning. Additionally, if parents wanted to communicate something to their child’s teacher, communicating through Teams makes it a breeze.
4. Efficiency to reduce time-consuming admin tasks
A teacher’s day is riddled with administrative and class preparation tasks that restrict the total time they have to teach. With Microsoft Surface, the ease of use, portability, and touchscreen capabilities of the 2-in-1 devices means teachers have more time to do what matters most.
In a recent study by Forrester Consulting, researchers found that schools with Surface devices enjoyed a 58% reduction in printing, and a 25% drop in daily preparation time which together equated to 30 minutes1 of extra teaching time across a school day. The ability to write directly on touchscreen devices like the Surface Pro 7+ and Surface Go drastically reduce the need for printing, while productivity apps like Teams, SharePoint and OneNote embolden a teacher’s ability to prepare.
5. Premium features to improve overall pedagogy
Teaching is an art that is always evolving, and teachers are always looking to better themselves, and their colleagues. With the video recording capabilities of the Surface Pro 7+ and Surface Go, teachers can not only make videos to drive student engagement, but also to improve their own performance. Through filming particular classes, teachers can go back and re-watch the class to pick up on areas that they can improve on. And furthermore, these videos can also be used at conferences, staff retreats, and for newly graduated or student-teachers on work experience.
The right technology solution for your school doesn’t have to cost the earth. A Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program enables your school to plan and deliver education to students using consistent, education-specific Microsoft Surface devices. And it gives parents access to affordable devices tailored to your school’s learning environment.
[1] Total Economic Impact (TEI) analysis conducted by Forrester Consulting, “Maximising Your ROI from
Microsoft 365 Microsoft Surface”, July 2020.