Overview



Overview

Country: United Kingdom

Industry: Education

Customer Profile

The Cornwallis School is located in Maidstone, Kent. It is a large, non-selection Foundation School that gained technology college status in 1994. It teaches more than 1,650 students between the ages of 11-18.

Business Situation

The school has a reputation for using technology to enhance the learning experience and wanted to explore the benefits of the Microsoft® Tablet PC as part of an early adopter programme.

Solution

RM Tablet PCs with wireless connectivity and RM’s Community Connect 3 network management software.

Benefits

■ Enhanced individual and classroom learning

■ Increased lesson interaction

■ Reduced paper and costs

■ Best practice and knowledge sharing for other schools

| | |“The Tablet PC makes it easy for students to share information with each other. This means they are less reliant on teachers as a source of information. A teacher using a Tablet PC imaginatively will deliver significant benefits.”

Mike Wood, Head Teacher, Cornwallis School

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| | | |Cornwallis School is using Microsoft Tablet PCs from Microsoft Partner RM. The devices are being used|

| | | |to support and enhance the learning process, both in one-to-one and classroom situations. Now, there |

| | | |are plans to buy more devices so that even more students and teachers can benefit. |

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| | | |[pic] |

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Situation

Teaching of ICT is a key requirement of the national curriculum. In addition, technology is being used in new ways to support learning across a range of subjects. Often, this results in a more inclusive learning environment and reduced teacher workloads. In this environment of innovation, many educational institutions are exploring the benefits of mobile technologies for the first time.

The Cornwallis School is committed to implementing new IT solutions that help students learn better. Located in Maidstone, Kent, it is a large, non-selection Foundation School that gained technology college status in 1994. It teaches more than 1,650 students between the ages of 11-18.

In the last decade, the school has invested more than £300,000 in multi-media information technology. Cornwallis is part of the Microsoft "Anytime, Anywhere Learning" project, which provides students with laptops, and uses video conferencing to support learning by linking with experts in subjects like space research and to exchange cultural differences with students in other countries like Norway.

Cornwallis has an excellent reputation. The school’s mission statement is: ‘Children learn better here’. Its dedication to improving quality of classroom teaching has resulted in a 46 per cent increase in the number of students achieving five or more GCSEs at grades of A-C in the last five years.

As a Technology College, the school is at the forefront of innovation. It is always on the look out for how new technology can enhance learning. For example, every pupil in the school can now access the school network from home. They can also use laptops to connect via the wireless network from anywhere on the school site.

Solution

The Tablet PC was launched in November 2002. At the time, Cornwallis began a pilot project using 18 beta devices. The initiative was conducted with Microsoft partner, RM, which already had a good working relationship with the school.

Carol Webb, AST/ICT Project Manager, Cornwallis School, says: “We became involved in the pilot programme as we were very keen to see how the Tablet PC could shape and enhance the learning experience. We wanted to take an in-depth look at the capabilities of the device.”

The Tablet PC offers a new approach to educational computing. It has a slate design, enabling students to write directly onto the screen with a stylus, rather than typing with a keyboard or using a mouse. The device has all the functionality of a PC or laptop, but is more mobile and adaptable. Rich, multi-media functionality is enabled by a specially designed Tablet PC version of Microsoft® Windows® XP, which is included with the devices.

Cornwallis’ Tablet infrastructure also makes use of RM Community Connect 3, which is a core networking solution, a Wi-Fi network, and some ADSL connections into student and staff homes.

The 18 beta Tablet PCs were first used for individual learning among sixth form students, who were able to use the machines in class and at home in the evenings, and to support learning in science lessons. When the beta programme ended, the school purchased 30 new devices so it could continue to enhance the learning process and better support staff and students.

David Hunt, Solutions Manager for Tablet PCs, RM, says: “The Cornwallis School has seen so many benefits from using these technologies. So much so that both RM and Cornwallis wanted to continue developing the use of Tablet technology beyond the initial pilot programme.”

The project is a strong partnership between the private and public sector, as Microsoft partners, Dell, Ramesys, Cisco and Intel were also involved in the project.

Benefits

New Dimension to IT

The Tablet PC offers Cornwallis huge advantages, not just in the subjects or year groups it has used the devices in already. Mike Wood, Head Teacher, Cornwallis School, says: “I believe the Tablet PC adds a new dimension to the idea of implementing IT in the classroom. The devices have already proved to be valued tools. They have great potential for further applications at Cornwallis.”

Note Taking Made Easy

The Tablets are incredibly easy to use, and therefore users have found it effortless to adapt to the new way of learning. Keeping track of work is simple thanks to the handwriting tool, which has inevitably made the process of taking notes much more fun. Users can scribble directly on the screen of the Tablet PC and then convert the content to text at their convenience if required.

Increased Lesson Interaction

The trial has enhanced the learning experience for students at Cornwallis. It has also freed teachers from the whiteboard so they can roam in the classroom and engage with students more effectively.

Wood says: “The Tablet PC makes it easy for students to share information with each other. This means they are less reliant on teachers as a source of information. A teacher using a Tablet PC imaginatively will deliver significant learning benefits. In over 10 years of speaking with other head teachers and educators, nothing has excited people in the way that the Tablet PC has.”

Reduced Paper and Costs

Teachers using Tablet PCs also no longer have to carry heavy paper files around the school. Webb says: “I don’t have to use or carry paper documents any more. I simply work in the Journal on my Tablet PC and print the material I need, whenever I need it.”

Hunt says the project has also helped to keep costs normally associated with new projects down. “Tablets are a new technology and we have strived to reach a price point that makes them affordable for use in schools, something that is not always achievable with new technologies.”

Network Homework

The wireless network enables students to e-mail homework and coursework to teachers, minimising the work loss that can occur when carrying around books and pieces of paper. Teachers can annotate text and send it back to students in html format, ensuring an accurate and up to date record of all changes to electronic documents.

Webb says: “We are using the Tablet PCs for chemistry and maths coursework. It enables students to amend and edit their work without copying pages to add words or paragraphs. We’re also using it for data logging and analysis in science. Here, students can view graphs on the Tablet PC and write on top of them.”

Hunt continues: “The Tablet PC offers new ways of working for students and teachers. The experiences of Cornwallis and other schools have shown it to be motivational and engaging. Linking the Tablet PC to networks using wireless technology has ensured that it can be used in a broad range of locations around a school, and for a wide variety of lessons.”

Knowledge Sharing

The project has been so successful that Cornwallis has bought more Tablet PCs. Says Webb: “We rolled out 280 more machines in September 2003, half of which went to Year Seven. This is because if we want to make a long-term change within the school, this is the set of students to help create it. It will shape the way they learn during the rest of their secondary school education and ease the shift from primary school and exercise books to the latest technology.”

Cornwallis is also sharing its positive Tablet PC experience with other local schools, and has received a great deal of interest from enthusiastic parents. “We have felt fully supported in this project. We are only too happy to share our experiences. So far, I have already had parents enquiring about buying Tablet PCs and other schools contacting me to discuss what we have achieved.”

Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition

Microsoft Windows Tablet PC Edition provides a more versatile computing experience, enabling you to use your PC in more places and more ways. For more information about Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, go to: ‌windowsxp/‌tabletpc

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| |Software and Services

Products

Microsoft Office XP Professional |Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition

Partners

■ RM | |

© 2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.

Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Document published April, 2004 | | |

For More Information

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For more information about The Cornwallis School visit the Web site at:

“I believe the Tablet PC adds a new dimension to the idea of implementing IT in the classroom. The devices have already proved to be valued tools."

Mike Wood, Head Teacher, Cornwallis School

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David Hunt, Solutions Manager for Tablet PCs, RM

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