Acer tablets enter the school arena
As a follow-up to the Acer-European Schoolnet Educational Netbook Pilot, Acer decided to commission a new study to examine how the use of Acer Windows’ tablets can impact on teaching and learning practices in classes and support, as a consequence, new ways of learning and teaching.
The Tablet Pilot further explores the use of new technologies in schools and the emerging trend of one-to-one (1:1) pedagogy based on the experience gained from the Netbook Pilot. The project will run from September 2011 to June 2012, involving more than 60 schools. The project will identify good practices for teaching, provide example scenarios or recommendations for other schools looking to implement this technology, and examine key factors for successful integration of ICT in schools.
A total of 400 Acer Iconia W500 Windows tablets, equipped with AMD processor, have been distributed to schools – over 240 teachers and 150 students - from eight European countries: Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, and United Kingdom.
Working with these devices, teachers can integrate the use of the tablets within their education practices to develop innovative pedagogical approaches: prepare lessons, develop learning resources, and use them in class or with other school colleagues, while exploring students’ use of these devices.
“Participating teachers are highly motivated and keen on studying how the tablets can support their teaching, and most of all enrich their students’ learning experiences. Ongoing pedagogical support is a key factor to success”, says Anja Balanskat project manager at European Schoolnet which is the organization responsible for the coordination and evaluation of the pilot. To this end, the teachers obtain pedagogical support and possibilities to participate in free webinars and other online activities through the “1:1 pedagogy for schools” website (1to1.eun.org). The website offers versatile resources to all teachers interested in 1:1 pedagogy
"Schools in Europe must be moved into the digital era. This requires a massive effort amounting to modern educational tools like tablets." says Federico Carozzi, Acer EMEA Educational Business Manager. "Technology is a precious resource in education: the use of technology can complement and improve the methodologies applied."
Tablets are a new category of mobile computers that can offer different benefits to teachers and learners. Easy to use thanks to the multi-touch screen, tablets are optimized for basic activities, such as browsing and reading content, surfing the Internet, drawing or writing using fingers. Due to this, tablets can be ideal as mobile learning devices for young learners.