AI PCs are a new generation of personal computer that are equipped with Neural Processing Units (NPU) in addition to the CPU and GPU of a traditional PC. The presence of an NPU gives AI PCs the ability to run AI models locally without connecting to the internet or cloud and ups the overall performance of a computer, according to Jen Larson, General Manager, Commercial Client Segments for Intel.

AI PCs are made by many tech companies and are increasingly popular with schools because these provide a way to integrate AI into the curriculum more efficiently while simultaneously protecting student data, and school data overall.

What Are AI PCs

“AI PCs are really just the next evolution of what we all know as a personal computer,” Larson says. “The way that we define AI PCs is really the presence of a CPU, a GPU, and an NPU."

She adds that standard computers are "capable of performing AI workloads, but really this neural processing unit is able to provide sustained AI workloads.”

Because of that difference, AI programs can be run entirely locally, which offers many advantages for education. It protects student data, allows teacher control of training materials, and can be used in situations when access to the cloud might not be possible.

As such, these can be used for any cloud-based AI application, from personalized learning to lesson planning and more.

“We have really good relationships with organizations like ISTE and ASCD to really look at designing AI assistant experiences that help in that education space," says Larson. "It's really being able to help with instruction planning by leveraging the vault of trusted information from those organizations to be able to create.”

AI PCs Have Increased Efficiency Overall

Beyond the AI functionalities, AI computers, which are offered by many computer makers, boost increased efficiency overall thanks to the way the NPU helps the computer run. This can show up in many different ways across all applications that you use, Larson says. From increasing battery efficiency to improving the experience on a video call, such as Teams, AI PCs are better equipped to handle many modern computer workloads.

All this equals better battery life and makes AI PCs an attractive option. The current entry price point is around $600, which might make these impractical for classrooms right now. Teachers may want to invest that much for an opportunity to stay on the bleeding edge.

"As folks and educators, teachers, and IT for education experts are looking to refresh PCs, it's not like your standard PC refresh process anymore,” Larson says. “People are just dazzled by these AI PCs.”

AI PCs and Cybersecurity

The privacy AI PCs afford AI model users makes these an attractive tool from a security perspective. Traditional cloud-based AI tools pose security risks for sensitive data. And many of the companies that offer AI have questionable privacy protections. Beyond that, sending out data to the cloud carries with it some inherent risk.

“Sending any data out, personal data, student data, any kind of data that you don't want public in the cloud—transmitting that sensitive data really has a privacy risk,” Larson says.

By processing all that data locally and allowing access to AI models, AI computers can help districts bridge the gap between AI use and data security.

The most affordable desktop computers for teachers can be worth their weight in gold when put to good use. These powerhouses can be used for such a wide range of tasks that they are ideal work horses for most schools.

The trick is being able to save money on getting an affordable option, while still having enough processing power to use it across different tasks. Since some are more demanding than others -- video editing over word processing, for example -- finding that balance can be tricky.

This guide aims to help you find the ideal desktop computer for your school needs. So, it's worth considering all the uses you will have for this. Is it for a specific class? Will you need a dedicated graphics processor for gaming and editing? Have you factored in extras such as a monitor, keyboard, mouse and headsets -- or are these included?

Once those questions are answered check below to find the ideal model to suit your specific needs.

Most Affordable Desktop Computers for Teachers

1. Acer Aspire C24: Best overall

The Acer Aspire C24 straddles that line between price and performance to give the best of both worlds. As such, you can expect a low price point while still packing in premium features such as Intel Core i3 or i5 processing onboard.

This is a compact unit that not only saves space but also comes as a complete package so you don't need to worry about buying extras such as a mouse, keyboard, or monitor. That screen is a Full HD display for high-resolution imagery. It's also sporting a built-in webcam, making this ready for instructional teaching, online video chats, and beyond. Plus, there is a privacy cover for peace of mind when not in use.

Storage is plentiful and fast with an onboard SSD, broad-wired, and wireless connectivity options, plus the choice to spend more for expanded functionality should you need it.

2. Apple iMac 24-inch (M4): Best for Apple users

The Apple iMac 24-inch (M4) will cost you a bit more than a Windows machine, but then you get that functionality, security, and aesthetic simplicity that can be expected from the brand. Ideal if your school is already Apple-focused with other devices.

This model offers a built-in, well-sized display with 4.5K Retina quality for superb resolution, color reproduction, and dynamic range. All you'd expect from a brand built on serving designers and graphical editors, then.

That M4 chip is powerful enough to handle most teacher tasks while keeping cool and quiet running -- even when multitasking.

The 1080p camera onboard is backed by a triple microphone for clear video recording as well as video chat.

This is a future-proof option that costs a bit more up front but when you offset that against how long it should last, it works out as a really good option.

3. Dell OptiPlex Micro Form Factor: Best for powerful multitasking

The Dell OptiPlex Micro Form Factor combines top-end power crammed down into a very small frame. This is built to sit on the back of a monitor, out of sight and not taking up any more room, making it ideal if you already have monitors and limited space yet still require desktop-level performance.

Dell offers an Intel Core i5 processor and lots of RAM at a minimum here, so this should be able to handle most tasks -- even when running multiple ones at the same time.

Whatever level you spec this out at initially, it can be changed down the line as this is easily serviceable and can be upgraded with plenty of connectivity ports. That also helps to make this a great option for working with peripheral devices.

4. HP Chromebase All-in-One 22: Best for ChromeOS

The HP Chromebase All-in-One 22 is a do-it-all system that starts at a good price point and can be scaled. Crucially, this runs ChromeOS, ideal if you're already invested in that ecosystem but want something with a bit more power than a laptop.

Here you get a 21.5-inch Full HD display that's also touch sensitive and can be rotated a full 90 degrees, to offer portrait mode as needed. Yup, just like a giant phone or tablet, this is great for reading long documents, planning lessons, or browsing websites.

The 5-megapixel webcam comes with privacy shield plus quality 5W Bang & Olufsen speakers for a very clear audio performance. A fast SSD for storage is backed by plenty of RAM, and an Intel Core i3 processor that should be able to handle multitasking with ease.

5. Framework Desktop: Best for upgrades

The Framework Desktop is a modular system that is ideal if you want a setup that can be changed and upgraded down the line. You can easily add storage, memory, ports, and more, all to help extend the lifetime of this setup.

The unit comes with AMD Ryzen AI Max 300 processors and integrated Radeon graphics with up to 128GB of LPDDR5x memory. All that should mean great speeds, even when working graphically.

The DIY version comes without an operating system, which will allow your school to add whatever OS works best to fit with your current setup. This can save you money on something you may already have a license for, so you can spend it on getting the best PC performance.

6. Academy Intel Core i5 14400 PC System: Best for customization

The Academy Intel Core i5 14400 PC System gives you some high-end specs in that classic desktop tower form factor. As such, you can get a good price on some very powerful performance setups.

Expect a 14th Gen Intel Core i5 processor with speeds up to 4.7GHz and DDR5 RAM. That should make this able to handle most tasks even with that Intel UHD Graphics 730 being onboard. Or, to make it gaming and video editing friendly, you have the option to add in a dedicated GPU also.

This options lets you vary the specs widely, so you can find the ideal price to power ratio to get the most needs possible covered.

• Best Month of Code Education Kits
• Best Laptops for Teachers

The Acer TravelMate P4 Spin 14 is at the higher end of Acer’s TravelMate line. It’s a 2-in-1 convertible laptop built for educators and students who need a device that can handle processor intensive tasks. It is built for power and durability, including an Intel Core Ultra processor, AI tools, and long battery life.

I tested this laptop in a variety of scenarios including audio, video, and computer-aided design (CAD). It performed very well overall and handled some fairly demanding tasks, such as Sketchup 3D drawings, as well as audio and video editing.

This 2-in-1 laptop has features that are very innovative with thought put into useability, durability, and performance. The Acer TravelMate P4 Spin 14 has a larger 14” touchscreen and comfortable keyboard, yet it does not feel big and heavy.

Acer TravelMate P4 Spin 14: Features

The Acer TravelMate P4 Spin 14 has several standout features that cater to the needs of students and educators that need to complete more demanding tasks. It offers a convertible design with a 360-degree hinge that lets me easily switch between laptop, tent, stand, and tablet modes. The pen/stylus is also conveniently stored in the device.

Overall, it’s a nice size, but may be a little thin for those with bigger hands. I found it comfortable and very responsive. The 14-inch WUXGA touch display has vibrant colors and sharp details. The touch features of the screen worked very well with my finger as well as the included stylus.

The Acer TraveMate P4 Spin 14 is one of the newer devices on the market that has built-in AI tools, including TravelMate Sense and Microsoft Copilot with Bing Chat Enterprise. These provided quick access to tools to help with productivity as well as system optimization, performance, and management.

This is a powerful and rugged device. It is built with MIL-STD 810H certification, a spill-resistant keyboard, and security features such as a biometric login, all of which are features I like to see in a device.

In addition, it stays cool and uses the Acer DustDefender feature that automatically clears dust when the system is powered on to preserve performance and extend system life.

Acer TravelMate P4 Spin 14: Key Specifications (as tested)

• CPU: Intel Core Ultra 5 125U processor
• Graphics: Intel Graphics
• RAM: 16 GB SDRAM (upgradeable to 32 GB)
• Storage: 512 GB Gen4 NVMe SSD (upgradeable to 1 TB)
• Audio: Intel Bluetooth Audio, Acer PurifiedVoice
• Webcam: 1080p FHD with privacy shutter and TNR (Temporal Noise Reduction)

Acer TravelMate P4 Spin 14: Build & Connectivity

I found the TravelMate P4 Spin 14 solid and well-built. It’s 0.74 inches thin and weighs 3.28 pounds, making it lightweight and easy to carry around. The 360-degree hinges are sturdy and it is very smooth when converting to tablet mode. The 14-inch touchscreen is responsive and protected by antimicrobial Corning Gorilla Glass.

This is a fast device with updated connectivity, including wifi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, and multiple ports, including two USB4 Type-C with Thunderbolt 4. Also, it offers the Intel Unison feature that lets me integrate with both Android and iOS devices for calls, texts, and file transfers.

I was very impressed with its up to 14-hour battery life. I easily managed to get through a full workday on a single charge, plus, the fast-charging feature is a bonus, allowing me to quickly recharge during short breaks.

Acer TravelMate P4 Spin 14: Cost & Warranty

The Acer TravelMate P4 Spin 14 (TMP414RN-54-56G9) is priced at $1,329.99.

Acer provides a standard one-year limited warranty on the TravelMate P4 Spin 14, with options for extended coverage.

Acer TravelMate P4 Spin 14: Final Takeaways

The Acer TravelMate P4 Spin 14 is a versatile, high-performance laptop with a nice combination of a sturdy build, powerful internals, and AI-powered features. Its versatile 2-in-1 design makes it a great choice for users who need long battery life and power.

Overall, the Acer TravelMate P4 Spin 14 is a good value offering productivity, security, and durability. It’s well worth considering for those who need a reliable, future-proof laptop.

• Educator Edtech Reviews

The fluid nature of the Internet allows for constant change, growth, and expansion. However, that means websites change and URLs break as content is shifted, moved, or taken down, which can cause problems for researchers, instructors, and students.

If you do come across a broken link, however, don’t panic! Several potential methods are available to retrieve the materials.

Direct Linking

When curating course content, it is best practice to link directly to the original website. Doing so ensures students access the most up-to-date version of the material, properly attributes the work to its creators, drives traffic to their sites, and supports their efforts. Direct links also help students develop digital literacy skills by exposing them to the broader context of the resource. In addition, linking avoids potential copyright infringement issues arising from unauthorized redistribution of downloaded content.

Although direct links are a great practice, it is also prudent to download backup copies of any necessary articles.

Go Wayback

One useful tool for retrieving internet content is the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, which stores snapshots of web pages over time going back more than 20 years. Simply enter the broken URL into the Wayback Machine to see if a cached version of the page is available. It is often the best way to recover materials lost to a broken link.

Check for Typos

Previous links also stop working as intended for many reasons. The broken link can be due to a typo in the URL itself, or a piece of the URL was dropped when copied or pasted. It is worth looking at the text of the URL itself. Sometimes https://www.techlearning.com/tag/resource-library is retyped to something such as https://www.techlearning.org/tag/resource-library or https://www.techlearning.com/resource-library. A quick look can identify the correct URL and resolve the issue succinctly.

A More Detailed Search

Another approach is to do a Google search using the specific keywords from the article title or content. Enclose the exact title in quotes to narrow down the results. For example, search for “Exact Title of the Article” to find other sites where the article may be located.

Sometimes checking citation databases such as ResearchGate or Scopus will provide a copy of the article. These platforms often provide detailed citations or full-text access to articles. Research Gate allows searchers to email an author for a full-text copy if one still needs to be uploaded to the site.

Go Around Walls

Those doing considerable research should consider installing a browser extension such as Unpaywall or Lazy Scholar. These extensions can help find free versions of inaccessible articles by scanning multiple repositories. The LazyScholar extension searches several databases in the background including Google Scholar, Dessimin, and PubMed Central.

Go Old School

A non-technology option would be to ask a librarian or media specialist to see if they can obtain the article via interlibrary loan, or perhaps there is a copy in a local library collection. It may not be the most convenient option, but depending on your needs, it can be a successful one.

Again, when creating class resources, instructors and researchers should link directly to original websites for up-to-date access, proper attribution, and to support content creators. If a link breaks, tools such as Wayback Machine, search engines, and citation databases are available to retrieve the material. Additionally, downloading backup copies and consulting librarians can help ensure continuous access to valuable resources.

Good luck!

Related:

• Publicly Available Digital Collections
• 3 Useful AI Research Tools for Educators

The best laptops for teachers offer a powerful tool that can be used in the classroom while still remaining portable enough to go between rooms and even beyond the school. This can be ideal as a way to keep your teaching planning material in one place for easy access. These are especially powerful when paired with the best interactive whiteboards, or document cameras.

From running a quiz to hosting an AR experience, the right laptop has huge potential. But, of course, it can also simply mean an affordable way to keep connected to your cloud-based work, in the case of Chromebooks. 

From Windows and Chrome to Mac, there are lots of options, prices, and powerful features to consider. A big one is battery life, for example, in which you could have an all-day unit so you don't need to carry a charger. Or perhaps you don't mind that as you've already got one of the best laptop cases for teachers.

So, which are the best laptops for teachers? We've narrowed down some of the best, each listed by special features, to help you pick the ideal laptop for your education needs.

The very best laptops for teachers

1. Dell XPS 13: The best laptop for teachers overall

The Dell XPS 13 is one of the best laptops for teachers thanks to a well-balanced combination or portability, power, design, and pricing. This is like the Microsoft Windows laptop version of a Mac, that helps you save a buck, too.

It's possible to spec this laptop to the performance you need, with even the more basic and affordable end offering plenty of power for tasks, such as video editing. 

The laptop features a beautifully slim and light metallic build that makes this very portable and robust -- ideal for moving between classes.

You can pick from two display resolution options, with the top-end offering crystal clear 4K resolution on the 13.4-inch touch display. So for watching movies, video editing, and even gaming, this laptop can do it all without costing too much.

Some educators may benefit from more ports, but on the plus side this helps to keep the design minimal and the portability perfected.

2. Acer Swift 5: Best laptop for teachers on a budget

The Acer Aspire 5 is a relatively affordable option that delivers plenty of laptop power, making it ideal for educators on a budget. The excellent build quality means this device is rugged enough to withstand a day of being carried between classes, yet it is also lightweight thanks to its chassis.

Higher-priced options are available in this range if you want to get more grunt and don't mind paying a bit more, for video editing perhaps. This laptop packs in a battery that goes for a good 6.5 hours on a charge and the display is an eye-friendly 14-inches. 

The laptop comes running Windows so all those with a Microsoft setup school will be well served by this choice of laptop.

3. Google Pixelbook Go: Best powerful Chromebook

The Google Pixelbook Go is a powerful Chromebook that might not be the cheapest yet offers a lot for the price. It offers a gorgeous design with durable build quality. But it's the Hush keyboard that's worth shouting about as it offers a near silent typing experience that's ideal for teachers working while the class is busy with an assignment.

The battery life on the Pixelbook Go is superb, easily lasting 12 hours -- more than a full school day! -- without needing a charge. Teachers can carry this portable 13.3-inch Full HD screen laptop about all day without having to tote the extra weight of a charger. 

If your school is already using the Google G Suite for Education system, then a Chromebook makes sense and this is one of the best you can buy right now.

4. Microsoft Surface Laptop 3: Best laptop for teachers who use Windows

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 is a very good-looking laptop that's as great inside as its looks would suggest. That results in plenty of power for any task, be it simple Word use, video editing, or gaming. This is the ideal model to go for if you're a Windows user as it's essentially up there in terms of quality with the MacBook Pro, only built to be Microsoft-friendly.

The aluminum shell makes this a tough device that's designed for being moved around classrooms. Despite that high-quality construction, this manages to remain competitively cheaper than Apple's equivalent models, making it relatively affordable for what you get.

While the battery life could be better, it's going to get you a full day of use in nearly all cases, and with that 13.5-inch screen it's easy on the eyes even when reading through smaller type work. 

You can now also buy the Surface Laptop 5, however, for the jump in price, we're sticking with this as ideal for servicing teacher needs at the right price.

5. Apple MacBook Air M2: Best laptop for students of graphics and video

The Apple MacBook Air M2 is one of the best all-around laptops that you can buy right now but this does mean the price reflects that. If you can stretch to it then you're getting a super portable laptop with a great battery life that also has enough power to keep up with most tasks -- including video editing. 

The build quality is as premium as you'd expect from Apple, with a metal frame that can withstand daily use. Yet this is slim and light enough to slip into a bag without being noticed, much, even when walking about the school with it. The battery life is good for a day so you shouldn't need to carry a charger with you.

The display is super clear thanks to high resolution and rich colors that lets you watch movies on it, while the webcam and multiple microphones let you record yourself at high-quality -- ideal for video calls. Plus, you have access to some of the best apps in the world thanks to that macOS operating system running the show.

6. Acer Chromebook 314: Best affordable Chromebook

The Acer Chromebook 314 is another big brand name at a low price. It features the Chromebook moniker, so it has an OS that gives you a long battery life and lives in a form factor that's light and portable. The fact it also resembles a MacBook Air is just a bonus.

The screen is bright, clear, and crisp as well as plenty big enough at 14 inches. Lots of power gets all the tasks Chrome OS offers done easily. Plus, it is well-built with an impressive keyboard, trackpad, and selection of ports, including two USB-A, two USB-C and a MicroSD card slot. 

7. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 6: Best for screen interactions

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 6 is a fantastic option for teachers who don't mind spending a little more. The result is a very powerful device that doubles as a tablet and even comes with a stylus for the touchscreen. And that display is a big part of the appeal, thanks to a 16:10 aspect ratio and super rich finish that makes packing in lots of windows while multitasking a viable option, even when mobile. 

Going mobile should be easy thanks to a fantastic battery life that can go all day without the need to carry a power adapter. You also have some excellent connectivity with WiFi, Bluetooth, two USB Type-A ports along with two Thunderbolt 4 USB Type-Cs, and an HDMI 2.0. Aside from the lack of card slot, this is well-kitted.

• How to Setup Google Classroom
• Best Tools for Teachers

Whether you're a newly minted teacher or a seasoned veteran, it's important to know which computers, monitors, webcams, headphones, and other education technology hardware are best for your particular classroom or remote teaching circumstances. That's why Tech & Learning has compiled links to our popular edtech hardware reviews in a single article that teachers can easily consult for their edtech hardware questions.

This page will be updated as new reviews are published, so check back frequently!

To learn more about the best software tools for teachers, visit our Best Tools For Teachers hub and Tech & Learning's guide to Google Education Tools and Apps.

Computers and Peripherals

What to Know About Buying a Chromebook
If you're considering buying a Chromebook, this guide will help you find the ideal one to suit your needs.

Best Chromebooks for Schools
A Chromebook can make education better for students and teachers by keeping everything simple while also being priced affordably for school and district.

Educator Edtech Review: Acer TravelMate P4 Spin 14 Notebook
Educator Frank Pileiro looks at the best features of this versatile convertible laptop, including cost, build, specs and more.

Best Digital Pens For Teachers
Tech & Learning takes a close look at the top digital pens for education.

Best Desktop Computers For Teachers
There are more great desktop computers for teachers now than at any previous time. But how to choose? Tech & Learning reviewed the top desktops computers from HP, Apple, Acer, Dell and Lenovo, looking at affordability, sound and graphics quality, security and much more.

Best Laptop Docking Stations For Teachers
Whether the priority is price, ease of use, number of ports or 4K capability, we help teachers explore the top options for laptop docking stations.

Best Wireless Keyboard and Mouse for Teachers
Tech and Learning looks at the latest and best wireless peripherals for education.

What to Know About Buying a Laptop for School
We look at key features of laptops—display, speed, connectivity and pricing—to help you make the best choice.

Best Laptops for Teachers
Pick the ideal laptop for your education needs from our laptop reviews.

Best Laptops for Elementary and Secondary Students
Whether your priority is performance, battery life, cost, or security, Tech & Learning breaks down the details of the best laptop computers for elementary and secondary students.

Best Laptop Cases for Teachers
Protect your most precious teaching technology with one of these best laptop cases reviewed by Tech & Learning. From the best overall to the best for longer travel and more, one of these top laptop cases is sure to fit the bill, while our Best Deals widget will help you find the best prices.

What to Know About Buying A Tablet for School
Considering a tablet computer? We examine all facets of your purchase to help you make the best decision.

Best Tablets for Teachers
The best tablets for teachers let educators stay mobile while remaining connected to the wealth of useful smart teaching tech available online.

Best Tablets For Students
Tech & Learning's hardware guru Luke Edwards gives you all the reasons to buy (or avoid!) the best and most popular tablets for students.

Best Monitors For Teachers
What matters when choosing a monitor? We looked at display size and quality, screen resolution, response time, and more, in order to rate the best monitors for teaching and learning.

Educator Edtech Review: ScreenBeam 1000 Gen 2 Wireless Display
The compact ScreenBeam 1000 Gen 2 Wireless Display device allows screen sharing from any device and includes an integrated whiteboard, digital signage, and notifications.

Best Document Cameras for Teachers
We reviewed six of the most popular document cameras for classrooms, rating them for affordability, compatibility, connectivity, features and more.

Best Ereaders for Students and Teachers
Digital readers are a great way to build a large library in a small space. Tech and Learning reviews the best ereaders for education, looking at the best overall, most affordable, various display sizes and the best public-library supported device.

What is Pocketalk? The Translation Tool Explained
Pockettalk is a translation device that operates in real time to help educators, students and families communicate across language barriers.

Canon MAXIFY GX4020 Wireless MegaTank All-In-One Printer
Educator Frank Pileiro looks at the key features of the Canon Maxify GX4020 printer and whether it works well in a classroom environment.

Best 3D Printers For Schools
Tech & Learning looks at the best 3D printers for schools, including the top options for beginners and remote printing.

Gaming Systems

Best Gaming Systems for School Esports Programs
Tech and Learning reviews the top education gaming desktops, laptops, handheld gaming devices and accessories.

Headphones and Webcams

Best Headphones for Teachers
The best headphones let teachers hear their students and focus on their lessons, while making remote teaching and remote learning better for all.

Best Headphones for Students
Tech & Learning tried out the top over-the-ear, in-ear, and wireless headphones for students, rating for affordability, sound quality, noise cancellation and battery life.

What to Know About Buying a Webcam
A complete review of what teachers need to know before they invest in a new webcam.

Best Webcams for Teachers and Students
The best webcams can help make the remote learning experience clearer and more compelling for both teachers and students.

Projectors and Whiteboards

Educator Edtech Review: BenQ Board Pro RP04
Frank Pileiro reports on how the BenQ Board Pro RP04 interactive whiteboard will perform in the classroom setting

Best Projectors for Schools
We dived into the pros and cons of five of today's top projectors for education.

Educator Edtech Review: Panasonic PT-CMZ50 Ultra-Short Throw Laser Projector
The Panasonic PT-CMZ50 ultra-short throw laser projector, ideal forlarge audience settings, offers high-quality bright images, virtually no shadowing, interactivity and collaboration.

Best Interactive Whiteboards For Schools
We rated the best interactive whiteboards, which feature multiple touch points, high quality 4K displays, free apps and more.

STEM, Robotics and Drones

Best Coding Kits for Schools
Tech & Learning reviews six of the top coding kits for education.

Best Robots for Schools
The best robots for schools help make education about coding, math, and engineering fun and engaging for students of all ages.

3 Tips For Teaching With Robots
Advice from an award-winning STEM educator about how to teach with robots in the classroom.

What to Know About Buying Drones for Schools
Consider purpose, programming capability, sixe, pricing and features when you’re in the market for a drone.

Best Drones for Schools
Did you know that drones can be a the core of an exciting STEM lesson incorporating coding and engineering concepts? We found the best ones for education.

Kaibot: How to Use It to Teach
Kaibot is a coding educational robot that teaches kids how coding works.

VR and AR Systems

Best VR Headsets for Schools
Tech & Learning reviews the top eight virtual reality headsets for schools. Find out the pros and cons of each, as well as the best deals of the day.

Best VR and AR Systems for Schools
The magic of virtual and augmented reality can make learning more immersive than ever. We rate them according to ease of use, sturdiness, company support, compatibility and more. Learn which VR and AR systems will work best in your school or classroom.

Teaching With the Apple Vision Pro
Educators discuss the potential for teaching with the Apple Vision Pro.

The best laptops for teachers can help educators stay digitally connected with all the powerful teaching tools available while still remaining mobile. Connected doesn't just mean to the internet, as a smartphone or tablet offers, but also connected with the ports of a laptop that allow you to output to interactive whiteboards, input document cameras and plenty more.

Enter a classroom, plug in or connect wirelessly, and you can have all your prepared materials at your fingertips right away. Laptops allow educators to run slideshows, hold quizzes, share videos, and even power AR experiences.

Finding that sweet spot between price and features is the key. To get this right, it's worth thinking about performance first -- how much power do you need? If you aren't running AR or editing video then you likely won't need a graphics card or the most powerful processor, so could save some money there.

Portability is another consideration as the smaller a laptop is and the longer its battery life, the more you may pay. If you can instead invest in a laptop bag that holds your charger and makes carrying the weight easier, that might work out better.

Security is also important so consider what the operating system offers -- do you need Windows, Mac, or Chrome for your school setup?

So, which are the best laptops for teachers? We've narrowed down some of the best, each listed by special skill, to help you pick the ideal laptop for your education needs.

• How to Setup Google Classroom
• Best Tools for Teachers

The very best laptops for teachers

1. Dell XPS 13: The best laptop for teachers overall

The Dell XPS 13 is one of the best laptops for teachers thanks to a well-balanced combination or portability, power, design, and pricing. This is like the Microsoft Windows laptop version of a Mac, that helps you save a buck, too.

It's possible to spec this laptop to the performance you need, with even the more basic and affordable end offering plenty of power for tasks, such as video editing. 

The laptop features a beautifully slim and light metallic build that makes this very portable and robust -- ideal for moving between classes.

You can pick from two display resolution options, with the top-end offering crystal clear 4K resolution on the 13.4-inch touch display. So for watching movies, video editing, and even gaming, this laptop can do it all without costing too much.

Some educators may benefit from more ports, but on the plus side this helps to keep the design minimal and the portability perfected.

2. Acer Swift 5: Best laptop for teachers on a budget

The Acer Aspire 5 is a relatively affordable option that delivers plenty of laptop power, making it ideal for educators on a budget. The excellent build quality means this device is rugged enough to withstand a day of being carried between classes, yet it is also lightweight thanks to its chassis.

Higher priced options are available in this range if you want to get more grunt and don't mind paying a bit more, for video editing perhaps. This laptop packs in a battery that goes for a good 6.5 hours on a charge and the display is an eye-friendly 14-inches. 

The laptop comes running Windows so all those with a Microsoft setup school will be well served by this choice of laptop.

3. Google Pixelbook Go: Best powerful Chromebook

The Google Pixelbook Go is a powerful Chromebook that might not be the cheapest yet offers a lot for the price. It has a gorgeous design with a durable build quality. But it's the Hush keyboard that's worth shouting about as it offers a near silent typing experience that's ideal for teachers working while the class is busy with an assignment.

The battery life on the Pixelbook Go is superb, easily lasting 12 hours -- more than a full school day! -- without needing a charge. Teachers can carry this portable 13.3-inch Full HD screen laptop about all day without having to tote the extra weight of a charger. 

If your school is already using the Google G Suite for Education system, then a Chromebook makes sense and this is one of the best you can buy right now.

4. Microsoft Surface Laptop 3: Best laptop for teachers who use Windows

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 is a very good-looking laptop that's as great inside as its looks would suggest. That results in plenty of power for any task, be it simple Word use, video editing, or gaming. This is the ideal model to go for if you're a Windows user as it's essentially up there in terms of quality with the MacBook Pro, only built to be Microsoft-friendly.

The aluminum shell makes this a tough device that's designed for being moved around classrooms. Despite that high-quality construction, this manages to remain competitively cheaper than Apple's equivalent models, making it relatively affordable for what you get.

While the battery life could be better, it's going to get you a full day of use in nearly all cases, and with that 13.5-inch screen it's easy on the eyes even when reading through smaller type work. 

You can now also buy the Surface Laptop 5, however, for the jump in price, we're sticking with this as ideal for servicing teacher needs at the right price.

5. Apple MacBook Air M2: Best laptop for students of graphics and video

The Apple MacBook Air M2 is one of the best all-around laptops that you can buy right now but this does mean the price reflects that. If you can stretch to it then you're getting a super portable laptop with a great battery life that also has enough power to keep up with most tasks -- including video editing. 

The build quality is as premium as you'd expect from Apple, with a metal frame that can withstand daily use. Yet this is slim and light enough to slip into a bag without being noticed, much, even when walking about the school with it. The battery life is good for a day so you shouldn't need to carry a charger with you.

The display is super clear thanks to a high-resolution and rich colors that lets you watch movies on it, while the webcam and multiple microphones let you record yourself at high-quality -- ideal for video calls. Plus, you have access to some of the best apps in the world thanks to that macOS operating system running the show.

6. Acer Chromebook 314: Best affordable Chromebook

The Acer Chromebook 314 is another big brand name at a low price. It features the Chromebook moniker, so it has an OS that gives you a long battery life and lives in a form factor that's light and portable. The fact it also resembles a MacBook Air is just a bonus.

The screen is bright, clear, and crisp as well as plenty big enough at 14 inches. Lots of power gets all the tasks Chrome OS offers done easily. Plus, it is well-built with an impressive keyboard, trackpad, and selection of ports, including two USB-A, two USB-C and a MicroSD card slot. 

7. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 6: Best for screen interactions

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 6 is a fantastic option for teachers who don't mind spending a little more. The result is a very powerful device that doubles as a tablet and even comes with a stylus for the touchscreen. And that display is a big part of the appeal, thanks to a 16:10 aspect ratio and super rich finish that makes packing in lots of windows while multitasking a viable option, even when mobile. 

Going mobile should be easy thanks to a fantastic battery life that can go all day without the need to carry a power adapter. You also have some excellent connectivity with WiFi, Bluetooth, two USB Type-A ports along with two Thunderbolt 4 USB Type-Cs, and an HDMI 2.0. Aside from the lack of card slot, this is well-kitted.

• How to Setup Google Classroom
• Best Tools for Teachers

The best laptops for students not only work for in-class use but go beyond the school for use at home and more. That means the ideal laptop will be portable yet also pack enough power -- and battery life -- to keep up with a wide range of tasks.

Of course exactly what you need is worth thinking about as it could save you money. If you're not using this as a video-editing station or high-powered gaming rig, then you likely won't need to spend top dollar on the most super speedy machine.

You might want a Chromebook that helps you save on costs while doing all you need at your Google-based school. Or perhaps you want a Windows machine that won't break the bank but still has a good enough screen to watch movies on? Or maybe you simply have to go Apple and -- despite what you might think -- there are also ways to get a Mac affordably too.

Think about the types of apps you're going to need to run, then make sure you have the right operating system to suit that. It's also worth thinking about portability -- does the model have enough battery to last the day or will you need to factor in carrying a charger with you? And does your laptop need to be tough or should you think about buying a case too?

Below are some of the best laptops for students out there right now so you can find the ideal digital buddy to suit your needs.

• Best Laptops for Teachers
• Best 3D Printers for Remote Learning

1. Dell XPS 13: The best laptops for students top pick

The Dell XPS 13 is one of the best laptops for students out there right now. This is thanks to a well-balanced combination or portability, power, design, and pricing. It is essentially the Microsoft Windows laptop equivalent of a Mac, with a slightly less steep price.

Usefully, it's possible to spec this laptop to the level you need, with even the more basic and affordable end offering plenty of power for tasks, such as video editing. Everything is encased in a beautifully slim and light metallic build that makes this very portable and robust enough to withstand moving between classes.

There are two display resolution options with the top-end offering crystal clear 4K resolution on the 13.4-inch touch display. So for watching movies, video editing, and even gaming, this laptop can do it all without breaking the bank.

Some people may want more ports except this helps to keep the design minimal and the portability to a maximum. A superb all-around laptop that's difficult to beat.

2. Acer Aspire 5: Best laptop for students on a budget

The Acer Aspire 5 is a more affordable option than many and still delivers plenty of laptop bang for your buck, making it ideal for both elementary and secondary students. The great build quality means this device is rugged enough to withstand a day of being lugged about classes, yet it is also lightweight thanks to its chassis.

More expensive options are available in this range if you want to get more grunt and don't mind paying a bit more, for gaming for example. Usefully, this laptop packs in a battery that goes for a good six-and-a-half hours on a charge and the display is plenty big and clear enough at 14-inches. 

The machine is running Windows so all those with a Microsoft setup school will be well served by this choice of laptop.

3. Google Pixelbook Go: Best powerful Chromebook for students

The Google Pixelbook Go is a Chromebook that caters to the high end, packing in lots of powerful features and a top-build quality that is reflected in its price. As such, this is more suited to the elementary school end of the student spectrum. 

The Hush keyboard is a standout feature, offering near silent typing that makes it ideal for the classroom. This build quality extends throughout the unit, resulting in a durable machine that's ideal for young student use.

This highly portable 13.3-inch Full HD screen laptop lasts a full day on a charge, aka 12 hours, ideal for those who don't want to carry a charger. And since it's a Chromebook, it integrates perfectly with schools running Google's education-focused platforms.

4. Microsoft Surface Go 3: Best pure Windows 2-in-1 laptop for students

The Microsoft Surface Go 3 is a great way to get a pure Windows experience from the manufacturer of both the software and hardware. As a result, this is a powerful-yet-portable laptop that doubles as a tablet, using the optional Touch Cover keyboard case to let you type. Yup, you'll need to pay for that in your initial setup to use this as a full laptop rather than a tablet alone – presuming you don't already own a keyboard that you can use with it, of course. 

The touchscreen display is large and clear with its 10-inch, 1800 x 1200 resolution setup. It's also super portable, easily slipped into a bag, so it's great for elementary students on the move. Although with a five-hour battery life, you'll likely need to carry a charger to get through a full school day.

This does feature a stylus, making it great for note taking or even sketching. Beyond pure work, this is also powerful enough to run Minecraft, and it'll do everything securely thanks to Windows built-in security.

5. Apple MacBook Air M2: Best laptop for students of graphics and video

The Apple MacBook Air M2 is one of the best laptops you can buy and, as such, the price reflects that. But if you can stretch to it then you're getting a super portable laptop with a great battery life that also has enough power to keep up with most tasks -- including video editing. 

The build quality is as high as you'd expect from Apple, with a metal frame that can withstand the rigors of daily use. Yet this is slim and light enough to slip into a bag without being noticed, much, even when walking about the school halls all day with it. Plus that battery life is good for a day so you shouldn't need to carry a charger with you.

The high-resolution display lets you watch movies on here while the webcam and multiple microphones let you record yourself at high-quality -- ideal for video calls or vlogging. Plus, you have access to some of the best apps in the world thanks to that macOS operating system running the show.

6. Acer Chromebook 314: Best affordable Chromebook for students

The Acer Chromebook 314 is a low-price laptop that does everything needed for most secondary and elementary school students. The big brand name means it's well-built for longevity and quality, while the Chromebook OS makes it agile and ideal for schools running G Suite for Education.

The well-sized 14-inch display offers clarity and brightness, if not quite the highest resolution compared to some. But the keyboard and trackpad are both responsive and fashioned to last, and connectivity is decent with dual USB-A and USB-C ports plus a MicroSD card slot.

Chromebook battery life is famously great, so don't expect to carry a charger around. Also, at this price, it's an ideal candidate for districtwide purchases in bulk so even more savings can be made on this highly capable student laptop.

7. Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon: Best lightweight and portable laptop

The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon is a great choice for anyone who is moving between classes in the day as it's made to be very portable; it's lightweight and slim enough to slip into a book bag. Despite the form factor, this still crams in a super 13.3-inch QHD display with 100% sRGB color and 11th Gen Intel processing power – more than enough for most students. Although for graphics, that Intel Iris Xe GPU may be lacking.

The battery life is the only gripe as this is decidedly average. You may need to plug it in during the day, which means carrying a charger and detracts from that portability. That said, you may find it does the job if you're not using it constantly – expect up to 15 hours.

The carbon build makes this military-grade tough for taking knocks and drops, and it also protects the high-quality keyboard, which provides a very intuitive typing experience. 

• Best Laptops for Teachers
• Best 3D Printers for Remote Learning

If setting up a virtual classroom from scratch at home seems daunting, try using an all-in-one PC, such as the Dell Inspiron 27-7790 desktop computer. Technophobes take note: Set up is as easy as opening the box, putting it on a desk, and plugging it in -- yet its hardware graphics give enough kick to master Zoom video lessons and more.

The system provides more than enough power to do everything from preparing lessons and grading tests to teaching over video. It offers the best of all-in-one systems with a secure pop-up webcam, integrated hardware graphics accelerator, and the ability to serve as a standalone monitor.

• How to win K-12 technology grants
• Remote learning communications: How best to connect with students

While the touchscreen version will cost you more, and there are higher powered machines out there, this sits at a reasonable price point while still looking modern. Features such as HDMI input and dual storage drives are also really appealing.

So is the Dell Inspiron 27-7790 your next best teaching assistant? Read on to find out everything you need to know. 

Dell Inspiron 27-7790: Design, build and setup

• Very simple setup
• Spacious screen
• Touchscreen is extra

It literally took five minutes to go from a sealed box to the working system and the best part is that the system’s only cable is a power cord.

With a 27-inch display, the Inspiron 27-7790 will feel luxurious compared to a cramped notebook or tablet screen. It offers Full HD 1920x1080 resolution, and Dell’s CinemaColor software allows adjustments for movies, night use, and other situations. The Movie setting, which gives everything a warm look, works well for video teaching.

On the downside, the display of the $1,000 system is not touch-sensitive; the touch-screen version is $100 extra. We wouldn't bother paying the extra for the touch screen unless you have a good reason for it. With a screen this big you'll likely sit far enough away that touching the display with any regularity will be a stretch, and you'll also avoid smudges. 

Happily, it comes with a wired mouse and keyboard that matches the look of the system and slides under the screen if desktop space is tight; some models include a wireless keyboard and mouse.

The display can tilt as much as 25 degrees away, which can cut screen glare and reflection from overhead lighting, and is ideal for aiming the webcam for a face-to-face video lesson. By contrast, the Acer Chromebase 24 all-in-one system has a way to independently adjust the camera’s angle, which is a neater solution.

You don’t need to cover the webcam with a sticky note so that it doesn’t accidentally broadcast you eating your lunch to the class because the camera stays retracted until you’re ready to teach. Once you activate it, the camera module physically pops up and is ready for a video lesson, a conference with a parent, or to record.

Below the screen is a speaker bar that can handle movie soundtracks and music but works best with the spoken word, ideal for presentations or YouTube instructional videos. The system has a single microphone on top that sounds hollow, so you might be best served by using a separate microphone or headset.

On top of tapping into 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5, the Inspiron 7790 has a good assortment of ports, from four USB 3.1 and a USB-C connection to a wired network plug, a headphone jack, and an SD card reader. All are in the back, which can make it awkward to quickly plug in a headset for a video lesson. That said, the inbuilt Bluetooth means you can use a wireless headset easily. 

Dell Inspiron 27-7790: Features

• Intel processor
• Nvidia graphics
• SSD and HDD

With a very thin frame, the Inspiron 7790 is no bigger than the typical 27-inch monitor and takes up 7x24 inches of desktop space. Yet, it has a full PC hidden inside that uses a 10th generation quad-core Intel Corei3,  i5, or i7 processor. Rather than using a desktop processor, the Inspiron uses laptop versions. This means it can have a svelte design and not draw too much power. The downside is it's not quite as powerful as a traditional desktop PC.

The i5 system we tested included 8 GB of RAM, which can be outfitted with up to 32 GB. We'd recommend opting for a little more; for example, 16 GB would allow it to multitask more effectively and future-proof it more. 

It offers the one-two storage punch of 256 GB solid-state and a 1 TB hard drive. This gives the best of both worlds: the speed of an SSD for quick boot times and big storage reservoir of a traditional spinning hard drive for storing videos, images and audio.

The device has a secret that turns the Inspiron 7790 into a solid machine for graphics-intensive tasks like basic gaming, and video teaching. In addition to the stock Intel UHD 620 graphics engine, the system offers a high-performance Nvidia GeForce MX110 graphics chip and 2 GB of high-speed video RAM inside. 

The system didn’t lag when editing video lessons and it worked much better than a Surface Pro 4 for leading Zoom and Meet video lessons. It went through 45 minutes without a glitch, any dropouts, freeze-ups or audio sync problems.

The screen has one more remote classroom trick: With two HDMI ports, one can be used for sharing its screen with a projector or large display, while the other allows it to be used as an external monitor via its HDMI-in port.

Dell Inspiron 27-7790: Performance

• Better Zoom video lessons
• Fast processing
• Low power consuming

Version tested: 10th Gen Intel Core i5-10210U processor (6MB Cache, up to 4.2 GHz) | 8 GB RAM | NVIDIA® GeForce® MX110 with 2 GB GDDR5| 256GB SSD | 1 TB HDD 

All the great specs and features contributed to surprisingly strong system performance. The Inspiron 7790 scored 1,085 and 2,620 on Geekbench 5’s single and multi-core processor tests, and a 4,653 on its Compute series of tests that mimic how computers are used. 

This is spot-on in the single-processor tests with an HP Pavilion 590 desktop with a slightly older six-core CPU. With two fewer cores and a processor designed for laptops, however, the Inspiron 7790 was second-best compared to the Pavilion 590 by a wide margin: 5,068 to 2,620. 

On the other hand, the Inspiron 7790 was able to hang in with the Pavilion 590 in Geekbench’s real-world Compute testing with a 5,232 versus the Inspiron 7790’s 4,653.

When it’s running, the Inspiron 7790 uses 48.6 watts of power and 3.7 watts at idle. This makes it inexpensive to use at school or at home for remote education.

An annual power bill of about $12.50 can be expected if it’s used for eight hours per day every school day at the national average cost of 12 cents per kilowatt-hour.

Should I Buy Dell Inspiron 27-7790?

All told, the Inspiron 7790 shows that an all-in-one system can be a power-consumption miser without sacrificing the ability to lead an interruption-free online video class. Its performance was more than enough for all teaching tasks and the system doesn’t require anything more than being plugged in to become the center of a classroom or home teaching effort.

• How to win K-12 technology grants
• Remote learning communications: How best to connect with students

We’ve all seen it: a student trips over a power cord or yanks it and the notebook or tablet goes flying across the room with the inevitable consequences. The iSkey Magnetic USB C Adapter can put an end to this type of classroom tragedy by pulling apart when tugged.

An ingenious design, the Magnetic USB C Adapter is like Apple’s MagSafe plug and cord. The twist is that rather than being built into the notebook and power cable, the Magnetic USB C Adapter is in two parts: the smaller part plugs into the system’s USB C port and a larger one that goes on the end of the cable.

 When the two parts are brought to within about a quarter of an inch from each other, they snap together to form a single unit that allows the power and data to flow. But give the cable a yank and the two magnetic parts easily lose their grip and separate. This allows the system to stay put when the cord is pulled, averting a certain computer crisis.

ANY USB C COMPUTER

Able to work with just about any USB C-based system’s cables, the adapter is good for PC notebooks, like Dell’s XPS 13 and recent Microsoft Surface Books, Surface Pro Tablets as well as newer MacBooks, iPad Pros and Android phones and tablets. Well designed and manufactured, the magnetic adapter is available in silver or gray, weighs 0.1-ounce and the cable sticks out 0.3-inches away from the notebook’s base. While it risks covering up an adjacent port, it’s easy to reverse the adapter’s orientation so it’s out of the way.

The break-away magnetic adapter has a sturdy aluminum case, 20 gold-plated connection pins for reliable transfers and a green LED that shows that it’s working. The adapter complies with the USB 3.1 standard, can move 10Gbps or stream 4K video and carry up to 100-watts of power. In other words, it should satisfy even the largest notebook. Its protective circuit cuts the current in the event of an electrical short, although the iSkey adapter is not UL certified for safety.

Easy to install and use, just plug the small part of the adapter into the notebook and the larger one on the end of a USB C cable. Happily, there’s no way to get it wrong, no software to install and no configuration changes to make. The kit includes the adapter’s two parts as well as a small plastic fork for prying the unit loose from a computer.

REAL WORLD TESTS

Over the course of a month, I used the magnetic connector with an HP X2 Chromebook, a Samsung Galaxy Tab S4, CTL Chromebox CBX1C and a recent Macbook Air. In each case, when I jerked the cord, the magnetic adapter broke free into two parts and the computer remained on the table, saving it from a potentially catastrophic fall. It kept the Tab S4’s battery charged for more than a week of daily use and doubled to send video to a projector.

For such as small device, the iSkey Magnetic USB C Adapter can be a lifesaver for school computers. It’s available on Amazon for $22 and might seem like a luxury. In reality, it’s a pittance compared to the cost of replacing a computer.

Future brands Tech & Learning, TechRadarPro, and AV Technology Europe, have released the FIRST exclusive co-branded Bett Preview Guide that offers a sneak peek at some of the most anticipated product announcements being exhibited at Bett, the new tech being premiered at the world's largest Edtech trade show!

This Guide offers exclusive interviews with keynote speakers and select exhibitors, insight into the latest trends in education technology, the best new laptops and Chromebooks recommended by our TechRadarPro experts, new edtech being shown for the first time at Bett, and MUCH MORE!

To view or download the guide, visit https://issuu.com/futurepublishing/docs/bett_digital_preview_guide

Tired of carrying around a bulky notebook or tablet all day from class to class? Samsung has an app for that. The company’s DeX Desktop Experience software is a unique program that lets teachers and students put all their schoolwork on their phones. With the power to redefine how schools deal with digital media and curriculum, DeX can be a real eye-opener. 

Used by first responders and the military as a way to do without bulky computers, the key is that in addition to using the phone for calls, texts, social media postings and Web work, you can plug the phone into a display and interact in a full desktop environment that’s looks and feels a lot like Windows and macOS. In other words, there’s no need to carry a phone and a computer around anymore. Teachers and students can take notes, draw geometric shapes or sketch a social studies map on the phone directly and then plug it into a display, keyboard and mouse for heavier tasks, like writing or grading essays, doing Web research and interacting with online curriculum. 

[Put To The Test—HP Chromebook X2]

PLUG AND VIEW

Even though DeX has the power to turn a phone into the equivalent of a full desktop computer, its day-to-day use is surprisingly simple. There’s nothing to download or install; the needed software is already on the phone. DeX leaves all the phone’s security in place and when it’s connected, you can open the phone by entering its PIN using a keyboard. 

The result can be eye-opening for educators, to say the least. When its connected to a display or projector, instead of a cramped vertical view of the phone’s screen occupying about one-third of the display space, Dex delivers a full-screen horizontal experience at up to the phone’s screen resolution. 

Windows and Mac users will feel right at home. There’re icons for programs as well as a row of apps and services along the bottom. Click on any icon and you get a full-screen space to work with. It’s perfect for typical school tasks, like researching a chemical reaction online, going through a spreadsheet of chem lab results, writing up the lab and even adding in tables and illustrations. That’s because under DeX’s skin is a full multi-tasking environment where windows can be resized, moved around and items can be dragged from one window to another. 

The latest DeX software allows another trick. If you load the DeX app on a PC or Mac and plug the phone into its USB port, the phone can exist inside a window on the computer. This allows you to drag images, Web addresses and blocks of text between the computer’s open windows.

Unlike other platforms, though, there are no native DeX programs, per se. There are, however, hundreds of Android apps that have been enhanced to work with DeX. They range from Word, Excel and PowerPoint to Adobe Acrobat, Gmail and the Chrome Browser to a slew of Photoshop apps and several videoconferencing services. The vast majority of Android apps have not been enhanced but work with DeX without a problem.

Not all phones work with DeX, though. The easiest way to make the connection is to use a USB-to-HDMI adapter with a Samsung Galaxy Note 9, S10, S10+, Note 10, Galaxy Tab S6 or Active Tab Pro tablet. Older phones, like Galaxy S8, S8+, S9, S9+ or Note 8 phone require the $60 DeX Station dock that also charges the phone. Once the phone is connected to the display, you can either use a USB hub to plug in the keyboard and mouse or link them using Bluetooth. You can also use the phone’s screen as a touchpad.

PHONE-CENTRIC SCHOOL

Using DeX at school will require a paradigm shift to say the least. Imagine that rather than supplying computers for students and teachers or specifying what parents should get for their kids, the school required students to have a DeX-ready phone. The students would do their class assignments, homework and tests on the phone either directly or connected to a keyboard, screen and mouse that the school provides in classrooms, libraries and common areas. At home, they can plug into a computer for research, homework and working on longer projects. 

To see how DeX can change the dynamic of teaching and learning, I set a Note 10+ phone up with an Acer 21-inch HD display, generic USB-C to HDMI adapter and a Logitech K400 wireless keyboard and touchpad; later, I switched to an AOC i1601FWUX USB-C display, which didn’t need a video adapter. All told, it took less than a minute to set up and the gear cost less than $150 but getting a compatible Samsung phone is the big-ticket item, costing between $200 and $1,000. 

I started by creating and presenting a social studies lesson in PowerPoint on immigration using the public records from the Ellis and Angel Island immigration archives. Then, I moved on to giving a lesson on simplifying fractions and how hydrogen bonding affects biology. When I was connected to the display, keyboard and mouse, it was the equivalent of desktop computer but when the bell rang, rather than stuff a cumbersome notebook into a bag, I unplugged the Note 10+ phone, put it in my pocket and was ready for the next class. 

The DeX desktop came into its own when I used Google’s Live Transcribe app on the phone to record a 45-minute lesson. While the initial transcription was tolerable, using DeX, a big screen and keyboard made correcting its mistakes much easier than doing it on a phone’s small screen or transferring the data to a desktop computer. 

It’s odd, but about the only thing DeX can’t do is allow me to use the phone’s touch-sensitive display and its S-Pen to interactively annotate what’s on the screen. This would have been a big help in pointing out a trick while solving an equation or underlining a passage in a novel. 

DeX may not be for everyone, but it has the power to transform your phone into a desktop computer. Afterall, you already have your phone with you all day, why carry anything else.

Samsung DeX Desktop Experience: Grade A

Price: works with Samsung Galaxy S8, S8+, Note 8, S9, S9+, Note 9, S10, S10+, Note 10 phones as well as Galaxy Tab S6 or Active Tab Pro tablets; some might need a desktop dock 

Pros

• Free software
• Turns phone into the equivalent of a desktop computer
• Multi-tasking environment
• Lots of apps available

Cons

• Can’t use the phone’s screen to annotate
• Requires moderately expensive phone

Today, January 14th, marks a difficult day for both schools and Microsoft. After a long run, it’s the beginning of the end for Windows 7 with the company no longer promising free security updates for the venerable operating system. With roughly one in four computers still using Win 7 – and at least as many in schools – what is there to do? 

Windows 7 debuted in the fall of 2009 and quickly became the operating system of choice at home, work and school. Fast forward a little more than a decade and its end of life should come as no surprise to anyone other than a hermit living in a cave. That’s because Microsoft has been telling the world that Windows 7’s days were numbered for years. It stopped adding new features to the software years ago and has only been updating critical security flaws for the last year. Starting tomorrow, it won’t even do that anymore. 

It’s not as if these computers will stop working tomorrow, but after Windows 7’s retirement party is over and the cake is gone, these computers will become more and more vulnerable every day. Security flaws and backdoors won’t be patched as they are revealed, and you’ll be on your own as far as operating system security goes. 

How do you deal with this huge change in the computing landscape? There are three main alternatives to consider, but none of them seem to be particularly appealing. Here are your options. 

1. Get a different operating system

The most obvious solution is to use this as an opportunity to leave Win 7 behind by changing to Windows 10, macOS or Linux software. Likely, most of the machines at your school will be compatible but it will take time, money and effort to make the move. 

Expect some disappointment and the potential for a rough transition with some software needing to be left behind. Microsoft’s Desktop App Assure program can help this transition for schools or districts with more than 150 PCs.

2. Pay for extra security

Several consumer and business security companies plan to continue to provide Win 7 support for at least a year. If you get their malware protection, it will help keep the systems clean but there’s nothing a hacker likes more than an unsupported computer with security weaknesses. While the protection won’t be airtight, it will be better than a naked machine and provide the time needed to formulate a plan to create a more secure future for your school’s computers. On the other hand, all it does is delay the inevitable action of moving to a more modern and secure operating system. 

Microsoft has a site dedicated to smoothing the move away from Windows 7, but it focuses on getting new Windows 10 computers. This is a luxury that many schools cannot afford, even with the company’s buy-back program, which trades old computers for credit to buy new ones. There is another way: Microsoft may be ending its free security program for Windows 7, but it will be offering extended security coverage of Win 7 systems with security patches and updates for a price. This service used to be for its big enterprise customers, but Microsoft has opened it up to small and medium businesses, including schools. Called Extended Security Updates (or ESUs), Microsoft promises three years of paid security support, but it won’t be cheap. The costs will vary but for many it will escalate from $50 for the first year to $100 for the second year and $200 for the third (and last) year of security support. In other words, it’ll likely be cheaper to give up the ghost and move to a more modern and secure operating system than to limp along with Win 7.

3. Muddle through

My warning is that if you try to muddle through this computing sea change without making any changes, it will likely not end well. That’s because hackers and ransomware purveyors are looking exactly for this sort of opening and have been targeting municipal governments and school systems of late. 

All it will take to bring down a network of school computers is clicking on the wrong email or downloading the wrong file. At that point, “puff”, the entire school’s computers and all their data can be compromised. 

Windows 7 may not be in the rear-view mirror quite yet but there is a lot you can do to keep your school’s computers safe and secure. It’s the best example I can think of where being proactive is the only way to survive. 

One of the best ways to measure the latest and greatest gear for the classroom each fall is to roam the exhibition floor in June at the annual International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Conference and Expo, which took place in Philadelphia this year. 

There were over 600 exhibitors in the expo hall, featuring everything from projectors and 3D printers to robots, apps, online curriculum, and more. Laptops are always a popular product—they may not be the most exciting products in the expo hall, but they’re one of the most essential. What follows are some of my standouts:

For Creators

Microsoft Surface Studio 2

The Surface Studio 2 is designed for creation and gaming as well as for mixed and virtual reality. It sports a 28-inch, beautifully vibrant touch screen that can be adjusted at an infinite variety of angles due to the innovative Zero Gravity Hinge. Like any Surface device, it’s also compatible with the Surface Pen for creating art or virtual worlds. If you want to add to your creativity and productivity tool kit, you can add the Surface Dial. The Surface Dial gives users the option to create a customized radial menu of tools that fit their work and business productivity style. Just place the dial on the screen, and this menu appears. The user simply rotates it to change their tool choices and options. These features make this device a versatile standout.

Starting at $3,499.00

CPU Intel® Core™ i7-7820HQ | Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 6GB GDDR5 memory (with i7/16/1TB configuration) | Display: 28” PixelSense™ Display Touch: 10 point multi-touch Resolution: 4500 x 3000 (192 PPI) | RAM: 16 or 32 GB | Storage: 1TB or 2TB solid-state drive (SSD)

For Esports

Esports has made a big push into the education arena. One of the current “top dogs” in the gaming computer sector is Acer, Inc. The Acer booth at ISTE featured a giant screen for watching esports teams battling it out against each other just below. In this booth, the gaming devices of choice are the Acer Predator laptops and desktops. These machines are made specifically for gaming. Acer has carved its niche in esports by offering a variety of different configurations and options Acer also offers a variety of price points so schools can get started in esports without breaking the budget. If a school district doesn’t have the luxury of a dedicated room for esports, the Predator gaming laptops are very capable. Prices start as low as $729 for desktops and $1,299 for laptops—all the way up to over $6,000 for desktops and $2,499 for laptops. 

Acer Predator Helios 300 Gaming Laptop - PH315-51-71FS
Retail: $1,299.00

CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-8750H processor Hexa-core 2.20 GHz | Graphics:  NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 with 6 GB Dedicated Memory | Display: 15.6" Full HD (1920 x 1080) 16:9 IPS | RAM: 8 GB, DDR4 SDRAM | Storage: 1 TB HDD

Acer Nitro 50 Gaming Desktop - N50-600-UR11
Retail: $799.00

CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-8400 processor Hexa-core 2.80 GHz | Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1050 Ti with 4 GB Dedicated Memory | RAM: 8 GB, DDR4 SDRAM | Storage: 1 TB HDD

Chromebooks

This device category continues to feature more rugged and affordable designs for students and 1:1 programs, all the way up to business-class portable workstations. Convertible Chromebooks with pens are giving educators and students the best of both platforms. 

 Asus C204 Chromebook  

The Asus Chromebook C204 is a rugged, thinner, replacement for the Chromebook C202. It looks the same and still features the durability and rubberized chassis with corner bumpers. It’s rated to exceed military-grade MIL-STD-810G durability standards so it can withstand the pressures of the backpack as well as drops of 48 inches. The spill- and tamper-resistant keyboard is responsive and has good key travel. The screen is crisp and bright with an optional anti-glare, 178-degree viewing angle touch screen. The four-part modular construction makes this Chromebook very easy to self-service, especially if you qualify for the Asus Self-Maintainer Program.

Retail: $269.99

CPU: Intel® Celeron® Dual-Core N4000 Processor, 1.1 GHz (4 M Cache) | Display: 11.6" (16:9) HD+ (1366x768) 60Hz Anti-Glare Panel 45% NTSC (Touchscreen Optional) | RAM: 4GB | Storage: eMMC 16GB/32GB 

 Acer Chromebook Spin 11  

The Acer Chromebook Spin 11 is a great Chromebook for both students and teachers. It’s a rugged and capable convertible Chromebook that comes with a Wacom EMR (Electro-Magnetic Resonance) Stylus that delivers impressive accuracy and pressure sensitivity. There are two cameras on the device—one at the top of the screen and the other right above the top row of keys on the keyboard. The 5MP webcam has an 88-degree wide viewing angle so users can watch the Chromebook screen to see what’s being recorded. Finally, this unit comes with a substantial hinge that will last a very long time.

Retail: $352.11

CPU: Intel® Celeron® N3350 1.1 GHz | Display:11.6” AHVA Touchscreen (1366x768) (HD) | RAM: 4GB | Storage: 32GB eMMC 

Dell Chromebook 3100 Education  

Dell’s 3000 series Chromebooks are durable and have configurations that can meet a variety of needs and budgets. Like many Chromebooks, they’re tested to meet or exceed MIL-STD ruggedness standards. The tamper- and spill-resistant keyboards are mounted from the top so they can be replaced easily. These units also have an advertised battery life of 14 hours to get users through an entire day. There are two USB-C ports to support both battery charging and high-speed data transfers. All ports are ruggedized with internal brackets to withstand the rigors of the school day.

Starting at $249.00

CPU: Intel® Celeron™ N4000 Processor (2 Core, 2.6GHz, 4M cache, 6W) | Display: 11.6” HD (1366 x 768) Anti-Glare Non-Touch (touch available) | RAM: 4GB | Storage: 16GB eMMC

Laptops

Microsoft Surface Go

A standout laptop at ISTE was the affordable, but very capable, 10-inch Surface Go. Starting at $399, the Surface Go is an excellent balance between tablet and laptop. The pen is just as good as the one that comes with its “big brother” the Surface Pro, including pressure sensitivity and programmable buttons. The Surface Go is a great solution to use as an interactive SMART Board replacement when used in conjunction with a wireless projector connection or flat-panel display. Add the type cover and a wireless mouse and you have a complete Windows 10 laptop.

 Retail: $399

CPU: Intel Pentium Gold 4415Y | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 615 | RAM: 4GB – 8GB | Screen: 10-inch, 1,800 x 1,200 (217 ppi; 3:2 aspect ratio) PixelSense touch display | Storage: 64GB eMMC – 128GB SSD

Dell Latitude 3300

The 13.3-inch Dell Latitude 3300 for Education laptop is a well-designed and rugged device for users who still prefer to use Windows devices but don’t want to break the bank. The Latitude 3300 is designed and built to withstand the day-to-day needs of today’s modern learners who need a rugged device for various environments, yet it’s powerful enough for collaboration, creating, and consuming content. The Latitude 3300 has an advertised battery life of just under 17 hours (time varies with usage), so it can definitely fit into any school’s 1:1 program for a full day’s use.

Retail: starting at $619.00 

CPU: Intel® Pentium™ 4415U Processor | Graphics: Intel® Pentium® 4415U Processor w/Intel® HD Graphics 610 | RAM: 4GB DDR-4 Non-ECC | Screen: 13.3-inch HD (1366 x 768) Anti-Glare Non-Touch | Storage: 64GB eMMC

HP Envy 13t

The HP Envy 13t is lightweight and has a stylish all-metal chassis and very good performance. The Envy 13t can be configured in a variety of ways to support both staff and students. A recent update includes the option to kill the webcam for privacy, as well as a fingerprint reader for extra security. Although this is a relatively thin device, it’s not short on ports. There are two standard USB 3.0 ports and two USB-C ports, one on each side. There’s also a 3.5mm audio jack and a microSD card slot. Another great feature is the quality and action of the keyboard. The key travel is excellent for a thinner device. These features make the Envy 13t a very versatile laptop.

Retail: starting at $779.00

CPU: Intel 8th Gen. Core i5 | Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 620 | RAM: 8GB | Screen: 13.3-inch, 1080p | Storage: 256GB

Frank is the Supervisor of Technology for the Linwood Public Schools in Linwood, NJ. He is an advisor to Tech & Learning magazine where he writes about educational technology, and reviews new educational technology products. Frank also speaks at the local, state, and national levels about educational innovation and instructional technology.

Slapping the term STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and maths) on a toy, even one with questionable educational value, has become a popular way for companies to convince parents a product is worth buying their kids. That’s rarely the case, but amongst all the noise there are a few companies producing toys that can genuinely help foster a child’s mind and make learning enjoyable, including Kano, whose DIY computer kits have been upgraded to full-fledged PCs running Windows.

Back in 2014, Kano’s first DIY computer kit, a Kickstarter-launched £150 Raspberry Pi-powered system running Linux and a custom front end, helped introduce kids to the basics of how a computer was assembled, and what one could do with it through a collection of easy access programming apps and games. It could also run Minecraft, an easy way to drum up interest in computers among the younger set, but not much else.

A few years later, Kano introduced a £280 Computer Kit Touch, an all-in-one touchscreen system that introduced additional hardware concepts like how the touch sensing screens on smartphones and tablets worked. It was also powered by a custom Raspberry Pi unit, but introduced a rechargeable battery so it was portable like a laptop. As with the original version, assembly didn’t require soldering irons, or having to learn the artful skill of applying thermal paste to a processor. It instead provided a basic knowledge of the various components inside a computer, and how they all work together.

Kano’s latest DIY creation is called the Kano PC, and it’s effectively exactly that. Instead of a Raspberry Pi, it’s powered by a 1.44 GHz Intel Atom x5-Z8350 quad-core processor with 4GB of DDR3L RAM and 64GB of storage which can be further expanded with a microSD card. It’s got dual band wifi, Bluetooth, a pair of USB ports, and a headphone jack (yay!).

Its 11.6-inch touchscreen can be supplemented with an external monitor using the Kano PC’s HDMI port, and its detachable keyboard almost makes this seem like the most affordable Surface touchscreen laptop on the market, because Kano has officially partnered for Microsoft with this one. So instead of running Linux with a custom front-end, it actually runs Windows 10 S, which is the lite version of the OS designed for systems like this that don’t have a lot of processing horsepower to spare.

The kit still includes Kano’s STEAM-focused apps which help introduce kids to advanced concepts like coding using accessible games and fun activities, but it also comes with a 3D painting app that can produce 3D models compatible with a 3D, and Microsoft Teams, because it’s never too early to introduce your kids to the joys of corporate life. Microsoft is even including a copy of Minecraft: Education Edition, but the Kano PC will also have access to the Windows app store. Which means, yes, it can run Office as well. Who knows, maybe your kid will fall in love with PowerPoint?

The Kano PC will be available in October, and despite the hefty upgrades over the previous £280 touchscreen kit, this version will cost just £20 more at £300 ($375). It’s not quite a super cheap alternative to a Surface laptop or tablet, however. The easy to assemble DIY components mean the Kano PC ends up a little bulky given its specs, but it’s a great first computer for kids that will potentially still be useful for homework once they hit school.

Featured image: Kano

cross posted at Gizmodo.co.uk

Acer announces over 50 computer promotions being offered on Amazon Prime Day. Selected offers include:

Acer Swift 3 -- $200 discount on Prime Day – marked down to $799.99 from its original MSRP of $999.99: The Swift 3 (SF314-55) is a thin/light notebook providing up to 12 hours of battery life and fast connection speeds in a lightweight aluminum chassis. Powered by an 8th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, it has NVIDIA GeForce MX150 graphics and 14” Full HD IPS display. Performance is boosted with 8GB RAM and customers have ample room to digital media on the 256GB PCI SSD.

Acer Chromebook Spin 13 – $140 discount – marked down to $599.99 from $740.00: This high-end Chromebook offers a 13.5-inch display in a 3:2 aspect ratio, a convertible aluminum design,and Corning Gorilla Glass display.

In addition, several Aspire 5  and Swift (thin/light) Windows notebooks will be offered at  discounts during Prime Day sales. Visit www.amazon.com/acer for more information.

At Acer’s Global Press Conference today, the company announced new PCs, Notebooks and Gaming Desktop computers. 

Creator PCs

• Acer ConceptD: This new brand of Windows 10 desktops, notebooks, and monitors are optimized for graphic designers, filmmakers, engineers, architects, developers and other creators. 

Gaming Notebooks

• Predator Helios 700 and Predator Helios 300 Gaming Notebooks: The all-new Helios 700 includes a  HyperDrift keyboard that slides forward, allowing increased airflow directly through the top of the notebook. The redesigned Predator Helios 300 is powered by either up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design, or the latest GeForce GTX GPUs. 
• Nitro 7 and Nitro 5 Gaming Notebooks: The new Nitro 7 laptop is for casual gamers looking to boost their gaming performance. In addition, Acer updated the Nitro 5 series with the latest NVIDIA GeForce GTX graphics, a new display with a 144Hz refresh rate, and a low-latency response time of  3ms. 

Notebooks

• Chromebook 715/714: These new enterprise-class Chromebooks offer military-grade durable aluminum designs, fingerprint readers and Citrix-certification. 
• Aspire Series: The Aspire series of notebooks meet a wide range of consumers’ needs. The Aspire 7 is ideal for prosumers who to maximize their capabilities with high-end specs; the Aspire 5 delivers solid mainstream computing, and the Aspire 3 lets customers get the most from their budget. 
• TravelMate P6 Series Notebooks: Intended for frequent business travelers, these notebooks are 0.6 inches and 2.4 pounds. Up to 20 hours of battery life on a single charge.  
• Spin 3: The new convertible Spin 3 adds more of the latest technology including NVIDIA GeForce MX230 GPU, more storage options and up to 12 hours of battery life.   

Gaming Desktop, Display and Gadgets

• Predator Orion 5000 Gaming Desktop: Features up to a 9th Gen Intel Core™ i9-9900K processor with the Z390 chipset, NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2080 GPUs, Dragon 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet, and a more compact footprint. 
• Predator CG437K P Gaming Display: Designed for hardcore PC and console gaming enthusiasts looking for ultra-high definition (3840 x 2160), this new 43-inch LFGD (large format gaming display) 4K monitor features a f144Hz refresh rate and VESA-certified DisplayHDR™ 1000 certification. 
• Predator Gaming Gadgets: The line of gaming accessories has been expanded to include the Predator Cestus 330 mouse boasting a newly released solid Pixart 3335 sensor that provides responsive tracking; the Galea 311 noise-isolating gaming headset with precision-tuned 50mm drivers; the Predator Aethon 300 keyboard with Cherry switches (MX Blue) and anti-ghosting on all keys; and the Predator M-Utility backpacked with a plethora of pockets and a 17-inch laptop compartment. 

Innovative Educators often pursue certifications to let others understand skills and areas of expertise. Here are some easy ways to capture and share screenshots of accomplishments.  

Here is how to do this:

Step 1: Select Print

Step 2: Select Save to Google Drive

Step 3: Right click and select "Get shareable link."

Step 4: Copy link and ensure "Anyone with the link can view"

Step 5: Paste link 

The last step is to paste the link in the appropriate space. Also, open up an incognito window in your browser to ensure it is viewable by anyone.  If not, change it.

That's it! The whole process takes less than a minute.  

Lisa Nielsen (@InnovativeEdu) has worked as a public-school educator and administrator since 1997. She is a prolific writer best known for her award-winning blog, The Innovative Educator. Nielsen is the author of several booksand her writing has been featured in media outlets such as The New York Times,The Wall Street Journal, Tech&Learning, and T.H.E. Journal. 

CDI Computer Dealers has changed its name to CDI Technologies to reflect the breadth of technology products and services it provides to North America’s schools. CDI Technologies has expanded over the years to provide everything from mobile and desktop devices and apps to services such as planning, deployment, support and asset disposition. For more information, visit https://cditechnologies.com/

CDI Technologies partners with edtech companies such as Microsoft, Google, Parlay, Newline, and more, to support classroom-ready tech initiatives and 1:1 programs.

The company also provides services to support schools through planning, professional development, deployment and asset disposition.

Acer today is making available its new Acer Repair Certification eLearning Program to education accounts in the United States and Canada, giving high school students the opportunity to explore technology and build transferable skills in a hands-on setting.

Acer developed the Repair Certification eLearning Program so students can learn to perform basic hardware repairs on Acer devices deployed in their school.

[Cyber Security Resources for Teachers and Students]

In addition, the program partners with education accounts to develop an experienced team of knowledgeable students to assist school technical staff in maintaining their fleet of Acer C738T Chromebooks, the first Acer product qualified for this program.

In the Repair Certification eLearning Program, students learn about Chromebook component functions, component replacement, post-repair quality assurance and hardware reconfiguration. Students interact with eLearning modules that include videos, resource materials and assessments to ensure student success. The modules promote student engagement using gaming elements like points, badges and leader boards.

For more information, schools can contact Acer Education at edu.pa@acer.com.

We recently saw the publication of the Roehampton Annual Computing Report. It makes for grim reading on the whole. There’s a massive disparity between the number of girls taking Computing and the number of boys, as several of us predicted would happen. This was also a trend pointed out a year ago: see It Wasn’t Me Wot Done It, Sir! The Depressing State Of Computing As A Subject. The subject appears to attract Chinese students especially, who are proportionately over-represented, but not as many black students, who are proportionately under-represented.. It is also perceived to be very hard.

[Teachers? We Don't Need No Teachers!]

In short, one has the very strong impression that this qualification is highly elitist.

Read more.

Terry Freedman is an independent edtech consultant and freelance writer based in London, England. He publishes the ICT & Computing in Education website.

Today, Microsoft announces Surface Go, the most portable and affordable Surface product to date.

[Make the Most of Your Budget with These Great Products: Makerspace Product Roundup ]2018

Key features include:

• Starting at $399.
• 10” high-resolution PixelSense display, Windows Hello, pen and touch capabilities, well-suited to education, work and those on-the-go.
• The Intel Pentium Gold processor, in a device weighing 1.15 pounds.
• Will be available August 2 running Windows 10 Home in S mode.
• Schools purchasing in the commercial channel may select either Windows 10 Home in S mode or Windows 10 Pro to fit the needs of their classrooms and goals.

Acer today unveiled the first education tablet running Chrome OS, the Acer Chromebook Tab 10 (D651N). The new Acer Chromebook Tab 10 is designed for Acer’s education customers and features:

• Easily managed with a Chrome Education license
• QXGA 2048 x 1536 resolution on 9.7-inch touch IPS display
• Wacom EMR stylus for natural writing, drawing; dock keeps it stored safely
• Support for Google Play to give students, teachers access to educational Android apps
• Planned support for Google Expeditions AR to enable immersive learning experiences

[New Acer Chromebooks and Chromebox for Education Announced]

The new Acer Chromebook Tab 10 (D651N) will be available to education and commercial customers in North America in April priced at US$329 and in EMEA in May priced at ¤329 (including VAT).

When I looked into the music store room next to one of the computer labs in my new school, I didn't see a music store room. I saw a teachers' computer lab. The size and shape -- long and narrow -- were irrelevant. I knew I could make better use of it than how it was being used now. It was not so much a store room as a junk room, with old music stands scattered all over the place, piles of paper which had obviously not been looked at in ages, judging by the dust on them. So I went to the headteacher, and asked if I could have the room. To my delight (and, I have to say, surprise) he said "Yes."

Read more.

Terry Freedman is an independent ed tech consultant and freelance writer based in London, England. He publishes the ICT & Computing in Education website.

Acer announces a new Acer Chromebook and Chromebox for education and commercial customers and a new Chromebook for retail.

Acer Chromebook 11 C732 features include:

• Durability features including IP41-rated, drop tested, spill-resistant keyboard and compliance with stringent U.S. Military Standard (MIL-STD 810G)
• Two USB 3.1 Type-C ports for fast data transfer, charging, display output
• 12-hour battery life and Fan-less design
• Available to education and commercial customers in North America beginning in March with prices starting at US$299.99 for touch models and US$279.99 for non-touch models.

The Acer Chromebox CXI3 features include:

• 8 Gen Intel Core processors
• USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 1 port, five USB Type-A ports supporting USB 3.1 and USB 2.0 depending on model, one HDMI port, one Gigabit Ethernet port, and a MicroSD card reader.

Acer Chromebook Spin 11 is a convertible with 360-degree hinges that allow it to be used in four modes. Features include:

• Two USB 3.1-Type C ports for fast data transfer, charging, display output
• Front wide field-of-view webcam and optional rear webcam for use in tablet mode
• Wacom EMR on select configurations
• Up to 10 hours of battery life
• Available in N. America starting in March priced starting at US$349.

While it's fashionable to decry the use of computer labs, still they continue to exist in many schools. If you have, or are thinking of having, a computer lab, what ought it to look like?

It's better to start by considering function rather than design. That is to say, think about how you'd like pupils and teachers to use the room.

The following are my ideal features.

Read more.

cross-posted at www.ictineducation.org

Terry Freedman is an independent educational ICT consultant with over 35 years of experience in education. He publishes the ICT in Education website and the newsletter “Digital Education."

if you don't pay attention, I'll steal this tablet right out of your pocket!

Many critics of contemporary schooling practices have noted that, if a teacher from the 19th century was magically transported into a typical classroom today, she would feel very comfortable with how things look. The room itself would be very familiar.

(Whether that teacher would be comfortable with today's students is another matter entirely, given that they probably look a little different than they did 'back in the day' -- to say nothing of how they might act and some of the opinions they might have!)

Contrast this, such critics note, with the situation of a surgeon from the 19th century teleported into an operating room today -- he would be bewildered, and perhaps disoriented, by all of the technology on display.

Few would deny that, in many fundamental and obvious ways, technology has revolutionalized medicine and healthcare.

Why hasn't it done so (yet) for learning and education?

One way that critics illustrate and reinforce this question is to share pictures of 'typical' operating rooms in the 19th and 21st centuries, alongside pictures of 'typical' classrooms from both centuries. The classrooms in such examples usually do look quite the same, with a teacher standing at the front of the room and neatly lined up rows of students intently (if metaphorically) drinking from the fountain of the teacher's knowledge. The chief noticeable difference (again, apart from the students themselves -- and the teachers as well) is that there are now computing devices of some sort on display in the 'modern' classroom, sometimes (depending on the country) lots of them, although the room essentially looks and functions the same way. The arrangement and nature of these ICT devices don't fundamentally alter the architecture of the room, nor what occurs inside it. In others words, the changes are additive, not transformative. (It is of course possible to provide pictures of some of today's 'innovative' classrooms that complicate this simple and popular narrative, as well as to ask some fundamental and important questions about what such pictures may obscure and what they illuminate, but I'll ignore such inconvenient complications here.)

Side note: Over a dozen years ago I visited the launch of a computer lab at a school in Cambodia. The headmaster had proudly transformed a room formerly used for sewing instruction into a 'technology lab', with a new PC atop each desk in place of the 'old-fashioned' technology of the sewing machine, with neat rows of students facing forward toward a teacher who was energetically shouting instructions.

Let's also put aside for a moment whether all of this technology 'makes a difference' (as well as perhaps more relevant questions about how and under what circumstances ICTs have an 'impact'). Let's ignore discussions about whether or not today's classrooms are a legacy of a 'factory model of education' that once existed but is no longer useful, or about the potential need to re-think school architecture in the age of ICT. Let's also ignore related 'big picture' issues around policymaking and planning.

Let's focus instead just on the technology itself.

Many regular readers of the EduTech blog are no doubt familiar with scenes of ICT equipment sitting unused in schools, locked away in computer labs or even still resting peacefully (and undamaged!) in unopenedboxes. Often times, getting teachers and students to use such equipment, let alone to use it 'productively', can be a rather tall order, for all sorts of reasons. Nevertheless, education ministries, local educational authorities, and schools around the world are buying lots of technology: PCs, laptops, tablets, projectors, and lots of other devices and peripherals.

What are they doing to make sure that this stuff doesn't get stolen?

No matter how strategic an investment or policy on technology use in education might be, and whatever side of the fence you find yourself on related to whether or not ICTs in education are 'worth it', there is little disagreement that such purchases are indeed *never* worth it if the equipment itself is stolen. You can't use this stuff if it isn't there. (Nor, it should be noted, can you use this stuff if it is there but not usable or accessible, but that's another issue.) Increasingly, the most valuable parts of a education system's IT infrastructure will not be found in the physical equipment itself, but rather in the data transmitted across and stored in the system at various levels and places. That said, as numerous recent news reports from countries around the world demonstrate (here's one from South Africa, for example), securing the equipment itself remains a rather important and acute challenge for many schools and education systems.

For what it's worth, and based on conversations with government officials, IT personnel, vendors, teachers and headmasters and visits to hundreds of schools rolling out ICTs over the past decade in scores of countries, rich and poor, and in urban, rural and suburban environments, here are:

Ten common (and a few uncommon) approaches to preventing the theft of computers, laptops and tablets in schools around the world

1. Lock it down and/or chain it up (physically)

For all of the (important) talk, policymaking and planning related to computer security within education systems, of preventing things like data theft, identity theft, and unauthorized access to networks, systems and data (all areas where almost all education systems could do *much* better, in my experience), in lots of places there is still also a lot that needs to be done to combat the old fashioned kind of computer theft: when people just pick up something that doesn't belong to them and walk away with it.

One obvious way to help prevent this sort of thing is pretty straightforward, and so most schools do it to varying degrees -- they buy and install lots of locks, of various types, in various places. For example, it is quite common to see schools do the following things in order to protect ICT equipment from theft:

• Lock the door to the room where ICT equipment is kept.
• Lock the windows and/or put bars on them.
• Designate a special storage room for ICT equipment. Store equipment there when it is not in use -- and lock the room!
• Install (and use) specialized physical locks for desktops and laptops and other equipment (e.g. locking desktop PCs to the desks on which they sit).

One argument often made *against* the purchase and use of devices like laptops and tablets in schools has been that the small and portable nature of such devices make them especially vulnerable to theft. This holds true for smaller devices as well: phones; interactive voting devices, or 'clickers'; probeware and sensors that can be connected to such devices, etc. Fair enough! But such things are presumably not going to go away nor become less useful any time soon (nor presumably will the increase in size). Within classrooms, charging stations for laptops or tablets can also serve as secure storage for a variety of devices.

It is worth noting that chargers themselves may be attractive targets for theft -- as well as non-ICT equipment that is vital for the use of computers in many places (the fans and air conditioners that help keep computer labs cool, for example).

Less attention is sometimes paid to the security of devices while they are in transit within the school. Some schools transport laptops or tablets between rooms using a dedicated mobile carts (sometimes referred to as COWs, or 'computers on wheels') which can be locked -- and lock up the carts in a separate room when they are not in use. (One side note about COWs: Because these things can be used by thieves as a convenient means by which to take lots of your laptops out of your school quickly, you may not want to store them near the entrances to the school -- and you may want to consider ones where the wheels can be locked.)

2. Lock it down and/or chain it up (electronically)

In addition to physical measures to prevent theft, a variety of electronic measures are possible.

At a basic level, requiring the people log into machines before they can be used is almost always a good idea. There are many ways this can be done, which provide different levels of security (at the level of the operating system, the BIOS, etc.).

It is possible to create electronic 'ring fences' around schools (or parts of schools), so that if computer equipment leaves this area, it no longer functions (in whole or in part).

It is also possible to remotely disable computers, should they be reported stolen (provided they connect to the Internet somehow, of course). Alternatively, it is possible to require that the computer connect to the Internet or a network at certain intervals in order to keep functioning fully.

Such measures don't always really prevent the physical theft of equipment, of course, but they make the equipment itself much less valuable, in that it can't be used once it is stolen. Of course, there are potentially ways around such electronic 'locks', depending on how good they are and the sophistication of the thieves. And: Thieves who are unfamiliar with such measures may not be deterred from stealing equipment in the first place (even if there are later unable to use or re-sell it).

3. Hide it -- or at least obscure it

No matter how many (or how few) physical or electronic/digital 'locks' you have on equipment, there are a number of simple and low cost ways to make theft less likely. Storing equipment in inaccessible (or less accessible) places (like a locked computer room) is of course one example of this, but there are many others as well. Simply closing the shades (and not placing equipment near windows) can help. Places tablets in desks or laptops on computer carts when they are not in use can help. Leaving empty computer boxes stacked outside the school after new equipment is delivered essentially advertises to potential thieves that there is something in the school that might interest them -- don't do this!

There are many other potential signals to thieves that computers are in the school -- and where they might be. In many hot climates, the presence of air conditioners attached to windows for some rooms, but not others, may suggest where the computer room might be. Bars on the windows and locks on doors can send similar signals.

If you have a choice, not locating school technology labs or computer storage rooms on the ground floor or near the front entrance of the school can be a wise choice.

(Side note: In some schools and district education offices, the rooms which were previously used to 'safely store' textbooks -- which may as a result have gone unused in some cases -- have been converted to 'safely store' computers -- which, as with the textbooks previously, then also remain unused.)

4. Take special care after hours, on weekends and during school holidays

It should be obvious that it might be useful to consider different approaches to security when school is in session, and when it is not.

During long holidays, many education systems physically repossess many devices in schools so that they can be stored safely in a central, secure location. At this time they can also do a number of other things, including take a general inventory, update software and load new content, as well as make any needed repairs.

It is perhaps worth noting that the transportation of equipment between schools and district/ministry offices for safekeeping can represent a particularly opportune time for thieves to strike, so plan accordingly.

5. Keep an accurate and up-to-date inventory

It can be easy for equipment to disappear if you don't have a record that you have it. Keeping accurate and up-to-date lists of your inventory can help you quickly identify when things may have gone missing. Also, the fact that you take such inventories regularly can signal to potential thieves within your schools or education system that you are paying attention!

Keeping track of serial numbers is standard practice in most places these days (and something that should always be done). Affixing bar codes to individual items and then using scanners to assist with the inventory process is increasingly common as well. (A side note about scanners: You might consider using a mobile phone app instead of buying separate scanners, which break down, go missing, or even get stolen themselves. One clever way for insiders to facilitate regular small-scale theft is to 'lose' the scanners, which makes it difficult to keep up-to-date inventories; by the time new scanners are procured and delivered, some of the equipment may be long gone.) RFID tags are increasingly in use in some education systems as well.

Note that this issue of inventorying can be complicated in practice in many instances by the phenomenon of schools keeping multiple sets of 'ICT ledgers'. I have visited more than one school that keeps an inventory list that it shows to the central ministry which only includes the equipment that was centrally provided, omitting equipment that was e.g. donated locally, purchased by parents, bought by the school itself and/or provided by local educational authorities. Schools may be disinclined to include equipment obtained via other means on the 'official' list, as they might worry that this would signal to the central authorities that they may not need additional equipment. I once spoke to a school IT administrator who kept separate lists that he showed to the parent-teacher association, the district education office, a local philanthropic donor, and the national education authorities. The actual master list was a closely guarded secret, only shared with the school principal.

In addition to taking physical inventories, you can take 'virtual inventories' at a distance as well. If, for example, a device hasn't logged onto the network for a long time, you might want to investigate.

Make sure that you keep your inventory lists in a safe place -- and have back-ups. If someone steals your list, you might be in trouble! (And: Do you really need to publish your inventory list on your school web site in a place accessible to the public?)

6. Watch over it closely

hey check this out, I think someone is stealing our pico projector!

People are an important part of any an approach to preventing the theft of ICT equipment of schools. Posting guards outside computer facilities is an expensive or drastic approach, but, where there are guards in schools already (for better or for worse), instructing them to pay particular attention to places where computer equipment is found is a rather good idea.

Installing security cameras can help (although even considering this sort of thing should bring up larger questions about 'surveillance' in schools), whether the resulting video feed is viewed within the school itself or at some remote location. Cameras that aren't actually connected to anything can even provide some level of deterrence. (I have been in schools where they took old web cams and pointed them at the technology room. "These don't actually work", an IT guy at a school once told me, "but the kids and teachers don't know this!")

As mentioned, conducting regular inventories can be an important way to help monitor equipment.

While it may not prevent the theft of equipment (especially if thieves don't know it has been installed on devices), tracking software ('find my phone' is one well known example of this general type of thing) can potentially help you figure out where the equipment it after it has been stolen.

Alarms (on doors, on equipment) can help alert people to where a potential theft may be in progress or has recently occurred.

Designating teachers (or even students) with special responsibility to make sure equipment is not stolen can be another useful, low cost way to help prevent theft. (If no one feels responsible for ensuring that equipment doesn't disappear, no one *is* responsible as a practical matter.)

7. Know who has the key(s)

Your security plan should include attention not only to where the equipment is, what it is, and who is looking after it, but also who has the keys (and master passwords) that can provide access to it. Change keys and/or passwords at regular intervals, as might be possible/appropriate/affordable. Have a policy about key possession, use and duplication and the access to master passwords -- and the storage of 'extra' keys.

Side note: A clever thief may use a key and then break a door only once he is leaving, as a way to throw suspicion away from people who have access to the keys. While a heist is in progress, a broken door would certainly suggest to passersby that something might be wrong.

The people who know best how to steal your equipment are probably those who work with it most often. Here's an exercise to try: Ask them where there are holes in the security procedures and systems. IT people are often especially good at 'hacks', both physical and digital. Ask some of them how to hack your security and then plan some related defensive measures. (Education systems in rich countries may hire an outside security firm to do 'penetration testing', i.e. engage a group that tries to steal equipment so that education officials can learn what isn't working and make any needed changes to their policies, practices and procedures. This remains relatively rare in most places, of course -- although, where related insurance is available, this might be a function that could be performed by the insurance company).

8. Make it look distinctive

Where countries procure very large numbers of educational laptops or tablets at a national or regional scale, ministries of education may wish to consider requiring the manufacturer, assembler or distributor to ensure that the devices looks distinctive in some way. (Maybe they have a red cover, for example, or a picture of national flag on them.)

Even where the equipment itself doesn't look distinctive, it is quite common for logos to be burned, embossed or etched into equipment marking it as e.g. property of an education system or school and/or for stickers (less permanent, obviously, but better than nothing) with the same message to be affixed to the equipment.

Side note: When the OLPC XO (the famous "$100 laptop") was first being marketed, some of the leaders of the sponsoring organization liked to note that the design of the little green and white devices was so distinctive that, if they were stolen and made available for re-sale in local markets, people would immediately know that these had been stolen from schools, as there was no other way to get them, which would help with theft prevention. (Based on anecdotal evidence, I believe that this was often actually been the case.) I have heard proponents of the use of iPads in schools in very poor countries where the devices were not sold in local markets make similar claims. (What making such arguments, OLPC folks sometimes referenced the appearance of postal trucks in the U.S. "No one steals postal trucks in the U.S.," went the argument, "because they are so unique and easily recognizable by everyone". I always thought that this was a clever comment ... even if the metaphor was often not immediately understood by policymakers in other countries who were not at all familiar with the distinctive jeeps used by the U.S. Postal Service with the steering wheel on the 'wrong side'!)

9. If you don't own it, they can't steal it from you

One way for schools not to have computer equipment stolen is not to own any of it in the first place -- or to own as little of it as possible.

In some more 'advanced' economies, leasing (not purchasing) equipment may be an option, and, as part of leasing arrangements, responsibility for security can potentially be transferred (at least in part) to the company that actually owns the equipment.

The growing trend in many education systems towards 'bring your own device' (or 'BYOD', sometimes this is referred to as 'BYOT', with 'technology' substituting for 'device) policies and approaches, where students and/or teachers bring their own ICT equipment to schools and use it, instead of using equipment provided by the school itself, can dramatically change the security dynamic when it comes to preventing the theft of such devices. If you own the device yourself, you may be much more incentivized to make sure that it is not stolen than if it belong to the school or education system! (BYOD policies don't necessarily lead to less theft in all circumstances, of course. In some circumstances, someone may be more willing to steal a tablet from another student than from the school itself.)

The difference between stealing a computing device that is being used in a school setting, as opposed to a computer that belongs to a school, may seem a semantic and legalistic distinction of little practical relevance, but it can be a compelling one to certain groups within educational bureaucracies. (The most important thing for teachers and students is that the equipment is there, not who owns it!) That said, it can be useful to note that who owns a particular device can impact whether or not it is stolen -- and who cares.

10. Educate your users and personnel

There are many additional measures that can be utilized to help prevent the theft of ICT equipment from schools that can be boiled down to one word: education. Training of IT personnel, school administrators and teachers -- and students too! -- about theft prevention and general related 'good practices' can help a lot. Posting signs supporting such messages can be useful. Including items related to security as part of standard 'acceptable use policies' is a good idea. (Standard in many education systems, AUPs serve as informal contracts of sorts, laying out rules for students, parents and teachers that must be agreed to in order to utilize ICT equipment).

Many other things can be done to help to prevent the theft of ICT equipment in schools, of course. All such measures carry with them various costs -- of money, accessibility, and usability. Schools and education systems have to consider important related trade-offs between prevention, policing, and accessibility. Given enough time and energy and smarts, dedicated thieves can probably find their way around all of these (and other) anti-theft measures. As with approaches to security in general, a multi-layered approach is typically best. A combination of measures, big and small, involving a variety of different people, incentivized in different ways to be part of the process, can help where any one single approach is insufficient.

Note: The image at the top of this blog post ("if you don't pay attention, I'll steal this tablet right out of your pocket!) comes from the Project Gutenberg archives via Wikimedia Commons. The image used at the end of this post of the locked gates at Harvard Yard is courtesy of Occupy harvard also via Wikimedia Commons. Both are in the public domain. The second image (of a locked door at the Tajjar Building in Pakistan provided by the Wikipedian Soban) also comes via Wikimedia Commons and are used according to the terms of its Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. The image of two children outside a closed door ("hey check this out, I think someone is stealing our pico projector!") was provided by Deutsche Fotothek of Germany's Saxon State Library / State and University Library Dresden (SLUB) to Wikimedia Commons as part of a cooperation project. It is used according to the terms of its Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Germany license.

cross posted at blogs.worldbank.org/edutech

Michael Trucano is the World Bank's Senior Education & Technology Policy Specialist and Global Lead for Innovation in Education, serving as the organization's focal point on issues at the intersection of technology use and education in middle- and low-income countries and emerging markets around the world. Read more at blogs.worldbank.org/edutech.

In November 2014, HP introduced Sprout, calling it an immersive computer. Seven months later, in June of this year, HP released 3D Capture, which adds the ability to capture physical objects in 3D. Sprout is the first fully integrated desktop scanning solution. It allows users to scan 2D and 3D images and then manipulate and edit them on the 10-point touchscreen computer or on the HP 20-point Touch Mat.

Adding Sprout to a 3D printing environment opens up a whole world of possibilities for student creativity. With Sprout, students are able to scan physical objects and embed them in what they are doing digitally, which allows for more immediate prototyping of new objects that can be added to existing ones. (Want to build an accessory to house those pesky wires? Scan the wires to ensure a perfect fit!) The capacity to blend existing digital content with physical objects opens the door for creativity and innovation in new ways. Sprout and 3D Capture also allow for real-time virtual collaboration in the 3D platform, so students can work with each other and with experts who aren’t in the same room—or even in the same country. Once files are generated, they can be saved as .obj or .stl and downloaded for local printing or sent to Sculpteo, a 3D print service that produces and ships high-quality prints in a multitude of materials.

Sprout, an advanced, all-in-one desktop computer, is a fully functioning, high-powered, stand-alone workstation, and it can be used for creative activities beyond 3D prototyping and printing, including stop-motion animation with Sprout Stop Motion, 4D applications with Crayola Color Alive, and the Ideum Origami Apprentice (which guides users through the creation of origami models).

MORE ON SPROUT

The Computer: Sprout runs on the Windows Operating System on a 4th-generation Intel Core i7-4790S Processor with a 1TB SATA solid state hybrid drive with 8GB flash acceleration cache, which offers SSD-like speed, HDD capacity, and 8GB DDR3-1600 memory (expandable to 16GB). There are dual USB2 and dual USB3 ports, integrated Bluetooth 4.0 and wireless LAN. Sprout features DTS Sound, an HP 3-in-1 media card reader that supports SD, SDHC, and SDXC, and NVIDIA GeForce GT 745A graphics card with 2GB DDR3 dedicated memory. Sprout has a 23” diagonal, 10-point touch-enabled, full HD (1920x1080) wide viewing angle, and white-LED backlit LCD display. Sprout also comes with a wireless chiclet-style keyboard with volume control, Windows 8 hot keys, and an optical mouse.

3D Capture: Sprout captures 2D and 3D images using the HP Illuminator, powered by the HP DLP projector, the HP high-resolution camera with up to 14.6 megapixel resolution, and the Intel RealSense 3D camera and an LED desk lamp. The available Capture Stage (a separate purchase) has a turntable and automatically tilts 15 degrees while turning, which helps ensure that all aspects of the object being scanned are captured. The stage is not required for 3D scanning.

3D Capture and Manipulation: The 3D Capture application allows users to scan and manipulate objects using the included HP Touch Mat, which is a 20” diagonal, 20-point touch mat with ultra-resistant top coating and Adonit Jot Pro stylus. Additionally, users are able to share 3D objects with others via email, Facebook, and other social media sites, in an online viewer where they can collaborate on and manipulate the objects.

3D Printing: HP is currently partnered with Dremel to create an integrated printing solution with the Dremel 3D Idea Builder (which can be purchased as a bundle) and is aligning with Sculpteo, a print service, to offer 3D print delivery by mail.