4 Reasons Windows 10 is the Right Classroom Technology for Your School

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4 Reasons Windows 10 is the Right Classroom Technology for Your School

By Pamela Perez as written on securedgenetworks.com
What's the point of implementing classroom technology? Is it to make the curriculum more fun and exciting, maybe it's to make teaching less tedious? While these two examples might be a true bi-product I don't think these were the main factors taken into consideration when a school board or CIO creates their technology strategy.

From my time writing about the K-12 IT environment I've realized that deploying classroom technology is about three main points:

  • Offering teachers, administrators and students tools to increase efficiency, transparency and organization
  • Creating a more interactive and more personalized learning environment
  • Preparing students to be responsible digital citizens ready for a technology driven society

From software to hardware there are new ed tech tools becoming available almost everyday and it's critical that school IT leaders keep up with what's available and potentially valuable for their schools.

Recently Microsoft released its next big operating system in Windows 10 and it’s a huge overhaul from Windows 8. The start button is back for starters, which is a clear indication that Microsoft is finally taking user feedback into consideration.

The biggest thing to note however is how some of the new Windows 10 features are perfectly suited for education, empowering both teachers and students to become better organized, more interactive and just flat out more productive.

To give you a better idea how Windows 10 can help position your school to take on new developments in digital learning, we’ve listed 4 reasons why Windows 10 is the right classroom technology for your school.

1. Better presentations with note sharing

The new Windows OS comes with a brand spanking new browser called Edge, which is faster and less resource-heavy.

Educators can also take advantage of the new Web Note feature that will allow them to scribble notes directly on the web page using a stylus or fingers. The pages can be shared easily with the class for more efficient presentations.

“Obviously this works best on a touchscreen Windows device like a Surface, but it works with a mouse too, and will be perfect for interactive whiteboards,” writes educator Jonathan Wylie.

Edge manages your reading list as well, so when using the app on a small tablet it becomes your eBook reader.

2. Augmented Reality in classrooms

Augmented Reality has been around for a while but not quite in classrooms. With Windows 10, students can have completely immersive experience through Hololens (Holograms).

There are enormous learning possibilities with AR. For one , students can model designs before construction. They can also take trips to virtually anywhere in the world and it would be like they’re right there.

AR combines the physical with the digital world and this in itself makes Windows 10 an invaluable tool that can inspire your students and teachers.

3. Every student’s new research assistant

Cortana is Microsoft's new personal digital assistant and with Windows 10 she has now come to desktops and notebooks. Students can call her up for different program features including helping with research projects and assignments.

Cortana will also make sure that students keep up with their daily tasks.

“Beyond reminding you of appointments, due dates, and traffic concerns Cortana really supports the execution of required academic tasks in the day. This is essential for students who need support in their executive functioning,” writes Martha Jez, the director of professional development programs at Fair Chance Learning.

Cortana is in the early stages of development, which means we will see more personalized learning opportunities for students in the future. Reports did mention that WindowsPhone integration is already available and Android and IOS compatibility will come soon.

4. Facial recognition for logins

When conducting online classes, it always takes a while to log everybody in and it can be very time consuming. Windows 10 takes care of that with Windows Hello.

Hello uses a 3D camera to authenticate users through facial recognition, shaving off a huge chunk of logging time.

However, you need RealSense 3D cameras installed for this special feature and at the moment the cameras are only available in a few configurations, including the HP Sprout.

In any case, you can opt to use a fingerprint scanner for log-ins without using a password.

This may be a “nice to have” feature right now but with how new technologies are popping up here and there, it wouldn’t surprise me if manually keying in passwords will be obsolete in the near future.

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