Surface in the classroom

In a recent post I checked of Why Surface should be the choice for a school from an IT Pro (aka Network Manager) perspective. This included:

• Device Security
• Surface benefits of deployment with AutoPilot / Intune
• Surface Management Portal
• Device Firmware Configuration Interface
• Repairability

Which are all advantages over other devices in the market, but today I thought it would be good to look at the teacher side of the perspective.

Technology for technologies sake

There clearly is no reason to spend money on any devices unless you have a plan. So many times, in the past it's been "hey IT guy we have some budget what you do you suggest we buy", this precluded purchasing the same devices that have always been purchased and allowed the pedagogy in the classroom to continue.

Homework tasks printed out from the teachers' devices, and photocopied, for some students to fill in manually while other did the homework task on a computer and emailed it back in.

We have in the past three years seen an historical up heaving of how the outside world works thanks to Covid, then added to that the emergence of generative A.I. (which promises even bigger changes to the workforce in the future). Combine these factors with touch and inking devices like the Surface Pro 9 gives an amazing chance to transform the use of technology in the classroom.

If you are looking to use technology to transform teaching and learning then you need to ensure you are fully investing in not just the device, but the ecosystem. That includes:

• The device - selecting the best device for the use in and out of classroom
• The Eco-system - how are you going to work, what tools are you going to use to improve student outcomes and transform teacher time
• The staff - to make a change like this investment in CPD for the staff is equally important as buying the new shiny devices.
• The Why? - the most important of all why are you making this change, ensuring the messaging is strong that everyone knows the mission statement in the organisation.

The device

Though Surface is a premium brand device, and you can always say 'I can get another brand, cheaper.' That may be true but let's talk about some of things the Surface devices can offer for the teacher in the classroom.

One device - many roles

The Surface Pro device is multi-rolled from the start, offering a full typing experience with the signature keyboard, also a tablet mode by detaching the keyboard, and of course the ultimate note taking experience. This means if you are investing in Surface, it becomes the one device for the teacher no matter where or how they are working.

Check out the Explore Surface website below for a virtual tour of all the Surface devices for education

An example of this is a state school I recently visited, where every teacher has a desktop PC in the teaching classroom, they also have a department workroom PC (for when they are not teaching) and then also equipped with a laptop to support working from home. That is a 3:1 ratio of devices to teachers, which becomes a massive refresh programme and a draw on the school budget planning.

The plan now is to allocate a Surface Pro device to each teacher and remove the other devices. This means a simplification of costings, and management of the infrastructure.

Un-tethered from the front of the classroom

Another aim is un-tether the teach from the front of the classroom, making the classroom more dynamic and a collaborative space. So using the Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter that plugs in to the display in the classroom, will allow the teacher to take the interactivity from the board to the device and walk around the class more freely. This will also help in modelling and explaining with the use of the pen on the Surface

Check out this handy guide on how digital inking can help teachers and students

Accessibility is key

Ensuring you have the right spec device for the job is key when making that investment, and with inclusivity and accessibility at the heart of learning, the Surface Pro range ensures that with things like dual studio microphones and HD cameras for using tools like Microsoft Teams and Flip in the classroom.

A razor sharp 13-inch PixelSense screen at 120hz gives super clarity on any document or digital art.

Getting into teaching in the classroom is paramount for all teachers, so using Windows Hello on Surface Pro negates the daily use of passwords and signs you in instantly.

The weight of the device is important if, we are asking teachers to use one device and carry out with them. Surface Pro 9 weighs only 879g

Other things to consider are battery life, all day battery life is important (more important to students than teachers!) However, Surface Pro 9 offers 15 hrs of battery life under normal working conditions, which should last the school day. However, lots of schools replace the classroom desktop PC with a dock/charger.

The Eco-system

So, we have a secure, managed endpoint that meets the needs of our organisation, however, to get the best from it the use of the eco-system is paramount to having the transformative effect in the classroom.

Covid19 brought the fastest learning cycle of Microsoft Teams, I don't think there is a teacher I have met who has not used it! However, when you examine Microsoft Teams further with utising assignments and classwork, you can drive deep data insights into what your students are doing in the classroom. If you add to this that Senior Leaders can get an over-arching deep dive to performance of the school, and have those metrics on hand to them in almost real-time shows the benefit of investing in the right device to run in parallel with the eco-system.

Learning Accelerators

Now fully available Learning Accelerator help transform student outcomes, so for foundational skills products like Reading Progress and Maths Progress can help students, along with Social & Emotional Learning tools such as Reflect we can also check on their well-being.

Going further than that tools like Search Progress and Speaker Progress allow students to develop Future Ready Skills for the workplace. Making sure the right device with good quality microphones and camera are paramount to this.

Check out this handy flyer that lets you know all about Microsoft 365 Learning Accelerators

Finally, OneNote - the reason the Surface Pen was even thought of. We were using OneNote back in 2013 at my last school as a transformative tool. Equipping students with a digital notebook and pen is still one of the most powerful not taking solutions for learning. Added to this a Class Notebook whereas the teacher you can simply dip into a student notebook and leave feedback in the form of audio, video or handwritten notes is so productive for the student.

Investment in staff

You need in an equal investment in staff CPD to lead such a transformative change in the use of technology in the classroom. It is key that staff know why you are making the change and what the outcomes are. CPD learning should be factored in, maybe using Microsoft Learn.

By upskilling staff in the eco-system, we often find that this leads to other cost saving such as reduction in printing costs for the school as staff and students share and collaborate on documents rather than printing. So these along with device rationalisation costs can put against the price of the Surface device.

Microsoft Learn is the home of teacher CPD and you can access it below

This allows staff to gain skills in the Microsoft 365 eco-system and join the educator pathways such as Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) or the Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert (MIEE). Together these open the pathway for the school to become a Microsoft Showcase School on its technology journey.

The why?

The why? is so important. Having a vision of what you want to achieve, and a realistic timescale is so important.

• What do you want teaching and learning to look like in school?
• What skills do you want students in your school to leave with for the next step of their journey?
• Whats the timescale 2,3 or 5 years?

As senior leaders making this clear to staff helps drives engagement, think of it a a mission statement.

Join me again when we take a look at which Surface is best for supporting learning in both primary, secondary and HE