4 Surface 3 Success Stories from Students and Schools
Just over one year into its existence, Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 has proved to be a powerful tool for education, bridging the gap between tablet and desktop computing.
We're now a few weeks way from the release of the Surface Pro 4, and Microsoft's previous tablet has left leave a lasting impression on schools. A quick dive on YouTube produces dozens of video reviews, impressions and stories about how the tablet has made life in and out of class easier for teachers and students.
Here are just a few of those stories:
Surface Pro 3 Aids Cicero ESL Students
The tablet was able to take English as a Second Language (ESL) studies to the next level for this Illinois school district. The Hispanic population at sixteen of the district's schools is greater than 90 percent Hispanic population, requiring a more intense approach to ESL studies than most districts. The solution was tech integration.
Ultimate Student Guide to Using Microsoft Surface 3
Student Sean Ong takes his viewers on a detailed overview of the capabilities of the Surface 3, including tips on how to use the device to augment study habits. In the video, Ong demonstrates how the tablet comes alive with the use of the Microsoft Surface Pen, a stylus that helps supercharge the device for note taking and sketching for class. Annotating class notes and PDF documents suddenly got a lot easier.
Sarasota County School District Adopts Surface 3
Students at Suncoast Polytechnic High School are dedicating themselves to acquiring the skills they’ll need in college, and the Surface 3 is giving them a competitive edge. In the video, Dr. Joe Bazenas, the school’s program manager, says that one of the biggest challenges facing educators today is engagement with students. The Surface helps them overcome that hurdle.
“It’s a great opportunity for our kids to be more deeply engaged in the curriculum, in the content, and learning the 21st-century skills that they need for the jobs that they’re going to take over one day,” says Bazenas.
OneNote and Surface Pro 3 Magic Tricks
One of the powerful things about Microsoft’s tablet is its synergy with the company’s other product lines, like Microsoft Office. Within OneNote, the Surface Pro 3 is capable of “magic tricks,” several of which are teased in a video by OneNote Program Manager Nicole Steinbok.
Armed with the Surface Pen, which is not unlike a magic wand, users can perform quick tasks with context-sensitive clicks on the bottom of the pen. Clicking the pen once launches OneNote, allowing users to jot down a handwritten note. Double-clicking the pen takes a screenshot of the device’s current view. Both the screenshot and the notes are stored on the cloud through OneNote, making them accessible on all connected devices.
