Microsoft Intros New Windows 10 Computers for Students
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 01/28/21
Microsoft recently announced a set of low-cost student computing devices from several vendors, updated its student pen and introduced an update to Microsoft Teams.
On the device front, the new offerings — all of which run Windows 10 — include:
- JP-IK Leap T304, starting at $185, and JP-IK Leap Connect T304, starting at $229. The T304s are intended for middle schoolers and include an Intel Celeron processor, 4GB of memory and 128GB of SSD storage, an 11.6-inch non-touch display, an all-day battery, a built-in camera and audio, Wi-Fi 802.11AC, and a durable case and keyboard to withstand student use. The Connect adds a built-in cellular modem where a mobile network is available.
- Asus ExpertBook BR1100, starting at $279, with a similar feature set as the JP-IK T304 models, but in a convertible format and with the addition of an anti-bacteria cover.
- Dell Latitude 3120 2-in-1, starting at $429, with 4GB of memory and 64GB of eMMC flash storage.
Microsoft also lengthened its pen product and dropped the price. The Microsoft Classroom Pen, first introduced two years ago, now has a version 2, priced at $20. The idea is to allow students to write and draw on their touchscreens in a more natural way. There was no word from the company on when that would be available.
Teams for Education will be enhanced with the inclusion of Reflect, an app that is intended to tighten the relationship between teacher and student. As Barbara Holzapfel, a vice president for education, explained in a blog, the program checks in with individual students and invites them to share how they're feeling "in general or about specific topics." Sometime this spring, she wrote, Reflect would have its own app in Teams and the data generated would be integrated with Education Insights, a Teams analytics module for educators.
About the Author
Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.