Miami-Dade Schools Rolling Out 100,000 Windows 8 Devices by August 2014

Miami-Dade County Public Schools has provided additional details about its move into 1-to-1. The district, which has 350,000 students, will be rolling out 100,000 HP and Lenovo Windows 8 devices by August 2014.

The deployment will start with 13,000 elementary school students and 15,000 students in seventh grade civics and ninth grade world history. At the same time Miami-Dade will distribute 10,000 interactive whiteboards to classrooms throughout the district.

Microsoft will provide Office 365 for the devices along with Skydrive, the company's cloud-based storage service.

That access comes as part of the company's new program, Student Advantage. Beginning last December, schools could obtain Office 365 ProPlus for students at no charge as long as they licensed Office 365 Professional Plus or Office Professional Plus for staff and faculty at the same time. The Office 365 ProPlus edition allows the user to subscribe to a version of Office that includes online editions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, Access and Lync on up to five devices. Users don't need to be online all the time to use the applications; but they do need to connect to the Internet at least monthly to confirm the status of their subscription. The Office edition is installed directly on the computer.

Microsoft will also provide technical services to the district.

"Technology, by itself, is not going to close the achievement gap between the rich and the poor, a gap that threatens so many of our minority students," said Superintendent Alberto Carvalho in a prepared statement. "But when technology is used correctly, we have seen powerful results in our very own technology-rich iPrep Academies, for example, with better test scores and increased employment opportunities."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • three silhouetted education technology leaders with thought bubbles containing AI-related icons

    Ed Tech Leaders Rank Generative AI as Top Tech Priority

    In a recent CoSN survey, an overwhelming majority of ed tech leaders (94%) said they see AI as having a positive impact on education. Respondents ranked generative AI as their top tech priority, with 80% reporting their districts have gen AI initiatives underway, or plan to in the current school year.

  • computer monitor with a bold AI search bar on the screen

    Google Rolls Out AI Mode in Search

    About a year after introducing AI Overviews for its flagship search offering, Google has announced broad availability of AI Mode in Search.

  • glowing shield hovers above a digital cloud platform with abstract data streams and cloud icons in the background

    Google to Acquire Cloud Security Firm Wiz in $32 Billion Deal

    Google has announced it will acquire cloud security startup Wiz for $32 billion. If completed, the acquisition — an all-cash deal — would mark the largest in Google's history.

  • students using digital devices, surrounded by abstract AI motifs and soft geometric design

    Ed Tech Startup Kira Launches AI-Native Learning Platform

    A new K-12 learning platform aims to bring personalized education to every student. Kira, one of the latest ed tech ventures from Andrew Ng, former director of Stanford's AI Lab and co-founder of Coursera and DeepLearning.AI, "integrates artificial intelligence directly into every educational workflow — from lesson planning and instruction to grading, intervention, and reporting," according to a news announcement.