The value of Microsoft Surface
So, your school is considering investing in some new hardware? Where do you start? When it comes to laptops for teachers, Microsoft Surface products are a great choice – especially Surface devices such as the Surface Laptops Go 3 and Go 4 – as well as as the Surface Pro 10 and 11 – a tablet-laptop hybrid device.
Surface devices offer numerous features that staff can use in their day-to-day classroom tasks:
Here are 7 top features you could use at your school:
1. Create interactive lessons
Deliver interactive lessons to your students using the numerous tools compatible with Surface products, including PowerPoint, OneNote, and Whiteboard. You can easily navigate your Surface device using its touchscreen display and keep students engaged in class with group activities, such as games and presentations with questions and answers—all powered by Surface.
2. Marking and sharing feedback are easier
There are many ways to use the Surface Laptop to mark assignments and deliver feedback to students. Using the Surface Slim Pen 2 with a Surface Pro 10 allows users to directly comment, mark up papers and correct assignments, or even type up comments using the Surface Keyboard. You can even make even feedback more personalised by recording a video using the device’s built-in camera – this is ideal for explaining a difficult concept or walking through your student’s work with a visual aid.
3. Seamlessly deliver digital assignments
Being able to share assignments with your students digitally is simple to do with a Surface Laptop. You could type out your syllabus in Microsoft Word or create a quiz in Microsoft Forms, before securely saving your files to OneDrive and then sharing the links with your students.
4. Easily record and share lectures
Video calls isn’t the only thing you can do with the camera on the Microsoft Surface Laptop. Surface Laptops have built-in 720p HD resolution front-facing cameras which makes recording lectures simple. Surface Pros have a built-in 1080p HD resolution front-facing camera, so you can even video conference with students who are attending classes from remote locations. Sending out recordings of archived lectures to students is a great way to help them review complicated subjects or catch up on missed lessons. The Surface camera is compatible with a variety of apps, including Microsoft Teams, and more.
5. A broad range of accessibility features
Surface lets you create accessible learning materials, such as audio and visual aids, for those students who need them. You can use Microsoft Word to create documents with headings, bullet points, and alt-text for images that make it easier for students using assistive technologies, such as screen readers, to access the content. As well as traditional keyboard typing, Surface also allows voice typing, where you can dictate your text. You can also caption or transcribe videos and audio and create presentations and assignments with high contrast colours and legible fonts.
6. Create digital portfolios
Using PowerPoint, teachers can compile a digital portfolio of their students’ work. Creating digital portfolios with students is a fun way to showcase their progress and share the work they’ve created throughout the school year work with both peers and parents.
7. Take notes like a pro
It’s easy to write notes using the Surface Pro touchscreen and a Surface Slim Pen 2 – or you can type them using the Surface keyboard. Using apps such as OneNote, can help you stay organised and keep track of important information. You can also easily share these digital notes with students, parents, or other teachers via email or Teams.
Finally, it’s worth noting that the battery life of the Surface Pro devices is around a full working day – even for those with fairly intense productivity workloads Want to learn more? Use the help me choose tool to find the perfect Surface device for your classroom.
Alternatively, meet us at the forthcoming School and Academies Show at the NEC Birmingham on Wednesday 20 November. We will be on stand A46, and we’ll have a selection of Surface laptops on display, as well as some Surface Go Accessories including the Pen and Flex Keyboard.
We will also be showcasing how schools and academies can improve security, control and management of devices with Microsoft Intune and the Defender Suite.
See you there! Register for FREE now!
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