Using the Acer Iconia Tab W500P in an Education Environment
BLACKBURN, UK(November, 2011)—As an IT Manager I have had my eye of the tablet market now for some time trying to find the right option for a tablet to use in an Education environment.
I believe that device has finally arrived with the Acer Iconia Tab W500P.
As part of Blackburn Rovers Community Trust we offer our education facilities to a wide range of ages ranging from Infants to Adult Learners. Our IT facilities must always contain that certain ‘wow’ factor be completely functional and allow an excellence in delivery for our teaching staff to ensure our activities are delivered to the highest standards possible.
Upon unboxing the Iconia Tab I was pleasantly surprised by the look and feel of the device. It immediately feels like a quality piece of equipment the graphite back in particular is very appealing to the eye. The devices weight while light feels solid which I like as it gave the feel of a robust piece of equipment and unlikely to be dropped by a Student or Teacher. The volume from the device is nothing short of amazing I could not believe the loudness this little device could give off – certainly the loudest I have heard for a tablet. Inputs on the Tab hit all the right buttons USB, HDMI etc. A worthwhile mention has to be given to the screen; the display it gives is fantastic. I was delighted with the docking station; the functionality in a classroom environment for teacher in particular began to soar. I was also impressed with the Ethernet connection on the dock it really did give the feel that when the device was docked and I plugged in a USB mouse I was using a Netbook – it really is a two in one device.
I have not had one issue with the battery life. If the device is not being used it goes in the dock to be charged and returns when finished – it easily lasts a full teaching day even when pressed with multimedia work.
Upon initial setup of the device I did start to feel a little limitation not the device itself but the operating system – Windows 7 is not particularly well designed with the tablet in mind although after a few very simple tweaks to the appearance (making window size and buttons larger) it was much easier to operate with the touch screen.
The main fear factor I have always had with using a tablet in an Education environment is how can I ensure the backing up of data? What activities can actually be delivered on the device? Will they end up as being a fun toy to use in the classroom or a real tool to assist learning?. Teachers know that tablets would be great in a classroom and should be used but they need guidance to get the right product for them. I know of a lot of teachers who would want to use an iPad sending shivers down the spine of IT Managers up and down the land. They simply do not deliver a flexible, secure and manageable experience in an Education environment. With the Iconia Tab in essence you have all the options of a PC in your hand – its fully networkable, data can be saved and backed up just like anything else on the network. Group policy can be applied ensuring safe usage – it’s another PC on the network not some rogue device that cannot be managed (and it obviously supports flash which is used for hundreds of teaching resources – here’s looking at you Apple).
The Iconia Tab was tested performing numerous education sessions and was surprisingly versatile. A number of interactive learning sessions were performed with the tablet with ease with the students quickly picking up how to use the tablet and wanting to use it more to learn. Science activities were also performed on the tablet with data logging being done on the device and also recording of the activity using the inbuilt camera.
Many popular education packages were tested on the device such as Google Sketchup, Photo Story and Movie Maker and they worked perfectly fine.
Microsoft Office also worked perfectly well on the tablet (a seller by itself).
The Iconia Tab really set the teachers abuzz with its ability to interact with the pupils allowing further participation in the classroom. A massive plus for the Iconia tab and Acer product in general in an Education setting was the free download of Acer Classroom Manager. This allowed full control, collecting of files, demos, surveys all via the tablet. Simply amazing it really did feel like a modern learning environment and I could easily see the case for teachers carrying around an Acer Iconia Tab with them during their working day moving from location to location with a fantastic set of tools freely available to them.
All in all a fantastic product a real tool for the modern classroom with bags of potential which opens doors to modern teaching methods and independent learning.
To end with a quote from a student at the Trust ‘I wish we could use these at my school’. I’m sure with the product Acer has produced they will be seen in more and more classrooms throughout the UK.
Chris Dawes
ICT Network Manager
Blackburn Rovers Community Trust
About Acer
Since its founding in 1976, Acer has achieved the goal of breaking the barriers between people and technology. Globally, Acer ranks No. 2 for total PCs and notebooks.[1] A profitable and sustainable Channel Business Model is instrumental to the company's continuing growth, while its multi-brand approach effectively integrates Acer, Gateway, Packard Bell, and eMachines brands in worldwide markets. Acer strives to design environmentally friendly products and establish a green supply chain through collaboration with suppliers. Acer is proud to be a Worldwide Partner of the Olympic Movement, including the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games and London 2012 Olympic Games. The Acer Group employs 8,000 people worldwide. Revenues for 2010 reached US$19.9 billion. See for more information.
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[1] Source: Gartner data, FY 2010.