Fujitsu Tablets Assists Australian Students And Teachers Uphold Traditional Learning Skills

 
Sydney, Australia, 2 May 2012 – As we move further into the digital age, the art of penmanship is losing a battle to typing skills. With computers becoming more heavily integrated in classrooms, the focus on handwriting is at risk of diminishing.  When deciding what tablets PCs to use as a teaching tool, Hale School in Western Australia, together with 12 other schools around the country, chose the Fujitsu LIFEBOOK T731 in an effort to keep students taking handwritten notes via the touch screen interface. The result was over 2300 new Fujitsu tablets making their way into the hands of eager students.

The LIFEBOOK T731 is a convertible device in that it can act as a traditional notebook using the keyboard but the monitor can be twisted and closed with the screen facing outward to be used solely as a tablet. It has multi-touch capabilities, like a regular tablet, but also comes with a pen and handwriting recognition software to convert notes to text. It also has three powerful security services to protect data including Advanced Theft Detection, GPS/Wi-Fi tracking and fingerprint recognition. Advanced Theft Detection is particularly useful for the school environment as it allows an IT Department to deactivate a lost or stolen PC remotely and delete data if necessary.

When deciding which machine to use for their one-to-one computer programme, Peter Dyer, Manager of ICT at Hale School considered a number of factors in addition to the need for an interface with pen integration. He settled on Fujitsu as the manufacturer of choice along with an existing solution provider which has a specific educational focus, enabling them to understand the intricacies of the needs of the school. These included services such as their online parent portal and ordering system, true on-site next-day support, software licences and professional development. Battery life was also a concern as well as build quality. These were, after all, going into the hands of students.

In a typical teaching day at Hale School, they use both touch tools and a digitizer for handwriting notes and drawing on the computer so they needed a machine that could easily handle the challenges those tasks present.  They settled on the LIFEBOOK T731 as it fulfilled all the necessary criteria. It delivered performance, storage and a form-factor that offered a variety of input and interaction methods while also withstanding the daily rigours placed on them by the students at the school.

Fujitsu has worked hard to foster a close relationship with the education sector. Seven of the thirteen schools currently using their notebooks have made the switch from their competitors this year alone. Currently, there are 4430 Fujitsu notebooks being used throughout these schools, 2360 purchased this year. Fujitsu looks forward to a continuing relationship with their education partners and looks to expand the number of schools using their PC products in the coming years.

About Fujitsu
Fujitsu is a leading provider of ICT-based business solutions for the global marketplace. With approximately 170,000 employees supporting customers in 70 countries, Fujitsu combines a worldwide corps of systems and services experts with highly reliable computing and communications products and advanced microelectronics to deliver added value to customers. Headquartered in Tokyo, Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.5 trillion yen (US$55 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2011. For more information, please see: www.fujitsu.com.

About Hale School
Hale School is one of Western Australia’s oldest independent boys’ schools.  Located in the suburb of Wembley Downs, the current campus is situated on a magnificent 48 hectare site, approximately 13 kilometres to the north-west of Perth and two kilometres from the coast. Hale School is an Anglican day and boarding school for boys from Year 1 to Year 12.  Hale is an exceptional school, made so by a tradition of educational excellence which spans many decades.
Their appeal as a school rests in their strong sense of community, the values they celebrate, the commitment to realising the potential of each and every young man in their care, and in providing a balanced education that addresses the academic, social, emotional, physical and spiritual aspects of their students' lives.

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