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Windows 10 – What do we think so far?

On July 29th 2015, Microsoft released their latest operating system; Windows 10.
After playing with it for a short while, our engineers are now familiar with the software and can give their initial opinions. So, what do we think?

First impressions –
In Windows 10, Microsoft has tried to keep some of the touch and tablet features that were made for Windows 8, combine them with the familiar Start menu and desktop, and run it all on top of a vastly improved operating system with greater security. Their new ‘edge’ browser, and ‘Cortana’ their voice operated assistant are also key features which are new to Windows 10.

How does it look?
First impressions of the new modernised look of windows 10 are great. The operating system looks very clean, up to date, but is still very familiar for windows users. The ‘Windows 7’ start menu, which was greatly missed in Windows 8 is back, and the overall layout of the system is new, but still very easy to understand.

‘Edge’ Microsoft’s new browser –
With Internet Explorer falling behind others such as Google Chrome, and Firefox, Microsoft needed a revamp. In comes Edge, and we like it.
Initial impressions are a lean, fast browser that has been stripped back and built for purpose. It is still a work in progress, things such as add-ons aren’t compatible with the browser yet, but I’m sure will be within the near future now that Windows 10 has been released.
It does come with some cool new features, for example, you can scribble notes on a web page to send to a friend (if you’re trying to decide on a hotel to stay in, for example) and Edge has Cortana built in to pull useful information out of web pages, like the phone number for a restaurant, or their opening hours.

Windows 10 is free!
If you have windows 7, 8 or 8.1 you will be able to upgrade to Windows 10 for free for the first year. You will be upgraded to the same licensing version that you currently have, for example Home Premium users will be upgraded to Windows 10 Home, and people with a Pro license will be upgraded to Windows 10 Pro.

Recommendations –
Overall, we are very impressed so far. We like that they have gone back to basics, and returned to the familiar layout of windows 7. We would however, recommend waiting a few months, just for Microsoft to iron out some of the bugs, and until more software and add-ons are compatible.

-Harvey Ryan

Is SMART Notebook the most underused piece of software throughout schools in the UK?

Interactive whiteboards, projectors and even interactive displays are now very common throughout the majority of UK schools. However, SMART Notebook, the piece of software specially tailored to maximise the potential of these pieces of equipment still seems to be vastly underused.

In this blog, I’m going to write about the features of Notebook, which make it the ideal piece of software to be used with SMART equipment and some of the fantastic tools which are designed and integrated in Notebook to maximise the quality of teaching & learning in the classroom,
Starting with three words. Create, Learn and Manage. All of which have been in the front of the minds of the team at SMART throughout the development of the software.

Create –
SMART Notebook is full of tools for building engaging, content-rich lessons, and full of activities for the students to become involved with. There are two main styles of SMART Notebook lesson, each with its own benefits. The first one being the built presentation. This is where teachers have a ready-made lesson, for the students to work through, often with lesson objectives to allow students to see what they will be getting out of it. SMART Notebook comes with tools to create great lessons such as the activity builder, which essentially gives teachers the facility to build custom games for students to engage with.
The other being the blank-canvas, which allows a group of students to explore a topic or subject, without restricting them to a single path of learning.
Often teachers will start them off with a single word, phrase or picture, and write down any comments that students can make on it. This style is popular because it allows the class to be proactive, exploring the subject for themselves.

Learn –
SMART Notebook has been designed to be the perfect learning environment. SMART Notebook Maestro lets teachers and students interact with content and engage in collaborative lessons from a single IPad. Assessments are made easier with Response VE to deliver spontaneous or planned questions, and students can use their web-enabled devices to respond. Interactive concept maps gives the facility to map ideas and brainstorm sessions interactively, so students can explore their learning process, together. The implementation of add-ons such as ‘Geogebra’, and ‘SMART Blocks’ which are new to Notebook 15.0 allow for powerful math functionality for all grade levels.

Manage –
The management of lessons was a major focus point in the development of the SMART Notebook software. The key to this is to maintain engagement with the students, keeping the lessons fluid and making sure that every feature of the lesson, whether it be watching a video or reading a web page, is integrated in SMART Notebook.
The ability to launch web browsers, and import videos within SMART Notebook, allows for no loading screens, and keeps the built lesson as the main focal point for students. Preventing them from losing their concentration.

SMART Notebook should be the only tool needed to create fantastic, engaging lessons for your students. A lack of training means that teachers are not using SMART Notebook to its full potential.
A new aim at TRI is to promote the use of SMART Notebook, by offering training to your school or business.

-Harvey Ryan

Interactive Displays vs. Projectors

A big question concerning technology in education at the moment is: “Which is better: a projector with an interactive whiteboard, or an interactive display?”

As always, the answer is not straight forward and there are pros and cons of both solutions.

In this post, I’ll be exploring different areas of both products to help you in deciding which fits best with your school or business.

Screen Size
Despite being full high definition and with up to 10 touch-points, interactive displays certainly don’t compromise on size. With even the most common displays ranging up to 80″, they can be used in the largest of classrooms or boardrooms.

Interactive whiteboards have a similar size range, but the difficulty can come in mounting a projector so as to be able to project such at that size. Despite this, newer, short-throw HD projectors are reducing this issue, albeit at a higher price. Installation time is also a factor here, interactive displays are much quicker to fit!

Image Quality
I have to say, some of the most recent interactive displays I’ve seen do look incredible. They’re bright, the colours are vibrant, and the image is very sharp. Furthermore, they will look like that throughout their whole lifetime, as they don’t lose brightness over time in the same way as a projector.

Modern day projectors are also very capable of projecting an impressive image. The problems come when a company or school uses them for prolonged periods of time; the bulbs will go, the filters must be cleaned and changed, and this maintenance requirement carries a cost both to the image and to your budget.

Durability
“That huge screen looks fantastic, but in a school it’s likely to get broken… and that would be expensive?”
After trialling many different interactive displays, one of the main focuses it seems, is their durability. Most screens are made with toughened glass, and would be very difficult to damage. At BETT 2015, one manufacturer was pitching their interactive display to me and actually asked me to punch the screen as hard as I could. The screen was undamaged (my hand hurt more!), as the toughened glass had been designed with the classroom in mind. Interactive whiteboards on the other hand can be quite easily damaged, and projectors are not often child-proof!

Cost
You might be thinking that interactive displays are going to be far out of your school or company’s budget, but you’d be positively surprised! Despite being relatively new to the market, interactive displays will cost approximately the same amount, depending on the model, as an interactive whiteboard and projector setup. Also, the reduced maintenance costs compared to projector filters and bulbs can mean that they are actually a money saving asset! Furthermore, interactive displays are much easier to install, and take much less time as there is no projector to be mounted – therefore saving money on installation costs as well.

In my opinion, interactive displays are the future. Brighter, more impressive displays, and reduced costs with a longer usable life. The changeover will take some time, but I think that projectors will one day be a thing of the past.

– Harvey Ryan