BWI: DELL Public Division: Launches Connected Classroom in India

Press release from Business Wire India
Source: Dell India
Wednesday, May 05, 2010 07:42 PM IST (02:12 PM GMT)
Editors: General: Consumer interest; Business: Advertising, PR & marketing, Business services, Information technology; Technology
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DELL Public Division: Launches Connected Classroom in India
Enhancing Education for the Connected Generation

New Delhi, Delhi, India, Wednesday, May 05, 2010 -- (Business Wire India) -- Equipping students & teachers with 21st century skills to compete in today's global economy thus transforming the learning environment for the digital age.

-- Purpose-built technology enables teachers to address multiple learning styles, personalise lessons, encourage greater collaboration of ideas, and regularly assess student progress

-- Also launched the Dell Digital Schoolathon contest to enable students across India win the Connected Classroom solution for their school

Dell, today, launched the Connected Classroom solution in India. Combining innovative technology, products, services, software and training, the Dell Connected Classroom makes learning in the digital age a reality. Providing teachers with the tools needed to equip students with the 21st century skills they need to be competitive in the global economy, the Connected Classroom is Dell's education technology blueprint mainly for primary and middle schools learning environment. This is another important milestone and commitment Dell has made towards India's education needs following the launch of Latitude 2100, Dell's education netbook, last year.

The Connected classroom solution is available in US, UK, Mexico, Brazil, China, ANZ and Canada.
Dell is listening to educators, policy makers, and IT leaders across sectors who have expressed the need for an entire learning ecosystem in which students, teachers, and parents are connected to each other.

ICT usage in schools has not fundamentally changed the way children are educated. Most lessons are still taught by a single teacher standing in front of a class. By integrating technology into every aspect of learning, Dell makes an attempt wherein teachers give students the means to learn at their own pace, interact with each other, and explore the world around them.

Growing up in the digital age, youth today have the opportunity for greater access to technology and information than any previous generation. They have the whole world at their fingertips; a world they can interact with remotely, not just in words, but in moving pictures and sounds. Educators today must prepare this "Connected Generation" with 21st century skills and to work in an ever-changing digital world. Today's education experts have a clear vision on how technology can transform learning. The Dell Connected Classroom solution is a practical blueprint for educators to achieve that vision.

There are currently 1.3 Million schools in India with ICT penetration of approximately 14%. It is estimated that with 7% of India's population going online, 44% of these netizens are students.

Highlights of the Connected Classroom:

-- With a wide range of devices that help pupils connect, collaborate and learn, this solution enables teachers to personalise learning according to individual learning styles of pupils.

-- With Student Response systems and software, teachers can maximise student understanding, encouraging critical thinking and problem solving.

-- Teachers can view all connected student workstations simultaneously, in thumbnail size, which can be adjusted along with update intervals.

Enables simultaneous collaboration of students on the interactive whiteboard and allows teachers to document class discussions allowing real-time student assessments for parents to see online.

-- Secure access to the school network from any Internet-enabled device allows pupils to work anytime and anywhere from the classroom desk to the kitchen table.

Transform the Classroom for the Digital Age:

-- Purpose-built Latitude 2100 netbooks featuring innovations like optional touchscreens that can be used with Web 2.0 tools, handle the most robust applications, allowing students versatility for intense projects such as video editing and collaboration.

-- Dell's Mobile Computing Station cart allows IT staff to manage software and upgrades remotely from a central hub, significantly reducing cost and complexity.

-- Dell projectors, interactive whiteboards and audio systems help teachers differentiate instruction for multiple learning styles, individualise lessons for each student's needs, and encourage students to collaborate and communicate.

As a continued part of this initiative, Dell launched its Digital Schoolathon essay writing contest for schools across India on "How Technology can enable education". The Key Objective of the campaign is to establish connected classroom as an aspirational solution for the Best Schools in the country equipping students well for the future. In the first 4 Weeks of its launch, Dell has received an overwhelming response of 348 Schools registered on the microsite (www.delldigitalschoolathon.com) and 96 papers submitted.
The Top 2 Winning Schools will be announced later this evening along with a presentation of the top 10 Student Papers.

Dell Public division was hived off in November 2009 when Dell restructured its business to focus on around four key segments - Consumer, SMB, Public sector and Large Enterprise. Dell Public division focuses on products and solutions for the healthcare, education, defence and forensic related businesses. Since then Dell has secured to be the No. 1 healthcare information technology services provider in the world according to the latest IT services worldwide market share report by Gartner Inc.*
*Gartner IT Services Market Metrics Worldwide Market Share: Database; April 19, 2010

Quotes:

-- "One-fourth of Dell's revenues globally come from the Public division and the education vertical is going to be a key area of focus for Dell in the current financial year. Dell India recently ranked No. 1 for notebooks according to IDC and through this solution we are increasingly focusing on providing mobility and the education sector will look at strengthening that position. We've done our homework and listened to educators, policy makers and IT leaders about what they need to transform teaching and learning to provide these vital 21st Century skills. We're applying our learning to designing technology solutions that help turn this collaborative vision into a reality with the Dell Connected Classroom." : Neeraj Gupta, General Manager for Public, Dell India

-- "Pupils today need a new set of skills beyond the traditional core subjects of maths, language, and science. Technology has been playing a major role in transforming the nature of education delivery through e-learning tools and increasing outreach - this solution provides anytime, anywhere access to interactive technology & the connected classroom addresses the IT infrastructure and strategy for the education system as a whole. Textual knowledge & information when integrated with technology can become standardized global education that can be imparted. No one can replace the teacher but technology can serve as an effective tool & add advantage to the entire learning process." : Dr (Mrs) Shyama Chona, Renowned Educationist

Analyst Quotes:

-- "Schools today are faced with tight budgets and varying degrees of technology and student learning abilities. A variety of specialised hardware, software, services and training can help them integrate technology in the overall learning experience and manage technology efficiently. We need systems that are tailored to the needs of Indian students, not according to business systems and Dell with its focus on this segment, seems to understand the difference and geared to meet its needs." : Diptarup Chakraborti, Principal Research Analyst, Gartner

-- "By integrating technology into the learning process, educators can give students the means to learn at their own pace, accommodate multiple learning styles and individualize lessons to fit specific needs. Dell's education solutions allow school leaders to connect the entire education ecosystem to enhance learning while driving out operational and cost inefficiencies." : Sameer Bhatnagar, Senior Research Analyst, Springboard Research

About Dell

Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) listens to its customers and uses that insight to develop and deliver customized technology solutions to government, healthcare and educational organizations worldwide. Learn more at www.dell.com


CONTACT DETAILS
Mahesh Jayaram, Dell India, +91 9845120820, Mahesh_jayaram@Dell.com
Nidhi Mehra, 20:20 MEDIA, +91 9818331654, nidhimehra@2020india.com
Shilpa Kapoor, 20:20 MEDIA, +91 9958359595, shilpa@2020india.com

KEYWORDS
CONSUMER, MARKETING, BUSINESS SERVICES, IT, TECHNOLOGY

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