Mulgrave School
High School Goes High Tech with Microsoft Tablet Technologies
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Company Overview
Historically, businesses have led the charge in embracing new technologies while the education industry has followed behind. But cutting-edge educational facilities like Mulgrave School in West Vancouver, British Columbia, are doing their part to change that.
Business Challenge
Progressive learning methods are at the heart of Mulgrave’s mission to “Inspire Excellence in Education and Life.” The non-denominational, co-educational institution began as the North Vancouver Montessori School. The expansion of the school was prompted by parents who wanted their children to receive the exceptional education they once enjoyed at the Montessori School. Mulgrave School sprang to life in 1993, and now serves over 750 students from Kindergarten through Grade 12.
“Throughout its short history Mulgrave has always sought out technologies to help propel the academic success of its students. In fact, Mulgrave already had a laptop computer program in place when Manager of Information Services, Murray Miller, first saw a Tablet PC while attending a Microsoft hosted “Connected Learning Community” event. Although the laptop computers seemed sufficient for data entry, Mulgrave faculty discovered that many students still transcribed their handwritten notes onto their laptop, duplicating their note-taking efforts. It was clear students needed a tool that better accommodated the way they studied.
“Our high school students typically join the laptop program in Grade 10 so they were used to typing up their notes and using computers to help them study. The Tablet PC was a natural extension of the technology they were already using,” says Miller.
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Solution
No other generation has been more plugged into technology, and Mulgrave recognized the opportunity to blend this technology with the latest learning methods. In 2004, Mulgrave began a Tablet PC program for more than 300 students in grades 10, 11 and 12, by incorporating technology into the learning curriculum. Students now invest in an HP Compaq 4400 Tablet PC, loaded with Microsoft® Windows® XP Tablet PC Edition 2005, giving them the flexibility to study in the way that suits them best. They can easily write their notes on the tablet component or use it like a traditional laptop computer. With Microsoft OneNote® 2003 note-taking program, students can keep their Web research, slide presentations and notes in OneNote so that all of their course content resides in one place – keeping them better organized.
“When I went to school, I studied from textbooks and wrote everything in my notebook,” says Miller. “But kids today have grown up in a different age – they’re far more familiar with computers. This generation actually prefers to study using technology, and Tablet PCs make it easier for them to do that.”
The Tablet PC program has also shaped the way Mulgrave teachers teach. For this program, the school has set up SMART™ Board interactive whiteboards in place of traditional classroom chalkboards, in real time teachers can present curriculum or student work using Microsoft PowerPoint® presentation graphics program. Teachers can then simply email such presentations to students who can follow along on their Tablet PCs. Jeanette Laursoo, Director of Academics and Head of Science at Mulgrave School, was one of the first teachers to embrace the technology.
“As I deliver the lecture, I can write on my Tablet PC so that my notes appear on the SMART Board, or I can write directly on the board with my Smart Board pen. Students can also add their comments to the Smart Board from my Tablet PC. The technology helps me deliver the information in the medium they prefer,” says Laursoo.
In the future, Windows® Vista® will provide further improvements for the Tablet PC. A new feature entitled Automatic Learning gathers information not only about the words you use but also how you write them.
“The Automatic Learning feature will be a great new addition for our students,” explains Miller. “They can teach their Tablet to recognize their Ss versus their 5s, which will help cut down on editing time in their own notes.”
Business Benefits
Since the Tablet PC program began in 2004, Mulgrave has transformed from a progressive school into a high-tech high school and has dramatically improved student learning.
Plugged into learning
Previously, Mulgrave had a laptop program in place for its high school students. While this program enabled teachers to incorporate digital learning methods and computers into their lesson plans and classes, few students used their notebooks beyond email and data entry. Today, the Tablet PC is helping students work in the way that suits them best. For example, users who prefer to handwrite notes, draw diagrams, or sketch illustrations can scribble directly on the notebook’s tablet component, and store their notes in OneNote.
According to Laursoo, the program also encourages students to be more engaged in learning, especially the more reserved ones. They can either come up to the Smart Board and illustrate their answers, or email their comments to the teacher from their Tablet PC.
“Enjoyment levels are definitely higher among students because classes are much more interactive. Students who would normally not contribute now have the means to get involved,” adds Laursoo.
Get class notes, electronic ed.
With the Tablet PC, students no longer need to ask classmates for notes to make up for classes they missed. All course notes and handouts are saved on a shared drive, so students can download the class content whenever they need it. The Tablet PC also frees students from excess baggage like textbooks, notebooks, handouts, pens and pencils. As part of the Tablet PC program, students can download textbooks directly onto their Tablet PC and study from their laptop. The technology has also helped Laursoo spend less time at the photocopier and more time in the classroom.
“Using electronic handouts has also helped cut down our paper waste. Students quickly download the handouts from the shared drive which saves me the effort of printing them out. Now, they don’t waste class time asking for handouts at the beginning of class – we can get started right way,” says Laursoo.
Student-teacher inter@ction
With OneNote 2003, students no longer need to submit their homework in person. They simply email their assignments, and teachers can include their marks and comments directly in the document with the tablet pen.
“As soon as I’m finished marking, I can email my written comments back to them immediately. They no longer need to wait until the next class to get their feedback,” says Laursoo.
OneNote allows students to easily share their notes with others. The program also comes in handy when they mark each other’s work in class. “The students just trade their Tablet PCs and write their comments directly on the tablet,” Adds Laursoo.
Additionally, with OneNote, teachers can store all submitted assignments and retrieve class assignments during parent-teacher interviews.
“I can pull up a recent assignment, along with the mark their child received and the comments I made. This helps me give parents a much better idea of how to help improve their child’s performance, and also to celebrate their child’s successes,” says Laursoo.
For More Information
For more information about Microsoft products and services, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft Canada Information Centre at (877) 568-2495. Customers who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can reach Microsoft text telephone (TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234 in the United States or (905) 568-9641 in Canada. Outside the 50 United States and Canada, please contact your local Microsoft subsidiary. To access information using the World Wide Web, go to: www.microsoft.com
For more information about Mulgrave School, call (604) 922-3223 or visit the Web site at: www.mulgrave.com
