Acer recommends Windows® 7.

Acer recommends Windows® 7.
Acer recommends Windows® 7.
Contents
p3
Acer in Education
p4
Teaching & Learning Benefits
p5
Acer Notebook Solutions
p8
Pearson eBooks
p10
Acer Educare
p12
Case Study - Manea Senior College
p14
Case Study - Australind Senior High
p16
Deployment Services & Capabilities
p18
Acer Privilege Program
p19
Environment Awareness
p20
Where to Buy
Acer in Education
Empowering young minds
Acer’s approach to the education market is
to recognise that schools, universities and
TAFEs have very different objectives compared
to businesses and government departments.
Acer understands your organisation’s primary
goal and we have built our education program
to ensure that Acer and our Acer Authorised
Education Partners are able to assist your
organisation to meet these goals. We believe
that our approach will help your organisation to
intelligently implement technology to improve
the education outcomes of your school,
university or TAFE.
#1 supplier in the
education markets
in Australia
We strongly believe that the path to real
Acer builds on its strengths by providing
Education customers with:
success in any relationship is based on the
understanding and knowledge of the partners
•
Value for money
involved. This knowledge is then used to
•
Quality and consistency
provide the services necessary to assist our
•
Acer Authorised Service Providers
throughout Australia
customers to meet their objectives and goals.
•
1300 single point of contact Helpdesk
We call this Our Customer Specific Approach,
•
Quick turnaround and delivery of orders
and we believe that this is the reason our
•
Tailored systems to suit specific needs
customers have made us the number 1 supplier
•
Local Acer Authorised Education Resellers
in the Education markets in Australia.
who specialise is supporting schools
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Acer recommends Windows® 7.
Teaching & Learning
Benefits
Students Ask For
Acer Provides
Light weight
Thin & light notebooks under 2kg
Long battery life
8+ hours battery life in selected models
Cool design
Modern & fashionable designs
Reliability and performance
Platforms that are based on the latest Intel® Core-i processor technology
Good graphics capability
Systems where Intel high definition graphics are embedded right into the processor
Huge range of free software
Microsoft Office 2010 Starter and Microsoft Live Essentials, to name a few
Editing videos on the move
Systems with Intel Quick Sync Video built in for record time video encoding speed
Teachers Ask For
Acer Provides
Fewer classroom disruptions
Solid, consistent and reliable hardware backed by fast warranty support
Access to learning templates
Microsoft provides learning templates in Microsoft Word
Multiple applications
Microsoft has more applications than any other platform
Parents Ask For
Acer Provides
Fewer non-warranty repairs
Acer’s robust design reduces the incidence of breakage
Low cost of repairs
Acer’s tollgate pricing reduces costs associated with breakage
No-fuss non-warranty repairs
Acer’s Accidental Damage Cover provides protection against non-warranty repairs
IT Teams Ask For
Acer Provides
Easy to deploy
School image can be pre-loaded prior to delivery
Reliable hardware
Fewer faults compared to the industry average
Solid hardware
Fewer non-warranty breakages than the industry average
Flexible service option
Fast turn around time with Swap N’ Go / Reliable on site service (Next Business Day)
Vendor reliability
Dependable service and established track record in K-12 Schools nationally
Principals Ask For
Acer Provides
Students, Parents Teachers & IT
Teams needs are met
Acer is a leading manufacturer with a proven track record in meeting all
stakeholders’ needs
“Green” Solutions
Acer’s plant-a-tree program supports initiatives to offset its carbon footprint
Notebook Solutions
11.6”
A model to suit every need
Acer's range of notebooks have been designed
to cater for the different needs in your school.
At Acer we understand that there is no one-size
fits all solution, which is why we have introduced
our full family of Notebooks.
TAKE HOME
CONTENT CONSUMPTION
Great for school
1:1 Programs
Ultra-light student
power adaptor
Amazing 8 hour
battery life
Easy upgrades
& customisation
Ideal for those students who
Finishes the school day on
Call us, we will tailor the
will complete homework and
a single charge. It won’t
notebook solution for your
assignments away from school.
chain the student down.
school including asset tagging
and custom-image load.
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Acer recommends Windows® 7.
Notebook Solutions
A model to suit every need
TAKE HOME
CONTENT CREATION
Ideal for
Independent schools
13.3”
P633
Magnesium alloy
construction
Exclusive Acer Dust
Defender Technology
The P633 packs in a 13.3” screen
Acer’s DustDefender feature reverses the cooling fan to expel dust,
in its sturdy alloy casing that weighs
enabling cooler operation, longer battery life and improved reliability.
only 1.7kg. Light yet strong.
14.0”
TAKE HOME
CONTENT CREATION
8481
Commercial Grade
Notebook for Schools
Amazing 14” LCD
in a 13” footprint
The Power of the Second Generation
Not only is it our slimmest 14”
Powered by Second generation Intel® Core-i3, Core-i5 and Core-i7
notebook, it’s also our lightest,
processors for a great user experience that offers the very best
weighs merely 1.5kg.
performance and reliability along with great battery life and compatibility.
7
Acer recommends Windows® 7.
Textbook
Innovation
Acer’s innovative partnership with Pearson
delivers Secondary Australian Curriculum
e-books to students and teachers on the Iconia
Tab. As an educator it is important to be able
to effectively provide students a digital learning
format, allowing them to have instant access to
information using the flexibility of a tablet.
•
50 titles available through Pearson ReaderTM
•
More than 100 e-books available for license
•
Ready to use content
•
Copy, save and edit
•
Enjoy frequent information updates
•
Online and offline access
•
Instant access to Pearson ReaderTM
Screen emulated, may not represent the final product.
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Acer recommends Windows® 7.
Educare
Looking out for tomorrow
Educare is Acer’s new comprehensive service
package that is specifically designed to meet
the needs of schools, universities and TAFE
Colleges. It includes coverage for Software
Support, Damage Protection, Swap N Go,
Premium Battery Support and Computrace,
Software Support
for Students
Acer Software Support is a service that helps
teachers and students resolve software issues
outside business hours or during school holidays.
making Educare the right choice for flexibility
and peace of mind.
Computrace
Asset Management is always a challenge in a
school environment. Acer’s Asset Management
Solution (available for Windows and Android
platforms) provides a suite of essential security
tools to secure your IT investment, protect
your data and reduce TCO through remote
management features.
Swap ‘N Go
Damage Protection
Swap ‘N Go is an easy process to ensure
Accidents are a part of
100% uptime when you have a faulty unit.
life – but when they occur,
knowing how to manage
them effectively is what really
Premium Battery
Support
matters. Acer can have you
well prepared with our Damage
Protection Service.
Acer Damage Protection
safeguards you against
The standard battery warranty only covers
unintentional damage, such as
manufacturing faults. However, even
liquid spills, electrical surges,
during normal usage and charge cycles
drops, falls or other collisions.
of the battery, its capacity will reduce over
time. Acer understands your need for a
longer lasting battery, and that’s why we
Call your local Acer Authorised
have introduced the Premium Battery
Education Reseller for more
Support service.
details. (See page 20)
11
Acer recommends Windows® 7.
Case Study
A tailor made solution just right for Manea Senior College
the robustness and longevity of the device, factors Acer
has worked hard to build into a netbook of its size and
class. Mr King describes the results he saw firsthand.
“I used one in my own time over the term break. I was
really impressed with the quality, the size of the keys and
especially the battery life. We’re getting the continuous
use out of the battery we need for a school day, which
is critical.”
But the most critical factor was the area where Acer
netbooks have excelled. The last thing anyone needs in
the rushed, busy school day is to sit around waiting for
devices to come to life. “Once they’ve been started up
and got themselves running you put the lid down and
walk away but when you come back and open the unit
up it’s back to where it was in just 15 seconds. It’s a great
mix thanks to Acer and the Intel hardware in the device.”
Quick response from
hibernation or sleep was
the time saver one Western
Australia vocational high
school was looking for.
Russell King knew he had a unique set of circumstances
to deal when in selecting 197 computer systems for
students under the National Secondary School Computer
Fund (NSSCF). “A full sized laptop was going to take
about two thirds of the desk and leave minimal room
for other activities,” says the computer teacher and ICT
Coordinator for Manea Senior College south of Perth.
“The Acer Aspire One 753 only took up a fraction of desk
space and that was a major point.”
What’s more, Mr King realised that when compared to
its nearest competitor, the Aspire One 753 offered much
more bang for his buck. “Another netbook we looked at
was much the same size, but the specifications weren’t
nearly as good. The Acer was more like a mini laptop as
far as the size of the processor and the amount of RAM
we could put in it. It was a much better return for the
money we spent.”
The other big plus Mr King knew made the Aspire One
753 perfect for Manea’s year 11 and 12 students was
The real test
Of course the real proof is in the pudding – Manea Senior
College might have the most suitable computers of any
school for their needs, but are they making an impact
where it counts? “The students are absolutely engaged
with them,” Mr King reports. “They’re using them all
the time, especially in their own time – which is a major
indication that they’re happy with them. It’s working
beautifully.”
Manea rolled devices out to its year 12 students to begin
with, conscious of the fact that – as those heading towards
the end of their schooling and university or careers –
having the flexibility needed to work was paramount. “In
their study time they can be in the study areas with their
own personal Internet connection sitting in front of them.
They don’t need to be taking up the resources other
classes are using and it makes everybody’s time a lot
more productive.”
Even better for the school, explains Acer’s WA Business
Development Manager, Julia Sinton, Manea got the best
deal out of the pricing structure of the NSSCF. “Russell
and the IT team at Manea thought about other solutions
but many of them were simply too much money,” Miss
Sinton says. “The rules were that they had to spend no
more than $1,000 per device, so even if they found a
machine for $500 they couldn’t buy twice as many. That
enabled us to increase the memory and offer an extended
warranty of three years on the Aspire One 753.”
“I’ve played with other systems and some of them were
“Staff have taken to them as well, and we’re
now looking at developing strategies for
more use by teachers in the classroom.”
– Russell King, computer teacher and ICT
Coordinator, Manea Senior College.
good, but many are way out of the price range we have
to look at,” Mr King adds.
Better yet, the students’ enthusiasm has rubbed off on
their teachers, often the most digitally challenged people
in the school community. “Staff have taken to them as
well and we’re now looking at developing strategies for
more use by teachers in the classroom,” Mr King says,
“building on what they’re happy to do with them and not
try to push things they don’t want to do.”
case of faults or problems – the faulty unit is simply sent
back to JH Computer Services and a replacement device
is deployed in its place immediately, keeping downtime
for the student to a minimum. Tellingly, none of the spare
have been used yet.
If you read the technology press, other devices are
overtaking netbooks in popularity. So why are they still
a good proposition, especially for the three years of
the supply contract? JH Computer Services’ Account
Manager Karl Daybell explains the suitability of the
Aspire One 753. “Many of the other tools and solutions
out there make good accompanying devices but they’re
not that functional for real world document management
scenarios, network connectivity and applications like
Microsoft Office and OneNote.”
About Manea Senior College
A young and dynamic learning environment, since 2009
Manea Senior College has provided year 11 and 12
students with a unique opportunity. Located in between
Edith Cowan University’s (ECU) Bunbury campus and
South West Regional College of TAFE, the school’s
efforts are centered completely on university or vocational
pathways with specialist programs appropriate to the
ages of senior high school students.
“It was a choice between the Acer Aspire One and a
competing netbook and when we compared the two
there was ultimately no question that the Acer was a
better product for what we needed.”
Because the school caters only to years 11 and 12, it
gives the staff the opportunity to treat and respond
to students as young adults. The atmosphere of trust
encourages every student to feel responsible for his or
her learning with motivation and self respect.
Support where it counts
The Acer Aspire One 753
“Their pre-sales service was excellent, and their after sales
service seems pretty good but to be honest the systems
have been so good we haven’t needed it,” laughs Mr King
when asked about how attentive supplier JH Computer
Services has been since the purchase.
Karl Daybell, Manea Senior College Account Manager at
JH, agrees, confirming he didn’t expect any problems.
“For the money, the Aspire One 753 gives you a much
better result in performance per dollar, so while there
are higher powered devices around, Manea’s IT team
staff agreed with us that they should give it a go. They
saw it, tested it and were more than happy with the
performance.”
“We created the Aspire One 753 to cater to just the sort of
environment we’ve found in Western Australia’s schools,”
says Julia Sinton, Acer’s Business Development Manager
for WA. “It’s been one of our best sellers and certainly one
of the most popular models selected by schools under
the NSSCF.”
The agreement also includes a number of spare units in
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Acer recommends Windows® 7.
Case Study
Australind Senior High School
The price savings the Acer Aspire One 753 offered also
allowed the school to purchase a hard carry bag and
screen printed with the school logo for each netbook
to offer a further level of protection. “If we’d bought a
notebook we only would have had the notebook and
maybe a soft pad for their lap to rest it on and that’s it,”
he says.
Selecting Acer, JH Computer Services and the Aspire
One 753 was the culmination of 12 months of research
into the best solution for Australind Senior High School
students, where Mr Watson says the school looked at
everything from tablets to full notebooks and everything
in between.
A sense of ownership encourages care of Acer devices
among students and saved space and money, says
Australind Senior High School deputy principal Graeme
Watson.
To Graeme Watson size matters. “We received funding for
868 computers however we don’t have the physical room
to put 868 desktops around the school so we had to find
another solution,” he says. “Having students able to take
them home was vital.”
The answer was the Acer Aspire One 753 Netbook. The
school purchased 521 from Perth supplier JH Computer
Services. Selecting the Aspire One not only saved space
in classrooms, it also gave Mr Watson and his IT staff the
opportunity to stretch their National Secondary School
Computer Fund (NSSCF) funding further.
“If we’d gone for full-sized notebooks we would have
been up for a thousand dollars each. We spent some of
the money on upgrading all our desktops with funds left
over, so we were also able to put a projector in every
classroom.” Together with the netbook fleet now in
the hands of most of the students, it enables a wholly
digital workflow that involves everyone. “We wanted the
teachers to be comfortable with the technology too,” Mr
Watson adds.
“It’s very difficult for teachers to teach in a digital sense if
they don’t have the digital technology in the classroom,
but it’s possible now because every classroom has a PC
and a projector and the students have netbooks.”
“Most tablet technology lacks the ability to transfer files,”
he says. “That was an issue for us. We have a Tier 3
server here and every netbook has a log-in access so
teachers can leave work for the students or vice versa,
and every student has a home directory on the server. We
also wanted the latest software.”
Mr Watson adds that the Aspire One 753 has continued
to pay dividends in areas most large buyers don’t think
about, but which add up to tangible costs in such a large
fleet. “There’s also utility savings to think about. Instead
of running 868 computers at school, we’re running a
fleet where over 500 of them are at home and students
are happy to keep them charged up instead of using
resources at the school.”
Future proofing
The possible downside to
having half the school’s
computers leave the grounds
every day is the possibility of
loss or damage – especially
when they’re tossed in school
bags, passed casually around
study halls or bedrooms and
more.
That’s where support provider
Service West comes in. Mr
Watson has a strict procedure
to encourage the students to
take care of their devices in the
initial stages “We’ve had all the
students go to a user contract
“Having students able to take them home
was vital” – Graeme Watson, deputy
principal, Australind Senior High School
with a lot of dos and don’ts’”, he explains, but as the
JH Computer Services account manager reports, the
parameters of the purchase ensure the students do not
suffer any downtime because of bad luck or mishandling.
“We’re the local service agents in Perth so we can
deal with any repairs or warranty issues. We carry the
consignment stock and buffer stock to be able to make
repairs quickly.” said Karl Daybell, Account Manager, JH
Computer Services.
The deal also included five standby units for immediate
swap-over so in the event of a breakage, software or
hardware issue the offending unit can be sent back to JH
for repair or replacement while the student has a reserve
device to work on.
another example of what a smart purchase the Acer fleet
has been. “We still have our own computers,” Mr Watson
says, “We have 10 computers in our media lab instead of
28 like we used to, so if the student wants to do something
in Photoshop they jump on one of the media computers,
do what they have to do and then jump back onto their
netbooks like usual.”
“It depends on the usage,” adds Julia Sinton, Acer’s Business
Development Manager for WA. “A lot of the programs don’t
vastly change or need a lot more performance. If they’re
using Office, the Internet and basic Adobe products it’s
going to last the student’s entire school career.”
Mr Watson reports that the only issue so far has been a
single hard drive hiccup which was taken care of promptly,
good news for any parents or educators who expected
harsh treatment from students towards the netbooks. “It
gives the students a sense of ownership,” he says. “It’s
their machine, they’ve got to look after it, they’ve got full
administrative rights over it. They realised pretty quickly
how much they’re using them in the classroom so they
know it’s important they look after them.”
For JH Computer Services, it’s a great result after the
concerted effort the company made to market themselves
and Acer to schools in and around the Perth area. The
company had a promotional day at the Royal Perth Golf
Club with 20 schools in attendance for seminars, speakers
and demo events. We had a few speakers and some of
the products. “The Aspire
One turned out to be a great
fit for Australind. The product
performs well for student use,
it’s nice and lightweight and
has been very cost effective.
Graeme and the IT staff at the
school have said the students
are all excited.”
Mr Watson says the current
Aspire One 753 fleet is
expected to last about four
years, but what about the
conventional wisdom about
how PC equipment should
be turned over every 18
months to two years? It’s just
About Australind Senior High School
A stone’s throw from the stunning marine environment of
the Leschenault Inlet south of Perth, Australind Senior High
School is deeply connected to the local land and seascape
and maintains a strong relationship with technology to aid
the students in understanding their place in both the natural
locale and community.
Australind Senior High School puts a premium on teacher
selection and performance, and believes the job starts with
the appointment, continuing a program of further research
to aid professional development.
Instead of measuring students against each other, both
teachers and students themselves are invested in seeing
each child improve and progress by their own standards,
irrespective of their individual starting point.
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Acer recommends Windows® 7.
Deployment Services
& Capabilities
Joining device to your domain
Acer is able to provide a service that joins all
student devices to the domain before they
leave the Acer facility. This is achieved by Acer
using an Integration Centre that enables you to
hand the devices to the students without any
additional work being carried out on the units at
the school prior to delivery.
SOE image loading
Acer’s eAcademy
Acer owns and operates a local purpose
Acer has developed an online training
built production facility that configures and
facility that can be customised to suite your
loads standard or customised images in the
requirements. This facility has multimedia
assembly process. The capacity of this facility
training (video, illustrations and sound) that can
is 500 notebooks per day in a single shift. Acer
be used to train students on just about any
can customise each machine to your schools
topic. The system can assess students through
requirements in the production process with
a series of multiple choice questions. Each
assistance in the preparation of a standard
student is asked to sit the assessment and
operating environment (SOE) or software image
achieve at least an 80% pass result. The system
that is loaded onto each notebook product prior
can have several question sets so students
to deployment to the student.
don’t memorise the answers and up to 3 tests
can be attempted.
Asset tagging
Acer can apply an asset tag to the device and
insert the asset tag number into the BIOS.
This asset tag number can also be printed
on a label that appears on the outer carton. It
can then be scanned into an asset register or
asset management system. Acer can provide
details of all asset tags and serial numbers on
a separate report on demand, when your IT
department requires.
We customise deployment
services for your school.
Battery protection and care
different. These agreements can be customised so
All new Acer notebooks and netbooks come
that the schools particular requirements are taken
with a list of battery care instructions, including
into consideration. Examples can be provided on
what to do on first use, general tips to extend
request. The handover process could include:
your battery life and steps you can take to
ensure that you get maximum performance.
•
Customised forms and handbook inside the
box before delivery.
Customised handover process
Each school is different and the agreement (or
•
Student agreements and parent contracts.
•
Itemised list of accessories provided.
contract) that students (or parents) sign when
they pick up the machine from the school is also
17
Acer recommends Windows® 7.
Acer Privilege Program
Get Privileged Now!
There’s more to our commitment to schools than just providing the
highest quality desktops, notebooks, LCD monitors, data projectors
and enterprise solutions.
Acer is pleased to announce the Acer Privilege Program, a program
designed to reward schools, from kindergarten through to year 12,
for purchasing Acer products.
Based on the quantity of Acer products purchased through Acer
Authorised Education Resellers, schools can earn points, which can
be used to claim merchandise from our Redemption Catalogue. The
more points you have the more you can reward your school.
Simply log onto www.acer.com.au/privilege
It’s that easy.
Environmental Awareness
We take care of your environmental impact
Acer aims to minimise
the environmental impact
of its manufacturing and
distribution processes.
We can help you dispose of older IT equipment,
Disposal
which often contains toxic substances, in the
Acer operates an Asset Processing Centre in NSW
most secure, cost effective and environmentally
to help customers dispose of older IT equipment
friendly way possible.
from Acer and other vendors.
Green design
The Acer asset processing centre also provides a
Acer’s local facility assembles, tests and
range of end-of-life solution services, including:
packages PCs, Notebooks and Servers without
• Pick-up freight management.
using toxic chemicals or pollutants. Designed
• Provision of packaging materials.
to save energy, all Acer products have been
• Data wiping and sanitisation.
carrying the Energy Star label since 1992. The
• Asset and customer label removal.
TravelMate and Veriton ranges are also EPEAT
• Standard operating environment reinstallation.
certified.
• Secure destruction.
• Testing and full asset reporting.
Packaging and recycling
• Resale or redistribution management.
All packaging for Acer products is made from
recyclable materials such as cardboard and
Call your local Acer Authorised Education Reseller
polyethylene plastics. To reduce the use of
for more details. (See page 20)
packaging and its environmental impact, we
adhere to a set of principles that includes
minimising packaging, using recyclable and
reusable packaging materials and labelling all
plastics.
19
For further information please contact Acer Authorised Education Resellers.
NSW
• Ethan Group
Phone: (02) 8864 0062
• Learning with Technologies
Phone: 1300 550 717
• PCS Australia Pty ltd
Phone: (02) 9637 1300
VIC
• Learning with Technologies
Phone: 1300 550 717
• Office Everything
Phone: 1300 306 033
• PerfecktCom
Phone (03) 9570 9890
• Trident Computer Services
Phone: (03) 8587 7500
• Winthrop Australia
Phone: (03) 8420 9399
WA
• Bizquip Solutions
Phone: (08) 9244 2290
• JH Computer Services
Phone: (08) 9367 9499
• Winthrop Australia
Phone: (08) 6488 2777
• WJ Moncrieff
Phone: (08) 9473 3888
TAS
• IRIS Computing (Hobart)
Phone: (03) 6231 5555
• IRIS Computing (Launceston)
Phone: (03) 6344 2288
ACT
• Dataflex
Phone: (02) 6295 1999
QLD
• BES Information Technology
Phone: (07) 3340 5555
• Brilliant Technologies
Phone: (07) 4052 5900
• e-Computing Pty Ltd
Phone: (07) 4613 0602
• Rosh Tech (Townsville) Pty Ltd
Phone: (07) 4725 6490
Acer Computer Australia
A.B.N. 78 003 872 768
8 Baywater Drive
Wentworth Point, NSW 2127
Tel: (02) 8762 3000
Fax: (02) 9764 2368
www.acer.com.au
SA
• ASI Solutions SA
Phone: (08) 8354 6200
• Datacom Systems SA Pty Ltd
Phone: (08) 7221 7900
• Learning with Technologies
Phone: 1300 550 717
• SUBNET
Phone: (08) 7127 9400