Huge Acer deal gives schools online edge

Peter Dinham
Wednesday, 30 November 2011 14:43

IT Industry - Deals

Acer is deploying up to 65,000 notebooks with the Queensland Department of Education and Training (DET) after the company won a tender in round three of the national secondary school computer fund.

Acer Australia managing director, Charles Chung, said all the Aspire 1830T notebooks would be deployed by the end of this year and would help Queensland students gain the benefits of 'productive learning in the digital age for many years to come.'

'Collaborative and mobile work places are common in today's environment, and ensuring our students are well equipped to face tomorrows demand is fundamental in that process. Having access to information on demand and the best technology to process that information is important in helping develop today's students,' Chung said.

After trials to test viability with students, the Acer Aspire 1830T Notebooks were successfully integrated and provided a digital learning environment without boundaries, and Chung said the 3G-enabled Acer Notebook is being hailed as a 'first in Australian education for a program of this scale.'

'The implementation of HSPA+ 3G technology in the Acer Aspire 1830T Notebook delivers a host of benefits and is a key component to the educational development of Queensland students. They are better equipped to access rich multimedia, websites and school material whilst away from the school's network.'

As part of the contract between DET and Acer, and in conjunction with the National Secondary School Computer Fund, Acer was selected based on a number of areas including the ability to offer a lightweight notebook solution with maximum battery life and portability that ensures the best possible solution for DET students.

Under the agreement, Acer is also set to provide its Educare solution, which includes a Computrace license protecting against theft and a student notebook bag customised by Targus for protection and portability. Chung said that both Acer's global expertise in notebook development and rollout capability operations ensures for a successful rollout plan to be completed before year end.

David O'Hagan, chief information officer at DET said the rollout of 3G-enabled devices has the potential to be life-changing for students. 'A rollout of high-end, 3G laptops has never been done before in Australia, let alone on this scale. This 3G initiative will ensure more than 60,000 state high school students have access to the department's online learning environment, anywhere and at any time.

'The decision to purchase 3G laptops means students will have better access to important online resources, resulting in improved learning outcomes, collaboration and greater opportunity for personalised learning,' O'Hagan said.