http://www.microsoft.com/mobile/enterprise/casestudies/cs-gymnasium.asp

Gymnasium Landau, Germany

Solution Overview

Industry
Education

Company Profile
Gymnasium Landau, a school of nearly 1,000 students and 80 teachers, believes computer technology should be used as a natural teaching tool, rather than as a subject or topic on the curriculum.

Situation
The school was chosen by Hewlett-Packard Company to take part in a Windows Powered mobile devices pilot study, to see if the use of personal technology would change the way students learn and teachers teach. Eleventh-year students were targeted, with the aim of encouraging pupils to work more independently, more creatively, and better as part of a team.

Business Solution
Teachers and pupils using 135 Windows Powered HP Jornada Handheld PC equipped with radio PC cards can access the Internet via a wireless network infrastructure consisting of 10 wireless transmitters.

Benefits

·         Students get fast, easy access to Internet resources through Windows CE “instant-on” feature.

·         The lightweight, compact devices can be easily carried and used anywhere on the school grounds.

·         Pupils are able to work and research more independently, as well as improve their teamworking and communications skills.

Microsoft Software Used

·         Microsoft Windows CE

Case Study

“Pupils appreciate this technology, as they know that they are acquiring key skills. Parents are also reacting very positively to the project and think it is high time schools were equipped with such devices and applications.”

Siegfried Pyka
Head Teacher
Gymnasium Landau

Introduction

Modern means of communication, especially the Internet, create completely new dimensions for the way we live together as a society and the way we work. However, the typical education system still functions according to rules and procedures that are several decades old. In many cases, schools have a computer room that is used only occasionally during class. It would be much more sensible if pupils not only had access to a handheld computer in class, but also access to the Internet—which is, after all, an enormous library of information. The feeling at Gymnasium Landau in Germany is that computers should be used more as a natural teaching tool, rather than as a subject or topic on the curriculum.

Solution

This is precisely the aim of a pilot study carried out by Hewlett-Packard Company in four schools around the world, of which Gymnasium Landau was one of those chosen. Nearly 1000 pupils, who are taught by 80 teachers, attend the school. All eleventh-year students, along with their teachers, were given an HP Jornada 820 handheld device using Microsoft® Windows® CE as its operating system. Proxim installed 10 transmitters across the school premises and equipped the handheld devices with the appropriate radio PC cards. The infrastructure allows pupils to access the Internet from anywhere on the school grounds.

Computers and the Internet are creating a new way of learning and teaching. A teacher can, for example, set the task of using the Internet to gather information on a particular artist. Pupils would then carry out independent research using the Worldwide Web. Now the entire Internet is available as a source of information, as opposed to the limited content of textbooks.

Head teacher Siegfried Pyka explains the benefits of the project, “Pupils are motivated to be more productive in class. They have to work cooperatively, which develops their ability to work as part of a team. Furthermore, the project promotes an independent approach to study. Finally, as the computer is used both in and out of class, pupils and teachers are able to communicate after school using e-mail.”

Apart from access to the Internet, pupils use the Windows Powered devices to do word processing and to create and exchange files. Some pupils go to school in the afternoons when they do not have classes in order to surf the Internet and carry out research for their homework. Says Pyka, “Pupils appreciate this technology, as they know that they are acquiring key skills. Parents are also reacting very positively to the project and think it is high time schools were equipped with such devices and applications.”

Why Windows CE?

For the project at Gymnasium Landau, Windows CE is the ideal platform. The biggest advantage is that the handheld devices can be used immediately after switching them on, without the delay that occurs when starting up a different operating system. This means that both Internet access and applications used by pupils are available at the touch of a button. Pyka says, “Using the Windows Powered devices in class is a treat, as Pocket Word allows pupils to write texts and do homework. Using PowerPoint®, they are also able to create presentations.”

As Windows CE is a comparatively slim operating system, it was possible to equip pupils with a very light and compact device that can be used both in the classroom and on the grounds during break. Hewlett-Packard’s Jornada 820 is about the size and weight of a textbook and has a regular-sized keyboard. Pyka explains, “The aim of the project is to have the device ready for use at all times. The Windows Powered handheld device thus becomes an everyday tool. This mobility becomes even more valuable through wireless Internet access.”

Technology

The HP Jornada 820 used by pupils has a 32-bit, 190-MHz StrongARM RISC-processor and a VGA-CSTN screen with 640x480 resolution and 256 colors. The Jornada also functions as a touch-screen device so that no mouse is needed. There are 16 MB of serial RAM, and the usual connections are available, including serial interfaces, USB, and Fast IrDA. The device has a socket each for a PC type II card and a CompactFlash™ type II card.

To enable this new method of digital teaching, a network infrastructure was built at the school. Hewlett-Packard supplied not only the Windows Powered devices, but also the central network server, an HP NetServer LH3. The dual-processor server comes with a Pentium II 350-MHz processor and has more than 100 MHz of front-side bus speed. Furthermore, the device is fitted with 512 MB of RAM and 2 Ultra2 SCSI hard disk drives, each with 9 GB. The wireless network infrastructure has been achieved using RangeLAN2 Ethernet Access Points from Proxim. The wireless transmission stations, 10 of which have been installed, use the 2.4-GHz ISM band and have a range of 150 meters indoors. A range of up to 300 meters is possible outdoors. On a maximum of 15 interference-free channels, 1.6 Mbps can be transmitted?this means a maximum transfer rate of 24 Mbps. In order to ensure that the data transfer remains interruption-free, a frequency jump procedure is used. The devices work according to OpenAir specifications. The drivers for the RangeLAN2 network cards are included in the Microsoft Windows CE Handheld Edition.

Hewlett-Packard supplied their hardware free of charge, and the transmitters were bought with financial assistance from the German Ministry of Culture. The whole network provides data transmission speeds of 10 Mbps. The server is connected to the Internet using a 128-Kbps direct line leased from Deutsche Telekom. Soon, a 2-Mbps direct line will be in operation. The costs for time spent online are being met by the district of Dingolfingen-Landau.

Conclusion

The advantage of providing pupils with Windows Powered handheld devices is that pupils can use the hardware quickly and easily. An operating system that requires booting up prior to use would hinder immediate use of the device in class.The wireless Internet connection is fully supported by the Windows CE platform.

Another advantage is that mobile Windows Powered devices such as the HP Jornada 820 are very light and compact, and can be easily taken anywhere. The device can be carried around in a school bag, just like a textbook or pencil case.

Siegfried Pyka summarizes his experiences with the project as follows: “Equipping all schools with such a system is long overdue. In my mind there is no alternative for the teaching methods of tomorrow. The only sensible way to achieve this is the way it was done here, with wireless Internet access. Rather than having a central computer room with a few computers, each pupil ought to have his or her own mobile device and access to the Internet from wherever he or she is.”

Financing such a system is also a big issue, and Pyka views co-funding as the solution. Part of the funding would have to come from sponsors. Government contributions could also help finance the wireless network infrastructure. In addition, parents would have to be prepared to contribute to their children’s educations by buying the devices in the same way they buy textbooks.

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