Search form

Back to Blog

Microsoft Enters Tablet Market

SurfaceNo, that image to the left is not an iPad surrounded by SmartCovers. That is the Microsoft Surface. Not to be confused with the giant table-sized computer the company released a while ago, the Surface is Microsoft’s entry into the tablet market.

Attempting to take a page out of Apple’s playbook on several levels, Microsoft revealed the Surface during a mystery press event in California. What those in attendance saw was an iPad knock-off that is heavier, boasts shorter batter life and an inferior chip. To be fair, the Surface does have an impressive cover that contains a fully functioning keyboard, but that is an accessory that must be purchased.

Microsoft has two versions of the Surface in the works, each for a very different audience. There’s a “consumer version” that will run Windows RT and a “business version” that will run Windows 8.

Microsoft isn’t saying exactly when the Surface will be available for purchase, or how much it will cost, but experts are predicting the “consumer version” to fall in the $500 price range with the “business version” to come in at over $1,000. The pricier version does have better overall tech specs than its cheaper brother, but that improved performance comes at the cost of weight and, of course, cost.

More

Why Simulations Matter in the History...

One of my favorite parts of history class as a high school student was participating in simulations. Role-playing, mock trials, fake battles – replaying any moment in our nation’s past inspired me as a student and made history come alive. I remember once in AP US History being assigned roles as Confederate and Union leaders in the early 1860s and told to prepare for the oncoming war. We spent a week strategizing troop movements, building economic policy, writing speeches and organizing our...

Teaching the French Indian War

I start this lesson plan with an admission: I love studying and teaching about the French Indian War. On a personal level, I find it fascinating – the multiple sides, the desire for land expansion, the connection to events on continental Europe and the significance of the outcome to British-American relations. For years, I struggled with how to make the war and its results come alive for my students and really stick for them. In the last few years, I have finally found a lesson plan that...

Technology as a Vehicle for Discussion...

Discussion and debate in the History classroom are necessary if we want our students to truly engage with the material and think critically about the past. How to generate discussion, however, can serve as a challenge for many educators – particularly in wired classrooms where students are constantly connected to computers or devices. Yes, technology can sometimes serve as an impediment to live discourse. Students, and even teachers, sometimes find it easier to immerse themselves in an...

The Global Search for Education: More...

“We want mindfulness to be as common as brushing your teeth!” – Addie Wootten

The Dalai Lama once said, “if every 8 year old is taught meditation, we will eliminate violence from the world within one generation.”

Mindfulness has become much more relevant and effective in a constantly changing environment. Clinical...

Making Schools More Introvert-Friendly

When visiting classrooms, I often feel for introverts—those who prefer to work alone and gain strength from their own thoughts and ideas.  Classrooms have been transformed into collaborative factories, full of teamwork, groupwork, small groups, debates and discussions.

Let me say right off the top, that I believe these configurations are valuable to students and help prepare for them for the work force, which depending on the field and job, more than likely will be designed around...

The Global Search for Education:...

“Why should there be only one teacher in class? Why not everyone teach and learn?”- Abhijit Sinha 

India’s rural schools struggle with high rates of teacher absences and student dropouts. How do you educate youth without sufficient government funding, resources and teachers?

Abhijit Sinha...

What Will It Take to Address the Over-...

Whenever I ask my daughters what they did in school, the answer is they generally took a test.

One day, they sighed and asked me if I had taken that many tests as a child, to which I replied “no.” They then ask me why they have to take so many tests, to which I don’t have any answer.

The testing culture in schools is absurd and shows little signs of slowing.  Depending on what report you read, students spend anywhere from 10 to 19 school days each year testing. That number...

Pages