Empowering schools with Windows 11, Surface Laptop SE and more

[Guest Michael Cowan, Senior Director Product Marketing]

Devices are more important than ever to the K-12 education experience, whether students need to participate in class remotely or in-person, complete digital homework or connect with educators to get support. Surface Laptop SE is our most affordable device yet, a slim and sleek classic laptop with a new edition of Windows 11 streamlined for students in primary and secondary education. With long-lasting battery life,1 an HD camera and a modern processor to load apps and files quickly, Laptop SE is made to power creativity through the whole school day. The new edition of Windows 11, Windows 11 SE, optimizes performance with curated, education-first apps designed for budget-friendly devices. Get the best of Microsoft 365—including Microsoft Teams, Office 365 and Minecraft: Education Edition*—to help students build skills they’ll need for the future, all in a secured and simplified environment designed to limit distractions. Students can access files and productivity apps both online and offline with built-in security, and IT can manage downloads, deployment and security settings. Laptop SE is available for schools to purchase through authorized Microsoft Surface resellers. To complete the experience, our partners offer a number of accessories for Laptop SE.* Gumdrop cases and headsets are tough and designed to withstand heavy use, and the JCPal keyboard protector has easy-to-read large print letters and color-coded keys that improve key contrast and recognition. To increase device security, the Kensington Nano Security Slot controls physical access when the laptop is closed. Together with a range of mice, adapters, display cables and more, these accessories help round out the Surface Laptop SE experience. In addition, Surface Laptop SE is highly serviceable.

. Improved serviceability is part of our mission to drive sustainability across the entire Surface portfolio. Commercial customers can order spare SSD doors, kickstands and covers for a selection of devices in the portfolio, enabling IT technicians to service devices onsite. Repairs should be performed by a skilled technician following Microsoft-provided guidelines.2 In the past few months, the Surface portfolio has been expanding to help schools cater to the needs of every student and educator for both remote and in-person learning. Last fall, we released new Surface devices available for either schools or students and parents to purchase. Surface Go 3 is the most portable Surface device—ultra-versatile, always connected and now even faster than before. Delivering the experience of both a laptop and a tablet, Surface Go 3 comes with optional LTE Advanced so that students and educators can join class or access school resources even without a reliable Wi-Fi connection.3 Surface Pro 8 and Pro X are perfect for educators and high school students looking for performance, reliability and modern design. Packing more power than any previous Pro device, Pro 8 is ideal for graphic design, coding or other classes with more intensive workloads. Pro X is highly mobile and allows for smooth travel between home and school, offering the performance students need with the latest chipset and pen design. Finally, Surface Laptop Studio is the most powerful Surface Laptop yet, pairing speed, graphics and long-lasting battery life1 with the versatility of a portable creative canvas. This device is made for educators who need a true mobile workstation that can transition seamlessly between different modes—laptop, stage or studio—to accommodate different teaching scenarios. Surface Go 3, Pro 8, Pro X and Laptop Studio all use the new Windows 11 operating system—with touch and inking for an even more unique and creative learning experience. We reimagined Windows for a new era of digital learning, helping unlock the full potential of every student with powerful tools to learn, collaborate and create in a secure and trusted environment. Digital learning has resulted in new security risks, and Windows 11 helps mitigate them with powerful, always-on security. Digital learning has also resulted in new accessibility challenges. Schools must try to ensure that education is inclusive of all students, regardless of ability, learning style or location. Windows 11 and Microsoft 365* include a range of built-in accessibility tools and apps to accommodate needs related to learning, vision, hearing, mobility and neurodiversity. Improve comprehension with Immersive Reader, turn on live captions and translation during virtual class sessions, convert spoken words to text, and much more. The Surface Adaptive Kit is designed to improve device accessibility for those who need it.* A flexible set of tactile tools, the kit contains opener support and bump labels to help identify features like keys and ports. Check out the Microsoft Surface for Education YouTube playlist for more details! As learning continues evolving to meet students’ needs, we are committed to partnering with schools and developing Surface devices that help provide a safe, inclusive and engaging experience for all students. Check out the full device portfolio for education. *Sold separately. 1 Battery life varies significantly based on usage, network and feature configuration, signal strength, settings and other factors. See aka.ms/SurfaceBatteryPerformance for details. 2 Opening and/or repairing your device can present electric shock, device damage, fire and personal injury risks, and other hazards. Microsoft recommends that you seek professional assistance for all device repairs, and that you use caution if undertaking do-it-yourself repairs. Assistance and information from Microsoft for device repair and other services is available at www.support.microsoft.com. The appropriate Surface Service guide for component replacements is available on the Microsoft Download Center. 3 Availability may vary by market and configuration. LTE functionality available on select configurations only. Service availability and performance subject to service provider’s network. Contact your service provider for details, compatibility, pricing, SIM card and activation. See all specs and frequencies at surface.com.

Editor’s note – Jan. 18, 2022 – The text above was updated following original publication, including an addition to the footnotes at the bottom of the post.

 

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