RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – November 24, 2008: Lenovo today announced that Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, an all-girls’ school located in Bellevue, Wash., deployed 330 Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet PCs to help give teachers and students new and dynamic ways to teach, learn and engage technology-savvy students in grades 5-12.
Forest Ridge administrators selected ThinkPad X60 Tablets and X61 Tablets because the Tablet PCs give them sturdy yet lightweight technology with easy-to-use features, along with multimedia and touchscreen capabilities that make computing simple for students.
Lenovo PC technology blankets the school. For example, Forest Ridge language teachers use the Tablet’s built-in microphone to record students in class, and some teachers create audio lessons to send to students who miss school. In math classes, students use the ThinkPad Tablet’s digitizer pen to solve problems in real-time, decreasing the use of paper. The powerful ThinkPad Tablets support multiple class programs simultaneously including Microsoft Office OneNote, a virtual binder for students to organize their homework, assignments and tests. Using OneNote on Lenovo Tablet PCs, teachers can also create images, audio and video within assignments for a more engaging learning experience.
“Our students are digital natives having grown up using technology, so it is critical that we deliver seamless, innovative, technology-enabled class lessons that involve their participation in the learning process,” said Michael Smith, technology director, Forest Ridge School. “Lenovo ThinkPad Tablets create an environment that feels natural to our students while creating opportunities to stimulate their minds and help them develop new skills.”
Lenovo ThinkPad Tablets come with ThinkVantage Technologies, a suite of self-help tools that help make sure students and teachers focus on learning, and not PC maintenance.
Using Presentation Manager, teachers quickly turn their PCs into display hubs whether they are in the classroom, faculty conference room or auditorium. The Active Protection System helps protect the hard drive if the computer falls off of a desk or gets bumped in the hallway. Forest Ridge students can easily log into their PCs by swiping the fingerprint reader on the Tablet wrist pad. In addition, ThinkPad Tablets are extra durable with a magnesium skeleton roll-cage that reinforces the PC’s shell.
Forest Ridge purchased its Lenovo PCs from Alden Associates, a Lenovo business partner that specializes in IT solutions for the education market. The school deployed the new ThinkPad Tablets using its in-house IT department and technology “mentors,” a small group of teachers who help train and assist their colleagues on new tools.
The school trains students and families on how to get the most out of their Lenovo PCs. Middle school students receiving their first computer learn about various Tablet features, including PC boot up and log-in, using the digitizer pen and class software programs. Lenovo’s training video that spoofs the popular television show, “CSI,” “TPI: ThinkPad Investigation” teaches students about the importance of caring for their computers.
Forest Ridge students receive their Lenovo PCs when they enroll at the school and keep them when they graduate to continue using in their personal and academic careers. The school is working with Lenovo to evolve its PC solution and leverage the latest multi-touch features and Web-based applications.
About Lenovo
Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is dedicated to building exceptionally engineered personal computers. Lenovo’s business model is built on innovation, operational efficiency and customer satisfaction as well as a focus on investment in emerging markets. Formed by Lenovo Group’s acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division, the company develops, manufactures and markets reliable, high-quality, secure and easy-to-use technology products and services worldwide. Lenovo has major research centers in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China; and Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information see www.lenovo.com.
