Back to School

By Jennifer McFee For the Free Press T oday's students were born into a world of ever-changing technology, which has now become essential in education. Teacher Jamie House is gearing up for the start of a new year at an international school in South Korea. "Where I am right now, the school is quite technologically savvy. They provide iPads and from kindergarten to Grade 3. From Grade 4 and up, all of the students are provided with MacBooks in Korea," said House, who has also worked at Manitoba curriculum schools in China and Egypt. "From the smallest children to teenagers, they are using devices for lots of things. In schools, we promote research using the Internet to find information. At this point, any school that has successfully integrated technology into their classroom will have a leg up on schools that have not." Similarly, Athena Au is preparing to teach in Shanghai after several years of working in Abu Dhabi and Egypt. "In this day and age, I think you have to go above and beyond with technology," Au said, adding that some international schools aim to start Kindle programs. "Obviously, technology is a part of everything that we do, so it should be really highly valued and put into the classroom for the students." Closer to home, Future Shop tech consultant Thomas Restiaux says laptops, tablets and phones remain the three major must- haves in terms of technology. Restiaux recommends the recently released Microsoft Surface Pro 3 as a great tool to meet students' needs. "In the past, people have always been trying to bridge the gap between a laptop and a tablet. Having the power of a laptop with the portability of a tablet, the Microsoft Surface Pro is really the device that does it the best. It runs a full-blown version of Windows, so it's not like other tablets that run a mobile version of Windows," he said. "Basically, it's a laptop in a tablet form. It has the capability of running Word, Excel, PowerPoint, the full Office suite. It's a little smaller than your traditional laptop, but these Surface Pros can be hooked into a television or into a large HD monitor." When it comes to tablets, Restiaux suggests the Galaxy Tab S, recently released by Samsung. "This tablet is really revolutionary. Nowadays, there's a move towards ultra HD in television. Samsung is bringing that move to tablets as well. The colour reproduction is just absolutely phenomenal. The colours are so vibrant and so clear. It's a spectacle to the eyes," he said. "It's got a long battery life, too, which is great for taking to school." When it's time to hit the books, noise-cancelling headphones can create a quiet study space in any environment. "The Bose Quiet Comfort 15 is great for students who are working at home where there might be some bustling going on," Restiaux said. "Or if you have a Microsoft Surface Pro 3, you might take it into a coffee shop or on the bus. It's good to have something that will give you your own space and privacy without being interrupted." The demands for technology span across all stages, from elementary schools all the way up to university graduate programs. Regardless of their level of education, students should know what their school requires. "If the school says you have to buy a laptop, be conscious of what they're requesting. Also, you should know exactly what you want to use it for. Realistically, if you're going to be playing games on it 50 per cent of the time, we have consultants who help you figure out those needs before recommending a solution," Restiaux said. "The time to buy is now. As a company, Future Shop has officially launched its back-to-school program, so we've got constant sales every week. We've got special laptops and tablets that we've brought in specifically for the back-to-school season. They are tailor-made for the everyday student, and they're offered at really good price points." Now is also the perfect time of year to consider a new cellphone, he added. "Alongside the back-to-school season is coincidentally a very strong phone season. The cellphone is another one of those devices that you want to have in school to help you keep in touch," he said. "Across the board, there's lots of really cool stuff coming out this fall." Back to Sch o o l / MuS i c & Dan ce - Su pple M e nt to th e Wi n n i peg Fr e e pr e SS - Satu r Day, aug uSt 16 , 2014 Beginning on Page 5 Find local programs that make the mind-body connection to keep you and your child engaged and active! GREATVALUE SAVE10%whenenrolledin2-4classes* I SAVE25%whenenrolledin5ormoreclasses* BOYSsubsidizedpricingisavailable(boysage3-15only)* CostumesareINCLUDEDintuitioncost! *Somerestrictionsmayapply. LASTCHANCERegistration:AUGUST 28-30/2014 Classesbegin SEPT08/2014 allages+alllevels BALLET I POINTE I BOYS PROGRAM I JAZZIMODERN I TAP I CREATIVE MOVEMENTILYRICALI MUSICALTHEATREIHIP HOPIPERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIESIINTENSIVE TRAINING PROGRAM Tom Restiaux from the Pembina Highway Future Shop shows off the new Microsoft Surface Pro 3 popular with students going back to school. Photo by Darcy Finley Technological tools boost student success FeaTuring

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