ASUS Computers for Schools 4th November 2009 ASUS wanted to explore the potential of the effective use and deployment of some of the Eee family within the infant and primary school environments. And whether the globally acclaimed Eee family, over a one month period, would have any form of an impact on how younger children play and learn within the classroom. The partner schools selected were Hobbs Hill Primary and Dulwich Village Church of England Infants School (DVIS) both state schools in the South of England. Hobbs Hill is the larger of the two, with 476 pupils from Reception (age 4) to Year 6 (age 11). DVIS has 270 pupils, from Reception to Year 2 (age 7). Each school delivers its ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) curriculum via computers inside classrooms and dedicated computer suites. All teaching staff are involved in ICT teaching to some extent and exploring new learning opportunities through ICT is seen as an important area. As Graham King, ICT Coordinator for Hobbs Hill Primary, explains: “The challenge for us is to find more innovative ways of using ICT, rather than just create more impressive PowerPoint presentations.” ASUS Computers for Schools Project When offered the use of a number of Eee PC netbook and Eee Top desktop PCs as part of the ASUS Computers for Schools Project, both Hobbs Hill Primary and Dulwich Village Infants schools were extremely keen to take part. ASUS Eee Top PCs were installed in Dulwich Village Infants’ Reception (ages four to five), Year 1 (ages five to six) and Year 2 (ages six to seven) classes. Eee PCs were also placed into one Reception class. ASUS Eee PCs were provided for every pupil in one Year 5 (ages 10 to 11) class at Hobbs Hill Primary, along with one Eee Top PC. A second Eee Top PC was also used in a Nursery class. The Response: ASUS Eee Top PCs Much to Dulwich Village Infants’ and Hobbs Hill Primary’s delight, the ASUS Eee Top PCs proved to be huge hit. Young pupils were more at ease with using the Eee Top PC’s touch-screen than a traditional mouse, and this proved highly motivating. “The Eee Tops were so popular that children were eager to get into class early to use them”, says Sheila Kirrane, ICT Coordinator at Dulwich Village Infants. “The children seemed to be more confident when using them and not afraid to make mistakes, as they were able to rectify them without adult intervention.” Hobbs Hill’s nursery also liked the Eee Top PC’s unique approach. “I can see a lot of potential for having these computers in classes where mouse control is more difficult”, says Miss King, Hobbs Hill’s Assistant Nursery Manager. “Playing maths games or interacting with particular web sites in this way would be a great advantage.” The Eee Top PC’s touch-screen also offered one unexpected advantage, as Hobbs Hill Year 6 pupil Laurie, age 6, points out: “Less arguing about the mouse when working in pairs!” The Response: ASUS Eee PCs Although initially sceptical about netbooks, Hobbs Hill Primary soon saw the appeal of the ASUS Eee PCs. Graham King, ICT Coordinator for Hobbs Hill Primary, explains: “The Eee PCs were easy to handle and were seen as potentially becoming a tool just like a calculator. I could see these being used on school journeys when we stay at a youth hostel.” The ease with which very young children could carry the lightweight Eee PCs also meant that they weren’t confined to use in just one part of the classroom. “The fact that they are so manageable and robust was a big plus, and they can easily be used outside or transported to another part of the room”, says Sheila Kirrane. “This encouraged real collaboration and plenty of ‘on task’ discussion.” Conclusions Both schools were taken aback by the extremely positive reactions of their pupils to the ASUS computers and Dulwich Village was particularly smitten with the Eee Top PC. “The Eee Top PCs gave greater independence to our learners and they became more familiar with touch- screen computers. The children’s’ enthusiasm seemed to be reignited!” says Sheila Kirrane. Ben, age 5, makes his appreciation of the ASUS Eee Top PC very clear: “I love this computer! It is easy to switch on and I don’t need a teacher to help me.” It was a similar story at Hobbs Hill. Graham King says: “Perhaps the biggest impact was the enthusiasm with which the children responded to them. They saw them very much as something they could take ownership of.” Both schools were also impressed by the new learning opportunities offered by the ASUS computers, which has important implications for their future ICT deployment. “The opportunity to trial the Eee PCs has refined my thinking on the way forward for ICT within our school”, continues Graham King. “I’m greatly impressed by them and think that we could really achieve our goal of one laptop for every child.” The ASUS Eee Top PC made a similar impact at Dulwich Village, as its ICT Coordinator, Sheila Kirrane, says: “We shall certainly be looking into them when new budgets are available. We are often asked by parents about computers suited to young children and I feel very confident in suggesting the ASUS Eee Top.” The last word goes to Graham King, ICT Coordinator for Hobbs Hill Primary, on the ASUS Eee PC: “Without a doubt, they are the way forward. I think they offer a reliable, cheap and effective way of enabling all children to have access to ICT, both at school and at home.” About ASUS ASUS is a leading company in the new digital era. With a global staff of more than ten thousand and a world-class R&D design team, the company’s revenue for 2008 was 8.1 billion U.S. dollars.  ASUS ranks among the top 10 IT companies in BusinessWeek’s “InfoTech 100”, and has been on the listing for 11 consecutive years. ASUS was rated No.1 in quality and service by the Wall Street Journal Asia. With an unparalleled commitment to innovation and quality ASUS won over 3,000 awards in 2008 – an average of 8 awards for every day of the year. Over a remarkably short period of time ASUS has become one of the top laptop manufacturers worldwide creating compelling computer experiences that have delighted consumers across the world. ASUS are the Fastest Growing Laptop Brand in Europe and ASUS sales are outstripping manufacturers who traditionally dominated the market. ASUS notebooks have changed the face of the consumer electronics market place with the introduction of highly original and ground breaking notebooks like the Eee PC™ family and the Lamborghini range.  ASUS’s design excellence is renowned and it is always informed by the life-style needs of consumers creating laptops that are technologically advanced, sophisticated and refined yet ruggedly robust. Notes to Editors If you would like a product review please contact the press office or see sample request form on the press assets pages if you wish to be placed on the waiting list. In addition we are able to organise interviews with the teachers and children of the schools involved, and marketing specialists for ASUS UK. Please contact the press office to request an appointment. Scans, specs and further information can be found on the following link: www.tru-pr.co.uk/press/client.php?c=asusindex Videos of new products can be found at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/asus You can follow ASUS on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/asusuk Detailed stockist information can be found on the following link: http://uk.asus.com/wheretobuy_new.aspx?sltLanguage=en_GB&country=1339 Contact Information: Press enquiries: Danielle Schofield, Tru PR t: +44 (0) 845 833 8292 e: asus@tru-pr.co.uk www.tru-pr.co.uk Sales enquiries: ASUS Sales Team t: +44 (0) 1442 202720 www.asus.co.uk www.youtube.com/asus www.twitter.com/asusuk