Integrating a full modern learning system with Acer Chromebooks: the Arnstorf success story

With the Acer Chromebooks it is possible to combine digital learning at the highest technical level with the everyday concepts of the school. The Google Classroom provides a modern alternative for students and teachers to learn technically, save digitally and retrieve all data from any device. The State School of Arnstorf, in Germany, thus provides the best conditions for pupils to prepare for the digital working environment.

Southern Germany schools as pioneers of innovation

Many schools in the southern part of Germany already have modern learning systems and technical equipment to prepare pupils for the education of the future. This trend is also going in the right direction at the Realschule Arnstorf (RSA). The coordinating teacher Michael Pöppl stresses the fact that the school is already well equipped with laptops, WLAN and even its own robotics room.
For eight years now, the Google G Suite has been the foundation of digital learning at school, which can now be combined with 30 new Acer Chromebooks Spin 11. They are exactly the right learning platform for working modern and effective at the same time. What do the students love most about this? The Acer Spin 11 can be used in both notebook and tablet mode.

State-of-the-art technology in digital school life

Behind this success story is the new Chrome operating system which makes the intuitive Acer Chromebooks the optimal educational laptop. The devices start up very quickly and are ready for use in just a few seconds. With the help of a cloud, efficient and modern storage is possible without any problems so that the processed files can be accessed flexibly at any time and anywhere.
With integrated virus protection and additional data encryption in the cloud, Chromebooks are best protected for every application. The battery life is also lasts for the entire school day, even when actively used, so that the devices can be ideally integrated into the lessons and become a functional part of the digital classroom.

Intuitive and progressive – a true enrichment for the classroom

At Arnstorf school all pupils and teachers are involved in the use of the equipment. “All of the approximately 700 students and 60 teachers have their own Google Classroom access,” Mr. Pöppl points out. Seamless integration into existing school operations makes the devices a universal companion that will soon be available in all class levels. During the test phase, however, the new Chromebooks have so far only been used in the 5th, 8th and 9th grade to test the possibilities and application areas.
By using the Chromebooks, applications such as Google Classroom, Google Docs and Google Drive are now also included in the lessons. During the current pilot phase, the devices and their applications will be used for productive and modern work in the subjects of German, biology, art, computer sciences and geography. This allows students to create presentations, work together on documents and search for key information during digital project work.

Increasingly more digital presence at school

To answer the question of whether or not the devices save time, the answer is definetely yes: “After a brief familiarisation phase of pupils and colleagues, the lessons can be designed faster and more modern,” says teacher Pöppl. Not only will more content and structure become part of the digital classroom, but the students will also have a lot more fun learning thanks to help of the technology.
By connecting to existing laptops, more and more students can work on the devices at the same time, making communication easier. However, not only the laptops interact perfectly with each other, but also the other equipment purchased by the “Digital Pact for School” can easily be connected to the Chromebooks. The contents of the laptops can be easily transferred to the existing 75-inch displays via Google Chromecast and edited with WLAN in front of the whole class.

Sustainable concepts for effective learning

At the State School in Arnstorf the digital classroom is no longer a dream of the future. Through the comprehensive integration of Chromebooks in schools, existing processes are to be geared even more specifically to digital learning in the future in order to introduce pupils and teachers to the use of the devices.
Teacher Pöppl is still reserved on the subject of whether the digital components will be a worthy successor to pen and paper. “A combination of digital and analogue solutions will continue to be essential in the future. The great task for all schools will be to find a reasonable and purposeful combination.” With the Chromebooks the right approach for this development is already being created today. Thanks to the Wacom pen integrated in the case, you can also work with the Acer Chromebooks Spin 11 in a classic digital handwriting style at any time.
Until the completed integration, teachers have the opportunity to train themselves further through internal school training and to also understand all the basics of the equipment. A new digital age is dawning for pupils and teachers at the State School of Arnstorf with modern equipment. New meets old, motivation meets rejection and digital strategies meet proven teaching strategies. Does this step work? “We personally look to the future with confidence and are looking forward to becoming part of this development ourselves with Acer Chromebooks and Google Classroom,” says Pöppl.