Tag: Surface

EdTech paradigms

I have been using a Surface Go as my main work device now for a number of months.    It is however only recently that I have finally found myself making use of Windows 10’s tablet mode.   An EdTech paradigm I had held had changed.

Initially my view on Tablet mode was one of disapproval.   It simply didn’t feel right to me.   I couldn’t find my apps where I wanted them, I couldn’t manage what I had open very well and I couldn’t access files and folders.   I simple didn’t like tablet mode.

On reflection the reason for this was that my Surface Go was replacing my desktop PC and laptop.   As such I was initially viewing it from the perspective of a laptop/desktop experience which tablet mode simply doesn’t give you.  But, tablet mode isn’t meant to give you this experience after all it is about setting the device up to perform as a tablet computer as opposed to a desktop/laptop.  It is about being able to work on the move, without a flat surface to sit the device on and also being able to work one handed, while holding the device in the other hand.    I was approaching a new devices functionality from the paradigm of an older way of working.

It was around a month or so ago I realised the advantages of tablet mode in particular when combined with One Note.   In a conference I could flip the keyboard cover behind my device, stick the device in tablet mode then maximise OneNote to full screen.   This gave me a full screen to sketch on or write notes on using the Microsoft Surface Pen.    In meetings I could make use of teams to access resources and documents which were required while easily switching to OneNote to take notes.   And when needed, when I found a free place to work, I could flick back to normal desktop mode and view my files, outlook and other applications in the way I normally would have done on a desktop or laptop.

For me this highlights the ongoing, and one of the biggest challenges of EdTech.   When looking at new tech we largely view it from the viewpoint of existing paradigms.   As such we may not see benefits which potentially exist.   Equally, in order to undergo a paradigm shift we need to commit to seeking these new views plus we need to experiment.   Only by trying will we be able to identify what we don’t know and see new potentials.  This, however, opens us up to the potential risk of failure, which is often an uncomfortable, albeit necessary, experience.

As I have often heard in IT industry circles “fail fast” is the key;   Try new things and experiment, but do it early and with limited groups or trials, where issues or problems will not have wider implications.   Learn from the mistakes and iterate to new solutions and share these solutions.   By doing so hopefully we can all collectively move EdTech use in schools forward.

Surface Go: After one week of use.

Microsoft’s new Surface Go device has caught my eye in its potential to bridge the gap between a desktop and a tablet.  It is due to this I got a trial device for a week however as with any limited trial there is a massive difference between having the device for a couple of days and having to live with it for a prolonged period of time.

Following reading Kevin Sait’s (@kevin_sait) piece (you can read this here) on how he gave up their Surface Pro to try a Go I decided to do the same.   And so, it was early in the week I closed my Dell XPS laptop and picked up a Go device with the plan to use it as my sole machine for the coming weeks and months, dependent on how successful the device was.   This therefore represents my initial thoughts after just under a week of using the Go as my sole device.

My first issue with the Go was the large number of un-needed apps which cluttered up its Start screen.    Thankfully this just took a little time for me to tidy up and if deploying large number of devices we would most likely make use of inTune and Autopilot to customise the start screen, etc before devices get into the hands of users.  I would therefore not really consider this much of an issue.

On the positive side, one of the things I really liked was having the go hooked up to my docking station where it happily powered two 24” screens plus charged via a single USB-C connection.     The fact that a single connector allowed me to benefit from a proper keyboard and mouse, two screens, wired network access and also provided charge to the device was perfect.   I should note that I was originally under the impression that the Go didn’t charge via the USB-C however this is not the case; it is quite happy charging but I am led to believe you will need to make sure the dock provides more than 15watts of power.    This all means my morning just involves pulling the device from my bag and connecting the USB-C and then the end of my day is simply a case of pulling the connector out and slipping the Go back into my bag.

Another positive related to the above was Thursday morning when I had an early meeting.   Midway through doing emails and working on a couple of documents I realised I had allowed time to slip a little.    Realising I needed to get a move on to be at my meeting I quickly disconnected from the dock and went on my way.   Arriving on time to the meeting things were a little slow to get started so I was able to simply grab a couple of minutes working on emails and my documents on my Go right from where I left off.  The benefits of having a device which was my desktop and my mobile device were clear.

Having bought one of Microsoft Type Covers, the keyboard size and the usability of it when compared to a standard clamshell laptop was a concern for me.     This doesn’t seem to cause me the difficulties I had anticipated.   I am actually sat on my couch typing this on my lap and neither the keyboard size or the fact it isn’t really a proper keyboard are causing me any problems.   I am able to maintain my usual respectable typing speed.   I will admit to it not quite being as comfortable and easy to use as a standard clamshell however I suspect this is simply due to years of habit, and of using a laptop.  With time I suspect I will become much more used to the slight flexibility and less sturdy feel which the type cover provides when compared with a normal clamshell laptops keyboard.

In meetings I found myself quickly taking notes using the stylus and OneNote has been my app of choice.   In addition I have also been making use of Office Lens to capture pictures of documents ready for annotation pus I have also started making use of Microsoft Whiteboard.   Being able to easily scribbled notes, draw diagrams and also annotate documents has been very beneficial.

A second issue I did find with the Go was that when I am taking written notes or when annotating I prefer to do this with the type keyboard disconnected.    The issue I had was that I disconnected in my office before going to the meeting.   Upon arriving at the meeting I found myself having to enter my login credentials however I had one hand holding the device and therefore only one hand to type my password on the onscreen keyboard.   This was far from ideal especially as I have a reasonably long password complete with the usual mix of uppercase, lowercase and numbers.    Thankfully again Microsoft have a solution in Microsoft Hello which allows for devices to have an easier login method such as a simple passcode.    At this point we are just looking into this however it does appear as if it will be the answer to this issue.

One thing which I am still to experiment with, which will be really key, is screen mirroring.    At this point I haven’t tested this however the intention is to get a device capable of mirroring, such as Microsoft’s own HDMI and USB solution.    I will provide my thoughts and feedback after I have had a chance to try this including actually using it in a class with students.

It has only been just under a week of me working with the Surface Go as my sole device however the experience so far has been reasonably positive.  Working alongside the Microsoft suite of apps including OneDrive, Teams, Lens, etc, the surface has so far been up to the job.  In the coming weeks we will see if it can keep up this standard as I present it with more challenging work tasks.   I will of course continue to share my thoughts as my use of the device continues.

 

 

 

 

The Surface Go: An initial trial

A couple of months ago I had a Surface Pro device on loan from Microsoft to see if it might be appropriate as part of my schools future IT strategy.   I was quite impressed by the device however the one stumbling point was the price of the unit.   When Microsoft announced the release of a cheaper surface device, the Surface Go, I was therefore eager to get hold of one to try it out.

Last week I took possession of a Surface Go on loan.   This post includes my initial observations based on a couple days of use.

Unboxing

The unboxing experience for the Microsoft device was very much in line the experience you get unboxing Apple products.   Unboxing new tech item should be enjoyable; with the Surface Go, everything felt high quality and as if time had been taken in considering the design and function of each element.

Keyboard

Once I had the Surface Go out the next step was to connect the keyboard cover which had been supplied with it.   Like the bigger surface Pro this snapped happily to the magnetic connector at the bottom of the device, when held in landscape mode.    The keyboard was very much similar to that of the Surface Pro in terms of quality.    The keyboard is lifted slightly off the table you have the device on.    This gives the keyboard a slight angle which makes it more comfortable for use when compared with being rested flat on the table.   It also introduces a slight amount of play in the keyboard under typing.    I didn’t find this to be an issue with the keyboard giving a reassuring feel when typing.   The keys were slightly too small for my liking however I think this is simply to do with the fact the keyboard on my 13” Dell XPS is a fair bit larger than that on the Surface Go.    With time and repeated use, I think I would become used to the marginally smaller keyboard.    Another important point of note in relation to the keyboard is the large trackpad which it provides.   I found this easy to use and very useful.   I must admit to having spent significant time in the past on the road and therefore I am very used to having to use a trackpad as opposed to a mouse.   Having a decent size of trackpad for me therefore was a bit of a bonus.

Weight

Another positive aspect of the Go when compared to its big brother, the Surface Pro, is that the reduced size has resulted in a reduction in weight.   This makes the surface Go more comfortable to use one handed.   The Pro device is just a little bit too heavy for regular one-handed use whereas the slightly smaller go seemed to be almost designed with one handed use in mind.   This may not seem like an important factor however if you are a busy teacher on the move wanting to take quick notes then the ease of one handed operation is an important feature.     Compared to the iPad, the Go seems heavier however given it is a full desktop OS I think this is to be expected.   I also liked the bezel round the screen when using the device one handed as it clearly showed me where to put my thumb without encroaching on the available screen space.

Stylus

The stylus worked quite well as it had done in my test of the Pro device.   I will acknowledge that I don’t think it is quite as good as Apples in terms of accuracy however it was more than good enough for sketch notes, annotations and other common tasks.  I tested the ability to vary the thickness of lines in relation to the pressure exerted and this seemed to work well however am unsure how useful or if this would be sufficiently sensitive for use in creating art work.   An artist would need to try this to make this decision.   I do however continue to like the feature by which you can flip the stylus around and use the “eraser” button on the back of it.  This just seems so natural, harking back to the days of my HB pencils with an eraser on the end.

The Surface Go like the larger surface Pro allows the stylus to be magnetically connected to either of the short sides of the device.    When in landscape mode on a desk I noted that as a right-handed person I wanted to attach the stylus on the right-hand side, however this side also has the surface Go’s connection ports on it.  This is a minor issue as when in portrait mode, with the keyboard folding away to the left, the pen would end up on the bottom of the device as opposed to the top if connected on the right side.    This goes to show that there need to be some compromises when you are trying to design a device to be a tablet in portrait or landscape mode but also to serve as a laptop with keyboard operating in landscape mode;  you simply can’t have it all.

Camera

I tested the rear facing camera of the Surface Go using the Microsoft Lens app to capture a photo of my office whiteboard at an angle.    The app adjusted the image to accommodate for the angle and produced a clear image.    This seems to suggest that for basic use in the class, taking pictures of displays, student work, etc, the rear facing camera would suffice.    I then tried using the front facing camera with Skype.   Again, nothing extraordinary however it delivered a clear and usable image.   I suspect the main use of the front facing camera is likely to be for use video conferencing so this simple skype test to me seems to indicate the Go is up to the task.

Ports

The available ports on the surface were rather limited in a headphone socket, single USB-C, the charge connector and also the keyboard connector.   On reflection though I am not sure this is an issue as the iPad has but two connectors.   As we move to Office 365 there is no longer a need to have multiple USB ports on a device.   As I type on my docked laptop, I am using only a single USB-C port to serve two monitors, a full-size keyboard and mouse.    As such I can see why Microsoft went minimalist here.   During my trial I tried the Go as my source for my desktop dock equipment and it was more than happy running both screens at HD resolution which is perfect for those that have a fixed office space and would want to use a docking station.

Storage

The device I had came with a 128GB SDD.   With Windows and MS Office installed I was left with 85Gb free.   Not a massive amount of space but more than enough for the average user.

In Use

In use I found the Go simple but then again I have spent many years working on various windows platforms.    The interface is natural.   I will acknowledge that the screen size is a challenge in that the standard windows interface on the 1800 x 1200 Go screen can result in some icons being a little on the small side.   Even with the stylus some items are not easy to select and you end up having to use the trackpad.    This however is all the result of the smaller size of the unit where the benefit is lower weight and ease of use onehanded.   If you want a simpler interface for big fingers then the iPad is a better option, but your iPad will never replace your desktop; another example of being unable to have it all.     I liked the ability to use the sticky notes app and drop the teachers best friend, an electronic equivalent of a post-it note, anywhere on screen and then scribble notes on it.     Throughout use the device seemed responsive and going into the trial I was concerned that Microsoft may have cut the hardware significantly to meet the lower price point, resulting in a more sluggish and unresponsive device.   In my trial I saw no signs of this.    One little niggle I had was in how the device switched from portrait to landscape.   I found the device to switch sometimes when I didn’t want it to which was a little annoying.

Conclusion

Overall I liked the surface Go device.    The major issue of price, when looking at the Surface Pro, seems to be solved with the significantly cheaper Go device.   It is worth noting that the price is good, however the stylus and keyboard/case are extras and at extra cost, as they are with an iPad.   In relation to the lower cost, when compared with the Surface Pro, I had however expected this to result in significant deficiencies in the hardware and therefore in the experience of using the Go.   In use I didn’t see these deficiencies.    I will acknowledge that I only made use of the device for a couple of days so testing was limited and therefore issues related to the hardware may appear under more prolonged use and testing.     My niggles around the ease of use of the windows interface on a small screen are to be expected.   I get the greater flexibility of a desktop OS but this results in it being a little bit more fidgety in use.   Am I willing to accept this trade off?    Yes, as I would rather have a single device which I can dock and use with a screen and keyboard, than having to have two devices in a desktop/laptop and a separate portable tablet device.    I will also acknowledge that I don’t believe the Go will be up to any heavy lifting in very large complex spreadsheets, video or graphics related work.   It wasn’t designed for this.    The Go to me is a simple general use device, which will fit the majority of teachers and students who will be using Office 365 as their main tool.   Here the Go covers most, if not all bases.

Following my limited trial, I was positively surprised. The next step for me is to get a longer trial with the Surface Go to see how it fares in longer term use.

 

 

 

Microsoft Surface: My views

For a week or so I have had a couple of devices on loan from Microsoft, namely a Surface Pro, Surface Book and Surface Laptop.    My focus has been on some initial experimentation with the Surface Pro device.   My reasoning for focusing on the Surface Pro rather than the other options being the fact it is closer in nature to the iPad Pro devices we are currently using in school and therefore the Pro represents a clear direct alternative.   So far my overall reaction has been a positive one.

It is sometimes the little things that make all of the difference.   One of these little things in relation to the Surface Pro is the magnetic nature of the pen which means you can attach it to three out of four of the sides of the device.  The only side you can’t attach it to is the one with the power and volume buttons on it.    This should help in avoiding misplacing the pen plus means you don’t need a clunky case with a space to store the pen.

Sticking with the pen, I was surprised to find its power source is a AAAA battery.    I had expected the pen to contain a rechargeable battery however on review I think Microsoft got it right with a removable battery in that it won’t suffer from memory effect as rechargeable batteries do.   It does however add a cost consideration in that the batteries will need replaced.   That and I suspect AAAA, being not as common as AA or AAA, will not be particularly cheap however from what I have read Microsoft reckon each AAAA battery will last a decent amount of time before needing changed.

A lovely feature of the pen is the eraser.   Like a HB pencil with a rubber eraser at the rear, the Microsoft pen can simply be spun around to erase your annotations, drawings or mistakes.    This is another “little thing” however I found this process of spinning the pen around to erase mistakes so natural and therefore such an excellent feature of the device.

Along with the Pro I was supplied with one of their detachable keyboards which magnetically attaches to one side of the tablet.   The magnetic connection was easy to make as well as to separate the tablet from the keyboard.   The keyboard itself gave a reassuring feel in use on a flat surface so I suspect would be reasonable for long term use.   I also tried using it on my lap where again it seemed to work reasonably well although, as is the issue with keyboards of this type, it offered a little bit of flex making it not quite as good an experience as you would get from a conventional clamshell laptop.    All of this being said, I think I would generally only be using the keyboard as a cover, using the inking facilitate to hand write notes, etc and make annotations with only occasional use of the keyboard where longer documents require typing.

The keyboard, as a cover, can be flipped round the back of the device out of the way allowing it to be used in its tablet form.   I wasn’t too happy with this in that I didn’t like being able to feel the keys on the rear of the device, where the keyboard had been flipped to the back.   This issue is a common issue with devices with flip around keyboards.   It was a colleague who has been experimenting with the Surface Book who indicated that the keyboard could be reversed meaning that when flipped to the back of the device, the keys are then facing inwards onto the back of the device, allowing you to hold the device without feeling the keys.   This was more comfortable to use in tablet mode but means when reverting back to using the keyboard, you need to remove, flip and reconnect the keyboard before you can use.

The tablet device comes with a kickstand on the rear allowing you to make it free standing on a desk or other flat surface or to keep it upright when connected to the keyboard for typing.    This seems useful if you want to watch something on the device however I note that the tablet doesn’t have any rubber feet on its edges.   As such when without the keyboard attached and when trying to write on the tablet I found it slid away from me and therefore required I use one hand to hold it in place.   Considering the kickstand I suspect it would only see use where I was making use of the keyboard as in general operation I am more likely just to hold the device, as a tablet, in one hand while writing on it with the other.

The surface comes with both a front and rear facing camera, as is common in tablets.   A quick use showed the rear facing camera to offer a good level and quality in its digital zoom feature although I note that I haven’t so far tried it out under varied lighting conditions, etc.

Overall I found the Surface Pro good to use.   The one issue I had with it was the rather pricey cost of it meaning that it would be more expensive than the iPad pros we currently have in use.    That said, the Surface represents a full desktop computer which is something which cant quite be said for the iPad.    As a result of this one issue, it was with great interest I ready Microsoft’s announcement of the new Surface Go device, which basically will be a more affordable version of the surface, putting it much closer in price bracket to the iPad Pro device.  You can read more about this here.    I am hoping to get a trial of a Surface Go at some point during September.    I believe it may just be the missing piece in my search to identify where I see classroom tech going over the next few years.