Microsoft is a regular annual visitor to the Bett education conference each year. This year is a little different because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The conference is usually held at the ExCel in London but was cancelled this year. Instead, the BettFest is being held as a two-day virtual event through January 20 and 21. Ahead of that event, Microsoft is teasing some new Windows 10 laptops that will target education users:
Acer TravelMate Spin B3, starting at $329 AcerTravelMate B3, starting at $239 Asus ExpertBook BR1100, starting at $279 JP-IK Leap Connect T304, starting at $229 JP-IK Leap T304, starting at $185
Microsoft says all of the above laptops have an LTE option. For the added connectivity, the price will increase around $100, but the company says these are still some of the most affordable LTE PCs on the market.
More Announcements
Also as part of its Bett announcements, Microsoft says it is releasing an updated Microsoft Classroom Pen 2. The main difference here seems to be a longer enclosure and a more affordable $19.99 price tag. Looking at Microsoft Teams for education, Microsoft says the Reflect emotional well-being survey integration will come to Education Insights this spring. The new Reflect tool allows educators to connect with students and engage in SEL classes. Praise Badges are SEL-specific (Social and Emotional Learning) Praise Badges that highlight students. They provide a way to give recognition to students who make small gains in learning. Tip of the day: Did you know that as a Windows 10 admin you can restrict user accounts by disabling settings or the control panel? Our tutorial shows how to disable and enable them via Group Policy and the registry.
