Case Study | Education

Supporting the next generation to grow and learn, in the classroom and at home

A Lenovo ThinkFWD Case study

When public health orders and restrictions were announced for the first time in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Australian education providers were forced to kick into gear almost overnight and equip their students with the tools they needed to learn remotely.

The combination of the right teachings and the right technology can drastically enhance a student’s education experience. In a technology enabled future, schools need to be setting students up for success no matter what career they choose. No pressure, right?

There’s no school that can say it was prepared for a global pandemic, but through a longstanding focus on integrating technology into day-to-day learning, and smart partnerships, Perth’s All Saints’ College was able to adapt to the challenges that came their way, and ultimately support both the immediate needs, and longer-term bright futures of their students.

A world-leading learning community with diverse use cases

With 1,300 students from Pre-K to Year 12, diversity is in All Saints College’s DNA. Be that in students’ ages, genders, abilities, cultures, faith, interest or pathways. The school’s leadership team and faculties believe their core responsibility is to equip their students with the skill sets, mindsets and tools to not only manage, but thrive, in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world.

For over twenty years, All Saints College has been integrating technology into programs to ensure students are ready for the future. As early adopters of technology in the classroom, the school integrated a 1:1 laptop ratio for Grades 4-12 back in the early 2000s.

Offering devices that strike the right balance of a good battery life, touch screen capabilities and robust hardware, Lenovo’s range was up to the task of the modern classroom.

“The way in which we try and integrate the use of technology for our students, is to make sure that every piece of technology that we provide them is appropriate for what they need to do. Robustness, battery life and the serviceability of the devices is paramount”
said Ian Mackay-Scollay, Director of ICT at All Saints’ College

Enabled by their Lenovo ThinkPad and Lenovo Yoga devices, creative students at All Saints are learning professional-standard programs; senior academic students are working in Microsoft OneNote to prepare for the rigours of university life; and engineering students are learning how to code robots.

But it’s not just hardware and software - the services associated with All Saints’ technology solutions are also critical in supporting the next generation to grow and learn.

A local, agile partner to rely on

When COVID-19 threatened to interrupt the continuity of student learning, All Saints’ College turned to local reseller Winthrop to ensure that everything kept running smoothly, with little to no downtime on students’ devices.

Having worked with the school over a number of years, Winthrop not only supplies Lenovo’s hardware to All Saints College - roughly 400 devices a year - but the services associated with device management. This meant Ian Mackay-Scollay and his team could feel confident that Winthrop was always nearby, available to step in when complex technical support was needed.

Despite the tight notice period of a full lockdown, over one weekend, Winthrop were able to work with the school to organise 350 devices to be couriered to students’ homes. Utilising Microsoft Intune and Windows Autopilot (which was pre-loaded at the Lenovo plant prior to shipping) for a seamless, remote set-up, students were ready to start classes when the bell rang - no matter where they were.

As Perth embraces the new ‘COVID normal’ and All Saints’ students are back on site, Lenovo and Winthrop have turned their attention to working to ensure students have the same models as their teachers, for minimal hassle in the classroom.

“The unity of the same device across students and staff has that one touch, one ease of point management for the IT team. When you’re in the classroom as well, everyone has the same look, the same feel, and it just works with the device platform,”
said Chris Johnston, Business Development Manager at Winthrop

In understanding the unique needs of a school community of All Saints’ calibre, a team of ICT professionals and education providers contributed to 1,300 students’ smart learning and enhanced their potential, during a once-in-a-lifetime event. Through the right technology and partnerships, we can make a smarter future for all.