Dell Technologies has announced new additions to its portfolio of purpose-built technology designed to challenge, engage and inspire K-12 educators and students worldwide.

This newest line of products, including an interactive monitor plus intelligently tough Latitude and Dell Chromebook devices and a new charging cart, helps educators integrate technology with new teaching and learning practices, while encouraging students to follow their own path of discovery.

“Recent Dell Technologies research on Generation Z – those born in the mid-1990s and later – confirms our belief that for students to be successful now and in the future, educators must empower them to drive their own success and support them with tools and resources that ignite students’ natural curiosities,” said Adam Garry, director of education strategy at Dell. “These new devices enable both educators and students to inquire, create and collaborate seamlessly, wherever learning takes place.”

According to the Dell Technologies study, 80% of Gen Zers want to work with cutting-edge technology, yet only 57% rate their schools as good or excellent in preparing them for future careers.

Backed by more than 30 years of purposeful innovation, Dell’s new education devices are designed to help prepare students for the evolving workforce, while providing the flexibility and choice that schools need today.

Gen Zers indicate a strong preference for peer learning (75%) and teamwork (58%), and today’s classrooms are transforming into collaborative-friendly spaces that facilitate group learning and productivity.

The new large-format Dell 75 4K Interactive Touch Monitor (C7520QT), available this spring, is ideally suited as a primary classroom display or for group collaboration. It features vivid 4K resolution and 20-point multi-touch InGlass™ capability allowing multiple users to interact with the screen simultaneously.

Using their fingers, or passive styluses (two included), students can write or draw with virtually zero lag and can easily erase written content with the palm of their hands. The natural and intuitive touch functionality is compatible with virtually all industry-standard software.

Enabling collaboration for all, the exclusive Dell Screen Drop is the world’s first accessibility feature improving reachability for users working from different heights. Buttons at the side of the panel enable users to lower the displayed image to three different height settings so it’s within easy reach. Other features that make the 75” monitor ideally suited for classroom use include:

• The wide viewing angle enabled by IPS technology allows for vivid and consistent colours across the screen to be seen from virtually anywhere in the room.
• Dell monitor technology optimises fonts and ensures visuals appear sharp while operating everyday programs like Microsoft PowerPoint, Word and Excel.
• Anti-glare and anti-smudge coatings reduce distracting reflections and fingerprints while Dell ComfortView reduces blue light emission to optimise eye comfort.
• The unique design supports seamless integration of an optional Dell OptiPlex Micro PC into the display for an all-in-one solution that lowers operating costs over the life of the monitor.
• RS232, RJ45 and HDMI CEC connectivity enables IT managers to manage the display remotely.
• To enable more flexible learning spaces, an optional mobile AV cart allows the monitor to go where needed.

As the first digital-native generation, Gen Z has strong opinions about their technology. More than 98% of those surveyed have used technology as part of their formal education, and 91% said the type of technology offered by a future employer would influence their choice among similar job offers.

Dell’s new education PCs combine the attractive design and top performance that students demand with the durability and reliability necessary in the learning environment.

Drawing on Dell’s experience building rugged mobile devices for field services, law enforcement, first responders and the military, Dell’s new education PCs are designed to ensure that students have the most durable products to rely on both in and out of the classroom.

All of the new notebooks have been designed to 15 MIL-STD specs to survive the daily bangs, drops and slams of student use, and include such features as spill-resistant sealed keyboards and captive keys for better pick resistance.

The devices are also more rugged than previous models. Tested to be schoolyard-tough, the Latitude 3300 Education and the new Chromebook 3100 and 3100 2-in-1 have been hinge cycle and micro-drop tested from four inches at every angle for thousands of cycles to more closely replicate the real-life damage that can occur over the lifespan of a classroom device. And both the Latitude 3300 and the new Dell Chromebook series are designed to withstand 30”+ drops onto steel and 48” drops onto plywood.

Available today , the Latitude 3300 Education offers a higher resolution display and up to 16 hours and 52 minutes of battery life in a 13-inch notebook with an embedded Full HD Touch option. Featuring an attractive dark grey matte finish, the notebook is available with Intel® Celeron™, Pentium™, and up to Core i5 processors to support the demands of STEM applications. The device featuresUSB-Type C for power and data transfer and DDR4 4GB or 8GB memory options.

The reliable Dell Chromebook 3000 series, available in late March[JS2] , gets a refresh with Intel Gemini Lake processors, which have shown great performance on speedometer 2.0 testing showcasing a 42.3 score on the Chromebook 3100.5 To support connectivity and collaboration, the series features new 2×2 Intel wireless cards and USB Type-C for charging and data transfer.

The devices are also easier to manage for IT, with two-year life cycles and six-plus years of Google Auto Updates at time of launch.

To eliminate the need for on-site wiring prior to deployment, the Dell Compact USB-C Charging Cart Prewired for USB-C Laptops (CT36UC20), available in March, ships with 36 USB-C power adapters pre-installed into the cart, saving valuable IT time.

Cart power is provided by Ergotron’s patented PowerShuttle charging management system which efficiently charges up to 36 devices from a 12A wall outlet and is 40% faster than standard round robin systems.

These announcements come as part of Dell Technologies’ participation as an exhibitor at Bett 2019, taking place 23-26 January in London.