High requirements
In the Swiss educational landscape, pupils are increasingly confronted with equipment requirements that cannot be met on a small budget.
The classic here is a built-in touch screen, which is required in many cases, but is not didactically necessary.
Possibilities of a touchscreen
A touch-sensitive screen has certain advantages. For example, notes can be easily written on PDFs and hand sketches can be made.
Quickly adding notes by hand can be an advantage, but in many professions sketching is simply not necessary. Many tasks can also be completed using a mouse and keyboard without any noticeable disadvantages.
The big disadvantage
A laptop with a touchscreen can cost twice or three times as much to purchase as an equivalent device without a touchscreen.
We only have a limited number of laptops with touch screens. Therefore, we can only provide these few devices to apprentices and students of professions for which this is absolutely necessary (e.g. visual arts).
The compromise
Every laptop can be equipped with a so-called graphics tablet. This external work surface allows notes to be taken on documents or hand sketches to be made.
All graphics tablets have roughly the same capabilities. This one is no exception:
- Wacom Intuos S (approx. CHF 50.-)
Other options can easily be found on the Internet by searching for "graphics tablets". Useful models are available from CHF 50.
However, these graphics tablets are not included in the scope of delivery of our devices. Therefore, please note the additional prices if, for example, cost credits have to be obtained in advance.
The following video shows how to work with a graphics tablet:
This is how you can decide
Ask the school if the touch screen is mandatory and if so, what it is for.
Check with your client the alternative (no touch screen, but for example a graphics tablet to go with it).
Weigh the costs. A touchscreen device will be massively more expensive in the procurement price.
Procurement alternatives
If it is mandatory for a laptop to have a built-in touch screen and we have informed you that we cannot provide a device with a touch screen, you will need to obtain a device through another source.
Many schools now work with the platform edu.ch together. Even though these prices are much higher than our small contribution to expenses, edu.ch is a most cost-effective alternative - and usually schools also offer discounts for certain devices.
If a laptop with a touchscreen is to be purchased, it is best to contact the school directly to find out about any discounts.
Questions? We are happy to help!
If you are still unsure, simply write us a message or give us a quick call:
– kontakt@wir-lernen-weiter.ch
– +41 56 521 30 29
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