Motion Case Studies

MGD Computer Systems and Al Bayan School

The Background:

Established in Saudi Arabia in 2002, MGD Computer Systems is a private company that focuses on bringing valuable service to the Middle East education technology arena. MGD introduces complete and total e-learning solutions including learning management systems, class management systems, and device and digital contents. The MGD team includes highly professional research and development engineers and analysts as well as experts in education and academic process.

The Al Bayan School is a private girls school in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia , widely renowned for its efforts to shape its students mentally, physically and spiritually. The Al Bayan School has about 900 students in the primary, middle and secondary stages.

The Challenge:

In April 2003, MGD took on the challenge of bringing the latest technology to the Al Bayan School, which had not been using any type of technology previously, but relied only upon conventional educational methods and materials. MGD and Al Bayan's goals were to select a robust technology that would replace traditional textbooks as seamlessly as possible.

The Solution:

MGD used its years of experience in education and e-learning to understand the needs of the Al Bayan School and, after conducting research comparing the available technologies, chose the Motion Computing slate-style tablet PC over convertible tablet PCs, desktop PCs and notebooks. MGD and Al Bayan chose the Motion tablet PC as the most suitable model for educational purposes because of its large, bright 12.1-inch XGA display, which enables students and educators to view a full page without scrolling. In addition, the Motion tablet PC was selected because of its integrated wireless capabilities, ultra-low-power Intel processor and the pen-based input made possible by the Microsoft's Windows XP Tablet PC Edition — all in a lightweight, clipboard-sized shape. Because the Motion system is shaped like a clipboard, students can carry it in one arm and write on it just as they would a paper notebook.

MGD's role was to deliver the new concept to the school system and transfer all the learning courses to electronic formats, i ncluding Digital Text, MultiMedia and Virtual Labs . MGD planned and implemented the wireless local area network. The company also designed a model to reduce the maintenance and interruptions that might occur to students and educators. MGD conducted more than 150 hours of extensive training sessions to all parties who would deal with the new system, including supervisors, technicians, teachers, students and parents.

Real Results:

After five months of project development, about 150 students from Al Bayan's middle stage (9 th to 11 th grades) and 35 school staff are now using the Motion tablet PC as the central learning and managerial solution. The collaborative efforts of MGD and Al Bayan, along with the user-friendly features of the Motion tablet PC, have led to a seamless integration of the technology into the Al Bayan School.

“It's amazing, when the word ‘school’ comes to my mind now it resembles fun, learning and entertainment,” said an Al Bayan student.

The Motion Computing tablet PC makes life easier for students in many ways. Students no longer need to carry heavy bags because all their materials are in electronic format on their ultramobile tablet PCs. The students enjoy doing homework using Windows Journal, the note-taking accessory that lets them create and organize handwritten notes on the tablet PC, and the pen-based graphics software from Corel Grafigo. Using inking tools to write notes, draw diagrams and read books are several of the benefits of the tablet PC. In addition, parents without any IT background can use their student's Motion tablet to sign official papers using the Ink feature and intuitive screens to track their children's schoolwork and communicate with teachers.

The inking features optimize the teacher's time and accelerate the migration from paper to tablet PC-based education, helping achieve educational targets with more impressive and effective methods. The tablet PC screen became the white board for the teachers using Corel Grafigo software.

“Technology always adds value to the human learning environment. Using this new technology makes me feel that I'm into an amazing life experience,” said a computer technician at the Al Bayan School.

“It's not only about students, parents and teachers,” a school supervisor said. “I could not believe how easy it is to track the activities of the teachers and their students and sign out managerial papers using the tablet PC.”

“The Middle East was always lagging in technology adoption, but this is no longer valid. We started using the Motion tablet PCs and latest Microsoft technologies to change the learning experience of Al Bayan Model School for girls, one of the very first schools in the world to adopt it,” said Maher Raga'a, CEO of MGD.

Mohammed Atef, Al Bayan project manager, explained: “Al Bayan's vision to change the experience of learning for its students, and MGD's continuous support and understanding of the school's needs introduced a unique solution that made Al Bayan a leader in the education system.”

MGD management believes that this is not the end of the story, but the start of a whole new educational system in the region.