Acorn News - (PR??/11.1.95)

Acorn Gives Schools The Education Advantage at BETT 95

11 January, 1995

Acorn Computers, the leading supplier of computers to schools, is taking 'The Whole School' as its theme for BETT 95, showing how its new interactive and flexible technologies can form an integral part of the life of a school. Acorn will be showcasing and offering hands-on demonstrations of many innovative new products and services designed to give schools the best available choice of cross-curricular IT. The Acorn 'Workbench' will give educationalists a glimpse of the technologies students will be using in the future and the popular theatre sessions and advice clinic remain key features this year.

Peter Talbot, General Manager for UK Education, at Acorn, comments:

"The 'Whole School' approach is fundamental to our education strategy and reflects the trends we have identified in education. Computers and interactive technologies are now seen as a core resource for children and teachers, and for management and curriculum use. New developments in portables, communications and networking technologies are extending the concept of the 'Whole School' to include resources in the home, local community and on the information superhighway. With many of these technologies in action on the Acorn stand, visitors will see for themselves that Acorn really does offer schools the greatest choice, flexibility and educational advantage."

The Risc PC, Acorn's newest and most innovative computer system which was launched to much critical acclaim in April last year, will be on the Acorn stand, enabling visitors to see the excellent design features and powerful multimedia performance and functionality which the Risc PC offers schools.

For the very first time, Risc PCs will be shown running IBM PC 486 cards, now enabling Risc PCs to run both IBM PC and Acorn RISC OS software.

Talking and Working Together

Flexibility and choice are a key element of Acorn's educational computing products.

Acorn's Universal Networking (AUN) strategy is expected to set standards in educational networking for the 21st century. At BETT 95, Acorn is launching OmniClient, Access Release 2, Access + and Access CDShare, all new additions to the AUN portfolio. Visitors to the show can also see Acorn 'talking to the world' with a network connecting the Acorn stand to Microsoft, ILS supplier Systems Integrated Research (SIR), Apple, and a number of Acorn's key networking partners including Digital Services, ANT Ltd, Cumana, SJ Research and I-Cubed.

The Information Superhighway

Interactive set-top box technology from Online Media, the latest division of the Acorn Computer Group, will be on show to give visitors a chance to see what the future holds for education. Interactive television services for homes, schools and other educational establishments are expected in the near future.

Schools do not have to wait to sample the Information Superhighway, however. Exploring the Internet is now within the grasp of UK schools with the launch of Acorn InterTalk, which allows access to the Internet and World Wide Web, and offers electronic mail and bulletin board services. The educational benefits of InterTalk will be demonstrated by schoolchildren from Carisbrooke High School, Isle of Wight, with their 'Library of the Future' in the Class Act area sponsored by Educational Computing & Technology. Rob Jones, a teacher at Carisbrooke High School, will be discussing this project on the Acorn stand, in a presentation entitled: 'Libraries of the Future - Internet for the Curriculum'.

Multimedia

Multimedia has long been a key strength of Acorn computers. Acorn Replay, which has offered Full Motion Video on all Acorn RISC OS systems since 1992, now offers the ability to access MPEG video when the optional Movie Magic card from Computer Concepts is fitted.

The Acorn Risc PC 16-bit Sound Upgrade allowing near CD-quality stereo sound will also be on display as will the Acorn 300i, a double speed CD ROM drive for the Risc PC supporting Kodak Photo CD and offering full MPC compatibility.

National Curriculum Support

Acorn is launching a series of pamphlets, entitled 'What's In IT for Me?' at BETT 95, designed to encourage the use of IT across the revised National Curriculum. Each booklet looks at a different subject area, or different areas of technology such as multimedia or networking. The series also includes booklets explaining how Acorn Risc PCs can bring the school effectiveness required for the Department for Education's 1995 GEST funding and how Acorn computers can be used in the teaching of GNVQs.

Portability

Acorn is bringing the ideal of one computer per child within reach for more and more schools and parents with its practical and economical range of Pocket Books, which will be on show on the Acorn stand. The Pocket Book, which was recently praised in the NCET portables study, will also be seen in action in the Class Act area, where pupils from Lord Grey School, Milton Keynes, will be demonstrating truly personal computing with these powerful, hand-held computers.

Special Needs

Helping education to maximise the learning opportunities for children with special educational needs remains a priority for Acorn. As well as supporting the many companies who produce special needs software for Acorn systems by sponsoring the Micros for Special Needs focus area at the show, Acorn will be announcing a number of new developments and schemes at BETT 95. These include a prospectus of AECs and dealers with expertise in special needs, a regular newsletter and an Acorn special needs forum. The newly announced special needs Risc PC and special needs multimedia Risc PC from Northwest Semerc, will also be on show.

Founded in 1978, with 1993 revenues of £54.3m, Acorn Computers is the premier supplier of IT solutions to UK education and has been the world's first supplier of low-cost, 32-bit RISC based computers since 1987. Acorn works closely with a strong community of industry partners, users and software developers to provide innovative technology solutions for the education, consumer, publishing and international markets.

Acorn Computer Group plc is the holding company for Acorn Computers Limited, Acorn Australia, Acorn New Zealand, Acorn GmbH and Online Media. Acorn Computer Group owns 43% of Advanced RISC Machines Ltd. Online Media, a division of the Acorn Computer Group, was launched in 1994 with the mission to design world class, interactive multimedia products.