Enter the Nova 5000. A brainchild of Fourier Systems and developed in collaboration with partners such as DELL, CDWG and Ingram, the super-portable, sturdy and lightweight Nova5000 offers schools a low cost solution for their basic student computing needs in the classroom - in the lab, at home and for outdoor activities.

Falling somewhere between a conventional laptop and a large PDA, the Nova 5000 offers many of the capabilities of traditional desktops but with cost savings and higher mobility. It contains internal batteries for up to 4 hours of operation With USB ports, video output and other conventional PC ports, the Nova5000 is adept at interfacing with different devices such as external screens and projectors without extra hardware. The portable computer is also receptive to external pointing devices, trackballs and keyboards.

But in the face the increasing ubiquity and declining costs of all manner of computing assets –from standard desktops to mobile laptops, how is the Nova5000 significant?

An obvious strength is value for money. Fourier Systems, Inc. has seriously addressed the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) issue that still prevents many from equitable access to technology. The Total Cost of Ownership for the Nova5000 is one of the lowest for any student computer. It is built on the principles of economy and durability, and requires very little in the way of support and troubleshooting.

“Fourier wanted to provide a costeffective solution that can make 1:1 computing [with every student having a computer to work with] a reality for most schools worldwide. Educational technology in its more advanced form– a computing device for every student – has been shown to improve student and teacher productivity. Technology provides students with the skills that have become a necessity in the 21st century workplace. The Nova5000 and Learning Alliance have set as their mission better student performance, achievement and motivation through a tailored educational solution for ubiquitous computing,” explained Dov Bruker CEO Fourier Systems when questioned about the motivation behind the Nova5000.

When it comes to essential education demands, the Nova5000 gives educational performance near laptop levels, but with the lower costs commonly associated with PDA devices. For performance per dollar, it is hard to fault the machine. In competitive environments where funds are hard to come by and are hotly contested, the Nova5000 is staple fare for initiatives that want a computer for every student in science classrooms and general student education. With a focus on accessible education delivery, the Nova5000 cuts the frills to deliver a modular approach that accommodates sensors, external equipment, and multiple input styles (writing recognition, stylus interaction) for differently-abled students. A large array of sensors is also commercially available, allowing the Nova5000 to take measurements frequently used in a school curriculum. Purchasable sensors can measure temperature, humidity, acceleration, current, heart rate, humidity, velocity, light levels, lung activity and capacity lung capacity, light, wind speed, sound, and rate of water flow, as well as a myriad other variables.

The Nova5000’s appeal isn’t only in its hardware. It comes bundled with education-specific applications, partner software and the MultiLogPRO data logger. The bundled tools range from solutions for math and science to productivity tools, Internet research products and concept mapping, transforming the Nova5000 from an uncomplicated tablet PC to a powerful learning platform. ”The Nova5000, unlike other low cost 1:1 solutions, is not just an empty box. It is bundled with a huge array of education software for management, assessment, concept mapping, science, math, office – productivity as well as many applications. This not only makes it more cost effective than any other solution but makes it a genuinely "total" solution meeting curriculum standards in every country,” notes Tamar Antokol, Vice President for Worldwide Marketing at Fourier Systems.

Of course, the Nova5000 is no panacea. Compared to most laptops, it is underpowered, and offers pared-down functionality. With a 540 Mhz Intel processor and 64 Mb of RAM (expandable to 128), the Nova5000 is hardly at the cutting edge of terabyte crunching. But offsetting that lack of brute force are applications that are tailored to the Microsoft-provided Windows 5.0 Net operating system to leave a smaller footprint.

According to Brenda Raker, CEO of Fourier Systems in the United States, choices of software partners and operating system have been made to a game plan that maximizes reach, compatibility, and functionality.

“There are several reasons why we selected Windows CE 5.0 for the Nova5000. Windows CE is a mature, widely-used operating system, which reduces support needs, running costs and learning curves," she said. “It also incorporates tools such as NZip, PDF Viewer, Paint, Calculator, and Image Viewer. The Windows Embedded Partner Program offers a platform for us to promote our products and to communicate further with our customers and potential partners," she says With piles of useful software, such as a Microsoft World look alike, a Microsoft Excel clone and even a Power Point-esque presentation maker, the Nova5000 offers a well-rounded package for entry-level computing education solutions. Productivity tools such as Textmaker and Planmaker are similar in layout and function to Microsoft Office tools, which makes transition easier for instructors and students used to the Windows environment.

So while running huge CAD/CAM applications and advanced graphic shaders might be a bit beyond the Nova5000, this should not detract from the PDA/laptop crossover’s appeal as an ingeniously designed and affordable tool for education.

THE NOVA5000’S INTERNATIONAL APPEAL

Nova5000s are becoming standard fare in IT-enabled education worldwide For instance, Russia has digital science laboratories for biology, chemistry and physics equipped with Fourier Systems data loggers and digital probes to cater to 200,000 students yearly. School locations running the Nova5000 range from large well known cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg, to remote areas like Khanti-Mansiisk. In Romania, an EU funded SOCRATES project uses Nova5000s for a joint European Masters Program in Remote Engineering (MARE). IEEE Members from Austria, Germany, Ireland, Romania, Slovenia and the Ukraine are participating in the program, and a curriculum-specific Lab View program is being developed for use with the Nova5000s.

“The Nova5000 is a wonderful solution for those countries that don't have much expertise in computer use - and only in the last years have started to use computers. In my personal experience the technology will help countries like Romania and Brazil to take great jumps in their educational developments,” comments an enthusiastic Dr. Doru Ursutiu, a professor of physics the University Transylvania Brasov, Romania, who is the driving force behind the Lab View project.

Successful Nova5000 implementations have also been set up in rural schools for Bedouin Arab children in parts of Israel. Against a backdrop of hardship and socio-economic exclusion, the children have been enticed back to education in the face of high abandonment rates by delivering an interactive syllabus through networked Nova5000s.

In America, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) program has funded a Nova5000 driven computing model for classrooms at the Yolo Country School District in CA. “Our grant (No Child Left Behind funded) had an emphasis on increasing the content knowledge of teachers in math and science.We found that the Nova5000s are educational tools for both teachers and students. Our teachers are finding how easy it is to have students collect data, then they find out how their students feel like they own that data and are much more willing to do something with it. They get excited manipulating and analyzing information they relate to and own,” commented Bob Bachmeier,Yolo County Office of Education.

AN ALLIANCE OF TECHNOLOGY PROVIDERS

The Nova5000 might be a well designed piece of hardware. But that fact is insufficient to spur enthusiasm towards its model of low-cost computing. Rather, what sets the Nova5000 apart is a network of developers and manufacturers that are delivering products and services that help the Nova5000 facilitate education delivery. Fourier Systems has joined with a growing number of leading industry technology providers to form Nova Learning Alliance that promotes the goal of providing affordable computer access through the Nova5000.

This collection of ancillary partners means that there is no shortage of applications and tools for the Nova5000, making the computer a viable all-round solution. Apart from a vast array of sensors and probes that can be purchased to allow direct measurement and interaction with the environment, the Nova5000 benefits from education software tailored for it.

With an explicit agenda and clear focus, software for the Nova5000 seeks to address specific requirements in education. LanSchool, a member of the Nova Learning Alliance, has launched the LanSchool 6.5. The application has been created to satisfy of the need to monitor access to Internet-enabled computers so that young students do not get distracted.

The basic purpose behind the LanSchool is to create a computer lab environment where teaching and learning can be maximized to the exclusion of anything else. LanSchool gives teachers full control over the class and their students' Nova5000 screens.

Teachers can ensure students are not distracted by blanking out their screen and disabling Web browsing. They can demonstrate skills by broadcasting their own screen view to all the student screens and thus explain a procedure or concept visually and verbally. Teachers can also ensure an ordered and monitored classroom by having on their own screen a thumbnail view of every student's screen in the class. In essence, the LanSchool extends the discipline of a physical classroom to the networked lab by putting the teacher back in control. Apart from fulfilling a monitoring role, the LanSchool also offers powerful interaction capabilities by allowing students to share their screen view with others – while giving a presentation for instance. The teacher’s screen view appears as a window at all student terminals, ensuring that everyone can follow classroom proceedings. LanSchool also lets instructors ask students Yes/No or multiple choice questions onscreen.

With the ability to send targeted or blanketed messages, blanketing screens and locking keyboards in the advent of a pop quiz or test, the LanSchool is an essential aid for managing a networked classroom environment.

The Nova5000 is very relevant for both emerging and developing markets that are aiming for higher computer to student ratios. And as long as it keeps delivering tailored solutions to help teachers perform better while enabling education at all levels through specifically developed software, the Nova5000 will continue its ascendance as a powerful tool for education.