According to a post on Microsoft’s Education Blog, the new operating system is called Windows 11 SE, created from feedback provided by teachers and school IT administrators. These educational tools support a wide variety of learning and third-party apps housed in a low-cost device. Optimized for education, Windows 11 SE simplifies its UI interface and removes certain features to not distract students. It supports the Microsoft Office 365 series of apps, including Word, Powerpoint, and OneDrive. The OS also has online reading tools built right into the browser, like Immersive Reader, which reads text aloud to help with reading comprehension. Windows 11 SE also has online and offline capabilities so students can continue working outside of school. For example, SE’s version of OneDrive will store files on the laptop while offline and sync them to the network once the student returns to school. As for the device, the Surface Laptop SE is a new computer that will house Windows 11 SE. It’s low-cost and designed with remote learning in mind. At just $249, the laptop comes with an 11.6-inch screen, Intel Celeron 4020 processor, 4GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage, and 16 hours of battery life. There’s also a slightly more expensive model with more powerful specs, such as 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Although Microsoft designed the Surface Laptop SE to work with Windows 11 SE, the operating system is not exclusive to the new device. Schools will have a variety of computers to choose from if they prefer something else, such as the Surface Go 2.
