HP Inc. launches digital learning partnerships to support students and schools impacted by COVID?19.
HP Inc. announced HP Turn to Learn, a new programme that will deliver educational content curated from scientific, publishing and media companies to support teachers and students in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. HP is partnering with TIME for Kids, Britannica and NASA on the programme, which will focus on providing critical resources to Title I school districts and underserved students across the United States.
In addition to HP Turn to Learn, HP also announced a series of school district donations, partnerships and new blended learning programmes globally to respond to COVID-19. HP said that these new programmes underscore its goal to enable better learning outcomes for 100 million people by 2025 through global educational programmes, equipment donations and on-demand learning tech.
“A student’s right to education should not be contingent on where they live or their family’s income. We must find creative new ways for teachers and students to connect from a distance – because while this pandemic is creating hardship for so many around the world right now, we cannot afford to let it hold back the generation that will shape our future,” said Enrique Lores, HP President and CEO. “As we mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day this week, it’s an opportunity to reflect on the world around us and how we’re tackling the greatest threats facing society. Whether we’re helping to fight COVID-19 or climate change, it’s in our collective interest to work together on shared solutions,” said Lores.
HP added that the HP Foundation has contributed $3 million (€2.76 million) grants in total. $1 million (€0.92 million) to support affected communities with critical medical supplies, and its board has approved an additional $2 million (€1.84 million) in grants for COVID-19 relief.
In China, HP and Rise English have jointly built a home education ecosystem in China to create a one-stop platform that conveniently convert online education content into paper texting for children’s learning. As the first step of cooperation, HP and Rise jointly launched a “Learning at Home” educational printer package, including a HP Smart Tank 518 printer, Rise English online courses and live broadcast courses, as well as a customized online learning kit. This partnership will provide convenient hardware support and rich high-quality content for home learning.
HP also announced the launch of the BeOnline programme, an education initiative designed to bring together partners and resources to support remote and distance learning. To date, this programme has been rolled out in France, Italy, Spain, Middle East, Turkey and Africa.
HP India has partnered with India-based Interactive Education company Gamooz Interactive Solutions Pvt. Ltd. to provide access of educational content to its customers, from worksheets to 2D Augmented Reality content supported by the Gamooz app to make learning more engaging and fun. HP and Gamooz will also create a community in which educators and students can jointly discuss educational content, problems and solutions.
An finally, HP said it has created HP Refresh, a new programme and free solution that uses technology and a Community Activation Playbook to help quickly get remote learning devices to the students who need them. HP Refresh will make sure students can keep learning during this challenging time by helping communities upgrade older PCs that are considered outdated or underpowered. It does this by providing free software that safely wipes and reimages older HP or non-HP PCs with a Linux operating system, web browser, and a web conferencing application, turning older PCs into browser-based remote learning devices and builds around a Community Activation Playbook that empowers local organisations and families to help safely and securely collect, update and distribute the PCs to students in their communities.
