Smater keeps learning on the cutting edge.
Liceo STEAM International is a school located in Rovereto, Northern Italy. In 2019, a new school was opened in Bologna and in 2021, another in Parma.
Liceo STEAM follows an approach that combines science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics to guide student learning, development, and critical thinking. Its goal is to be a school capable of shaping excellent people, ready to participate and succeed in a hyper-complex world.
Supporting innovation in education
In 2018, Liceo STEAM opened its doors for learning in the city of Rovereto — and technology has played an integral role in the school’s mission ever since. As Tullia Urschitz, STEM teacher at Liceo STEAM, notes: “IT is not just a subject we teach; first and foremost, it’s a functional tool that we use to support learning and teaching.”
Lenovo solutions have also been there from the beginning, forming a cornerstone of the school’s IT strategy. Urschitz played a key role in introducing Lenovo technology to Liceo STEAM, supported by Elia Bombardelli, the school’s mathematics teacher, who also runs a YouTube channel with over 250,000 subscribers.
Bombardelli recalls: “The Lenovo Italy team approached me after seeing my YouTube channel and gifted me a Lenovo ThinkPad device, which I started using in my classes and for my video lessons. When I came to work at Liceo STEAM and met Tullia, who is a Google Educator herself, we had the opportunity to extend the collaboration to Liceo STEAM through the Lenovo Teacher Ambassador program. We both became ambassadors for the school and Lenovo donated several devices, including tablets, laptops, and 3D screens.”
Our partnership with Lenovo has allowed us to broaden our horizons as an educational institution – we can’t wait to see what the future holds for us.”
Elia Bombardelli, Mathematics Teacher
Liceo STEAM International
Learning with the latest technology
Thanks to a personal connection with Lenovo reseller Campustore—where Urschitz and Bombardelli also work as trainers—Liceo STEAM was able to procure and set up the Lenovo hardware effortlessly.
“Elia and I have been trainers at Campustore for many years,” notes Urschitz. “We were already familiar with Lenovo hardware and software, and we helped train other teachers at Liceo STEAM so they could get the most out of the technology.”
Today, Liceo STEAM makes use of a fleet of 24 Lenovo 100e Chromebooks, as well as several Lenovo ThinkPad laptops, to support highly interactive hybrid learning across five classes. The school operates a mobile IT lab, keeping the Lenovo Chromebooks charged on a trolley (called Lapbus) and bringing them into classrooms as and when needed.
Lenovo also provided Bombardelli with his own Lenovo Chromebook, which he uses in classes and for video lessons on YouTube. As Bombardelli notes: “Lenovo Chromebooks are highly functional, reliable and, most importantly, easy to use. They’re a great complement to my Lenovo ThinkPad: I use this to capture all my calculations and equations. I can write directly on the tablet with a stylus and instantly display it on other screens so my students can follow along.”
In addition, Liceo STEAM uses Lenovo’s LanSchool Air software to manage students’ technology use, monitor their progress, and promote collaboration in one of its classes – and is eager to expand use of the solution across the school.
Urschitz says: “We love LanSchool Air. We only use it in one class at the moment, and would eventually like to install it in more classrooms to help teachers manage their classes more effectively.”
Meeting new needs and supporting all learners
Liceo STEAM’s forward-looking investment in hybrid learning with Lenovo paid dividends when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. The school was able to make a smooth transition to remote learning, ensuring educational continuity for both students and teachers.
“Lenovo played a key role in helping us transition to fully remote learning during the early stages of the pandemic,” says Elena Trainotti, the Principal of the school. “We sent each student a Lenovo device to use at home. As they were already familiar with the technology from our classes, they were ready from day one of home schooling and the change was almost not even noticeable.”
Now that Liceo STEAM has returned to its regular hybrid learning model, Lenovo technology continues to play an important role in helping educate and inspire students of all abilities.
“With Lenovo Chromebooks, students have access to all the tools and materials they need for learning at their fingertips,” remarks Bombardelli. “That includes our own resources and those on the web. It really opens our classrooms to life outside school.”
Urschitz adds: “We also find the Lenovo solutions to be very inclusive. We have students with learning impairments as well as those with very high IQs. They’re all able to work with the Lenovo Chromebooks easily because they’re extremely intuitive, not to mention light and robust. I don’t think any other device on the market competes with them!”
More broadly, Liceo STEAM’s partnership with Lenovo offers a valuable way for the school to stay on the leading edge as technology evolves – making the learning journey smoother for students and offering them valuable practical experience with technology.
Bombardelli concludes: “Every Lenovo solution helps us experiment with new ways to teach, and we also provide Lenovo with useful feedback on their technology. We’re always learning from each other, and our partnership with Lenovo has allowed us to broaden our horizons as an educational institution – we can’t wait to see what the future holds for us.”
