The Richardson Independent School District in Texas, USA, was not looking for just any wireless solution. They wanted one that would accommodate all users. This is a must in an age when Bring Your Own Device practices reign supreme and every classroom is inhabited by a mix of Google, Apple, Android and Microsoft devices. For Technology Project Manager, Terry Balch, finding such a solution was far more difficult than it should have been:
“We looked at five presentation solutions. Some were specific to one operating system. Or they didn’t work with our enterprise environment. They either couldn’t set up proxies or they wouldn’t work with our other layered security.”
Balch found the solution he was looking for in Barco wePresent. It is designed to allow up to four people to simultaneously share content, no matter what devices they are using and no matter whether they are broadcasting to a projector or a television screen. There is no longer a question of which system is the right system; wePresent allows teachers to put the focus on helping their students to learn.
“Students are more engaged during presentations, which, of course, increases classroom conversation and ultimately improves learning,” says Balch. “It gives teachers more flexibility and students more opportunity for engagement.”
This flexibility is evident in the array of classroom subjects that wePresent has been used for. As well as career and technical education classes, the Richardson ISD has used it to help teach about everything from billing to basic medical procedures like taking blood pressure.
The success is all too clear. While Barco representatives initially installed wePresent in administrative offices and one classroom, but Balch is looking to introduce it to classrooms in all 54 campuses of the school district.
“Not only is wePresent a cost savings over the traditional route of using a matrix AV router with wiring,” Balch explains, “it offers a great deal of flexibility and ease of use for the teacher.”
Barco Education offers solutions designed specifically for the educational market to enhance teaching and learning experiences within and beyond the classroom.
