Av Technology At Work In The Classroom

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NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND: AV TECHNOLOGY AT WORK IN THE CLASSROOM Garland, TX (August 02, 2004) - With more than 55,000 students currently enrolled in Kindergarten through 12th grade, the Garland Independent School District is one of the fastest growing public school systems in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and ranked as the fourth largest school district in Texas. Even before the mandatory curriculum requirements were put into action by the No Child Left Behind Act, the educators and administrators of Garland ISD were strongly focussed on individual student development as their district motto reflects - "One Mission: Student Success". To keep pace with the changing scholastic climate, the district implemented a two-phased technology upgrade plan in 2004. Among other district technical and equipment enhancements, the plan calls for upgrades to existing classroom audiovisual (AV) systems, with the intent of improving visibility of teacher presentations. New Dukane XGA resolution LCD projectors will be ceiling or wall mounted with Peerless hardware, all supplied by Troxell Communications - the nation's largest AV supplier to the scholastic market. All machine control is accomplished through Crestron media management software. By employing Creston's Roomview software to operate the machines, teachers can easily control each classroom presentation system with a computer. Systems can also be controlled at the district level via ethernet. Creston's software includes on-off controls as well as monitoring of bulb life and system usage. When the software detects problems, it dispatches an email to the system administrator, thereby resulting in improved response times. According to Troxell Account Executive Aaron White, who helped design the system, the feedback from Garland ISD has been extremely positive. "As more teachers come on line with the new technology, the overall consensus seems to be that systems such as this will one day become the norm in school districts nationwide, and teachers' ability to reach students through the use of audio/video technology will greatly enhance the learning experience," said White. In July 2004, Troxell Communications began the second phase of the planned AV installation. Phase One was completed in early Spring 2004. New AV equipment will be installed in 56 rooms at two newly constructed schools, Pearson Elementary and Watson Elementary. Garland ISD's long-range plan is to complete equipment installations in 50 to 80 rooms each month through August 2005. When finished, the technology upgrade will encompass over 4,000 classrooms. More information about Troxell Communications products and services can be found at www .trox.com . More information about the manufacturers mentioned can be found at www .dukane.com , www .peerlessindustries.com and www .crestron.com .

Transcript of Av Technology At Work In The Classroom

Page 1: Av Technology At Work In The Classroom

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND: AV TECHNOLOGY AT WORK IN THE CLASSROOM

Garland, TX (August 02, 2004) - With more than 55,000 students currently enrolled in Kindergarten through 12th grade,the Garland Independent School District is one of the fastest growing public school systems in the Dallas-Fort Worth area,and ranked as the fourth largest school district in Texas.

Even before the mandatory curriculum requirements were put into action by theNo Child Left Behind Act, the educators and administrators of Garland ISD werestrongly focussed on individual student development as their district mottoreflects - "One Mission: Student Success". To keep pace with the changingscholastic climate, the district implemented a two-phased technology upgradeplan in 2004.

Among other district technical and equipment enhancements, the plan calls forupgrades to existing classroom audiovisual (AV) systems, with the intent ofimproving visibility of teacher presentations. New Dukane XGA resolution LCDprojectors will be ceiling or wall mounted with Peerless hardware, all supplied byTroxell Communications - the nation's largest AV supplier to the scholasticmarket.

All machine control is accomplished through Crestron media managementsoftware. By employing Creston's Roomview software to operate the machines,teachers can easily control each classroom presentation system with a computer.Systems can also be controlled at the district level via ethernet.

Creston's software includes on-off controls as well as monitoring of bulb life andsystem usage. When the software detects problems, it dispatches an email tothe system administrator, thereby resulting in improved response times.

According to Troxell Account Executive Aaron White, who helped design thesystem, the feedback from Garland ISD has been extremely positive.

"As more teachers come on line with the new technology, the overall consensusseems to be that systems such as this will one day become the norm in schooldistricts nationwide, and teachers' ability to reach students through the use ofaudio/video technology will greatly enhance the learning experience," said White.

In July 2004, Troxell Communications began the second phase of the planned AV installation. Phase One was completedin early Spring 2004.

New AV equipment will be installed in 56 rooms at two newly constructed schools, Pearson Elementary and WatsonElementary. Garland ISD's long-range plan is to complete equipment installations in 50 to 80 rooms each month throughAugust 2005. When finished, the technology upgrade will encompass over 4,000 classrooms.

More information about Troxell Communications products and services can be found at www.trox.com.

More information about the manufacturers mentioned can be found at www.dukane.com, www.peerlessindustries.com andwww.crestron.com.