Looking to support engaging curriculum and collaboration among students and teachers, the Castleberry Independent School District (ISD) recently installed RP653 Interactive Flat Panel (IFP) displays from BenQ in 128 classrooms and administrative conference spaces at the Fort Worth, TX organization.
“Our previous solution, a whiteboard paired with an interactive projector, was eight years old and starting to fail,” says Renee Smith-Faulkner, assistant superintendent for technology services at Castleberry ISD. “It had become an unreliable solution that not only required a lot of resources and time to troubleshoot but was no longer advancing collaborative learning in the classroom or creating an interactive and engaging environment for meetings and planning sessions at the administrative level. Out of the gate, the BenQ RP653 introduced a whole new dynamic and resolved the frustration our teachers, administrators, and technology team felt.”
Initially, the school district installed the RP653 65in. IFPs in eight classrooms for a two-week pilot. The trial period was met with overwhelming support. It took very little instruction to get everyone comfortable with using the panels; teachers were immediately able to create new curriculum with the panels that enabled new levels of rigor. The RP653’s full HD screen, 350 cd/m2 screen brightness, and 1,400:1 contrast ratio delivered a clear, bright image that students can see without leaving their seats. With 20-point multi-touch capabilities, multiple students are able to work side by side at the 65in. screen and simultaneously touch the screen with virtually no delay in screen response. BenQ’s QTouch software also enables students to use different colored pens to annotate and interact with onscreen content. BenQ’s Eye-Care features include anti-glare glass to minimize light reflections and improve readability, as well as Low Blue Light and ZeroFlicker backlight technologies help reduce eye fatigue during long hours of content viewing and instruction. Finally, a tempered glass bacteria-resistant coating on the screen helps reduce the spread of germs.
The IFP’s built-in suite of applications is helping improve classroom management and efficiency. Utilizing DisplayNote, a free bundled desktop and mobile application, educators have been able to create more collaborative lessons by streaming any content directly from their computers or via the cloud to other touchscreens and various devices. In addition, teachers are also using Google Hangouts to create interactive lesson planning sessions with other teachers across the district.
