Since outfitting its 22 elementary schools, six middle schools and six high schools and comprehensive schools with Hitachi projectors, Vancouver Public Schools District has seen a higher level of engagement among its students at all grade levels. The advanced capabilities of the Hitachi projectors include highly intuitive operation and an unprecedented level of interactivity, making teaching more effective and efficient and learning more engaging.
Vancouver Public Schools offer basic and advanced training courses for teachers on using the Hitachi projectors – which were purchased by the school district through Troxell Communications – and interactive whiteboards, focusing first on the basics of the technology, and then addressing how to effectively integrate the technology into lesson plans.
“The secret to convincing a teacher to buy into the technology is by tying it into the curriculum,” said Steve Stoll, instructional technology facilitator, Vancouver Public Schools. “A lot of our teachers have been excited to adopt features like conferencing, sharing screens and iPad compatibility. Veteran teachers are also seeing the value once they learn how to operate the projectors.”
“I came across an article tracing advancements in educational tools throughout history,” said Stoll. “Teachers have always pushed back in the transition from quill pen to pencil, pencil to ballpoint pen and so on. But we’ve seen teachers who are genuinely excited to use their new Hitachi projectors to the fullest extent.”
One of the most popular features of the Hitachi projectors is the ability to digitally store recent lessons. “Research shows that when the brain revisits learned information within 24 hours of inception, it has a much higher chance of being retained,” Stoll said.
Stoll believes that interactive technology is important for both the teachers and the students. “Even at the kindergarten level, we’ll see kids become accustomed to interactive lessons,” he added. “In high school, they will often be utilising the projectors and interactive whiteboards for their own group presentations.”
In addition to the Hitachi projection solutions, the district has begun several other new programs with an emphasis on technology, which include one-to-one nitiatives where all students receive either iPads or laptops. These programs will expand to all students in grades 3-12 in the coming years.
For a school district so focused on student advancement through technology, Hitachi’s projectors are ideal. Steve Bratt, manager of technology operations at Vancouver Public Schools, was impressed with the ease and affordability of the installation. “The short-throw interactive projectors are mounted in close proximity to the wall, meaning that it’s much more cost-effective and easier than installing a ceiling mount, which normally requires additional power,” he said. “It also turns an existing whiteboard into an interactive board, which can still function as a normal dry-erase whiteboard on its own.”