COSTA MESA, Calif. — BenQ, an internationally renowned provider of visual display and collaboration solutions, today announced that Paso Robles Joint Unified School District in California has selected and installed BenQ Boards in more than 200 classrooms across the district. The BenQ Boards allowed Paso Robles to bypass an expensive cabling infrastructure update many of its schools needed while introducing an affordable yet innovative classroom solution for fostering engagement and collaboration and nurturing future-ready students.
“We were at a fork in the road on how to move our classrooms into the future affordably,” said Scott Buller, MBA, director of information technology at Paso Robles Joint Unified School District. “Instead of rewiring our classrooms and using all available money toward replacing our legacy projectors, we were able to invest in BenQ Boards and propel our school district into the future of learning. We saved money, and increased engagement, accessibility, inclusion, collaboration, and tech skills — all while meeting the needs of our teachers and IT staff. The BenQ Boards’ features and tools have transformed our learning possibilities.”
BenQ Boards Increase Engagement and Interactivity
BenQ Boards immediately introduce a new, hands-on way of learning in the classroom. From the display’s antimicrobial screen, students can participate in lessons with enhanced interactivity. To boost engagement without expensive subscription costs, BenQ Boards include the license-free EZWrite 6 annotation and collaboration software. This gives teachers and students the freedom to annotate and work directly from the interactive display or a wirelessly connected device. Rather than sit-and-get lectures, EZWrite encourages students to manipulate content, explore concepts, and solve problems, fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills. With EZWrite’s Floating Tool, users can add text to any app, video, website, document, or image. They can also choose the pen color, erase, open files, or take screenshots.
BenQ Boards Increase Personalized Learning
BenQ Boards open the door to more easily fostering personalized learning experiences with an abundance of free tools. For example, the EZWrite software’s translation tool can benefit teachers working with ELL students, quickly translating content. The board also comes with built-in InstaShare wireless screen sharing software, which breaks down barriers to collaboration. Students are empowered to present their ideas in class, with up to nine screens being shared simultaneously. When remote students or guests are joining, the display is compatible with all leading videoconferencing software such as Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams, with an optional Intel-powered slot-in PC, which expands the utility of the screen even further. BenQ has also made it possible for two apps to be opened on screen side by side, making lessons more efficient. For example, teachers can explain in detail with a whiteboard on one side and support content on the other or, utilizing InstaShare’s Floating Window mode, share a connected screen alongside another app in use.
BenQ Boards Increase Multimodal Learning
BenQ Boards feature audio, visual, and touch tools that help teachers enhance lessons that include all learning modalities. With its multiple touch points, EZWrite lets several students work together simultaneously for hands-on, collaborative learning. Students can do more than write. They can use photos and screenshots as well as built-in templates for more context-rich classes. Team Post on EZWrite splits the board into side-by-side workspaces, allowing teams to compete in real-time quizzes and activities. With a built-in six microphone array, it’s easy for educators to capture audio along with screen annotations. These can be saved for review later with crisp audio everyone can hear, thanks to its two 16W speakers.
BenQ Boards Increase Teacher Tech Skills and Comfort
BenQ Boards are also purpose-built for teachers so that they can provide exciting learning opportunities, starting from the moment they sign on. Encouraging active participation in class while protecting student and teacher health, the germ-resistant BenQ Boards boast BenQ’s Tap ‘N Teach technology, which features one-tap NFC log-in to load lesson materials and interactive teaching apps, cloud storage, settings, and tools instantly and securely.
BenQ Board smart displays are cloud-friendly, making them the epicenter for classroom management. They eliminate the complexities of using interactive display technology that steals valuable class time or having to depend on connected devices to access and manage files and content. Once teachers are logged in, their personal settings are instantly recalled and they can securely access and save lesson materials on Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, or the network.
BenQ Boards Increase IT and Tech Staff’s Insight
As a central hub for each and every classroom, it’s important IT and admin staff have the tools they need to manage and update the BenQ Boards. IT managers have access to at-a-glance device analytics for any BenQ display using the included AMS software. They can easily monitor and analyze the status of all the BenQ devices on a single dashboard, including managing displays, apps, and OTA updates remotely for maximum convenience. BenQ Boards integrate with schools’ most favorite apps, including Google, Kahoot!, ClassLink, and more. BenQ Boards also benefit from BenQ’s X-Sign Broadcast software, which turns any BenQ smart board in the school into broadcast signage and allows schools to keep everyone informed and up to date on events, safety protocols, and emergencies.
“Paso Robles Joint Unified School District is a great example of how schools can increase positive outcomes and support future-ready students without a tremendous infrastructure overhaul, training, or IT resources,” said Bob Wudeck, senior director of business development at BenQ Education. “BenQ Boards are designed to eliminate many of the barriers to 21st-century learning while at the same time meeting teachers where they’re at so they can instruct students with confidence and ease.”
More information on BenQ is available at www.BenQBoard.com.
About BenQ Education
BenQ Education is helping teachers shape the future of learning with interactive display solutions that maximize engagement in and out of the classroom while improving student performance. For over 10 years, BenQ has been the No.1-selling TI DLP projector brand worldwide, according to Futuresource, and is one of the leading interactive display vendors in North America. The award-winning BenQ Board is the first and only interactive display to feature TÜV- and SIAA-certified germ-resistant screens, interfaces, and pens as part of its purpose-built ClassroomCare technologies designed for healthier classrooms. The BenQ Board RP03 Series has been recognized as the first smart board to achieve Eyesafe® Certification, the advanced blue light mitigation technology developed in concert with optometrists and ophthalmologists. Industry-recognized, BenQ’s Tap ‘N Teach technology for fast sign-on, EZWrite license-free annotation and whiteboard software, InstaShare wireless screen presentation system, and IT-friendly monitoring and management tools create exciting and intuitive active learning experiences. EZWrite 6 is also AWS Qualified, having passed Amazon Web Services (AWS) Foundational Technical Review (FTR), providing schools with assurance in security, reliability, and operational excellence. Educators can focus on giving lessons that leave an impact and give the leaders of tomorrow the tools they need to reach their maximum potential. The company’s products are available across North America through leading value-added distributors, resellers, and retailers. More information is available at www.BenQBoard.com.
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