Drummoyne Public School in Sydney’s inner west was one of the first in Australia to install the BenQ MP780 Interactive Projector into one of its kindergarten classrooms - the school was quick to show enthusiasm to be part of the BenQ field study happily offering to put the latest in education technology to the test. The result… According to DPS teacher Ms Natalie Goodman, the MP780 ST PointDraw Projector is a successful teaching tool for smaller classrooms and budget-conscious schools.
The class of 20 kindergarten students have had the benefit of the interactive projector for term four of the school year. Teacher, Natalie Goodman found student participation improved with the installation of the projector, and said that the projector was “…a great resource to enhance different learning styles”.
“I’ve really enjoyed using the projector with my kindergarten class,” said Goodman. “It’s made a distinct difference to the atmosphere in the classroom with the children showing loads of interest and excitement in the technology and this of course makes teaching more enjoyable. The projector has certainly helped engage students in the key learning areas taught throughout the term. We’ve had a really progressive fourth term,” she said.
Ms Goodman pointed out that the flexibility of being able to use both the projector’s interactive pen, (which may be used like an ordinary pen by writing directly on the board from a distance of up to 8 metres enabling students to answer questions and problems without leaving their chairs) – as well as a traditional whiteboard marker on the whiteboard surface was one of the system’s best characteristics.
“The students were very competent at using the PointDraw interactive pen and loved being able to point to the screen and draw or mark in answers to questions. No doubt the interactive pen makes the PointDraw system quite unique and keeping the students focussed and engaged is our primary goal. The MP780ST PointDraw system certainly passed this test,” she said.
Said BenQ’s General manager, Chee F. Chung, technology is an important component of our everyday working lives. Corporations are quick to outfit their offices with the best and newest developments to increase productivity and gain an edge over competitors and the very foundation for tomorrow’s corporate revolution - the classroom – likewise needs to be equipped for 21st century learning.
“In just one generation we have gone from solving math problems chalked on a blackboard to participating in games and quests online challenging other students who live so far away we are unlikely to ever know them in any capacity other than cyberspace,”said Chung.
“Interactive projectors and interactive whiteboards have replaced the blackboard with not a solitary stick of chalk to be found within any educational institution in the civilised world today. Contemporary learning today is sophisticated and ‘fast-paced’ – it’s computerised, exciting and engaging,” she said.
“BenQ’s MP780ST projector offers a viable alternative to IWBs with advantages like portability and no calibration. MP780ST PointDraw is unique and offers convenience beyond the IWB and teachers and educators will be pleased to find it far more affordable,” said Chung.
PointDraw doesn’t require any calibration between the system and the projected surface/screen. Simply connecting to a notebook or desktop computer, it projects onto any surface.
Big-screen display, integration, and sharing of virtually any digital content viewable on a computer monitor is possible with PointDraw. The pen features a button that works like the “left” button on a mouse, allowing users to doodle up to 8 metres away from the surface.
PointDraw’s projection space ranges from 48 inch to 300 inch diagonal, while an ultra short 0.5:1 throw ratio further accommodates even the smallest portable classrooms.
Ends…
