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Efficiency & Simplicity Led to a Clevertouch Upgrade

Why the Brussels School Group made the investment in Clevertouch display technology.

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Challenge

Because schools were using many different technologies such as interactive displays and long throw projectors, it became increasingly difficult for the Brussels School Group IT service department to maintain the various brands and products. The interactive displays and projectors required lots of maintenance, software driver installations, calibrations, and more making the management of the different technology difficult.

About three years ago, a few of their schools started replacing the interactive displays and projectors with Clevertouch® IMPACT™ touchscreen displays. They were pleased to discover that this resulted in a decrease in service requests and user questions. The Clevertouch IMPACT displays helped both the teachers and IT services by not requiring much – a truly out-of-the-box solution.

Schools snapshot

31 Kindergartens

39 Primary schools

17 Secondary schools

5 Art education schools

5 Boarding schools

2 Adult education centers

1 central directory

27,000 students and 4,500 staff

IT-dedicated staff: 10 IT Managers and 1 IT Director

Key Solutions

The Brussels School Group were impressed with the quality of the IMPACT touchscreen displays including the Android system features, USB-C connection for portable devices, and mobile device management (MDM). The IT service department found the MDM especially helpful because it helped them manage the schools in different regions all over Brussels. If a user had a question or needed help with a minor issue, the IT service could assist from their headquarters via the MDM. This saves time from having to visit the school site (or sites) and enables the IT service department to deal with other issues with greater priority.

The Clevertouch state-of-the-art technology promotes active participation and engagement from both teachers and students. Since Brussels is a very diverse and multicultural society, the need to differentiate and personalize instruction is important. The IMPACT touchscreen display technology encourages teachers to provide students with opportunities to practice key 21st century skills.

After three years of successful use of the IMPACT touchscreen displays, and proving that the Clevertouch solution – hardware, software, service – was of the highest level, The Brussels School Group invested in more than 200 IMPACT touchscreen displays, ranging in size, adding to the 75 IMPACT displays already in use. A majority of the displays included the adjustable wall mounts and trolleys.

“We chose Clevertouch because it’s not just a touchscreen,” says Filip De Pril, Technical IT Coordinator for The Brussels School Group. “It’s an all-in-one solution and experience for all levels within our organization. Clevertouch meets our expectations and via OTA (over-the-air) updates, also positively adapts its products based on feedback from teachers and IT staff.”​​​​​​

Benefits

After a short introductory session to the IMPACT displays, teachers found it so easy to use that they started using them right away. Three features that tend to be teacher favorites are:

  • Clevershare™ - This application lets users share what is on their devices such as a tablet (ex. iPad®), laptop, or PC to the IMPACT screen while still enabling the teacher to maintain control over what is shared. This increases active participation and collaboration for the whole class.
  • LYNX Whiteboard - This easy-to-use annotation and whiteboarding software allows teachers to create and deliver interactive lessons using content from a variety of sources, including the web. There are also a variety of tools that can boost active learning such as handwriting recognition, and math and science tools.
  • Snowflake – This educational software helps teachers create interactive lessons and tasks that saves them planning time so that they can work with students directly. Snowflake also allows teachers to divide the touchscreen into independent zones to further personalize instruction.

Due to COVID-19, the scheduled advanced training sessions for Clevershare, LYNX Whiteboard, and Snowflake has not taken place as intended. The new plan is to facilitate training sessions in which teachers from different schools meet in groups and learn from one another. The goal is to organize these types of sessions periodically every couple of months at different locations. They recognize that learning to use the Clevertouch hardware and software is an ongoing process that will never stop and teachers will not only grow their skills, but excel at them. We anticipate that the teachers and students of The Brussels School Group will delve deeper into interactive and personalized instruction that benefits all.

“We chose Clevertouch because it’s not just a touchscreen. It’s an all-in-one solution and experience for all levels within our organization.”

- Filip De Pril, Technical IT Coordinator Brussels School Group

“The Brussels School Group is a leading example in Belgium of how to manage an enormous education organization. It’s an honor for Clevertouch to be selected as their preferred touchscreen manufacturer and a fantastic challenge and opportunity to help them using our technology in their daily school lives.”

Karel Callens, Clevertouch

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