Carrongrange High School: A total solution in every class- and meeting room
“Being all you can be” is the motto of Carrongrange High School. This motto was important in the development of their new school, which was officially opened by Deputy First Minister John Swinney on Wednesday the 1st of November.
The £18 million project is part of the Scottish Government’s £1.8 billion “Schools for the Future Programme”. According to the Deputy First Minister “it is so important that we have a world-class educational facility where you can fulfill your potential within our education system”. At Prowise, we try to bring all assets of a good educational facility together. Is it the people? The lessons? The community? The pupils? We believe these are all part of world-class education.
The school was looking to replace their existing SMART Boards in every classroom and staff room with replacement interactive touchscreen displays. Being comfortable using the ‘old & familiar’, teaching and support staff were hesitant to install another brand of interactive touchscreens and software. Together with Scott Thomson, the project manager for Carrongrange High School, Prowise Learning Specialist Stephanie Shipley tackled all issues, requirements and wishes to be able to offer the best solution for the school and its pupils’ needs. Scott and Stephanie worked closely with key staff for their feedback and suggestions. A Prowise All-in-One solution was installed at the school and utilised for training staff and evaluation purposes.
The Prowise All-in-One solution, which features adjustable height, adjustable angle and which is movable, allows teaching staff to employ inclusive teaching strategies to a varied number of teaching approaches that address the needs of pupils with different backgrounds, learning styles, and abilities.These strategies contribute to an overall inclusive learning environment, in which students feel equally valued. This created an accessible classroom and teaching environment for all pupils.
It was also important to offer staff varied teaching approaches for their pupils. The Prowise Presenter software allows teachers to create lessons and enrich them with a wealth of free content: videos, images, 3D objects, interactive tools and much more. With ProConnect, a learning response app implemented in Prowise Presenter, pupils can communicate with their teacher using a personal device. Students can voice their ideas, thoughts and questions, or play an interactive ProQuiz in a group setting or one to one lesson. This allows all pupils to be equal contributors and learners.
The initial requirements included a mix of SMART Boards and Prowise multi-touchscreens, however, taking into account all the key features of the Prowise All-in-One solution and software as highlighted above, the school decided to go all Prowise.
A total solution in every class- and meeting room
Assistive technology was a core factor for the school’s decision. Prowise full solutions were installed in every teaching and meeting room. This means pupils and teachers have access to interactive technology at the highest level: multi-touchscreens, Presenter software to stimulate collaboration, and tiltable lift systems to create an inclusive learning environment. Stephanie Shipley, Learning Specialist at Prowise, emphasises: “As this is an ASN school, inclusion, accessibility and adaptability were key factors for the school in deciding which technology would best meet the needs of the pupils. The Prowise 65″ touchscreens with All-in-One lifts are able to accommodate pupils with a variety of backgrounds and additional support needs. In the upcoming half year I will meet the staff monthly to provide training and support, in order for them to use our screens to the fullest”.
Examples of deployment include a Prowise 75″ touchscreen installed in their special ‘training flat’ that will be used to develop life skills with young people. Even the PE department is equipped with a touchscreen.
Scott Thomson – Project Manager
“We needed an interactive solution that would meet the needs of our ASN pupils and allow teaching staff to deliver inclusive teaching strategies. Stephanie Shipley, Learning Specialist at Prowise has been very proactive in helping us along the journey, from providing us with sample hardware to trial in the early stages, to delivering regular training sessions. After the trial, we decided to install Prowise boards across the school, also utilising the Prowise All-in-One mobile solution in many teaching areas. Teaching staff have engaged with this new kit very easily and can quickly create lessons with ease using the Presenter software. Pupils can use the screen in a wide variety of ways due to the touchscreen with tiltable lift being adaptable to meet all needs, which makes it a perfect addition to all classrooms: from the PE department to our ‘Flat’ where pupils learn independent living skills. Moving forward, I am sure we will continue to use our new technology to the fullest!”